This project is a scholarly manifesto on unplaying games by (both figuratively and literally) burning them. Building from the work of trans feminist game and media scholars and designers, this dissertation asks: how can we play in the unplayable, that we might live in the unlivable? To contend with these questions, this dissertation explores "ludoarsony"—the practice of un-playing games—as a critical design philosophy and theorical approach to play. It analyzes self-immolating and self-destructing games that burn away paper, plastic, characters, and stories and gray market games that have been ‘burned' with legal dubiousness in order to show how trans play can be found in ending the (game)world. This project builds its case for ludoarsaony across three case studies, each attending a different play practice. In the first chapter, it explores self-immolating games as examples of un-ending play. By playing with fire, we can become doombringers that (un)make worlds and games alike. In the second chapter, it contends with emulation as un-recognizing play that troubles computational ontologies. By emulating games, we can explore de/compilation of software and cultural systems. Finally, it demonstrates how un-balancing play—and flipping tables—upheaves unspoken exclusionary rhetoric and ludic traditions. Ultimately, this dissertation seeks to claim the "unplayable" as a space of trans imaginary—at once speculative and material—that emerges from the ashes of ruptured ludic and computational systems. It serves as an introductory investigation into the playful possibilities of what lies beyond the horizon of the so-called unplayable.

Representations of Chicana bodies in dominant popular culture have historically been contested by Chicana feminists’ own self-representations through art and literature. However, few works examine representations of fat Chicana bodies in literature by Chicana feminists. Through a literary analysis of The Panza Monologues and Real Women Have Curves, as well as an artistic analysis of Laura Aguilar’s photography and through the lenses of Chicanx, queer, and fat studies, my research bridges a gap between Chicana feminist work and fat studies. It looks at how fatness is constructed through the self-representation of women’s bodies. Ultimately, I argue that these art objects are sites of fat Chicana artivism—activism through the use of art—that call for body liberation, respond to the “normative body” required by a colonial legacy of symbolic and physical violence against Chicanx women, and pave the way for further creative artistic and literary work centered on fat Chicanxs to be done.

100 years ago, there was a group of women called Zishunu who stood up against the whole society and swore off marriage for life. Zishu offered an escape for many women in the Pearl River Delta area. As forerunners in female independence and liberation, Zishunu never had the chance to be the spokesman of themselves or the recognition they deserved. Ji Sor (1997), a groundbreaking work in lesbian-themed movies, beautifully depicts this special and unparalleled historical phenomenon in detail. Released a few months after the Handover of Hong Kong in 1997, this critically acclaimed movie by Hong Kong New Wave filmmaker Jacob Cheung embodies the three biggest fears of an extremely conservative society: absence of marriage, challenges to male hegemony, and homosexuality. Although seen as representatives of strong and independent women, Zishunu had to make a lot of compromises to the patriarchal culture to be allowed not to marry. The emancipation of Zishunu, although as a huge advancement in the feminism in China, is not a complete liberation. Women emancipation cannot be achieved by women celibacy. A hundred years later, we are still asking what gender equality really means, what is women’s power, what is independence, what is feminism? Through the analyses of Zishu and Ji Sor both individually and together, this thesis explores the meanings of gender equalities and sexual identities mean in the cinematic world and in the real world. There shouldn’t be a set of standards of how women should act. The right that a woman should have, just like a real women’s movie, is the autonomy to make her own decisions.

This thesis aims to explore the theme of isolation in the dramatic works of Tennessee Williams using his essay “The Catastrophe of Success” as the base theory text. The essay attacks the American idea of success though an in-depth examination of the “Cinderella myth” that Williams claims is so prevalent in both Hollywood and American Democracy. Williams’ deconstruction of this myth reveals that America’s love for stories like it results the isolation of three groups: homosexuals, women and the physically disabled and terminally ill. Williams passes no judgment on his characters, instead showing their lives as they truly are. Through The Glass Menagerie (1945), A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Orpheus Descending (1957) and Vieux Carre (1977), Williams gives readers and audiences a glimpse into the lives of isolated individuals, and the struggles each group faces.

Book Summary: Volume 2 of Group Work Experts Share Their Favorite Activities for Supervision is a follow-up to the first volume of this handy resource. This second volume contains more than 50 additionalactivities for the supervision of group work. Activities are organized into four sections: Multicultural and Social Justice Awareness, Supporting Process in Task and PsychoeducationalGroups, Setting and Population Specific interventions, and Developing Skills and the Coleader Relationship in Group Supervision of Group Leaders. Each section begins with adetailed introduction by an expert who reviews the current literature. The multicultural andsocial justice activities identify and address the ways in which identity affects the group as-a-wholeexperience, and also provide a model for supervisor competence. The activities in the Supporting Process in Task and Psychoeducational Groups section are designed to help supervisors more effectively develop and intentionally intervene in these types of groups. The Setting and Population Specific section offers activities for supervisors’ use with unique types of groups across varied contexts, and the development skills and coleader relationship activities support both beginning and more advanced group counselors in their work.

Book Summary: Applying Techniques to Common Encounters in School Counseling: A Case-Based Approach helps counselors in training bridge the gap between theory and practice by showing them how to theoretically frame or understand the problems and issues they encounter, how to proceed, and what action steps to take when they enter the field as school counselors. It answers the questions new counselors have in real school settings, such as What is it really like to live the life of a professional school counselor? How does the theory presented in the classroom apply to the myriad of situations encountered in the real life, everyday school setting? Case studies and scenarios give readers examples of many commonly encountered presenting issues. For each scenario the case is introduced, background information is supplied, and initial processing questions are posed. The authors include a discussion of the theoretical models or frameworks used to address the issue, along with a table segmented by theoretical paradigm and grade level that includes other techniques that could be used in the presenting case. With these tools at their disposal, readers gain a firm understanding of the issues from several frames of reference, along with interventions meant to create movement toward a successful resolution.

Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), the researchers examined experiences of genderism within, among, and between members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and ally (LGBTQQIA) community. Genderism, or bias resulting from a gender binary view, was explored with regard to gender identity, gender expression, gender roles, and gender-based assumptions. Responses from 10 participants were analyzed for themes within and across participants using IPA. Seven themes are presented, discussed, and supported by participant extracts. Implications for counseling with LGBTQQIA clients are presented, along with considerations for advocacy at a systemic level.

Much research has been dedicated to the difficulties LGBTQ individuals face. Further, school counselors have been challenged to assist LGBTQ individuals in the school setting. Being aware of the specific issues and being educated about specific ways to assist these individuals enable school counselors to be more effective clinicians (DePaul, Walsh, & Dam, 2009). This article will address three components of counselor preparation and affirmative school counseling interventions: counselor self-awareness, LGBTQ sexual identity development, and LGBTQ-affirmative school climate. For each component, an activity is presented to assist professional school counselors become more LGBTQ-affirmative.

A national survey of 123 school counselor educators investigated how participants integrated K–12 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex (LGBTQI) students’ needs and concerns into school counseling curricula. Results indicated 91.9% of participants integrated the K–12 LGBTQI students’ needs and concerns for a median pedagogical duration of one, 3-hour session within a single course, focusing on students’ knowledge and awareness of gender and sexual/affectual orientation. Follow-up interviews were conducted with participants identified as committed to integrating LGBTQI issues into the curriculum, and these interviews produced themes that expanded survey findings in several areas, including significant educational experience, recognition of iterative effect, experiential, personal engagement, ethics, and influence of training and resources. Implications for school counselor education and professional development are discussed.

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