About Me

My name is Michael Heron. I’m a Docent [1] at Chalmers University of Technology, or as I prefer to call it – a Dissociate Professor [2] – where I’ve spent a frankly unreasonable amount of time thinking about games, spaces, ethics, accessibility, and the strange ways our digital lives haunt us. I have taught for twenty-five years in both further and higher education. During that time, I have… done a lot of things. So many things. An endless, baffling array of things. This is not a container for all of it. It’s a snapshot. I also created Meeple Like Us, a project that began with the innocent goal of helping people enjoy board games and ended up becoming a sprawling investigation into the secret lives of meeples, design cultures, and the quietly fascinating politics of influence hidden in cardboard cultures. I also like to call myself the world’s first consulting hauntologist, because that’s guaranteed to get an interested look at parties.

Nah, only kidding.

Obviously I don’t get invited to parties.

Professionally, I bounce wildly between serious academic concerns — accessibility as justice, the ethics of institutions, the vibes that linger in virtual worlds — and the more eccentric corners of scholarship, including hauntology, cultural thermodynamics, and the emotional weather systems of fictional places. I’m a firm believer that academia works best when everyone stops taking themselves quite so seriously. When I’m not teaching, writing, or tilting at disciplinary windmills, you can usually find me over-thinking about something trivial, either professionally or personally.

I think of myself not as an interdisciplinary scholar – which is to say, someone who inhabits multiple intellectual worlds. I think of myself as a liminal scholar, who haunts the periphery of multiple intellectual worlds, never quite fitting in. Meeple Like Us is an awkward blend of accessibility, game design, cultural critique, and disability studies. It belongs to none of these. It floats between all of them. I am fascinated by ethics in applied circumstances, which brushes up against philosophy and pedagogy and cultural studies and institutional critique. And for some of these domains, they don’t even have a safe harbour of their own. Games are software engineering. Games are art. Games are therapeutic. Games are literature. They’re all these things and none of these things, depending on who you talk to. I’m a restless drifter, traveling forgotten byroads and following the desire paths abandoned by the mainstream. I roam from institution to institution, never quite calling any home for long. I’m forever disheartened by the inexorable drift of educational institutions into the bear-trap of neoliberalism, and equally disheartened at my inability to convince anyone of the danger. If I were a character from mythology, I’d be Cassandra. If I were a fictional character, I’d be Don Quixote. If I were a spectre, I’d be the Ghost of Christmas Future. If I were an animal, I’d be the Littlest Hobo.

[1] For those unaware of the Swedish docent system – you are lucky. This is a title given to those who have a long track record of scholarship and academic citizenship. And also people like me who lounge around the system long enough that it just gets awkward for everyone. It’s broadly equivalent to the German habilitation degree, which is in itself kind of like a PhD++. For those in the UK system it’s perhaps easiest to think of me as a reader. For those in other systems, it’s sometimes best translated as an associate professor (in Europe). In the US, it maps loosely onto a fresh faced professor. For everyone else, don’t worry about it. Put it out of your mind.

[2] Most of my daily activities involve mentally separating what I believe matters from what my employer believes matters.

Publications

Books

  1. Heron, M. (2027, forthcoming). Vibes in Space and Time: Psychogeography and Hauntology in the Imaginary Worlds of Games. Taylor and Francis.
  2. Heron, M. (2025). Demystifying Game Studies. Taylor and Francis.
  3. Heron, M. (2024). Tabletop Game Accessibility: Meeple Centred Design. Taylor and Francis.
  4. Heron, M & Belford, P. (2024). A Case Study for Computer Ethics in Context: The Scandal in Academia. Taylor and Francis.

Traditional Publications

  1. Heron, M. , Aune, K., Gamboa, M., Thunburg, S., Hasmati, N., Belford, P. (2026, in press). The Hauntology of Generative AI. DRS 2026. 
  2. Casimiro, C., Sousa, C., Heron, M (2026). What Matters in Accessible Written Communication for Neurodivergent People? A Scoping Review. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. 
  3. Casimiro, C., Heron, M, Sousa, C. (2025). What Makes a Rulebook Accessible and Entertaining? Recommendations of Best Practice. Japanese Journal of Analog Role-Playing Game Studies.    20-34. [Available online from https://jarps.net/journal/article/view/81/136]
  4. Heron, M.J, (2024). Project Unplug – A Personal Reflection on Rediscovering the Joy in Being Online. ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, 52 (2). 17-22. [Available online from https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3656021.3656028]
  5. Heron, M.J. (2023). Computer Supported Accessible Dexterity Board Games. The International Journal of Games and Social Impact. 1 (2). 98-118. [Available online from https://revistas.ulusofona.pt/index.php/ijgsi/article/view/9094]
  6. Heron, M.J, Belford, P. (2023). Things Fall Apart – Concluding the Scandal in Academia. ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, 52 (1). 17-21. [Available online from https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3625671.3625676]
  7. Sturdee, M, Heron, M.J.. Gamboa, M. (2023). TTRPG UX: Requirements and Beyond. Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 1-9. [Available online from https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544549.3582737]
  8. Gamboa, M, Heron, M.J. Sturdee, M. Belford, P. (2023). Screenshots as Photography in Gamescapes: An Annotated Psychogeography of Imaginary Places. Proceedings of the 15thACM Conference on Creativity & Cognition. 506-518. [Available online from https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3591196.3593370]
  9. Crabb, M.Z, Heron, M.J (2023). Communication Challenges in Social Board Games. Simulation and Gaming. 54 (5). 489-507. [Available online from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10468781231183908]
  10. Hendriks, S., Heron, M., Obaid, M. (2023). Tables Got Moves: A Review on Actuated Table Designs. Tables Got Moves: A Review on Actuated Table Designs. 2nd International Conference of the ACM Greek SIGCHI Chapter. [Available online from https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3609987.3609991]
  11. Heron, M.J, Belford, P. (2022). Whistleblowers in an Academic Gift Culture – A Commentary on the Scandal in Academia. Computers and Society 51(2). 14-20. [Available online from https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3585066.3585072]
  12. Heron, M. J. (2022). The Sociological Accessibility of Gaming. In Gaming Disability: Disability Perspectives on Contemporary Video Games. Routledge. [Available online from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780367357153-14/sociological-accessibility-gaming-michael-james-heron?context=ubx&refId=e9e6ba45-e417-49ed-abf1-5f6b5924b49d]
  13. Heron, M.J, Belford, P. (2021). Authoritarianism and Anonymity: Continuing to explore the Scandal in Academia. Computers and Society 49(3). 19-27. [Available online from https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3447913.3447926]
  14. Crabb, M., Heron, M. J., Jones, R., Armstrong, M., Reid, H., & Reid, A. (2019,). Developing Accessible Services: Understanding Current Knowledge and Areas for Future Support. In CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Proceedings (CHI 2019), May 4–9, 2019, Glasgow, Scotland UK. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 12 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300446
  15. Crabb, M., Clarke, D., Alwaer, H., Heron, M., & Laing, R. (2019). Inclusive design for immersive spaces. The design journal, 22 (sup1), 2105-2118. [Available online from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14606925.2019.1594934?needAccess=true]
  16. Heron, M. J., Belford, P., Reid, H., Crabb, M. (2018). Meeple Centred Design – a Heuristic Toolkit for Evaluating the Accessibility of Tabletop Games. The Computer Games Journal, 7(2), 97-114. [Available online from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40869-018-0057-8]
  17. Heron, M. J., Belford, P., Reid, H., Crabb, M. (2018). Eighteen Months of Meeple Like Us. An Exploration into the State of Board Game Accessibility. The Computer Games Journal, 7(2), 75-95. [Available online from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40869-018-0056-9]
  18. Heron, M. J. (2018). The Things that Unite Us. The Computer Games Journal, 7(2), 45-47. [Available online from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40869-018-0054-y]
  19. Heron, M.J., Belford, P. (2017). Disclosure and Disavowal: Professional Issues in the Scandal in Academia. Computers and Society. 47(4). 29-45. ACM, New York. [Available online from https://dl.acm.org/authorize?N660610]
  20. Heron, M. J. (2017). Pacman’s Canon in C#: A Quantum Interpretation of Video Game Canon. The Computer Games Journal, 6(3), 135-151. [Available online from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40869-017-0036-5]
  21. Heron, M.J. (2017). Ethics in Computer Science. In The Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology. Taylor and Francis, Oxford. [Available at https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1081/E-ECST-42/ethics-michael-james-heron?context=ubx&refId=84d0ae3e-53e6-466f-a128-238fad619f46]
  22. Tyack, C., Camic, P. M., Heron, M. J., & Hulbert, S. (2017). Viewing art on a tablet computer: A well-being intervention for people with dementia and their caregivers. Journal of applied gerontology, 36(7), 864-894. [available online from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0733464815617287]
  23. Heron, M.J., Belford, P. (2016b). The Quantified University: An Analysis of the Scandal in Academia. Computers and Society. 46 (3). pp28-44. ACM, New York. [Available online from http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3024953]
  24. Heron, M.J. (2016). Editorial: Cultural Integration and the Accessibility of Gaming. The Computer Games Journal. 5 (3). pp91-94. Springer: New York. [Available online from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40869-016-0028-x].
  25. Heron, M.J. (2016). Ethical and Professional Complications in the Construction of Multi-Developer Hobbyist Games. The Computer Games Journal. Springer: New York. [Available online from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40869-016-0025-0]
  26. Heron, M.J., Belford, P. (2016a). Musings on Misconduct: A Practitioner Reflection of the Ethical Investigation of Plagiarism within Programming Modules. Computers and Society. 45 (3). ACM, New York. pp438-444. [Available online from http://dl.acm.org/authorize?N08508]
  27. Heron, M.J., Belford, P. (2015d). Fuzzy Ethics: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bot. Computers and Society. 45(4). pp4-6. ACM, New York. [Available online from http://dl.acm.org/authorize?N08509]
  28. Heron, M.J., Belford, P. (2015c). A Practitioner’s Reflection on Teaching Computer Ethics with Case Studies and Psychology. Brooks’ eJournal of Learning and Teaching. 7 (1). Oxford Broooks, Oxford. [Available online at https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/245923/a-practitioner-reflection-on-teaching-computer-ethics-with-case-studies-and-psychology].
  29. Heron, M.J., Belford, P. (2015b). Power and Perception in the Scandal in Academia. Computers and Society. 45 (2). ACM, New York. [Available online from http://dl.acm.org/authorize?N08500]
  30. Heron, M.J., Belford, P. (2015a). All of your Co-Workers are Gone: Story, Substance, and the Empathic Puzzler. The Journal of Games Criticism. 2 (1). United States. [Available online at https://gamescriticism.org/2023/07/24/all-of-your-co-workers-are-gone-story-substance-and-the-empathic-puzzler/]
  31. Heron, M.J. (2015c). Review: Rachel Kowert, Thorsten Quandt (eds): The Video Game Debate — Unravelling the Physical, Social and Psychological Effects of Digital Games. The Computer Games Journal. 4 (3). pp187-188. Springer: New York. [Available online at http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40869-015-0014-8″]
  32. Heron, M.J. (2015b). A Case Study Into the Accessibility of Text-Parser Based Interaction. The Seventh ACM SIGHCI Symposium on Engineering Interactive Computing Systems. Duisburg, Germany. [Available online at http://dl.acm.org/authorize?N93958].
  33. Heron, M.J. (2015a). Everybody’s Talking About Pop Music: the Evolution of the Cinematic Video Game. The Computer Games Journal. Springer: New York. [Available online from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40869-015-0001-0]
  34. Pederson, S., Baxter, G., Burnett, S., MacLeod, I., Goker, A., Heron, M.J., Isaacs, J., Elyan, E., Kaliciak, L. (2015). Twitter response to televised political debates in Election 2015. In: D. Jackson and E. Thorsen, eds. UK Election Analysis 2015: Media, Voters and the Campaign; Early reflections from leading UK academics. Bournemouth: Centre for the Study of Journalism, Culture and Community, Bournemouth University. p. 73. [Available online at https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/248806/twitter-response-to-televised-political-debates-in-election-2015]
  35. Heron, M. (2014). Guess the Syntax: Parsers and the Evolution of the Puzzle in Text Games. Available at SSRN 4439488. [Available online at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4439488]
  36. Heron, M.J., Belford, P., Goker, A. (2014). Sexism in the Circuitry: Female Participation in Male Dominated Popular Computer Culture. Computers and Society. 44 (4). ACM, New York. [Available online at http://dl.acm.org/authorize?N84609]
  37. Heron, M.J., Belford, P. (2014a). Ethics in Context: A Scandal in Academia. Computers and Society. 44 (2). ACM, New York. [Available online at http://dl.acm.org/authorize?N84600]
  38. Heron, M.J., Belford, P. (2014b). Do You Feel Like A Hero Yet? Externalised Morality in Video Games. The Journal of Game Criticism. 1(2). United States. [Available online at https://gamescriticism.org/2023/07/24/do-you-feel-like-a-hero-yet-externalised-morality-in-video-games/]
  39. Heron, M.J., Belford, P. (2014c). It’s Only A Game: Ethics, Empathy and Identification in Game Morality Systems. The Computer Games Journal. 3(1). Scotland. [Available online at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF03392356.pdf]
  40. Spiel, K., Bertel, S., Heron, M.J. (2014). Navigation and Immersion of Blind Players in Text-Based Games. The Computer Games Journal 3 (2a). pp. 132-154. [Available online at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF03392361l]
  41. Heron, M.J., Hanson, V.L, & Ricketts, I. (2013a). The Technical Design of the ACCESS Framework. The Fifth ACM SIGHCI Symposium on Engineering Interactive Computing Systems. London, England. [Available online at http://dl.acm.org/authorize?N71670]
  42. Townsend, J, Heron, M.J. (2013). Authorship and Autership in the Collaborative Development Process of Text-Based Games. Chercher le Text: Locating the Text in Electronic Literature. Paris, France. [Available online at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260257370_Authorship_and_Auteurship_in_the_Collaborative_Development_Process_of_Text-Based_Games]
  43. Heron, M.J., Hanson, V.L, & Ricketts, I. (2013b). Accessibility Support for Older Adults with the ACCESS Framework. The International Journal of Human Computer Interaction. Seattle, Washington. [Available online at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10447318.2013.768139?journalCode=hihc20#.UYlZAbXvsyg]
  44. Heron, M.J., Hanson, V.L, & Ricketts, I. (2013c). Open Source and Accessibility: Advantages and Limitations. The Journal of Interaction Science. 1(1). Cambridge, England. [Available online at http://www.journalofinteractionscience.com/content/1/1/2]
  45. Heron, M.J (2013). Likely to be Eaten by a Grue. The Computer Games Journal. 2(1), Scotland. [Available online at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF03392336]
  46. Vickers, S., Istance, H., Heron, M.J. (2013). Accessible Gaming for People with Physical and Cognitive Disabilities: A Framework for Dynamic Adaptation. Conference of Human Computer Interaction 2013. Seattle, Washington. [Available online at http://dl.acm.org/authorize?N71672]
  47. Heron, M.J (2012). Inaccessible Through Oversight: The Need for Inclusive Game Design. The Computer Games Journal 1(1). Glasgow, Scotland. [Available online at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF03392326]
  48. Heron, M.J., Hanson, V., & Ricketts, I. (2011). Accessibility Support with the ACCESS Framework. Digital Engagement ’11. Newcastle, United Kingdom.
  49. Heron, M.J. (2011). The ACCESS Framework: Reinforcement Learning for Accessibility and Cognitive Support for Older Adults (Doctoral dissertation). [Available online at http://hdl.handle.net/10588/4902]
  50. Heron, M.J. & Bown, J. (2003). Searching Trait Space. Poster session presented at the European Conference on Artificial Life ’03. Dortmund, Germany.

Insurrectionist Scholarship

Finding many of my ideas did not fit neatly into the restrictive templates of academic publishing, I created my own online micro-press of scholarly communication – Haunted Playground Press. This is an academically rigorous but playful and whimsical track of independent monographs. Submissions to the Haunted Playground can be controversial, transgressive, playful, reflective, and meditative. They do not need to yield their ground to placate reviewers or butcher themselves to satisfy inflexible submission policies. Increasingly, this will be where I direct my scholarly output when it does not imply a career disadvantage for co-authors who remain dependant on a systemized, and pathologized, reliance on metric-driven publication. I have plenty of traditional publications to my name, and thus feel inoculated from the implication I just can’t ‘make it’ in academic publishing. I am serious when I say that I think these papers represent some of my strongest work while being the hardest to place in traditional journals and conferences.

  1. Heron, M., Belford, P., Aune, K. (2025). The Psychogeography of Imaginary Places. Haunted Playground Epigrams (No. 1). Haunted Playground Press. [Available online at https://zenodo.org/records/17622669]
  2. Heron, M., Crabb, M. (2025). Paddling in the Shallows: A Manifesto for Doing Better Research with Games. Haunted Playground Epigrams (No. 2). Haunted Playground Press. [Available online at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17622746]
  3. Heron, M. (2025). Institutional Quixotism: An Ethic of Responsible Custodianship in Irresponsible Times. Haunted Playground Epigrams (No. 3). Haunted Playground Press. [Available online at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17622894]
  4. Heron, M. (2025). Ghosts of Possibility: The Steam Backlog as an Unrealised Imaginary. Haunted Playground Epigrams (No. 4). Haunted Playground Press. [Available online at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17625403]