TBM: Ep 21 EXTRAS

I'm not sure that I clearly explained that anti-intellectuals 1) like rigid rules/literal thinking as a defining trait, 2) are (potentially) attracted to entertainment with rigid rules and that requires literal thinking, and 3) could be influenced/tricked into different modes of thought through playing games. Look, I'm just going to say it: we use stealth learning on kids; the design of our everyday world shapes how we think; and there is no reason we can't be intentional in hoping to influence our audience toward empathy. 

Heck, just by getting people to log off and socialize irl, we are helping make our corners of the world a better place. Look at all the studies around families that eat dinner around a dinner table and extrapolate that to play games together. If you weren't aware, board game design is a noble profession. 

I am fairly constantly focused on the development of board game design writ large. I just keep comparing 1980's video games to today's video games and then looking at 1990's board games and thinking that we have further we can go. Not to say we haven't made a lot of progress, but I feel like a lot of the development happens in the big content heavy campaign games. And I'm out here pushing for the small games to not just catch up but potentially be the leaders in development around story, emotion, metaphor, and innovation in general. (Why not? Small games are certainly faster to develop if nothing else.)

I feel like the end of this episode is the thesis statement for this series: We should be intentional in crafting experiences. And that requires thinking beyond mechanisms to what those mechanisms can mean and express. And maybe, just maybe, we can help make the world a better place in the process.