Miguel Sicart is a play scholar and a Professor in the Department of Digital Design at the IT University of Copenhagen, where he is the Head of the Center for Digital Play.

Miguel and I talk about game design and the agency of play.  We also talk about how everything - humans and what we make - are in cultural conversation with each other.  Hidden throughout the episode are a number of provocative moments worth listening for, as we discuss the monoculture of Silicon Valley, the capitalist nature of software and play as subversion.

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"Game of Life Podcast" is produced by ⁠Sophia Deng⁠; visuals by Alonzo Felix; music is from Anchor.

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Timestamps

(01:16) Miguel's Zoom backgrounds

(10:18) Crash course on game design 

(18:04) Games in constant conversation with the world 

(19:58) How to build software   

(32:17) Play design and why play matters  

(39:53) AI 

(50:50) Agency of play 

(53:56) 2 final questions 

(56:13) Content recommendations for people in tech to be more expansive

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Miguel's recommendations - General

Hey Robot by Frank Lantz (game)

Presenter Slides (game)

The Quiet Year (game)

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Miguel's recommendations - For tech people who want more liberal arts thinking

Tech Won't Save Us (podcast)

Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House by Audre Lorde (book)

Poetry of Wisława Szymborska

Cat in an Empty Apartment by Wisława Szymborska (poetry)

They Live (film)

Or go to your local bookstore and buy a random book of poetry :)