EPISODE 31: THE INEVITABILITY OF EPIC FAIL

EPISODE 34: ROME WASN’T BUILT IN A DAY WITH KEVIN BALLESTRINI

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

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

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

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

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.