Game Academy
Game Academy discusses the latest news and hot topics in the world of games studies and game development! Sometimes we hang out and talk about video games, and sometimes we have amazing special guests, from educators to architects to developers. Either way, we openly welcome any and all discussion of everything game studies – Game Academy covers the whole field of research! Hosted by Adam Jerrett and Steph Farnsworth, this MultiPlay podcast will keep anyone passionate about games up to date with all the latest developments in academia and the industry every episode.
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Apply to be a guest
Game Academy invites anyone in the field of game studies to apply to be a guest on our podcast. Got a new research topic or project you want to discuss on our show? Send us the details about your work, and a little about who you are in an email to networkmultiplay@gmail.com with the subject heading ‘Podcast Guest’.
Episodes
Episode 6: What Space and Place Were You When England Won the Euros? (with Lisa Meek)
On the sixth episode of Game Academy, good times never seemed so good! Joined by Lisa Meek, Adam and Steph fondly (or, in Steph’s case, not so much) remember when the Lionesses won the Euros. Lisa, amazing guest that she is, is firmly on the winning side with Adam while Steph laments Spain’s misfortunes. Nevertheless, they fill us in on what it was like at Wembley during the Euro final. Adam, in an unsurprising turn of events, spills the details on his weddings by focusing solely on his shiny new Steam Deck. Our hosts also chat to sociologist and PhD candidate Lisa Meek, the host of September’s Space and Place in Virtual Worlds week! Lisa tells us the details of the incredible line-up for the week and we all chat about our love of history through the lens of games and Lisa’s undying love for County Durham. Steph also tries to convince Adam that Space and Place may just be the next big thing in video games studies, but as always, Adam’s not having any of it. He does concede that Space and Place is interesting though, so that’s a start. One of us, one of us!
Listen here.
Episode 5: Gameboys, DiGRA and New Books, Oh My! (with Adam Crowley)
On the fifth episode of Game Academy, Adam and Steph take a breath after a hectic month! Adam fills us in on how this year’s DiGRA conference went – and to Steph’s despair – starts another ludology vs narratology debate. They continue, joined by Adam Crowley, to talk about his latest book “Representations of Poverty in Videogames”. He opens our eyes to some fascinating approaches to dealing with socioeconomic factors in games, and finally blows our minds with his hopeful take on the future of the games industry and the m-m-metaverse. Yes, Steph made us talk about the metaverse, and typing that was excruciating. Finally, Steph gives a very long update on MultiPlay’s upcoming events, with a special announcement in store for September’s WEEK LONG Space and Place Conference! Presentations and workshops and social events, oh my!
Listen here.
Episode 4: The PhD Journey and the Psychology of Interpretation as Play (with Dr Matt Higgins)
On the fourth episode of Game Academy, Adam and Steph get their monthly podcast out by the skin of their teeth! Is that an idiom? What about “next lady for a shave”? None of us are really sure anymore after this month. In this episode, we lament that there isn’t a dog version of Stray and talk to the wonderful Dr Matthew Higgins, Adam’s colleague who somehow (by the Maker!) finished a PhD. Steph and Adam didn’t even think it was possible! We talk about his PhD journey and any tips he has for us and aspiring researchers, before chatting about his own work on the interpretation of narrative as a form of play and all the fascinating psychology that explores how we keep engaged in the games that we love. We also talk a bit about White Lake, Matt’s game that will be coming to Steam in 2023! Hopefully… Finally, we talk a bit about all things Multiplay, including its new book talk extending June’s incredible Queerness conference before teasing a jam-packed and hopefully on-time July episode.
Episode 3: Crunch, Cyberpunk and Mass Effect 3’s Ending
On the third episode of Game Academy, Adam and Steph apologise profusely for the lateness of the episode release amidst the craziness of marking season, submissions and new puppies! In this episode, we talk all about our hot takes on video game crunch, how it could be solved, or if it’s just a symptom of creative industries. Then, Steph delves deep into Cyberpunk 2077, how it’s changed since release, how it influences her research and whether “bad” endings were really good endings all along. Finally, we talk a bit about the future of Mass Effect. Will we end the entire podcast because we simply can’t agree on the ending? Finally, we chat to the lovely Greg McGuiness about Multiplay’s upcoming Queering and Questioning conference next week.
Episode 2: We Make A Podcast!
On the second episode of Game Academy, Adam and Steph chat about how they got into game studies, the power of Pokémon in our lives, and what we’ve learned so far in our academic careers. And the most important question: Can you make a career out of talking about games? Find out more in episode 2 of Game Academy!
Episode 1: Sex and Romance in Video Games (with Imo Kaufman)
On the first episode of Game Academy, Adam and Steph are joined by special guest and games scholar Imo Kaufman to discuss sex and romance in video games. How are games handling aspects of sex and romance right now? Are games creating queer characters or queer stories? Will Imo – or the rest of us – ever get over our love for Dragon Age’s Dorian? Find out in episode 1 of Game Academy!
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