Episode 40: Indigenous Futurism with Wendi Sierra | 25 August 2026

Stephen and Trent interview their friend, colleague, and worldbuilding case-study contributor, Dr. Wendi Sierra. The trio discusses how Wendi’s (2020) game, A Strong Fire, integrates Oneida language and cultural traditions to preserve and teach, as well as:

• Wendi’s scholarly work at the intersection of literature, digital rhetoric, game development, and Indigenous studies;

• Contrasting corporate-driven transmedia production with community-driven transmedia prosumerism;

• Rethinking authorship as inherently collaborative rather than individual;

• Creation myths as historical evidence of variation in oral traditions;

• Rhetorical speedbumps associated with the digital transformation of culturally embedded stories;

• Leveraging context clues and “Easter eggs” to signal designed intent toward specific audiences or goals;

• Challenging the idea that any one minoritized work can flawlessly represent all possible perspectives within a diverse community;

• Commercial imperatives, stereotyping, and sanitization for global appeal;

• Difficulties with digital preservation of niche cultural and artistic projects;

• Balancing mechanical flexibility with sometimes-necessary constraints on player behavior;

• The active, indie-led renaissance of Indigenous movies, music, and games;

• Sociopolitical tensions in repatriating physical artifacts to non-monolithic communities;

• Grace Dillon’s concept of Indigenous futurism and rejection of the “frozen-in-time” stereotype;

• Applying the Haudenosaunee Seven Generations Principle to evaluate how current decisions may impact future generations;

• Distinguishing superficial appropriation from the deeply integrated temporal braids of a living culture;

• Highly personal, generational, and contextual nuances of terminology and labels;

• Cultivating low-stakes pedagogical environments where learners can make and correct cultural mistakes without shame or indignation; and

• Strategically incorporating complex social forces throughout the worldbuilding process to foster empathy and critical self-reflection.

Episode References:

• Sierra, W. (2020). A strong fire. [Video game]. Second Avenue Learning.

• Wolf, M. J. P. (2012). Building imaginary worlds: The theory and history of subcreation. Routledge.

• Hergenrader, T. (2018). Collaborative worldbuilding for writers and gamers. Bloomsbury Academic.

• Sierra, W. (2020). Todd Howard: Worldbuilding in Tamriel and beyond (Influential video game designers). Bloomsbury Academic.

• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954-1955). The Lord of the Rings. Allen & Unwin.

• Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone. Bloomsbury.

• Goddard, G. (Director). (1987). Masters of the universe [Film]. Cannon Films; Edward R. Pressman Film Group.

• Knight, T. (Director). (2026). Masters of the universe [Film]. Amazon MGM Studios; Mattel Films; Escape Artists.

• Grubb, J. & Winter, S. (1984). Marvel super heroes role-playing game [Box set]. TSR, Inc.

• Wise, D. & Howeth, P. (Writers), & Wolf, F. (Director). (1987–1996). Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [TV series]. Murakami-Wolf-Swenson; Fred Wolf Films.

• Chalopin, J., & Heyward, A. (Executive Producers). (1983–1985). Inspector gadget [TV series]. DIC Audiovisuel; Lexington Broadcast Services Company; Nelvana.

• Cooney, J. G. (Executive Producer). (1969–present). Sesame Street [TV series]. Children's Television Workshop; Sesame Workshop.

• Lucas, G. (Director). (1977). Star Wars Episode IV: A new hope [Film]. Lucasfilm; 20th Century Fox.

• Homer. (1990). The Iliad (R. Fagles, Trans.). Penguin Books. (Original work published ca. 8th century B.C.E.).

• Homer. (1996). The odyssey (R. Fagles, Trans.). Penguin Books. (Original work published ca. 8th century B.C.E.).

• Bethesda Game Studios. (2011). The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• Bethesda Game Studios. (2008). Fallout 3 [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• Bethesda Game Studios. (2015). Fallout 4 [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• Edwards, G. (Director). (2016). Rogue One: A Star Wars Story [Film]. Lucasfilm; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

• Upper One Games. (2014). Never alone (Kisima Inŋitchuŋa) [Video game]. E-Line Media.

• Coogler, R. (Director). (2018). Black Panther [Film]. Marvel Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

• Goldberg, H. (2018, October 14). The making of Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2. Vulture. https://www.vulture.com/2018/10/the-making-of-rockstar-games-red-dead-redemption-2.html

• Extra Credits. (2012, May 11). Tangential learning — how games can teach us while we play [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlQrTHrwyxQ

• Ubisoft Montreal. (2012). Assassin's Creed III [Video game]. Ubisoft.

• NeoBards Entertainment. (2025). Silent Hill f [Video game]. Konami.

• Cretton, D. D. (Director). (2026). Spider-Man: Brand New Day [Film]. Columbia Pictures; Marvel Studios.

• Sabaton. (2007). Metalizer [Album]. Black Lodge Records.

• Wargaming. (2011). World of tanks [Video game]. Wargaming.net.

• Harjo, S., Waititi, T., & Basch, G. (Executive Producers). (2021–2023). Reservation dogs [TV series]. FX Productions; Sterlin Harjo Productions

• Alexander, C. (2022). Coyote & crow: The role-playing game [Tabletop role-playing game]. Coyote & Crow Games.

• Konieczka, C. (2011). Mansions of madness [Board game]. Fantasy Flight Games.

• Lang, E. M. (2015). XCOM: The board game [Board game]. Fantasy Flight Games.

• Grann, D. (2017). Killers of the flower moon: The Osage murders and the birth of the FBI. Doubleday.

• Feige, K., Broussard, S., D’Esposito, L., Winderbaum, B., Alonso, V., Palmer, R., Gavin, J., Dayre, M., & Freeland, S. (Executive Producers). (2024). Echo [TV series]. Marvel Studios.

• Barnaby, J. (Director). (2019). Blood quantum [Film]. Prospector Films.

• A Tribe Called Red. (2016). We Are the Halluci Nation [Album]. Radicalized Records.

• Snotty Nose Rez Kids. (2019). Boujee natives [Song]. On Trapline. RPM Records.

• Achimostawinan Games. (2023). Hill Agency: PURITYdecay [Video game]. Achimostawinan Games.

• Jones, S. G. (2020). The only good Indians. Saga Press.

• Wilbur, M. & Keene, A. (Hosts). (2019–present). All My Relations [Audio podcast]. All My Relations.

• Iguana Entertainment. (1997). Turok: Dinosaur hunter [Video game]. Acclaim Entertainment.

• Sierra, W. (2025). Gaming for the seventh generation: Indigenous Futurisms in games. Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds, 17(2), 179–192. https://doi.org/10.1386/jgvw_00127_1

• Dillon, G. L. (Ed.). (2012). Walking the clouds: An anthology of Indigenous science fiction. University of Arizona Press.

• Dillon, G. L. & Muzyka, K. (2019). From growing medicine to space rockets: What is Indigenous futurism? Indigenous Nations Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations. 21. https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/38952

• Data East. (1990). Werewolf: The last warrior [Video game]. Data East.

• Guerrilla Games. (2017). Horizon zero dawn [Video game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment.

• Ruff, M. (2016). Lovecraft Country. Harper.

• Bobin, J. (Director). (2011). The Muppets [Film]. Walt Disney Pictures; Mandeville Films.

• Ornelas, S. T., Schur, M., Helms, E., Miner, D., Falbo, M., & Sackett, M. (Executive Producers). (2021–2022). Rutherford Falls [TV series]. 3 Arts Entertainment; Fremulon; Pacific Electric Picture Company; Universal Television. https://youtu.be/fyCUYCGQ83M?is=zpy5vB2K-xBOhsF8

Episode 39: Materiality Matters | 18 August 2026

Stephen and Trent debate whether digitizing artifacts (particularly in service of training large language models) justifies the loss of their physical forms. They weigh philosophical and practical concerns, sociocultural consequences, and the value of personal qualitative experience, including:

• The rise in genAI companies purchasing and shredding rare, antique books;

• McLuhan’s contention that the medium is the message;

• Vinyl records, tactile imperfections, and the resurgence of analog media;

• Bearing the cultural cost of destroying original works;

• Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and the potential for information loss through digital preservation;

• How genAI companies circumvent intellectual property law through “transforming” texts;

• Overwhelming volume, inadequate storage space, and the case for purging some forms of physical media;

• Democratizing and regulating genAI as a public utility rather than a for-profit enterprise;

• Similarities and differences between genAI development and the Human Genome Project;

• Economics of hardware ownership versus permanent, rising subscription fees;

• Understanding different media through the material and technological conditions of their respective eras;

• Beanie Babies, baseball cards, and the subjective valuation of “antique” collectibles;

• Colonialism, stolen antiquities, and the (un)ethics of Western decision-making about museum-worthiness;

• Preserving physical media to maintain historically-, artistically-, and culturally-significant practices;

• Trade-offs between archiving versus discarding obsolesced hardware; and

• The perennial tug-of-war between technological, economic, governmental, and social forces.

Episode References:

• Melville, H. (1851). Moby Dick. Harper & Brothers. (Original work published as The Whale via Richard Bentley, 1851)

• Miyamoto, S. (1985). Super Mario Bros. [Video game]. Nintendo.

• McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: The extensions of man. McGraw-Hill.

• Landymore, F. (2026, July 25). AI companies are buying antique books, ingesting their contents to train models, and then destroying them at incredible scale, even if almost no copies remain. Futurism. https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-companies-destroying-rare-books

• Maiberg, E. (2026, July 21). AI companies are buying tons of old books because they're free of AI slop. 404 Media. https://www.404media.co/ai-companies-are-buying-tons-of-old-books-because-theyre-free-of-ai-slop/

• Edwards, B. (2025, June 25). Anthropic destroyed millions of print books to build its AI models. Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/06/anthropic-destroyed-millions-of-print-books-to-build-its-ai-models/

• Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, No. 3 : 24-cv-05417-AMO (N.D. Cal. Aug. 19, 2024). https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25982181/authors-v-anthropic-ruling.pdf

• Maiberg, E. (2026, August 17). We tracked a shipment of rare books. It ended at an Amazon AI training facility. 404 Media. https://www.404media.co/we-tracked-a-shipment-of-rare-books-it-ended-at-an-amazon-ai-training-facility

• Oliver, J. (Host). (2022, October 2). Museums (Season 9, Episode 24) [TV series episode]. In J. Oliver, T. Carvell, & H. Perez (Executive Producers), Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. HBO.

• Greenhouse Studios. (2020). Courtroom 600: A virtual reality encounter with evidence of the Holocaust [Virtual reality game]. University of Connecticut.

• Moulthrop, S. (1991). Victory garden [Hypertext fiction]. Eastgate Systems.

• Torgovnick May, K. (2013, January 14). Remembering internet activist Aaron Swartz. TED Blog. https://blog.ted.com/remembering-internet-activist-aaron-swartz/

• Dylan, B. (1975). Tangled up in blue [Song]. Blood on the tracks [Album]. Columbia Records.

• Shiban, J. & Schnauz, T. (Writers), & MacLaren, M. (Director). (2010, May 30). ABQ (Season 3, Episode 11) [TV series episode]. In V. Gilligan (Executive Producer), Breaking Bad. High Bridge Productions; Sony Pictures Television.

• Doctorow, C. (2026). The reverse centaur’s guide to life after AI: How to think about artificial intelligence before it’s too late. MCD.

• Phillips, T. (1973). A humument: A treated Victorian novel. Tetrad Press.

• Postman, N. (1985). Amusing ourselves to death: Public discourse in the age of show business. Viking.

Episode 38: Unbuilding A Reality | 11 August 2026

In the much-anticipated sequel to their conversation about mis- and disinformation (Episode 33: Building An Unreality), Stephen and Trent examine the complex structure of our modern information ecosystem and how different people, organizations, and institutions are incentivized to create and propagate divergent narratives about the world. The duo interrogates media saturation, ubiquitous “infotainment,” and the intense competition for our attention, as well as:

• Whether democracy can survive in a media environment flooded with bad information;

• How modern technology leads people to believe objectively false “facts”;

• Bots, deepfakes, and the dizzying difficulty of discerning source credibility;

• Aldous Huxley and the dangers of chasing emotional satisfaction over hard truth;

• Crafting persuasive political messages in an era of hyper-partisan information filtering;

• Ideology, bias, and gauging the (un)trustworthiness of historical data sets;

• A case for academic, “anti-speed” problem-solving over mindlessly rushing to “efficient” answers;

• The myth of “digital natives” and the challenges of teaching digital information literacy;

• The role of reality television, true crime podcasts, and influencer culture;

• Whether the wisdom of crowds can overcome algorithmic interference;

• Reactionary populism as an epistemological problem;

• Parasocial relationships, the “manosphere,” and semi-permeable Community of Practice “bubbles”;

• Trust hierarchies and what it takes to change someone’s mind;

• How political, religious, and corporate leaders use storytelling to get preferred outcomes;

• Choosing collective action rather than the couch;

• GenAI, social media, and the negative consequences of putting profit over accuracy; and

• How worldbuilding encourages exploration of systemic forces and biases that shape our perception of reality.

Episode References:

• Cassino, D. & Woolley, P. (2011, November 21). Some news leaves people knowing less [Research report]. Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind.

• Licari, P. R. (2020). Sharp as a Fox: Are foxnews.com visitors less politically knowledgeable? ⁠American Politics Research, 48(6), 792–806.

• Huxley, A. (2010). Brave new world (11th ed.). Vintage.

• Postman, N. (1985). Amusing ourselves to death: Public discourse in the age of show business. Viking.

• Gallup. (2013, November 20). What's in a name? Affordable care act vs. Obamacare. Gallup [Opinion/Polling Matters]. ⁠Gallup.

• Dropp, K., & Nyhan, B. (2017, February 7). One-third don’t know Obamacare and Affordable Care Act are the same. ⁠The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/upshot/one-third-dont-know-obamacare-and-affordable-care-act-are-the-same.html

• Herman, E. S. & Chomsky, N. (2002). Manufacturing consent: The political economy of the mass media. Pantheon Books.

• Ralli, T. (2005, September 5). Who’s a looter? In storm’s aftermath, pictures kick up a different kind of tempest. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/business/whos-a-looter-in-storms-aftermath-pictures-kick-up-a-different.html

• Barad, K. (2007). Meeting the universe halfway: Quantum physics and the entanglement of matter and meaning. ⁠Duke University Press.

• Miranda, L.-M. & McCarter, J. (2016). Hamilton: the revolution. Grand Central Publishing.

• Evans, R. (Host). (2018–present). Behind the bastards [Audio podcast]. Cool Zone Media; iHeartPodcasts.

• Brett, J. (2023). “I put myself back in the narrative”: Hamilton as founders fanfiction. European Journal of American Studies, 18(1-1). https://doi.org/10.4000/ejas.19231

• Wallis, B. (2023, September 8). Oklahoma is promoting a history curriculum using videos by conservative group PragerU. ⁠NPR.

• Petchauer, E. (2025, November 4). Oklahoma tried out a test to ‘woke‑proof’ the classroom. It was short‑lived, but could still leave a mark. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/oklahoma-tried-out-a-test-to-woke-proof-the-classroom-it-was-short-lived-but-could-still-leave-a-mark-266546

• Surowiecki, J. (2004). The wisdom of crowds: Why the many are smarter than the few and how collective wisdom shapes business, economies, societies, and nations. ⁠Doubleday.

• Hayes, C. (2025). The sirens’ call: How attention became the world’s most endangered resource. Penguin Press.

• Donahue, P. (Executive Producer). (1967–1996). The Phil Donahue Show [TV series]. Multimedia Entertainment.

• Povich, M. (Executive Producer). (1991–2022). Maury [TV series]. Paramount Domestic Television; Studio USA; NBCUniversal Syndication Studios.

• Dubrow, B. (Creator/Executive Producer). (1991–2018). The Jerry Springer Show [TV series]. Multimedia Entertainment; Studios USA Television Distribution; NBCUniversal Television Distribution.

• Desan, S. M. (2013). Living the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon [Audio/video lecture series]. The Great Courses.

• Google. (2017). Be internet awesome. Retrieved from https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/

• ⁠Zillich, J. (Director). (2004, October 15). Episode dated 15 October 2004 (Season 2004, Episode 291) [TV series episode]. In C. Cohen (Executive Producer), Crossfire. Cable News Network (CNN).

• Woodard, C. (2012). American nations: A history of the eleven rival regional cultures of North America. Penguin Books.

• Roberts, D. (Host). (2026, January 30). All about “reactionary centrism”: A conversation with Michael Hobbes [Audio podcast episode]. In Volts. https://www.volts.wtf/p/all-about-reactionary-centrism

Episode 37: Worldbuilding for STEM | 4 August 2026

Stephen and Trent detail the unique opportunities and challenges of worldbuilding in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms. In addition to discussing how world narratives situate both technical and sociocultural knowledge, the duo goes deep on:

• Integrating rote learning into richly authentic role-play;

• Applying STEM theories, formulae, and other concepts to “messy” real-world dilemmas;

• Using a dual alternate-reality role-playing framework to teach life science and other STEM subjects;

• Nesting learning objectives within STEM storyworlds to improve attention, engagement, and content ownership;

• Supplementing hands-on laboratory activities with world modeling and simulation;

• Comparing traditional word problems with more realistic narrative anchors;

• Inquiry, discovery learning, and social constructivism in science contexts;

• Data-rich stories and their potential to support a broad spiral curriculum;

• Connecting technical expertise with complex Governmental, Economic, Social, and Cultural questions;

• “Quest to Learn” and employing playful pedagogy to empower critical thinking;

• Benefits and drawbacks of operant conditioning through “gamification”;

• Generator sets, demonstrating knowledge through action, and creating a “time for telling”;

• Language acquisition as a case study for balancing “brute force" memorization with narrative immersion;

• How capitalist pressure to prioritize quantifiable data over qualitative value reinforces a false dichotomy between STEM and the humanities;

• Leveraging “creative plasticity” to synthesize information and innovate across disciplines; and

• Integrating STEM data with ethical and human-centric factors to address shared global concerns.

Episode References:

• Settlage, J., Smetana, L. K., Southerland, S. A., & Lottero-Perdue, P. S. (2017). Teaching science to every child: Using culture as a starting point (3rd ed.). Routledge.

• Campbell, T., Gray, R., Bai, Y., Chase, S. (2025). The Iterative Design of a Model-Based Inquiry Planning Tool for Preservice Science Teachers. Journal of Science Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560X.2024.2449289

• Hall, J., Campbell, T., & Lundgren., L. (2021). Designing Infrastructure as a Strategy for Crafting Coherence Across a Network Improvement Community Focused on the Implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21688

• Hardy, I. & Campbell, T. (2020). Developing and supporting the Next Generation Science Standards: The role of policy entrepreneurs. Science Education. 104(3), 479-499.

• NGSS Lead States. (2013). Next generation science standards: For states, by states. The National Academies Press. https://www.nextgenscience.org/

• Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. Macmillan.

• Bruner, J. S. (1961). The act of discovery. Harvard Educational Review. 31(1): 21–32.

• Bruner, J. S. (1986). Actual minds, possible worlds. Harvard University Press.

• Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt. (1992). The Jasper series as an example of anchored instruction: Theory, program description, and assessment data. Educational Psychologist, 27(3), 291–315.

• Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt. (1997). The Jasper project: Lessons in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

• Gibbon, S. Y., Jr. (Executive Producer). (1984). The Voyage of the Mimi [TV series]. Bank Street College of Education.

• Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. Basic Books.

• The British Academy. (2020). Qualified for the future: Quantifying demand for arts, humanities and social science skills. ⁠The British Academy.

• ⁠American Academy of Arts and Sciences. (2021). State of the humanities 2021: Workforce & beyond. ⁠American Academy of Arts and Sciences

• Schwartz, D. L. & Bransford, J. D. (1998). A time for telling. Cognition and Instruction, 16(4), 475–522. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532690xci1604_4

• Gick, M. L. & Holyoak, K. J. (1980). Analogical problem solving. ⁠Cognitive Psychology, 12(3), 306–355. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0285(80)90013-4

• Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32–42.

• Wagner, T. N., Bassett, L., Pascal, J., Burkey, D. D., & Streiner, S. (2023, June). The Power of Playful Learning - Ethical Decision-Making in a Narrative-Driven, Fictional, Choose-Your-Own Adventure. Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore, MD. 10.18260/1-2--44478

• Wagner, T. N., Burkey, D. D., Cimino, R. T., Streiner, S., Dahm, K. D., & Pascal, J. (2024, June). Collective vs. Individual Decision-Making in an Engineering Ethics Narrative Game. Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, OR. 10.18260/1-2--48470

• Moreau, C. (2026, August 3). European privacy regulators eye Meta’s smart glasses. Euractiv.

• Pero, J. (2026, August 3). Anti-creep features on Meta’s smart glasses may still be easy to sidestep. Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/metas-smart-glasses-are-still-creepy-despite-anti-creep-update-2000793943

• Gilligan, V. (Writer & Director). (2008, January 20). Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In V. Gilligan & M. Johnson (Executive Producers), Breaking Bad. High Bridge Productions; Sony Pictures Television.

Episode 36: Recommended Reading | 28 July 2026

Stephen and Trent retrace the books, articles, and other thought-provoking media that have most inspired their scholarly work. Along with specific resources to help listeners chart their own worldbuilding journeys, the duo gets into:

• The transformative influence of James Paul Gee’s (2003) What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy;

• Causes and consequences of university faculty lacking formal pedagogical training;

• Recognizing learner potential and providing opportunities for actualization;

• Connecting the dots between biology, philosophy, cognition, and design;

• Curiosity about the genetic mechanisms behind the human mind and consciousness;

• Bruner’s narrative psychology and how storytelling organizes reality;

• “Unstable realities,” magical realism, and using speculative fiction to challenge singular, colonial perspectives;

• How messy, complex worldbuilding more accurately reflects the “broken” nature of our world;

• Jurassic Park, fractal paradigms, and the logic of systemic failure;

• Scholarly lineage and identifying the right advisor;

• Social construction, “unmaking” systems, and the benefits of designing for inclusivity;

• Connecting personal identity with the rise, fall, and rebirth of institutions; and

• How the Clark-Kozma debate pushes us to ask “how” rather than “whether.”

Episode References:

• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954–1955). The lord of the rings. George Allen & Unwin.

• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977). The Silmarillion (C. Tolkien, Ed.). Houghton Mifflin.

• Gee, J. P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. Palgrave Macmillan.

• Harrigan, P. & Wardrip-Fruin, N. (Eds.). (2007). Second person: Role-playing and story in games and playable media. MIT Press.

• Grubb, J. & Winter, S. (1984). Marvel super heroes role-playing game [Box set]. TSR, Inc.

• Bethesda Game Studios. (2011). The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• Behe, M. J. (1996). Darwin’s black box: The biochemical challenge to evolution. Free Press.

• Sagan, C. (1995). The demon-haunted world: Science as a candle in the dark. Random House.

• Popper, K. R. (1959). The logic of scientific discovery. Hutchinson.

• Chalmers, A. F. (1976). What is this thing called science? University of Queensland Press; Open University Press.

• Bernays, A. & Painter, P. (1991). What if? Writing exercises for fiction writers. HarperPerennial.

• Roberts, A. (2019). For the queen [Board game]. Evil Hat Productions.

• Miéville, C. (2000). Perdido street station. Macmillan.

• King, S. (1982–2004). The dark tower (Vols. 1–7). Donald M. Grant; Viking; Scribner.

• Crichton, M. (1990). Jurassic park. Alfred A. Knopf.

• Crichton, M. (1995). The lost world. Alfred A. Knopf.

• Orwell, G. (1945). Animal farm. Secker & Warburg.

• Orwell, G. (1949). 1984. Secker & Warburg.

• Steinbeck, J. (1937). Of mice and men. Covici Friede.

• Hawking, S. W. (1988). A brief history of time: From the big bang to black holes. Bantam Books.

• Adams, T. & Adams, Z. (2006–present). Dwarf fortress (Classic/ASCII version) [Video game]. Bay 12 Games.

• Aquinas, T. (1981). Summa theologiae (Fathers of the English Dominican Province, Trans.). Christian Classics. (Original work published 1265–1274)

• Jonassen, D. H. (2010). Learning to solve problems: A handbook for designing problem-solving learning environments. ⁠Routledge.

• Hutchins, E. (1995). Cognition in the wild. ⁠The MIT Press.

• Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. ⁠Cambridge University Press.

• Bruner, J. S. (1986). Actual minds, possible worlds. Harvard University Press.

• Gibson, J. J. (1979). The ecological approach to visual perception. Houghton Mifflin.

• Gibson, E. J. (1969). Principles of perceptual learning and development. Appleton-Century-Crofts.

• Young, M. F. & Barab, S. (1999). Perception of the raison d’être in anchored instruction: An ecological psychology perspective. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 20(2), 113–135.

• Barab, S. A., Gresalfi, M., & Ingram-Goble, A. (2010). Transformational play: Using games to position person, content, and context. Educational Researcher, 39(7), 525–536. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X10386593

• Squire, K. D. (2004). Replaying history: Learning world history through playing “Civilization III” [Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University].

• Lucas, G. (Director). (1977). Star Wars Episode IV: A new hope [Film]. Lucasfilm; 20th Century Fox.

• Spielberg, S. (Director). (1981). Raiders of the lost ark [Film]. Lucasfilm; Paramount Pictures.

• Boorman, J. (Director). (1981). Excalibur [Film]. Orion Pictures.

• Scott, R. (Director). (1982). Blade runner [Film]. The Ladd Company; Shaw Brothers.

• Miller, G. (Director). (1981). The road warrior [Film]. Kennedy Miller Entertainment.

• Cameron, J. (Director). (1984). The terminator [Film]. Hemdale Film Corporation; Orion Pictures.

• Chaucer, G. (2003). The Canterbury tales (N. Coghill, Trans.). Penguin Classics. (Original work published ca. 1387–1400)

• Milton, J. (2003). Paradise lost (J. Leonard, Ed.). Penguin Books. (Original work published 1667)

• Shelley, M. (1818). Frankenstein; or, the modern Prometheus. Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones.

• Marlowe, C. (2005). The tragical history of Doctor Faustus. IndyPublish. (Original work published 1604)

• Campbell, J. (1949). The hero with a thousand faces. Pantheon Books.

• Watterson, B. (2005). The complete Calvin and Hobbes. ⁠Andrews McMeel Publishing.

• ⁠Amend, B. (1989). FoxTrot. Andrews McMeel Publishing.

• Camus, A. (1946). The stranger (S. Gilbert, Trans.). Alfred A. Knopf. (Original work published 1942)

• Norman, D. A. (2013). The design of everyday things: Revised and expanded edition. Basic Books.

• Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt. (1992). The Jasper series as an example of anchored instruction: Theory, program description, and assessment data. Educational Psychologist, 27(3), 291–315.

• Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. Basic Books.

• Clark, R. E. (1983). Reconsidering research on learning from media. ⁠Review of Educational Research, 53(4), 445–459.

• Kozma, R. B. (1991). Learning with media. Review of Educational Research, 61(2), 179–211.

• Young, M. F., Slota, S. T., Cutter, A., Jalette, G., Mullin, G., Lai, B., Simeoni, Z., Tran, M., & Yukhymenko, M. (2012). Our princess is in another castle: A review of trends in serious gaming for education. Review of Educational Research, 82(1), 61-89. doi: 10.3102/0034654312436980

• The New London Group. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1), 60–92.

• Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. Macmillan.

• Bogost, I. (2007). Persuasive games: The expressive power of videogames. The MIT Press.

• Bogost, I. (2008). “The Rhetoric of Video Games.” The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning. Katie Salen (Ed.). The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. The MIT Press. 117–40.

• Wardrip-Fruin, N. & Harrigan, P. (Eds.). (2004). First person: New media as story, performance, and game. The ⁠MIT Press.

• Harrigan, P. & Wardrip-Fruin, N. (Eds.). (2009). Third person: Authoring and exploring vast narratives. The MIT Press.

• Graeber, D. & Wengrow, D. (2021). The dawn of everything: A new history of humanity. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

• Schwartz, D. L. & Bransford, J. D. (1998). A time for telling. Cognition and Instruction, 16(4), 475–522. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532690xci1604_4

• Gick, M. L. & Holyoak, K. J. (1980). Analogical problem solving. ⁠Cognitive Psychology, 12(3), 306–355. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0285(80)90013-4

• Woodard, C. (2011). American nations: A history of the eleven rival regional cultures of North America. Viking.

• Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32–42.

• Mukherjee, S. (2016). The Gene: An intimate history. Scribner.

Episode 35: Environmental and Emergent Storytelling | 21 July 2026

Stephen and Trent assess the intersection of environmental and emergent storytelling practices in physical and digital realms. Beyond discussing how meticulously designed games like Dark Souls and historical cities like Madrid communicate complex narratives through geography and artifacts, the duo examines:

• Narrative architecture as understood and applied in the theme park industry;

• Saturating environments with genre conventions to immerse audiences in alternate realities;

• How narratives arise from unique player decisions and the chronological order in which they occur;

• “Flattened” history and the coexistence of cultures across space and time;

• Piecing together a world’s substructures and social forces based on fragmented information;

• Archaeological “digs” through the “tiramisu of history”;

• Ill-defined, player-driven storytelling versus fixed, designer-driven narratives;

• Comparing and contrasting intentional design with organic, multicultural evolution;

• Strategic storytelling as a way to encourage discovery learning;

• Escaping the “lure of endless worldbuilding”;

• Using environmental micro-stories to “show” rather than “tell”;

• Communicating a world’s complexity through sensory experiences; and

• Reading environmental cues to connect the past, present, and future.

Episode References:

• Coen, J. & Coen, E. (Directors/Writers). (2018). The Ballad of Buster Scruggs [Film]. Annapurna Pictures; Netflix.

• Jenkins, H. (2004). Game design as narrative architecture. In N. Wardrip-Fruin & P. Harrigan (Eds.), First person: New media as story, performance, and game (pp. 118–130). The MIT Press.

• Carson, D. (2000, February 29). Environmental storytelling: Creating immersive 3D worlds using lessons learned from the theme park industry. Game Developer. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/environmental-storytelling-creating-immersive-3d-worlds-using-lessons-learned-from-the-theme-park-industry

• Jackson, M. (Director). (1991). L. A. Story [Film]. Carolco Pictures; Tri-Star Pictures.

• Smith, C. (2021). How the word is passed: A reckoning with the history of slavery across America. Little, Brown and Company.

• Bethesda Game Studios. (2008). Fallout 3 [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• Bethesda Game Studios. (2011). The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• Team Ico. (2005). Shadow of the Colossus [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment.

• FromSoftware. (2009). Demon’s Souls [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment; Atlus.

• FromSoftware. (2011). Dark Souls [Video game]. Bandai Namco Games.

• FromSoftware. (2022). Elden Ring [Video game]. Bandai Namco Entertainment.

• Monolith Productions. (2014). Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor [Video game]. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

• Mojang Studios. (2011). Minecraft (Version 1.20) [Video game]. Mojang Studios.

• Iron Gate AB. (2021). Valheim (Version 0.202.14) [Video game]. Coffee Stain Publishing.

• Traveller's Tales. (2017). LEGO Worlds [Video game]. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

• Barone, E. (2016). Stardew Valley [Video game]. ConcernedApe.

• Naughty Dog. (2013). The Last of Us (Version 1.0) [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment.

• Irrational Games. (2007). BioShock [Video game]. 2K Games.

• Nintendo. (2017). The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Version 1.6.0) [Video game]. Nintendo.

• Brown, M. (2023, May 9). How Nintendo solved Zelda's open world problem. Game Maker's Toolkit. https://gmtk.substack.com/p/how-nintendo-solved-zeldas-open-world

• Martin, G. R. R. (1996–2011). A Song of Ice and Fire (Vols. 1–5). HarperVoyager.

• Crumb, R. (1979). A short history of America [Comic]. CoEvolution Quarterly, (21).

• Game Science. (2024). Black Myth: Wukong [Video game]. Game Science.

• CD Projekt Red. (2015). The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt [Video game]. CD Projekt.

• CD Projekt Red. (2020). Cyberpunk 2077 (Version 2.0) [Video game]. CD Projekt.

• Jaki, R. (Creator). (2022). Cyberpunk: Edgerunners [TV series]. Netflix.

• Borges, J. L. (1942). Funes the Memorious [Short story]. La Nación.

• Perec, G. (1997). Attempt at an inventory of the liquid and solid foodstuffs ingurgitated by me in the course of the year nineteen hundred and seventy-four (J. Sturrock, Trans.). In G. Perec, Species of spaces and other pieces (pp. 125–151). Penguin Books. (Original work published 1976)

• Konieczka, C. (2011). Mansions of madness [Board game]. Fantasy Flight Games.

• DeLuca, D. W. (Ed.). (2008). The old leather man: Historical accounts of a Connecticut and New York legend. Wesleyan University Press.

• Dippold, K., Murai, H., Karaszewski, C., Shin, C., & Rhys, M. (Executive Producers). (2026). Widow’s Bay [TV series]. Chum Films; Spooky Tree Productions; Apple Studios.

• Greenhouse Studios. (2020). Courtroom 600: A virtual reality encounter with evidence of the Holocaust [Virtual reality game]. University of Connecticut.

• Benjamin, W. (1968). The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction (H. Zohn, Trans.). In H. Arendt (Ed.), Illuminations (pp. 217–251). Schocken Books. (Original work published 1935)

• Van Sant, G. (Director). (1997). Good Will Hunting [Film]. Miramax.

• Hergenrader, T. (2018). Collaborative worldbuilding for writers and gamers. Bloomsbury Academic.

Episode 34: Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day with Kevin Ballestrini | 14 July 2026

Stephen and Trent interview award-winning Latin and classical history educator Kevin Ballestrini. The trio discusses development and implementation of the text-based alternate reality role-playing game Operation LAPIS, as well as:

• Challenges of adapting entertainment-oriented games for educational purposes;

• Aiming for a “one-to-one” game objective-to-learning objective ratio;

• Similarities and differences between Operation LAPIS and Reacting to the Past;

• Leveraging player agency to transfer in-game learning to out-of-game application;

• Building a “sandbox-on-rails” that connects macroscopic and microscopic aspects of history;

• How Operation LAPIS’ dual-ARG/RPG framework encourages learners to “break the fourth wall”;

• Long-term personal impacts of immersive narrative learning;

• Balancing historical truthfulness with fictionalized story elements;

• Countering modern monolithic stereotypes with real-world evidence of Rome’s cultural and ethnic diversity;

• Identifying parallels between historical and contemporary Governmental, Economic, Social, and Cultural substructures;

• Intercultural competency as a means of teaching critical thinking and empathy;

• Reducing barriers to entry through a self-paced “choose-your-own-path” adventure; and

• How humanities education threatens power structures by troubling systems and highlighting weak points.

Episode References:

• Ballestrini, K., Travis, R. & Slota, S. T. (2011). Operation LAPIS. The Pericles Group.

• Standing Stone Games. (2007). The Lord of the Rings online [Video game]. Daybreak Game Company.

• Gee, J. P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. Palgrave Macmillan.

• Cambridge School Classics Project. (2022). Cambridge Latin Course: Book 1 (5th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

• Moran, J. (Writer) & Teague, C. (Director). (2008, April 12). The Fires of Pompeii (Season 4, Episode 2) [TV series episode]. In R. T. Davies, P. Collinson, & S. Gardner (Executive Producers), Doctor Who. BBC.

• Barbor-Might, T. (Director & Showrunner). (2026). Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston [TV docuseries]. Plimsoll Productions; ⁠National Geographic.

• Ovid. (1993). Metamorphoses (A. Mandelbaum, Trans.). Harcourt Brace & Company. (Original work published 8 CE)

• Ubisoft. (2017). Assassin’s Creed Origins [Video game]. Ubisoft.

• Roddenberry, G., Fontana, D. C. (Writers), & Allen, C. (Director). (1987, September 28). Encounter at Farpoint (Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2) [TV series episode]. In G. Roddenberry (Executive Producer), Star Trek: The Next Generation. Paramount Television.

• Wachowski, L. & Wachowski, L. (Directors). (1999). The Matrix [Film]. Village Roadshow Pictures; Silver Pictures; Groucho II Film Partnership.

• Catullus, C. V. (1983). The poems of Catullus (P. Whigham, Trans.). University of California Press. (Original work published ca. 54 BCE)

• Martin, G. R. R. (1996). A game of thrones. Bantam Books.

• Gick, M. L. & Holyoak, K. J. (1980). Analogical problem solving. Cognitive Psychology, 12(3), 306–355. https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0285(80)90013-4

• Hintze, N., Bågander, T., & Linder, K. (2023). The walking dead universe roleplaying game: Core rules (F. L. Publishing, Ed.). ⁠Free League Publishing.

• Telltale Games. (2019). The walking dead: The telltale definitive series [Video game]. Skybound Games.

• Looney, A. (2010). Zombie Fluxx [Board game]. Looney Labs.

• Gebru, T. (2026, May 26). The AI end game: The ethics of AI with Timnit Gebru [Podcast episode]. Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast. MS NOW.

Episode 33: Building An Unreality | 7 July 2026

Stephen and Trent contemplate the spread of “unrealities” fueled by algorithmically charged mis- and disinformation. The duo debates underlying political, economic, social, and cultural factors, including:

• “Alternative facts,” personal mythmaking, and consequent threats to social cohesion;

• Mis- and disinformation from sociological, philosophical, and communications perspectives;

• How flawed trust hierarchies and lazy heuristics accelerate the death of expertise;

• Murc’s Law, Wilhoit’s Law, and the distortion of political agency;

• Hypercapitalism as a primary driver of the modern information crisis;

• Offloading cognitive responsibility to make a “wicked” world more digestible;

• Self-contradictory beliefs and the contagion of conspiracy;

• “Flooding the zone” with a “firehose of falsehood”;

• Identity formation, being “bamboozled,” and the risk of fracturing one’s ego;

• “Black Hole” Communities of Practice and the challenge of rescuing someone who has slipped beyond the event horizon;

• Comparing knowledge-generating institutions with their bizarro disinformation simulacra;

• Seeking logical proof rather than succumbing to emotional satisfaction;

• Navigating the tension between subjective cultural beliefs and objective scientific inquiry;

• Asimov and Sagan’s prescient worries about the trajectory of socioculture and technology;

• How online influencers, political pundits, and corporate media organizations manufacture consent on behalf of right-wing reactionaries;

• Asymmetrical polarization and its ratcheting effect on the Overton Window;

• Differentiating “good faith” from “bad faith” argumentation; and

• The need for reliable external referees to help the public parse our chaotic global information landscape.

Episode References:

• Pascal, B. (2014). L'art de persuader [The art of persuasion]. FV Éditions. (Original work written ca. 1657–1658)

• Nichols, T. (2017). The death of expertise: The campaign against established knowledge and why it matters. Oxford University Press.

• Altemeyer, B. (2006). The Authoritarians. University of Manitoba. theauthoritarians.org

• Roberts, D. (Host). (2026, January 30). All about “reactionary centrism”: A conversation with Michael Hobbes [Audio podcast episode]. In Volts. https://www.volts.wtf/p/all-about-reactionary-centrism

• Koffron, N. (2024, December 20). The paradoxical limits of Murc’s law. Lawyers, Guns, & Money. lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com

• McLoughlin, K. L., Brady, W. J., Goolsbee, A., Kaiser, B., Klonick, K., & Crockett, M. J. (2024). Misinformation exploits outrage to spread online. Science, 386(6725), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adl2829

• Science scorned. (2010). Nature, 467(7312), 133. https://doi.org/10.1038/467133a

• Paul, C. & Matthews, M. (2016). The Russian "firehose of falsehood" propaganda model: Why it might work and options to counter it. RAND Corporation. https://doi.org/10.7249/PE198

• McLaughlin, T. (2018, July 6). How Facebook's rise fueled chaos and confusion in Myanmar. Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/how-facebooks-rise-fueled-chaos-and-confusion-in-myanmar/

• Hayes, C. (2025). The sirens’ call: How attention became the world’s most endangered resource. Penguin Press.

• Danskin, I. [Innuendo Studios]. (2019, October 21). How to radicalize a normie [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P55t6eryY3g

• Asimov, I. (1980, January 21). A cult of ignorance [Opinion column]. Newsweek, 95(4), 19.

• Sagan, C. (1995). The demon-haunted world: Science as a candle in the dark. Ballantine Books.

• Locke, J. (1997). An essay concerning human understanding (P. H. Nidditch, Ed.). Penguin Books. (Original work published 1690)

• Herman, E. S. & Chomsky, N. (2002). Manufacturing consent: The political economy of the mass media. Pantheon Books.

• Bridle, J. (2017, November 6). Something is wrong on the internet. Medium. https://medium.com/@jamesbridle/something-is-wrong-on-the-internet-c39c471271d2

• Watt, C. S. (2020, September 23). The QAnon orphans: people who have lost loved ones to conspiracy theories. ⁠The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/23/qanon-conspiracy-theories-loved-ones

• Thompson, C. (2020, September 22). QAnon is like a game—a most dangerous game. ⁠Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/qanon-most-dangerous-multiplatform-game/

• The Atlantic. (2020–2021). Shadowland. https://www.theatlantic.com/shadowland/

• Eggerton, J. (2008, May 8). PEJ: ‘The Daily Show’ borders on news show. Broadcasting & Cable.

• “Summary of Findings: Public Knowledge of Current Affairs Little Changed by News and Information Revolutions”. Pew Research Center. April 2007. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011.

• Fox, Dominion reach $787M settlement over election claims. (2023, April 18). AP News. https://apnews.com/article/fox-news-dominion-lawsuit-trial-trump-2020-0ac71f75acfacc52ea80b3e747fb0afe

• McDougal v. Fox News Network, LLC, 489 F. Supp. 3d 174 (S.D.N.Y. 2020)

Episode 32: The United States of Worldbuilding | 30 June 2026

Stephen and Trent apply their worldbuilding framework to the United States of America in the lead-up to the country’s semiquincentennial celebration. Beyond mapping its trajectory through space and time, providing relevant context, and deconstructing how and why national identities form, they discuss:

• Lisa Simpson, America’s optimistic ideals, and combating the “fetid stench” of corruption;

• Tracing the collapse of feudalism into the Enlightenment and evolution of nation-states;

• Interrelationships between distinct regional cultures and unified national ones;

• Comparing European and Indigenous perspectives on community, property, and fixed borders;

• How wealth influences the structure and function of nation-states;

• Colin Woodard’s American Nations as a foundation for world modeling;

• Accepting that everything is political, but not everything is partisan;

• Contemporary institutional gridlock as the inevitable byproduct of a centuries-old system;

• The tug of war between essentialist conservatism and situated progressivism;

• Balancing America’s egalitarian aspirations against chattel slavery, Indigenous expulsion, and other historical wrongs;

• Mythmaking, propaganda, and the challenges of developing a shared national narrative;

• Weaving an honest historical tapestry from diverse perspectives;

• Asking tough questions, grappling with complexity, and probing opposing worldviews; and

• Much-needed institutional reforms to repair America’s Governmental, Economic, Social, and Cultural guardrails.

Episode References:

• Meyer, G. (Writer) & Archer, W. (Director). (1991, September 26). Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington (Season 3,Episode 2) [TV series episode]. In J. L. Brooks, M. Groening, A. Jean, M. Reiss, & S. Simon (Executive Producers), The Simpsons. Gracie Films; 20th Century Fox Television.

• Capra, F. (Director). (1939). Mr. Smith Goes to Washington [Film]. Columbia Pictures.

• Woodard, C. (2012). American nations: A history of the eleven rival regional cultures of North America. Penguin Books.

• Graeber, D. & Wengrow, D. (2021). The Dawn of everything: A new history of humanity. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

• Allison, R. J. (Lecturer). (2009). Before 1776: Life in the American Colonies [Audio/Video course]. The Great Courses.

• Eakin, M. C. (Lecturer). (n.d.). The Americas in the revolutionary era [Audio/Video course]. The Great Courses.

• Galeano, E. (1997). Open veins of Latin America: Five centuries of the pillage of a continent (C. Belfrage, Trans.). Monthly Review Press. (Original work published 1973).

• Zinn, H. (2003). A People's History of the United States. Harper Perennial.

• McCullough, D. (2005). 1776. Simon & Schuster.

• Diamond, J. (1997). Guns, germs, and steel: The fates of human societies. W. W. Norton & Company.

• Deloria, V., Jr. (1969). Custer died for your sins: An Indian manifesto. Macmillan.

• Du Bois, W. E. B. (1935). Black reconstruction in America: An essay toward a history of the part which black folk played in the attempt to reconstruct democracy in America, 1860-1880. Harcourt, Brace.

• Du Bois, W. E. B. (1903). The souls of black folk. A. C. McClurg & Co.

• Hannah-Jones, N., Roper, C., Silverman, I., & Silverstein, J. (Eds.). (2021). The 1619 project: A new origin story. One World.

• Coates, T. (2017). We were eight years in power: An American tragedy. One World.

• Coates, T. (2024). The Message. One World.

• Harriot, M. (2023). Black AF history: The un-whitewashed story of America. Dey Street Books

• Altemeyer, B. (2006). The Authoritarians. University of Manitoba. theauthoritarians.org

• Douglass, F. (1852, July 5). What, to the slave, is the Fourth of July? [Speech transcript]. Digital Public Library of America. https://dp.la/item/558f22d7950b5048be26369331f5edb0

• Franklin, B. (2003). The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (L. W. Labaree, Ed.). ⁠Yale University Press.

• Hobbes, T. (1998). On the citizen (R. Tuck & M. Silverthorne, Trans.). Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1642).

• Hobbes, T. (2008). Leviathan (J. C. A. Gaskin, Ed.). Oxford University Press. (Original work published 1651).

• Mayer, J. (2016). Dark money: The hidden history of the billionaires behind the rise of the radical right. Doubleday.

• Snyder, T. (2017). On tyranny: Twenty lessons from the twentieth century. Tim Duggan Books.

Episode 31: The Inevitability of Epic Fail | 23 June 2026

Stephen and Trent review the (2017) Exploding the Castle book chapter “The Inevitability of Epic Fail” and discuss its implications for collaborative worldbuilding, including:

• Three major trajectories of Epic Fail: Fatal Mutation Due to Assimilation, Loss of Fidelity, and Failure to Thrive;

• How educator-generated changes to research-driven technologies/pedagogies put function and effectiveness at risk;

• Combatting the urge to rush through worldbuilding to meet results-oriented expectations;

• The importance of collaboratively defined language and goals;

• Seymour Papert’s Logo, Apple’s Hypercard, and other educational technology “fails”;

• Egalitarian, democratized design versus capitalist incentives;

• The relationship between the path of least resistance and systemic failure;

• Avoiding “manufactured diversity” through essentialist generalizations;

• Defining fidelity in terms of dosage, adherence, program differentiation, participant responsiveness, and quality;

• Paving a road for project implementation via contemporary learning theory;

• Embracing personal vulnerability to manage dynamic discovery learning environments;

• Prioritizing critical thinking and empathy over content regurgitation;

• Epic Fail, “enshittification,” and the challenge of technological obsolescence; and

• Learning as the education of intention and attention.

Episode References:

• Slota, S. T. & Young, M. F. (2017). The inevitability of epic fail: Exploding the castle with situated learning. In M. F. Young & S. T. Slota (Eds.), Exploding the castle: Rethinking how video games & game mechanics can shape the future of education (pp. 271–284). Information Age Publishing.

• Hergenrader, W. T. (2017). Structures of play: Literacy, games, and creative writing. In M. F. Young & S. T. Slota (Eds.), Exploding the castle: Rethinking how video games & game mechanics can shape the future of education (pp. 21–44). Information Age Publishing.

• Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. Basic Books.

• Papert, S. (1997). Why school reform is impossible. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 6(4), 417–427.

• Roddenberry, G., Berman, R., & Piller, M. (Executive Producers). (1987–1994). Star Trek: The Next Generation [TV series]. Paramount Domestic Television; Paramount Television.

• Dusenbury, D., Brannigan, R., Falco, M., & Hansen, W. B. (2003). A review of research on fidelity of implementation: Implications for drug abuse prevention in school settings. Health Education Research, 18(2), 237-256.

• ClassDojo. (2026). About us. classdojo.com/about/

• Barron, B. (2003). When smart groups fail. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 12(3), 307–359. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327809JLS1203_1

• Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt. (1992). The Jasper series as an example of anchored instruction: Theory, program description, and assessment data. Educational Psychologist, 27(3), 291–315.

• Travis, R. (2010, November 18). A note on the word “practomime” [Blog post]. Play The Past. https://www.playthepast.org/?p=198

• Nicholson, S. (2022). Developing EscapeIF: Creating a storytelling game system for low-resource classrooms. Serious Play 2022. Online symposium.

• Doctorow, C. (2025). Enshittification: Why everything suddenly got worse and what to do about it. MCD.

Episode 30: Co-Creation Through Tabletop Role-Play | 16 June 2026

Stephen and Trent discuss their experiences with tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) to catalog affordances for collaboration, reflection, and creative writing, including:

• Similarities and differences between digital and analog role-play;

• The inherent limitations of computer programming versus imagination;

• How “Satanic Panic” influenced sociocultural and political perceptions of role-play;

• Role-play as a vital tool for exerting autonomy;

• Vygotsky’s social constructivist framework for enculturation through play;

• TTRPGs as “safe to fail” environments for exploring complex, challenging, or antisocial ideas;

• Eschewing “crunchy” combat-heavy mechanics in favor of narrative-driven play;

• “Prosumerism” and the act of creation versus passive consumption;

• Incorporating “yes and” improv techniques throughout collaborative role-play;

• Using character backgrounds and narrative beats to teach perspective-taking and story structure;

• The “intentional spring” model for inducing goal adoption and negotiating meaning;

• Transferring practical life skills out of collaborative TTRPG environments;

• Becoming a “guide on the side” for more effective teaching and dungeon mastering;

• Implementing safety tools and encouraging socially diverse expressions of play; and

• Leveraging collaborative role-play to deconstruct lived reality.

Episode References:

• Weis, M. & Hickman, T. (2000). Dragonlance chronicles [Boxed set]. Wizards of the Coast.

• Jackson, P. (Director). (2001). The lord of the rings: The fellowship of the ring [Film]. WingNut Films; The Saul Zaentz Company.

• Gygax, G. (1979). Advanced dungeons & dragons dungeon masters guide (1st ed.). TSR.

• Blume, B. & Gygax, E. (1979). Boot hill: Wild west role-playing game (2nd ed.). TSR.

• TSR, Inc. (1982). Star frontiers: Alpha dawn (1st ed.). TSR.

• Carr, M. (1980). Top secret: An espionage role-playing game. ⁠TSR.

• Costikyan, G. (1987). Star Wars: The role-playing game (1st ed.) [Role-playing game]. West End Games.

• Alexander, C. (2021). Coyote & Crow: The role-playing game (1st ed.). Coyote & Crow LLC.

• Snowbright Studio. (2023). Teatime adventures: A Verdant Isles roleplaying game. Snowbright Studio.

• Perry, S. (1996). Star Wars: Shadows of the empire. ⁠Bantam Books.

• Morningstar, J. (2009). Fiasco. Bully Pulpit Games.

• Härenstam, T. (2020). Vaesen: Nordic horror roleplaying. Free League Publishing.

• Chick, J. T. (1984). Dark dungeons. Chick Publications.

• Harper, J. (2017). Blades in the dark. Evil Hat Productions.

• Toffler, A. (1980). The third wave. Bantam Books.

• Hammer, J. (2007). Agency and authority in role-playing texts. In C. Lankshear & M. Knobel (Eds.), A new literacies sampler (pp. 69–86). Peter Lang.

• Cover, J. G. (2010). The creation of narrative in tabletop role-playing games. McFarland & Company.

• Wizards of the Coast. (2016). Curse of Strahd (5th ed.). Wizards of the Coast.

• Bethesda Game Studios. (2008). Fallout 3 [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• Blizzard Entertainment. (2004). World of Warcraft [Video game]. Blizzard Entertainment.

• Bowman, S. L. (2010). The functions of role-playing games: How participants create community, solve problems, and explore identity. ⁠McFarland & Company.

• Fine, G. A. (1983). Shared fantasy: Role-playing games as social worlds. University of Chicago Press.

• Alder, A. & Rosenbaum, B. (2018). Dream askew; Dream apart. Buried Without Ceremony.

• Shaw, R. E., Kadar, E., Sim, M., & Repperger, D. W. (1992). The intentional spring: A strategy for modeling systems that learn to perform intentional acts. Journal of Motor Behavior, 24(1), 3–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222895.1992.9941598

• Slota, S. T. (2014). Project TECHNOLOGIA: A game-based approach to understanding situated intentionality. Doctoral Dissertations. 638. https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/dissertations/638

• Sagan, C. (1995). The demon-haunted world: Science as a candle in the dark. Ballantine Books.

• Mackay, D. (2001). The fantasy role-playing game: A new performing art. McFarland.

• Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt. (1992). The Jasper Series as an Example of Anchored Instruction: Theory, Program Description, and Assessment Data. Educational Psychologist, 27(3), 291–315. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep2703_3

• Slota, S. T. & Young, M. F. (2017). The inevitability of epic fail: Exploding the castle with situated learning. In Young, M. F. & Slota, S. T. (Eds.) Exploding the Castle: Rethinking How Video Games & Game Mechanics Can Shape the Future of Education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

• Parsons, K. (Director). (2026). Backrooms [Film]. A24; North Road Films.

• Parsons, K. [Kane Pixels]. (2022, January 7). The Backrooms (Found Footage) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4dGpz6cnHo

• Pillow Castle Games. (2019). Superliminal [Video game]. Pillow Castle Games.

• Valve. (2007). Portal (Version 1.0.0) [Video game]. Valve.

• Galactic Cafe. (2013). The Stanley Parable (Version 1.0) [Video game]. Galactic Cafe.

Episode 29: Gen AI in Education with Michael Young | 9 June 2026

Stephen and Trent interview Stephen’s former doctoral advisor and University of Connecticut colleague, Dr. Michael F. Young, a scholar of learning science whose academic career investigating situated cognition, instructional design, and playful learning has shaped contemporary approaches to pedagogy development and classroom technology integration. In addition to evaluating the specific impact(s) of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) on education, the trio discusses:

• Challenging educators to rethink their approach to curriculum and assessment design;

• Describing educational theories in the abstract vs. applying them in complex instructional contexts;

• Shifting away from convergent thinking to prioritize divergent thinking;

• Teaching learners how to write Gen AI prompts and practice responsible application of Gen AI replies;

• Intentions, ethics, and the tokenization of ideas;

• Differentiating correlational algorithmic responses from biological human cognition;

• Gen AI tools as thought-partners and the resulting Section 230 implications;

• The “Clark-Kozma” debate over emerging technologies, pedagogical design, and “good” teaching;

• Sociocultural personification of avatars, robots, and other human-like tools;

• Personal goal orientation and the limits of non-human intentionality;

• Human cognition as an intentional perception-action loop that Gen AI cannot replicate;

• How value systems differentiate human problem solving from machine-generated problem solving;

• Overcoming administrative obsessions with “efficiency” to promote deeper learning;

• Assimilation, accommodation, and what it means to “reboot” education"; and

• Judging whether machine-generated solutions align with a designer’s original communicative intent.

Episode References:

• Blizzard Entertainment. (2004). World of Warcraft [Video game]. Blizzard Entertainment.

• Kozma, R. B. (1994). Will media influence learning? Reframing the debate. Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 7-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02299087 

• Clark, R. E. (1994). Media will never influence learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 21-29. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02299088

• Slota, S. T. & Young, M. F. (2017). The inevitability of epic fail: Exploding the castle with situated learning. In Young, M. F. & Slota, S. T. (Eds.) Exploding the Castle: Rethinking How Video Games & Game Mechanics Can Shape the Future of Education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

• Miller, T. (Host) & Thompson, D. (Guest). (2026, June 2). Derek Thompson: The party of vicemaxxing [Audio podcast episode]. In The Bulwark Podcast. The Bulwark. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/derek-thompson-the-party-of-vicemaxxing

• Waldron, P. (2025, September 25). AI can write your college essay, but it won't sound like you. Cornell Chronicle. https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2025/09/ai-can-write-your-college-essay-it-wont-sound-you

• Lee, J., Borchers, C., Alvero, A. J., Joachims, T., & Kizilcec, R. F. (2026). The digital divide in generative AI: Evidence from large language model use in college admissions essays. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.17791

• Bolter, J. D. & Grusin, R. (1998). Remediation: Understanding new media. MIT Press.

• U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (2026, January 15). Plugged out: Examining the impact of technology on America's youth [Video]. C-SPAN. https://www.c-span.org/program/senate-committee/lawmakers-hold-hearing-on-the-impact-of-screen-time-on-kids/671683

• Argyris, C. & Schön, D. A. (1978). Organizational learning: A theory of action perspective. Addison-Wesley.

• Bethesda Game Studios. (2008). Fallout 3 [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• Larian Studios. (2023). Baldur’s Gate 3 [Video game]. Larian Studios.

• Slota, S. T. (2014). Project TECHNOLOGIA: A game-based approach to understanding situated intentionality. Doctoral Dissertations. 638.
  https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/dissertations/638

• Roddenberry, G. (Executive Producer). (1987–1994). Star Trek: The next generation [TV series]. Paramount Pictures.

Episode 28: Exploring Worlds Through Digital Role-Play | 2 June 2026

Stephen and Trent reflect on their personal favorite digital role-playing games (RPGs), deconstructing various frameworks, implementations, and affordances of linear and open-world experiences. In addition to introducing specific examples, they discuss broad concepts such as:

• The fundamentally situated relationship between players and digital RPGs;

• Digital RPGs as sophisticated representations of interactive narrative and creative writing;

• Fallout 3, education through The Wasteland, and what it means to fail forward;

• Designing worlds that pose “productive questions,” pique curiosity, and induce player goal adoption;

• Revisiting Plato’s Allegory of the Cave as relates to gaming and its overlap with (or contradiction of) formal education;

• Bidirectional communication between players and designers;

• Comparing Fallout’s Lucy with the “murder hobo” playstyle to understand player projection of ethics and morality onto RPG characters;

• Ludonarrative dissonance and its influence on designer/player behavior;

• Core similarities between game design and instructional design;

• RPGs as tools for teaching “big ideas” about Government, Economics, Social Relations, and Cultural Influences;

• The stories that “on-” and “off-rails” RPGs tell us about player agency and ourselves;

• Transactional cooperation vs. meaningful collaborative storytelling in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs);

• The perennial tension between designed intent and “Death of the Author”; and

• Finding personal, emotional resonance in a game’s characters and world.

Episode References:

• Bethesda Game Studios. (2008). Fallout 3 [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• Nintendo. (2020). Animal Crossing: New Horizons [Video game]. Nintendo.

• Rockstar Games. (2008). Grand Theft Auto IV (Version 1.0) [Video game]. Take-Two Interactive.

• Larian Studios. (2023). Baldur’s Gate 3 [Video game]. Larian Studios.

• Plato. (1992). Republic (G. M. A. Grube, Trans.; C. D. C. Reeve, Rev.). Hackett Publishing. (Original work published ca. 380 B.C.E.)

• Homer. (1996). The odyssey (R. Fagles, Trans.). Penguin Books. (Original work published ca. 8th century B.C.E.).

• Joy, L. & Nolan, J. (Executive Producers). (2024–present). Fallout [TV series]. Kilter Films; Amazon MGM Studios.

• Square. (1995). Chrono Trigger [Video game]. Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

• Blizzard Entertainment. (2004). World of Warcraft [Video game]. Blizzard Entertainment.

• Big Blue Box. (2004). Fable [Video game]. Microsoft Game Studios.

• ZA/UM. (2019). Disco Elysium [Video game]. ZA/UM

• Bethesda Game Studios. (2011). The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• Nintendo. (1997). Mario Kart 64 [Video game]. Nintendo.

• Bogost, I. (2007). Persuasive games: The expressive power of videogames. MIT Press.

• Nintendo. (1990). F-Zero [Video game]. Nintendo.

• Nintendo. (1992). Super Mario Kart (Version 1.0) [Video game]. Nintendo.

• Square. (1997). Final Fantasy VII [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment.

• Iron Gate AB. (2021). Valheim (Version 0.202.14) [Video game]. Coffee Stain Publishing.

• Mojang Studios. (2011). Minecraft (Version 1.20) [Video game]. Mojang Studios.

• Re-Logic. (2011). Terraria (Version 1.4.5) [Video game]. Re-Logic.

• Square. (1994). Final Fantasy VI [Video game]. Square.

• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954-1955). The Lord of the Rings. Allen & Unwin.

• Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The Great Gatsby. Charles Scribner's Sons.

• Favreau, J. (Director). (2026). Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu [Film]. Lucasfilm; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

• Bethesda Game Studios. (2015). Fallout 4 [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• Obsidian Entertainment. (2010). Fallout: New Vegas [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• CD Projekt Red. (2015). The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt [Video game]. CD Projekt.

• CD Projekt Red. (2020). Cyberpunk 2077 (Version 2.0) [Video game]. CD Projekt.

• Jaki, R. (Creator). (2022). Cyberpunk: Edgerunners [TV series]. Netflix.

• BioWare. (2011). Star Wars: The Old Republic [Video game]. Electronic Arts.

• Naughty Dog. (2013). The Last of Us (Version 1.0) [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment.

• Bethesda Game Studios. (2006). The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• Weir, P. (Director). (1998). The Truman Show [Film]. Paramount Pictures.

• BioWare. (2012). Mass Effect 3 [Video game]. Electronic Arts.

• Telltale Games. (2012–2018). The Walking Dead [Video game]. Telltale Games.

• FromSoftware. (2009). Demon’s Souls [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment; Atlus.

• FromSoftware. (2011). Dark Souls [Video game]. Bandai Namco Games.

• Sony Interactive Entertainment. (2015). Bloodborne [Video game]. FromSoftware.

• FromSoftware. (2022). Elden Ring [Video game]. Bandai Namco Entertainment.

• Keen Games. (2024). Enshrouded [Video game]. Keen Games.

• GT Interactive. (1997). Duke Nukem 64 [Video game]. Eurocom.

• Härenstam, T. (2020). Vaesen: Nordic horror roleplaying [Tabletop game]. Free League Publishing.

• Wardrip-Fruin, N. & Harrigan, P. (Eds.). (2004). First person: New media as story, performance, and game. MIT Press.

• Fullbright. (2013). Gone Home [Video game]. Fullbright.

• Giant Sparrow. (2017). What Remains of Edith Finch [Video game]. Annapurna Interactive.

Episode 27: Recompositional Storytelling with Roger Travis | 26 May 2026

Stephen and Trent interview their great friend and classics scholar, Dr. Roger Travis, whose forthcoming book from McFarland proposes a theory of recompositional storytelling in ancient epics and cooperative adventure card games. The trio discusses:

• Halo 2, The Aeneid, and reflections on Cultural Truth Value;

• Homeric bards as gamer-designers who leveraged an available technology (dactylic hexameter) to recompose myths;

• The repetitive “formulas” of ancient epics and their relation to modern cooperative adventure card games;

• Worldbuilding as a “social forces sandbox” that constrains and enables narrative possibilities;

• The shared structure of ancient Greek mythology and contemporary transmedia storytelling;

• Greek tragedy as a “snapshot” of living performance;

• The history of fiction writing and its parallels to curricular design;

• The Iliad, The Odyssey, and the Telemachy as instructional genre fiction for social education;

• Mirroring recomposition from the ancient world via modern transmedia stories like Star Wars;

• Treading the narrow line between fossilized and fluid storytelling;

• Plato’s Allegory of the Cave as the world’s first video game;

• Evolutionary tension between the desire for novel stimuli and the biochemical need for predictability; and

• Recomposition and worldbuilding as peas in a shared pod of iterative narrative creation.

Episode References:

• Travis, R. (2010, November 18). A note on the word “practomime” [Blog post]. Play The Past. https://www.playthepast.org/?p=198

• Bungie. (2004). Halo 2 (Version 1.0) [Xbox]. Microsoft Game Studios.

• Virgil. (1990). The Aeneid (R. Fitzgerald, Trans.). Vintage Books. (Original work published ca. 19 B.C.E.)

• Homer. (1990). The Iliad (R. Fagles, Trans.). Penguin Books. (Original work published ca. 8th century B.C.E.).

• Homer. (1996). The odyssey (R. Fagles, Trans.). Penguin Books. (Original work published ca. 8th century B.C.E.).

• Fantasy Flight Games. (2011). The Lord of the rings: The card game. [Board game]. Fantasy Flight Games.

• Plato. (1992). Republic (G. M. A. Grube, Trans.; C. D. C. Reeve, Rev.). Hackett Publishing. (Original work published ca. 380 B.C.E.)

• Dylan, B. (1975). Tangled up in blue [Song]. Blood on the tracks [Album]. Columbia Records.

• Aeschylus. (1922). Seven against Thebes (H. W. Smyth, Trans.). Perseus Digital Library. https://scaife.perseus.org/library/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0085.tlg004/ (Original work published 467 B.C.E.)

• Plato. (1961). Letters. In E. Hamilton & H. Cairns (Eds.), The collected dialogues of Plato (L. A. Post, Trans.). Princeton University Press. (Original work written ca. 360 B.C.E.)

• Rocksteady Studios. (2009). Batman: Arkham asylum (v. 1.0) [Video game]. Eidos Interactive; Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

• Burton, T. (Director). (1989). Batman [Film]. Warner Bros.

• Timm, B., & Radomski, E. (Executive Producers). (1992–1995). Batman: The Animated Series [TV series]. Warner Bros. Animation; DC Entertainment.

• Traveller’s Tales. (2026). LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight (Version 1.0) [Video game]. Warner Bros. Games.

• Valve. (2007). Portal (Version 1.0.0) [Video game]. Valve.

• Squad. (2015). Kerbal Space Program (Version 1.0) [Video game]. Private Division.

• ZA/UM. (2019). Disco Elysium [Video game]. ZA/UM.

• Pope, L. (2013). Papers, Please (Version 1.4.15) [Video game]. 3909.

• Lem, S. (2002). Solaris (J. Kilmartin & S. Cox, Trans.). Harcourt Brace. (Original work published 1961).

• Tchaikovsky, A. (2015). Children of time (Children of Time series, Book 1). Orbit.

Episode 26: Accessibility | 19 May 2026

Stephen and Trent discuss the ins and outs of accessibility as relates to worldbuilding, design practices, and the broader educational ecosystem, including:

• Biomedical vs. social models of disability;

• Framing disability and accessibility in terms of environments rather than people;

• Yanni vs. Laurel, “The Dress,” and subjective perception;

• The inseparability of language and context;

• Situated cognition and how each of us “talks” to the world;

• The Spoon Theory of Disability;

• The “Roy Rogers” Model of toggleable accessibility options;

• Why and how to incorporate multiple modalities during the design process;

• Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and its wide-ranging applications;

• Understanding and combating systemic capitalist hurdles to inclusivity;

• Weighing the benefits and drawbacks of low-tech vs. high-tech accessibility solutions;

• Overcoming faulty cultural assumptions and outdated beliefs concerning learner (dis)abilities;

• Debunking and replacing the “learning styles” myth; and

• Practical accessibility design resources for educators and designers.

Episode References:

• Miserandino, C. (2003). The spoon theory. But You Don't Look Sick. https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/

• AbleGamers. (2026). AbleGamers: Combating social isolation through play. https://ablegamers.org/

• Brown, M. (n.d.). Video Game Accessibility [YouTube playlist]. Game Maker's Toolkit. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc38fcMFcV_vvWOhMDriBlVocTZ8mKQzR

• University of Michigan. (2024, January 10). Roundup on research: The myth of 'learning styles'. Center for Academic Innovation. https://onlineteaching.umich.edu/articles/the-myth-of-learning-styles/

• National Center for Learning Disabilities. (n.d.). NCLD: Unrestricted access and unlimited opportunity. https://ncld.org

• Galiatsos S., Kruse L., Whitaker M. (2019). Forward together: Helping educators unlock the power of students who learn differently. National Center for Learning Disabilities. https://www.understood.org/en/research-and-surveys/forward-together

• Understood for All, Inc. (2024). 2023 annual report. https://www.understood.org/en/annual-report

• Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt. (1992). The Jasper Series as an Example of Anchored Instruction: Theory, Program Description, and Assessment Data. Educational Psychologist, 27(3), 291–315. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep2703_3

• Saylor, S. (n.d.). Video Game Accessibility [YouTube channel]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@SteveSaylor

• Evmanova, A. (n.d.). Anya Evmanova. George Mason University College of Education and Human Development. https://cehd.gmu.edu/people/faculty/aevmenov/

• Evmenova, A. S., Hollingshead, A., Lowrey, K. A., Rao, K., & Williams, L. D. (2024). Designing for diversity and inclusion: UDL-based strategies for college courses (practice brief). Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 37(1), 81-88. https://www.ahead.org/professional-resources/publications/jped

Episode 25: [World Anvil Interview] Hopeful Speculative Fiction | 12 May 2026

Speculative fiction often serves as a warning, but in darker times, it can help imagine the way to brighter days.

In this episode, World Anvil’s Janet Forbes interviews Trent and Stephen about writing hopeful (but evidence-based!) speculative fiction. The trio discusses The Worldbuilding Workshop and how worldbuilding methodology can help untangle and demystify large contemporary social problems.

Episode References:

• Hergenrader, T. & Slota, S. (2025). The worldbuilding workshop: Teaching critical thinking and empathy through world modeling, simulation, and play. The MIT Press.

• Hergenrader, T. (2018). Collaborative worldbuilding for writers and gamers. Bloomsbury Academic.

• Young, M. F., Slota, S. T., Cutter, A., Jalette, G., Mullin, G., Lai, B., Simeoni, Z., Tran, M., & Yukhymenko, M. (2012). Our princess is in another castle: A review of trends in serious gaming for education. Review of Educational Research, 82(1), 61-89. doi: 10.3102/0034654312436980

• Atwood, M. (1986). The handmaid’s tale. Random House.

• Le Guin, U. K. (1974). The dispossessed: An ambiguous utopia. Harper & Row.

• Robinson, K. S. (2020). Three Californias: The wild shore, The gold coast, and Pacific edge. Tor Books.

• Collins, S. (2014). The hunger games trilogy. Scholastic.

• Gilroy, T. (Executive Producer). (2022–2025). Andor [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Disney+.

• Lucas, G. (Director). (1977). Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope [Film]. Lucasfilm; 20th Century Fox.

• Härenstam, T. (2020). Vaesen: Nordic horror roleplaying [Tabletop game]. Free League Publishing.

• Nintendo. (2020). Animal Crossing: New Horizons [Video game]. Nintendo.

• Barone, E. (2016). Stardew valley [Video game]. ConcernedApe.

• Naughty Dog. (2013). The Last of Us [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment.

• Wizards of the Coast. (2014). Dungeons & dragons player’s handbook (5th ed.) [Tabletop game]. Wizards of the Coast.

• Martin, G. R. R. (1996–2011). A Song of Ice and Fire (Vols. 1–5). HarperVoyager.

• Martin, G. R. R. (2018). Fire & blood (1st ed.). Bantam Books.

• Benioff, D., Weiss, D. B., Strauss, C., Doelger, F., Caulfield, B., Cogman, B., Sapochnik, M., & Nutter, D. (Executive Producers). (2011–2019). Game of thrones [TV series]. Home Box Office (HBO); Television 360; Grok! Television; Generator Entertainment; Startling Television; Bighead Littlehead.

• Gilligan, V. (Creator). (2008–2013). Breaking Bad [TV series]. Sony Pictures Television.

• Gilligan, V. & Gould, P. (Executive Producers). (2015–2022). Better Call Saul [TV series]. High Bridge Productions; Crystal Diner Productions; Gran Via Productions; Sony Pictures Television.

• Del Toro, G. (Executive Producer). (2022). Cabinet of Curiosities [TV series]. Double Dare You Productions; Netflix.

• Flanagan, M. (Executive Producer). (2018). The haunting of hill house [TV series]. Amblin Television; Paramount Television; Intrepid Pictures.

• Conrad, S. (Creator). (2026). DTF St. Louis [TV miniseries]. Aggregate Films; Bravo Axolotl; Escape Artists; MGM Television; HBO.

• Schoenbrun, J. (Director). (2024). I saw the TV glow [Film]. A24; Fruit Tree; Smudge Films; Hypnic Jerk.

• Sudeikis, J., Hunt, B., Kelly, J., Lawrence, B., & Wriston, J. (Executive Producers). (2020–2023). Ted Lasso [TV series]. Apple Inc.; Warner Bros. Television.

• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954-1955). The Lord of the Rings. Allen & Unwin.

• Campbell, J. (1949). The hero with a thousand faces. Pantheon Books.

• Dick, P. K. (1969). Ubik. Doubleday & Co., Inc.

• Epic Games. (2006). Gears of war [Video game]. Microsoft Game Studios.

• Herbert, F. (1965). Dune. Chilton Books.

• Cameron, J. (Director). (2009). Avatar [Film]. 20th Century Fox.

• Costner, K. (Director). (1990). Dances with Wolves [Film]. Orion Pictures.

• Miéville, C. (2000). Perdido street station. Macmillan.

• Miéville, C. (2002). The scar. Del Rey/Ballantine Books.

• Gilligan, V. (Creator). (2025–present). Plur1bus [TV series]. High Bridge Productions; Sony Pictures Television.

• Siegel, D. (Director). (1956). Invasion of the Body Snatchers [Film]. Walter Wanger Productions.

• Edwards, G. (Director). (2016). Rogue One: A Star Wars Story [Film]. Lucasfilm; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Episode 24: Star Wars Holiday Special | 5 May 2026

In honor of May the Fourth and Revenge of the Fifth, Trent and Stephen express their love of (and occasional frustration with) the biggest and best example of transmedia storytelling on earth: STAR WARS.

Join the duo as they discuss the fabled franchise’s five decades of social, cultural, and economic ascendance, including:

• A brief history of the Star Wars transmedia storyworld;

• The crisscrossing relationship(s) between diverse Star Wars stories;

• Star Wars as a model for future multi-modal artists;

• Recursive storytelling;

• How Star Wars fostered a complex, global Community of Practice;

• Balancing new ideas with internal consistency and canonicity;

• Diminishing returns from retreading the same content;

• Rebels as a skeleton key to the Disney Star Wars universe;

• The cross-generational benefits of transmedia storytelling;

• “No chocolate, all Easter eggs”;

• Deciding what makes Star Wars “Star Wars”;

• Exerting creative restraint to keep stories grounded and facilitate suspension of disbelief;

• Andor as the peak representation of purposeful Star Wars storytelling;

• Determining how much story can be told through a given medium;

• Stories as a product of and response to the times in which they are written;

• How the Star Wars tabletop role-playing game scaffolded Star Wars into its current popularity and scope;

• Cosplay, theme parks, and community-building through mutual love of Star Wars; and

• What Star Wars can do for real-world educational systems, approaches, and tools.

Episode References:

Episode References:

• Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. New York University Press.

• Wachowski, L. & Wachowski, L. (Directors). (1999). The Matrix [Film]. Warner Bros.

• Lucas, G. (Director). (1977). Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope [Film]. Lucasfilm; 20th Century Fox.

• Lucas, G. (Director). (2005). Star wars: Episode III – Revenge of the sith [Film]. Lucasfilm; 20th Century Fox.

• Lucas, G. (Executive Producer). (2008–2020). Star Wars: The Clone Wars [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Cartoon Network/Netflix.

• Foster, A. D. (1978). Splinter of the mind’s eye [From the adventures of Luke Skywalker]. Ballantine Books.

• Kaminski, M. (2008). The secret history of Star Wars: The art of storytelling and the making of a modern epic. Legacy Books Press.

• Nintendo of America. (1988–2012). Nintendo Power. Nintendo of America.

• Howard, R. (Director). (2018). Solo: A Star Wars Story [Film]. Walt Disney Pictures; Lucasfilm Ltd.

• Gray, C. (2017). Leia, Princess of Alderaan. Disney Lucasfilm Press.

• Johnston, E. K. (2016). Ahsoka. Disney Lucasfilm Press.

• Johnson, R. (Director). (2017). Star Wars: The Last Jedi [Film]. Lucasfilm; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

• Headland, L., Kennedy, K., Emanuel, S., King, J. F., & Micallef, J. (Executive Producers). (2024). Star Wars: The Acolyte [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Walt Disney Company.

• Kennedy, K., Rejwan, M., Chow, D., McGregor, E., & Harold, J. (Executive Producers). (2022). Obi-Wan Kenobi [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Disney+.

• Favreau, J. (Executive Producer). (2021–2022). The Book of Boba Fett [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Golem Creations

• Jenkins, Henry. “Transmedia Storytelling 101.” Confessions of an Aca-Fan. 22 Mar. 2007. Web.

• Abrams, J. J. (Director). (2015). Star Wars: The Force Awakens [Film]. Lucasfilm Ltd.; Bad Robot.

• Miller, J. J. (2014). A new dawn: Star Wars (1st ed.). Del Rey.

• Weisman, G. (2015). Star Wars: Kanan—The Last Padawan (P. Larraz & J. Camagni, Illus.). Marvel Worldwide, Inc.

• Filoni, D., Kinsey, H., & Ratliff, K. (Executive Producers). (2014–2018). Star Wars Rebels [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Lucasfilm Animation.

• Edwards, G. (Director). (2016). Rogue One: A Star Wars Story [Film]. Lucasfilm; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

• Lucas, G. (Director). (1999). Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace [Film]. Lucasfilm Ltd.; 20th Century Fox.

• Gilroy, T. (Executive Producer). (2022–2025). Andor [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Disney+.

• Lucas, G. (Director). (2002). Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones [Film]. Lucasfilm Ltd.; 20th Century Fox.

• Favreau, J., Filoni, D., Kennedy, K., & Wilson, C. (Executive Producers). (2019–present). The Mandalorian [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Golem Creations.

• Filoni, D., Favreau, J., & Kennedy, K. (Executive Producers). (2023–present). Ahsoka [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

• Spielberg, S. (Director). (1975). Jaws [Film]. Universal Pictures.

• Hitchcock, A. (Director & Producer). (1960). Psycho [Film]. United States: Universal Studios.

• Scorsese, M. (Director). (1976). Taxi driver [Film]. Columbia Pictures.

• Zahn, T. (1991). Heir to the Empire (Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, Vol. 1). Bantam Spectra.

• Costikyan, G. (1987). Star Wars: The role-playing game (1st ed.) [Role-playing game]. West End Games.

Episode 23: Worldbuilding Walkthrough - Part III | 28 April 2026

In this three-episode series, Stephen and Trent walk the walk by collaboratively constructing a storyworld using The Worldbuilding Workshop card deck and design process!

Parts I and II featured animated conversation about a burgeoning gothic horror boomtown and its underlying Governmental, Economic, Social, and Cultural systems; the range of potential interactions between its fourteen substructural categories; and the scope, sequence, breadth, depth, and genre elements that would provide a maximally delectable worldbuild-y flavor profile. Now, in Part III, the duo applies Trent’s character-building system to develop a diverse panoply of citizens that breathe life into a five-scene, three-act story concerning “big ideas” about the world’s social forces.

Episode References:

• Shelley, M. (1818). Frankenstein; or, the modern Prometheus. Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones.

• Härenstam, T. (2020). Vaesen: Nordic horror roleplaying [Tabletop game]. Free League Publishing.

• Naughty Dog. (2013). The Last of Us [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment.

• Drennan, J. (2009). Fiasco [Tabletop role-playing game]. Bully Pulpit Games.

• Wizards of the Coast. (2014). Dungeons & dragons player’s handbook (5th ed.) [Tabletop game]. Wizards of the Coast.

• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954-1955). The Lord of the Rings. Allen & Unwin.

• Kershner, I. (Director). (1980). Star wars: Episode V - The empire strikes back [Film]. Lucasfilm; 20th Century Fox.

• Martin, G. R. R. (1996–2011). A Song of Ice and Fire (Vols. 1–5). HarperVoyager.

• Benioff, D., Weiss, D. B., Strauss, C., Doelger, F., Caulfield, B., Cogman, B., Sapochnik, M., & Nutter, D. (Executive Producers). (2011–2019). Game of thrones [TV series]. Home Box Office (HBO); Television 360; Grok! Television; Generator Entertainment; Startling Television; Bighead Littlehead.

• Gilligan, V. (Creator). (2008–2013). Breaking Bad [TV series]. Sony Pictures Television.

• Gilligan, V. & Gould, P. (Executive Producers). (2015–2022). Better Call Saul [TV series]. High Bridge Productions; Crystal Diner Productions; Gran Via Productions; Sony Pictures Television.

• Gilroy, T. (Executive Producer). (2022–2025). Andor [TV series]. Lucasfilm.

• Edwards, G. (Director). (2016). Rogue one: A Star Wars story [Film]. Lucasfilm Ltd.; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

• Magill, F. N. (Ed.). (1963). Masterplots: Best masterplots (1963 annual vol.). Salem Press.

• Cook, W. W. (1928). Plotto: The master book of all plots. Ellis Publishing Company.

• Meehan, T. (Book), Strouse, C. (Music), & Charnin, M. (Lyrics) (1977, April 21). Annie [Live performance at the Alvin Theatre]. New York, NY.

• Coen, J. (Director). (2000). O Brother, Where Art Thou? [Film]. Touchstone Pictures; Universal Pictures.

• Homer. (1996). The odyssey (R. Fagles, Trans.). Penguin Books. (Original work published ca. 8th century B.C.E.).

• Favreau, J., Filoni, D., Rodriguez, R., Kennedy, K., & Wilson, C. (Executive Producers). (2021–2022). The book of Boba Fett [TV series]. Lucasfilm; Golem Creations.

• Filoni, D., Kinsey, S., & Ratcliffe, S. (Executive Producers). (2014–2018). Star Wars Rebels [TV series]. Lucasfilm.

• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977). The Silmarillion (C. Tolkien, Ed.). Houghton Mifflin.

• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1937). The hobbit, or, there and back again. George Allen & Unwin.

• Nintendo. (2015). Splatoon [Video game]. Nintendo.

Episode 22: Worldbuilding Walkthrough - Part II | 21 April 2026

In this three-episode series, Stephen and Trent walk the walk by collaboratively constructing a storyworld using The Worldbuilding Workshop card deck and design process!

In Part I, the duo assigned numerical values to each of their new world’s Governmental, Economic, Social, and Cultural substructures. Now, in Part II, they debate genre, theme, scope, and sequence, developing a “40,000-foot view” of the world’s Places, Things, and Events. This will prepare them to interrogate emergent social forces and generate a diverse population of characters in their concluding segment, Part III.

Episode References:

• Collins, S. (2014). The hunger games trilogy. Scholastic.

• Lucas, G. (Director). (1971). THX 1138 [Film]. American Zoetrope; Warner Bros.

• Lucas, G. (Director). (1977). Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope [Film]. Lucasfilm; 20th Century Fox.

• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954-1955). The Lord of the Rings. Allen & Unwin.

• Racioppa, S., Kirkman, R., Alpert, D., Winder, C., & Ryp, J. (Executive Producers). (2021–present). Invincible [TV series]. Skybound; Amazon Studios.

• Kripke, E., Goldberg, E., & Rogen, S. (Executive Producers). (2019–present). The Boys [TV series]. Amazon Studios; Sony Pictures Television; Kripke Enterprises; Point Grey Pictures; Original Film.

• Härenstam, T. (2020). Vaesen: Nordic horror roleplaying [Tabletop game]. Free League Publishing.

• Docter, P. (Director). (2001). Monsters, Inc. [Film]. Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Pictures.

• Lasseter, J. (Director), & Stanton, A. (Co-director). (1998). A bug's life [Film]. Walt Disney Pictures; Pixar Animation Studios.

• Coen, J. (Director). (2000). O Brother, Where Art Thou? [Film]. Touchstone Pictures; Universal Pictures.

• Coen, J. & Coen, E. (Directors). (2007). No country for old men [Film]. Miramax Films; Scott Rudin Productions.

• Bennett, J. & Huddy, J. (Executive Producers). (2023-present). Scavengers Reign [TV series]. Max; Titmouse.

• Coen, J. & Coen, E. (Directors/Writers). (2018). The Ballad of Buster Scruggs [Film]. Annapurna Pictures; Netflix.

• Milch, D. (Executive Producer). (2004–2006). Deadwood [TV series]. Paramount Television; Home Box Office (HBO).

• Scott, R. (Director). (1979). Alien [Film]. Twentieth Century Fox; Brandywine Productions.

• Hawley, N. (Executive Producer). (2025–present). Alien: Earth [TV series]. 20th Television; Brandywine Productions.

• Scott, R. (Director). (2015). The Martian [Film]. Twentieth Century Fox.

• Roddenberry, G. (Executive Producer). (1966–1969). Star Trek [TV series]. Desilu Productions; Paramount Television.

• Golding, W. (1954). Lord of the flies. Faber & Faber.

• EA Redwood Shores. (2008). Dead Space [Video game]. Electronic Arts.

• Muschietti, A., Muschietti, B., & Fuchs, J. (Executive Producers). (2025–present). It: Welcome to Derry [TV series]. Double Dream; FiveTen Productions; Rideback; Vertigo Entertainment; Warner Bros. Television; HBO.

• Sapkowski, A. (2007). The last wish (D. French, Trans.). Orbit. (Original work published 1993).

• Spielberg, S. (Director). (1981). Raiders of the lost ark [Film]. Lucasfilm; Paramount Pictures.

• Bethesda Game Studios. (2008). Fallout 3 [Video game]. Bethesda Softworks.

• Scott, R. (Director). (2012). Prometheus [Film]. Scott Free Productions; Brandywine Productions; 20th Century Fox.

• Carter, C. (Executive Producer). (1993–2018). The X-Files [TV series]. Ten Thirteen Productions; 20th Century Fox Television.

• Lem, S. (2002). Solaris (J. Kilmartin & S. Cox, Trans.). Harcourt Brace. (Original work published 1961).

• Wizards of the Coast. (2014). Dungeons & dragons player’s handbook (5th ed.) [Tabletop game]. Wizards of the Coast.

Episode 21: Worldbuilding Walkthrough - Part I | 14 April 2026

In this three-episode series, Stephen and Trent walk the walk by collaboratively constructing a storyworld using The Worldbuilding Workshop card deck and design process!

Part I features a brief recap of the 14-substructure worldbuilding framework, examples of how different substructures are expressed in different popular media, and a step-by-step assignment of numerical values to a “from scratch” world. Then, the duo interprets, scaffolds, and contextualizes their world’s substructural values in advance of Part II (determining genre, theme, scope, and sequence) and Part III (generating a diverse population of characters).

Episode References:

• Atwood, M. (1986). The handmaid’s tale. Random House.

• Wizards of the Coast. (2014). Dungeons & dragons player’s handbook (5th ed.) [Tabletop game]. Wizards of the Coast.

• Härenstam, T. (2020). Vaesen: Nordic horror roleplaying [Tabletop game]. Free League Publishing.

• Lucas, G. (Director). (1977). Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope [Film]. Lucasfilm; 20th Century Fox.

• Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The fellowship of the ring. George Allen & Unwin.

• Spielberg, S. (Director). (2002). Minority Report [Film]. Twentieth Century Fox.

• Orwell, G. (1949). 1984. Secker & Warburg.

• Huxley, A. (2010). Brave new world (11th ed.). Vintage.

• Culliford, P. [Peyo] (Creator). (1981–1989). The Smurfs [TV series]. Hanna-Barbera Productions; NBC.

• Naughty Dog. (2013). The Last of Us [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment.

• Irrational Games. (2007). BioShock [Video game]. 2K Games.

• Rockstar San Diego. (2010). Red Dead Redemption [Video game]. Rockstar Games.

• Le Guin, U. K. (1974). The dispossessed: An ambiguous utopia. Harper & Row.

• DiMartino, M. D. & Konietzko, B. (Creators). (2005–2008). Avatar: The Last Airbender [TV series]. Nickelodeon Animation Studio; Nickelodeon.

• Fergus, M. & Ostby, H. (Creators). (2015–2022). The expanse [TV series]. Alcon Entertainment; Alcon Television Group; Hivemind; Amazon Studios.

• Herbert, F. (1965). Dune. Chilton Books.

• Groening, M. (Creator). (1989–present). The Simpsons [TV series]. Gracie Films; 20th Television Animation; Fox Broadcasting Company.

• Blizzard Entertainment. (2004). World of Warcraft [Massively multiplayer online role-playing game]. Blizzard Entertainment.

• Meier, S. & Shelley, B. (Designers). (1991). Sid Meier's Civilization [Computer game]. MicroProse.

• Ross, H. (Director). (1984). Footloose [Film]. IndieProd Company; Phoenix Pictures; Paramount Pictures.

• Scott, R. (Director). (1984, January 22). 1984 [TV advertisement]. Chiat/Day; Apple Computer.

• Jackson, S. (1948, June 26). The lottery. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1948/06/26/the-lottery

• Hawthorne, N. (2015). The scarlet letter. Penguin Classics. (Original work published 1850).

• Martin, G. R. R. (1996–2011). A Song of Ice and Fire (Vols. 1–5). HarperVoyager.

• Joy, L. & Nolan, J. (Executive Producers). (2024–present). Fallout [TV series]. Kilter Films; Amazon MGM Studios.

• Berman, R. & Piller, M. (Executive Producers). (1993–1999). Star Trek: Deep Space Nine [TV series]. Paramount Television.