Folks- this is a two part episode spliced into one! It begins with a monologue about my history/gaming trip to Edinburgh, Scotland back in June of 2025. The first 45 minutes of the episode is about my experience in the city, and the historical tour I took to Stirling, Bannockburn, and a few other locations. If you don't wanna hear the monologue, fast forward to........

..........the 50 minute mark, where the episode transitions into a chat with the one and only Iain McDonald of "Flags of War". He is arguably one of finest makers of miniature wargaming flags around. Silly me when I realized he was from Scotland, and I could have worked out this interview in person! Regardless, this was a ton of fun to record- many of the experiences I recount happened hours after the actual events. If you get a chance, make your way to Edinburgh!

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Hey Folks! Recently, I sat down with Matthew Farber and Tracy Fullerton to discuss their recent book, "The Well-Read Game: On Playing Thoughtfully". I've included a description of the book below. Critics have been raving about it, and it such an honor to discuss the purpose of their book, and connection to education. PS- you may notice that this episode still has the old intro/outro- apologies for that!

https://www.thewellreadgame.com/

In The Well-Read Game, Tracy Fullerton and Matthew Farber explore the experiences we have when we play games: not the outcomes of play or the aesthetics of formal game structures but the ephemeral and emotional experiences of being in play. These are the private stories we tell ourselves as we play, the questions we ask, and our reactions to the game’s intent. These experiences are called “readings” because they involve so many of the aspects of engaging with literary, cinematic, and other expressive texts. A game that is experienced in such a way can be called “well-read,” rather than, or as well as, “well-played,” because of the personal, interpretive nature of that experience and the way in which it relates to our reading of texts of all kinds.

The concept of the “well-read game” exists at the convergence of literary, media, and play theories—specifically, the works of Louise Rosenblatt’s reader-response theory, Brian Upton’s situational game theory, Tracy Fullerton’s playcentric design theory, and Bernie DeKoven’s well-played game philosophy. Each of these theories, from their own perspective, challenges notions of a separate, objective, or authorial meaning in a text and underscores the richness that arises from the varied responses of readers, who coauthor the meaning of each text through their active engagement with it. When taken together, these theories point to a richer understanding of what a game is and how we might better value our experiences with games to become more thoughtful readers of their essential meanings.

20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’re a fan of this show and want access to 12 exclusive episodes that drop on the 30th of each month- shows that are orchestrated and designed by you, join the game at patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC See you there, and don’t forget your dice!

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Friends- a few weeks ago, Kelly and I had the privilege of participating in an episode of Mark's Game Room, which covered the story of General Dan Sickles, and his infamous move into the Peach Orchard. Not only did we walk the battle with two of my former students (and Mark Fastoso, 11 time Emmy Award Winner), but we got a chance to refight part of the 2nd day of the Battle of Gettysburg in Mark's studio! It was a fantastic experience. This pair of episodes, dropping at the same time, interview several of the folks we spent the day with. In the case of Episode #104, it's with Austin and Matt- two fantastic gamers and all around great guys. Kelly and I had a great time chatting with them. Enjoy the episode, and if you haven't seen the Gettysburg video, please use the link below to give it a watch. It will not disappoint! And, if you're at Historicon this week, I hope you are rolling plenty of successes in whatever game you're playing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVzPRzE8hJI

20 Sided Gamified Listeners- if you’re a fan of this show and want access to 12 exclusive episodes that drop on the 30th of each month- shows that are orchestrated and designed by you, join the game at patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC See you there, and don’t forget your dice!

https://patreon.com/20SidedGamifiedPodcastLLC

And, don't forget about our sponsor, BetterHelp! If you're interested in inquiring about what BetterHelp can offer you, please use the link below and get 10% off your first month!

https://betterhelp.com/20sidedgamified

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.