Writing Projects

Psychology Research - Video Games

I have contributed to a chapter alongside two very skilled and knowledgeable researchers; Dr. Aaron Drummond & Dr. James Sauer. The work looks at video game violence and what we can/can't say about how it relates to real world societal violence.

The work has now been published in the psychology text: Video Game Influences on Aggression, Cognition, and Attention. Our work is Chapter 2 titled (and I hope you like puns): The Infamous Relationship Between Violent Video Game Use and Aggression: Uncharted Moderators and Small Effects Make It a Far Cry from Certain.

You can purchase the book HERE in either ebook or hardcover format, it will be available for anyone with ebscohost or other academic search engine access also.

We recently published a meta-analysis looking at loot box use, you can view that HERE. Or read the press release HERE.

For more research and my academic work please visit the gaming and psychology lab that I direct (GRAIL) HERE.

ReWind and The Pav columns!

ReWind was a semi-regular column posted on The Weekly Spoon a pop culture review and news site (now defunct). ReWind, written by Shaun Garea, looked back at some of the greats in comic history picking up and reviewing older works mostly and reexamining their place in today's landscape. You can read the archived PDFs here though DROPBOX.

The Pav is a slice of kiwiana published in Funtime Comics (NZ's longest running comics anthology) and features a look at a classic New Zealand comic work. You can purchase Funtime Comic issues HERE

Novel in the works!

A short novel 'The Cult of the Giant Teapot' has been on the burner here on and off for some time, with work being dedicated to it between Estrata and academic commitments.

The Cult of the Giant Teapot is the story of tribal peoples warring over, yes, a giant teapot. As ridiculous as this may seem to the protagonist - a stranger in a strange land - are these odd beliefs any different from ones he may hold himself?

WATCH THIS SPACE

The Roleplayer's Guide to Aotearoa!

MYSTERY LOCATIONS, CRYPTIDS, HAUNTINGS, UFO’s, & OTHER MODERN PLOT-HOOKS FROM THE SPOOKY SIDE OF THE LAND OF THE LONG WHITE CLOUD

This will be a little way off but as a fan of roleplaying games I often run sessions across Aotearoa/New Zealand and find that players love it when you set a game in their town/city. This has turned into a desire to make an Aotearoa sourcebook for modern-day 'spooky' games. The book will feature multiple plot hooks for all 16 regions of NZ alongside some optional lore about groups/factions hunting and capturing monsters. So, if you fancy driving across the country like Sam and Dean hunting monsters, investigating the paranormal like Mulder and Scully, wiping the public's memory after Alien sightings like Agents J and K, or just being a raving pack of werewolves crossing the Canterbury plains (your werewolves not swearwolves though remember), then strap in; I will indeed have some Aotearoa content for you to explore soon!

Comic work

The Legend of Gareus

There is a WHOLE website dedicated to this project - with characters created by Shaun Garea and Alex McMahon - so please get more info HERE. So far, a bunch of stories have been printed in Funtime Comics (Funtime is NZ's longest running comics anthology) and also in the Warlock Returns magazine where Gareus also hosts an 'agony aunt' section. Hopefully a dedicated Gareus issue is on the way in the not-too-distant-future as the content continues to build and stockpile. Oh and Gareus may just be appearing in a video game too. Just sayin. Check out the website for more info as all stories are published for free 'webcomic style' there.

Arcadia

Ah the bittersweet look at projects past.

Arcadia will never die but it is in a coma. The work is a direct continuation of the story of Hell's Gate (Estrata's first independent short film) and widens the scope of evil nasty monsters from a small rural house to a town on the outskirts of nowhere.

A six issue run has been planned with story and script work done for the most part so really its just up to a matter of time, patience, and just a little bit of inspiration.

The Arsonist

If you hop over HERE you will find the video we did for Jordan Reyne's track 'The Arsonist'. Estrata also did two separate single page comics to expand on the story and give a little more depth to the characters (who are played by two of our favorite people!). You can see the comic pages HERE.

Ghost bus

From 'The Ministry of Public Art' (with Jacinda Ardern and Katherine Mansfield)

UPDATE: These images have become finalists in the 2021 Sir Julius Vogel awards!!!!!!!!!!! Find out more HERE

Talented New Zealand writer Anna Kirtlan has recently created a fantastic little ghost story compilation set in Wellington. The stories are all pithy, quirky, and a little scary! Each one has a central conceit that is really inventive and fun. I decided to draw some images of the stories so

You can checkout Ghost Bus: Tales from Wellingtons Dark Side here:

http://seamunchkin.com/

and here: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaKirtlanWrites

(Image 1 from 'The Ministry of Public Art' featuring Jacinda Ardern and Katherine Mansfield, Image 2 from 'The Oriental Bay Piranhas' )

Estrata Productions - New Zealand