The Download, Episode One, is all about Creativity and Tech. Pema learns how games are developed, with experts Eric Barone (ConcernedApe/ Stardew Valley), Katie Salen Tekinbaş (University of California Irving) and Holly Gramazio (The Husbands). Jake (Yoto Daily) explores whether AI can really be creative. Then wind down with Pema and our serialised fiction story, The Teatimers. The Download is written and hosted by Pema Monaghan and Jake Harris. The Download is produced by Yoto, with sound design by Jack Beattie and original music by Tom McCarthy. Yasmeen Khan assisted with story editing this episode. Let's turn the page!

Show notes:

Hey! It's Pema here. I spoke to some incredibly interesting people to make this episode of The Download. I would love you to look out for their work, so I’ve made that very nice and easy by including some lovely biographies below! Show notes also included games mentioned in the episode, and resources for learning to create games alongside your kids.

https://www.katiesalen.me/about

Katie Salen Tekinbaş is a Professor of Informatics at the University of California Irvine! Informatics is the study of computational systems. She is also the co-founder of Connected Camps, ‘where kids build, code, play, and learn’ in safe digital environments.

Holly Gramazio is a writer, curator and game designer. She makes all sorts of imaginative and special games, including two mentioned in The Download, Where’s Madeleine and How to be a Blackbird. More of her excellent games can be found here. Holly is also the author of a brilliant and funny novel (for adults!) called The Husbands. It’s a comedy about a woman whose attic starts creating an infinite supply of husbands. So, adults, if you’d like to read Holly’s book, you can buy it here.

Eric Barone, also known as ConcernedApe, is an icon of indie game development, and creator of Stardew Valley, a country-life RPG, and my personal favourite game ever. Eric continuously updates Stardew Valley, most recently in 2024, eight years after its initial release. He’s also working on a new game, the Haunted Chocolatier… spooky and sweet.

Games mentioned:

Stardew Valley, Dungeons and Dragons, Minecraft, Monopoly, Chess, Where’s Madeleine, How to be a Blackbird, Fortnite.

Game creation platforms mentioned:

Downpour

Scratch

Super Mario Maker 2 (for Switch)

Thanks so much to our guests for their time and insight!

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