Ana Hein - Mothership

Playing old Nancy Drew games as a gothic heroine

Its gameplay even replicates the form many gothic novels take: the epistolary.

Ana Hein Mar 23, 2026

Advice

How do you write about games?

"I always end up just saying some variation of 'It's very interesting and fun!'"

Zoë Hannah Mar 20, 2026

Recs

A thumb brace has let me play games pain-free for the first time in years

Finally, I have achieved my fitness goals. My thumbs grow buffer by the day.

Nicole Clark Mar 19, 2026

Ana Hein is an essayist and critic. Her work has been featured in Electric Literature, The Rumpus, AFM, Digging Press Journal, Compulsive Reader, Videodame, and more. She has an MFA in nonfiction from Columbia University.

1 article

A shot of a dilapidated room with peeling paint, uneven floorboards, and a pristine desk with an oil lamp sits in the middle of the room with an upholstered armchair beside it.

Analysis

Playing old Nancy Drew games as a gothic heroine

Its gameplay even replicates the form many gothic novels take: the epistolary.

Ana Hein Mar 23, 2026