SciShow Tangents

Games with Jo Firestone!

Jan 21, 2025
Guest
Jo Firestone
Jo Firestone, comedian, podcaster, and co-creator of party games Punderdome and Fruits, drops in to celebrate the joy and mischief of play. Short, lively conversations cover what counts as a game, gamified science studies, weird game tech like hydrogel Pong and a Game Boy sonar, Foldit protein puzzles, and playful origins of classics like Candy Land and Jenga.
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INSIGHT

Games Are Structured Social Dances

  • Games are structured forms of play that impose rules and constraints, functioning like agreed-upon dances that enable shared behavior.
  • Ceri Riley compares games to dancing: rules create a collective framework so people can coordinate and enjoy the same activity together.
ANECDOTE

Designer Emails Forced Rule Clarifications

  • Jo Firestone recounts designing two games and getting emails from players exploiting unintended violent interpretations of rules.
  • She had to write clarifying instructions and spend money on Squarespace ads to explicitly forbid harmful uses.
INSIGHT

Gamification Increases Engagement In Cessation Apps

  • Gamified features in health apps can boost engagement even if causation of quitting isn't proven.
  • The Smoke Free app's Inner Dragon pet increased app engagement ~20% by rewarding abstinence with a growing customizable dragon.
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