Ludiphilia

We're back! So sorry it took so long. Regular service (new episodes every 4-6 weeks) will now resume. On the eve of the Industrial Revolution and the morn of the English Civil War, one man reinvented educational thought. Special thanks to my Patreon backers Anuar Lequerica, James Weiner, and Nick for sticking with me through this prolonged hiatus. I'm dedicated to making this show as good as possible for you guys, and to maintaining a more consistent stream of new content from here on out. Song Credits: Oneiri and Behind Your Window by Kai Engel Lost Soul by Fleslit Our Mentors' Legacies by Rowan Box Sacred Motion by staRpauSe Scattered Knowledge by Revolution Void And a tiny bit of music by me I also sampled two seconds of audio from the Sesame Street Pinball Count song

We're back! So sorry it took so long. Regular service (new episodes every 4-6 weeks) will now resume. On the eve of the Industrial Revolution and the morn of the English Civil War, one man reinvented educational thought.Special thanks to my Patreon backers Anuar Lequerica, James Weiner, and Nick for sticking with me through this prolonged hiatus. I'm dedicated to making this show as good as possible for you guys, and to maintaining a more consistent stream of new content from here on out.Song Credits:Oneiri and Behind Your Window by Kai EngelLost Soul by FleslitOur Mentors' Legacies by Rowan BoxSacred Motion by staRpauSeScattered Knowledge by Revolution VoidAnd a tiny bit of music by meI also sampled two seconds of audio from the Sesame Street Pinball Count song

When Alex Boz dug his Commodore 64 out of storage, he was transported instantly back to his childhood, and that set him on the path to rediscover a lost passion and find a community he could call home. Thank you to everyone who's donated via PayPal or Patreon so far — especially Anuar Lequerica and James Weiner, whose very generous monthly pledges are helping me buy new gear to make a better-sounding show. Alex Boz runs the Ausretrogamer website and Twitter handle. Song Credits: Oneiri and Remedy for Melancholy by Kai Engel Under Suspicion and Snakes by Lee Rosevere The Life and Death of a Certain K Zabriskie, Patriarch by Chris Zabriskie Python, Ladybug Castle, and Itsumo no y? ni by Rolemusic Passing Time by BoxCat Games Scattered Knowledge by Revolution Void Cheap for Free by Aglow Hollow C64 Revenge by hkisve Welcome Player, Epilogue, and End Credits by Visager The Adventure by Mikael Norrgard And samples from Super Mario Bros for Nintendo Entertainment System and the Commodore 64 game Decathlon I also used a number of Creative Commons sound effects: old pinball.wav by mapleleaf Arcade Game by RICHERlandTV Fast-paced achievement by ProjectsU012 Coins 1 by ProjectsU012 Laser chirping by ProjectsU012](https://www.freesound.org/people/ProjectsU012/sounds/337250/)

When Alex Boz dug his Commodore 64 out of storage, he was transported instantly back to his childhood, and that set him on the path to rediscover a lost passion and find a community he could call home.Thank you to everyone who's donated via PayPal or Patreon so far — especially Anuar Lequerica and James Weiner, whose very generous monthly pledges are helping me buy new gear to make a better-sounding show.Alex Boz runs the Ausretrogamer website and Twitter handle.Song Credits:Oneiri and Remedy for Melancholy by Kai EngelUnder Suspicion and Snakes by Lee RosevereThe Life and Death of a Certain K Zabriskie, Patriarch by Chris ZabriskiePython, Ladybug Castle, and Itsumo no y? ni by RolemusicPassing Time by BoxCat GamesScattered Knowledge by Revolution VoidCheap for Free by Aglow HollowC64 Revenge by hkisveWelcome Player, Epilogue, and End Credits by VisagerThe Adventure by Mikael NorrgardAnd samples from Super Mario Bros for Nintendo Entertainment System and the Commodore 64 game DeclathlonI also used a number of Creative Commons sound effects:old pinball.wav by mapleleafArcade Game by RICHERlandTVFast-paced achievement by ProjectsU012Coins 1 by ProjectsU012Laser chirping by ProjectsU012

How brothers Rand and Robyn Miller built worlds from a manhole. This is the story of the beginning of Cyan, the company that went on to develop Myst — the all-time top-selling adventure game and one of the most influential videogames ever made. Adapted from interviews for my upcoming book The Secret History of Mac Gaming, which is currently crowdfunding on Unbound. Thank you to everyone who's donated via PayPal or Patreon so far — especially Anuar Lequerica, whose very generous monthly pledge has helped me buy new gear to make a better-sounding show. Song Credits: Oneiri, Sunset, [Behind Your Window](href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/Idea/Kai_Engel_-_Idea_-_04_Behind_Your_Window), Remedy for Melancholy, Nothing, and Anxiety by Kai Engel Under Suspicion, Puzzle Pieces, Evening Glow, and Snakes by Lee Rosevere Wandering by Steve Combs I am a Man Who Will Fight For Your Honor and Nirvana VEVO by Chris Zabriskie Peekdoor Quest by Rolemusic Passing Time by BoxCat Games Music from The Manhole by Robyn Miller Untitled compositions by Richard Moss I also used a cassette tape/deck audio sample by FreeSound user magedu.

How brothers Rand and Robyn Miller built worlds from a manhole. This is the story of the beginning of Cyan, the company that went on to develop Myst — the all-time top-selling adventure game and one of the most influential videogames ever made.Adapted from interviews for my upcoming book The Secret History of Mac Gaming, which is currently crowdfunding on Unbound.Thank you to everyone who's donated via PayPal or Patreon so far — especially Anuar Lequerica, whose very generous monthly pledge has helped me buy new gear to make a better-sounding show.Song Credits:Oneiri, Sunset, Behind Your Window, Remedy for Melancholy, Nothing, and Anxiety by Kai EngelUnder Suspicion, Puzzle Pieces, Evening Glow, and Snakes by Lee RosevereWandering by Steve CombsI Am A Man Who Will Fight For Your Honor and Nirvana VEVO by Chris ZabriskiePeekdoor Quest by RolemusicPassing Time by BoxCat GamesMusic from The Manhole by Robyn MillerUntitled compositions by Richard MossI also used a cassette tape/deck audio sample by FreeSound user magedu.

I love SimCity. It's a wonderful simulation of the urban machinery around us, and a playground for messing with our cities. But it turns out the original game, at least, doesn't actually work the way it seems. Music by Three Chain Links, Jesse Spillane, Rolemusic, and Lee Rosevere. Thank you to everyone who's donated via PayPal or Patreon so far — especially Anuar Lequerica, whose very generous monthly pledge is helping me buy new gear to make a better-sounding show. Song credits: The City, It Speaks to Me by Three Chain Links Cityscape Backdrop by Jesse Spillane Scape from the City by Rolemusic Puzzle Pieces by Lee Rosevere

I love SimCity. It's a wonderful simulation of the urban machinery around us, and a playground for messing with our cities. But it turns out the original game, at least, doesn't actually work the way it seems.Music by Three Chain Links, Jesse Spillane, Rolemusic, and Lee Rosevere.Thank you to everyone who's donated via PayPal or Patreon so far — especially Anuar Lequerica, whose very generous monthly pledge is helping me buy new gear to make a better-sounding show.Click here for a direct download.Song credits:The City, It Speaks to Me by Three Chain LinksCityscape Backdrop by Jesse SpillaneScape from the City by RolemusicPuzzle Pieces by Lee Rosevere

On Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa and the playful freedom of creating as someone else — someone distinct, and unique, but non-existent. (Pessoa wrote under hundreds of names, all of which belonged to people he called "heteronyms," or "non-existent acquaintances." He's an extraordinary example of something actually quite common in literature.) Music by Chris Zabriskie, Lee Rosevere, Kai Engel, The New Valleys, Richard Moss. Songlist: NirvanaVEVO by Chris Zabriskie Scattered Knowledge by Revolution Void I Am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor by Chris Zabriskie Sunset by Kai Engel Places Unseen by Lee Rosevere Under Suspicion by Lee Rosevere Puzzle Pieces by Lee Rosevere Reflections by Lee Rosevere Featherlight (remix - vocals by Heather Feather) by Lee Rosevere Carry On by The New Valleys Thanks to my Patreon backers and PayPal donors for supporting the show. Especially Anuar Lequerica, whose very generous monthly pledge will help me buy a professional voice recorder for easier and higher-quality recordings of on-location interviews.

On Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa and the playful freedom of creating as someone else — someone distinct, and unique, but non-existent. (Pessoa wrote under hundreds of names, all of which belonged to people he called "heteronyms," or "non-existent acquaintances." He's an extraordinary example of something actually quite common in literature.)Music by Chris Zabriskie, Lee Rosevere, Kai Engel, The New Valleys, Richard Moss.Direct download of the episode mp3.Songlist:NirvanaVEVO by Chris ZabriskieScattered Knowledge by Revolution VoidI Am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor by Chris ZabriskieSunset by Kai EngelPlaces Unseen by Lee RosevereUnder Suspicion by Lee RoseverePuzzle Pieces by Lee RosevereReflections by Lee RosevereFeatherlight (remix - vocals by Heather Feather) by Lee RosevereCarry On by The New ValleysThanks to my Patreon backers and PayPal donors for supporting the show. Especially Anuar Lequerica, whose very generous monthly pledge will help me buy a professional voice recorder for easier and higher-quality recordings of on-location interviews.

Sometimes we don't realise that we need saving. Sometimes it's fun to pretend we do. For one woman, pretending made all the difference. This is the story of how one middle-aged woman relearned to play while residing in Second Life, and of the Search and Rescue operation she was enlisted into to help save fellow avatars (who don't actually need saving). Music by Chris Zabriskie, Kai Engel, Revolution Void, and Richard Moss. Mario Bava Sleeps In a Little Later Than He Expected To by Chris Zabriskie I Am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor by Chris Zabriskie Sunset by Kai Engel Scattered Knowledge by Revolution Void Thanks to my Patreon backers for supporting the show. Especially Anuar Lequerica, whose very generous pledge will soon pay for some portable soundproofing so that I can record voiceover without worrying about noise levels outside my office. Here's a link to Elif Ayiter's website, if you'd like to see more of her stuff.

Sometimes we don't realise that we need saving. Sometimes it's fun to pretend we do. For one woman, pretending made all the difference. This is the story of how one middle-aged woman relearned to play while residing in Second Life, and of the Search and Rescue operation she was enlisted into to help save fellow avatars (who don't actually need saving).Music by Chris Zabriskie, Kai Engel, Revolution Void, and Richard Moss.Direct download of the episode mp3. Volund's Ship by Elif Ayiter. Created in Second Life. Songlist: Mario Bava Sleeps In a Little Later Than He Expected To by Chris ZabriskieI Am a Man Who Will Fight for Your Honor by Chris ZabriskieSunset by Kai EngelScattered Knowledge by Revolution VoidThanks to my Patreon backers for supporting the show. Especially Anuar Lequerica, whose very generous pledge will soon pay for some portable soundproofing so that I can record voiceover without worrying about noise levels outside my office.Here's a link to Elif Ayiter's website, if you'd like to see more of her stuff.

[Audio levels should be fixed now. Sorry about that.] A devoted wrestling fan hacks and modifies an old Nintendo 64 game called WWF No Mercy to help deal with the pain of his shattered dream, and gets more out of it than he'd bargained for You can learn more about the No Mercy hacking scene at Old Skool Reunion. As always, you can follow Ludiphilia on Twitter @ludiphilia and subscribe on iTunes and Patreon.

[Audio levels should be fixed now. Sorry about that.]A devoted wrestling fan hacks and modifies an old Nintendo 64 game called WWF No Mercy to help deal with the pain of his shattered dream, and gets more out of it than he'd bargained for.Direct download of the episode's mp3 file.You can learn more about the No Mercy hacking scene at Old Skool Reunion: http://s4.zetaboards.com/Old_Skool_Reunion/forum/3861679/As always, you can follow Ludiphilia on Twitter @ludiphilia and subscribe on iTunes and Patreon (patreon.com/ludiphilia).

For the first episode of Ludiphilia I've gathered two stories about learning by playing systems-driven games. One is about the educational value of Minecraft, and the other is about a guy who studies something he calls play design and who developed two of my favourite bits of playful software in recent memory. First I talk to Santeri Koivisto, the CEO and co-founder of TeacherGaming — the small company behind (educational repackaging's of Minecraft and Kerbal Space Program) MinecraftEdu and KerbalEdu — about the company's goals, approach to education, background, and more. Then I move onto Chaim Gingold, a PhD student at the University of California Santa Cruz and researcher at the Communications Design Group. He's writing his thesis on play design. But he's famous for developing the Creature Creator for Maxis' SimEverything game Spore, and more recently he made an iPad app called Earth Primer — a science book for playful people. You can buy Earth Primer from the App Store for AU$12.99/US$9.99/GB£7.99.

iTunes linkFor the first episode of Ludiphilia I've gathered two stories about learning by playing systems-driven games. One is about the educational value of Minecraft, and the other is about a guy who studies something he calls play design and who developed two of my favourite bits of playful software in recent memory.First I talk to Santeri Koivisto, the CEO and co-founder of TeacherGaming — the small company behind (educational repackaging's of Minecraft and Kerbal Space Program) MinecraftEdu and KerbalEdu — about the company's goals, approach to education, background, and more.Then I move onto Chaim Gingold, a PhD student at the University of California Santa Cruz and researcher at the Communications Design Group. He's writing his thesis on play design. But he's famous for developing the Creature Creator for Maxis' SimEverything game Spore, and more recently he made an iPad app called Earth Primer — a science book for playful people. You can buy Earth Primer from the App Store for AU$12.99/US$9.99/GB£7.99.Direct download of the episode's mp3 file.