Transcript
Home Depot Announcer (0:00)
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NBN Survey Announcer (0:31)
Hey NBN listeners. We're running our 2026 New Books Network Audience Survey and we'd love just a few minutes of your time. NBN has been bringing you in depth conversations with authors and scholars for over 15 years. We haven't done a comprehensive audience survey since 2022 and a lot has changed since then. It's time to hear from you again. Here's why we're asking. We want to understand who's listening, what subjects and podcasts you love most, and where you'd like to see us grow. Your responses help us tell NBN's story to the publishers, libraries, institutions we partner with when we can show that our listeners are serious readers, lifelong learners, and heavy library users. It opens doors to new partnerships, better resources, and ultimately a stronger NBN for everyone. And one more thing, if you leave your email address at the end of the survey, you'll be entered to win a $100 gift card to bookshop.org, a chance to stock up on books while supporting independent bookstores at the same time. The survey takes just five minutes. Your answers are confidential and your email will never be shared. Head to newbooksnetwork.com to take the survey today. We really appreciate your support. Now go take the survey.
Peter McDonald (1:45)
Welcome to the New Books Network.
Rudolf Iinders (1:49)
Hi everyone. Welcome back to New Books and Game Studies, a podcast channel on the New Books Network. On this very channel, we explore new scholarship that unpacks what games mean, how they are designed, how they are played, and how they resonate far beyond the screen. I'm your host, Rudolf Iinders, professor for Game Studies at the University of Applied Sciences that's a sciences Neue Ulm, Germany. Before we get started, if you enjoy the show, please consider leaving us a five star review on Apple Podcasts or whichever platform you prefer. It really helps others discover us. And of course feel free to share this episode with your community or gaming group of your very choice. Today we are joined by Peter McDonald to discuss his new book, the Impossible Reversal, published by the University of Minnesota Press. The book traces the cultural history of play from Fluxus experiments to SimCity, and examines how playfulness became central to creativity, design and the modern economy. There's a lot to unpack here. So, Peter, it's great to have you to begin. Could you briefly, Well, I guess reintroduce yourself and tell us how this project came about?
