Beyond Solitaire

Apr 06 2025 191 ep. 53 mins 360

Beyond Solitaire Podcast artwork

A podcast all about going not just Beyond Solitaire, but beyond the board! Join your host, Liz Davidson, for interviews that touch on gaming history, historical games, and the cultural significance of the games we play.

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Episode 191 - Michelle Strayer on Wargame Analysis

Apr 06 2025 55 mins

This week on the pod, Michelle Strayer, a wargame designer and analyst at CNA, talks about how data for wargames is collected and how design teams ensure that what they collect is meaningful. Keep the Faith campaign: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/ffdefab3-adb6-48aa-8335-797e720c58a1/landing Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for

Episode 190 - Lichao Zhu on the Linguistics of Games

Mar 30 2025 64 mins

This week on the pod, Lichao Zhu discusses several linguistics projects that look into the language we use when we play--and what that might mean. Keep the Faith campaign: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/ffdefab3-adb6-48aa-8335-797e720c58a1/landing Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, wher

Episode 189 - Ada Palmer on LARPing the Renaissance

Mar 23 2025 82 mins

This week on the pod, Ada Palmer (@adapalmer.bsky.social) speaks about her papal election LARP at The University of Chicago--but also about historical research, her work as a sci-fi author, and how both history and fiction can help us talk about today's world. Keep the Faith campaign: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/ffdefab3-adb6-48aa-8335-797e720c58a1/landing Beyond Solit

Episode 188 - Amabel Holland on Cardboard Ghosts

Mar 16 2025 61 mins

This week on the pod, Amabel Holland drops by to discuss her new book, Cardboard Ghosts. We also talk about her excellent video essay work and upcoming games from Hollandspiele. https://www.youtube.com/@UCeCCgRim_uLg-clrSQGhQiQ Keep the Faith campaign: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/ffdefab3-adb6-48aa-8335-797e720c58a1/landing Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Cent

Episode 187 - Thomas Malaby on Anthropology and Gaming

Mar 09 2025 68 mins

This week on the pod, Thomas Malaby joins us to discuss his work as an anthropologist who studies gaming, specifically contingency (i.e. gambling!) and the formation of digital cultures. Keep the Faith campaign: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/ffdefab3-adb6-48aa-8335-797e720c58a1/landing Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Lear

Episode 186 - Emily Knox on Book Banning

Mar 02 2025 59 mins

This week on the pod, Professor Emily Knox, an expert on libraries and book banning, discusses why people ban books, why books are targeted more than other forms of media, and what we can learn from that. She's also a gamer! Keep the Faith campaign: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/ffdefab3-adb6-48aa-8335-797e720c58a1/landing Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central

Episode 185 - Eric Zimmerman on Teaching Game Design

Feb 23 2025 60 mins

This week on the pod, Eric Zimmerman, a professor at NYU, talks about teaching game design, game design as an art form, and much more. Keep the Faith campaign: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/ffdefab3-adb6-48aa-8335-797e720c58a1/landing Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games and Simulations, where learning c

Episode 184 - Laine Nooney on the Apple II Age

Feb 16 2025 62 mins

This week on the pod, NYU professor Laine Nooney discusses their work on gaming and computer history, how we collect material artifacts that shed light on the digital past, and how to write about a computer system that for some has already entered the realm of myth. Also, they mention their journal, ROMchip, which is currently fundraising and which is a great cause to support. Go e

Episode 183 - Sreyashi Mukherjee on the Game World of Reality TV

Feb 09 2025 61 mins

This week on the pod, Sreyashi Mukherjee discusses her love of reality TV dating shows--and what they have taught her about consent, stereotyping, and gaming's "magic circle." Also, she and Greg Loring-Albright co-designed a game that is available here: https://gregisonthego.itch.io/food-for-home Keep the Faith: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/ffdefab3-adb6-48aa-8335-797e7

Episode 182 - Daniel Newman and Marceline Leiman on the Indie Games Night Market

Feb 02 2025 67 mins

This week on the pod, Daniel Newman and Marceline Leiman drop in to discuss the Indie Games Night Market--which was a huge success at PAXU 2024--and also indie games in general. Keep the Faith: https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/ffdefab3-adb6-48aa-8335-797e720c58a1/landing Beyond Solitaire is proudly sponsored by Central Michigan University's Center for Learning Through Games