EP13.1: Gamers of the World, Unite! (w/ Paolo Pedercini)

Darts and Letters

In this bonus episode, Gordon Katic speaks with Paolo Pedercini, a professor in the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University and a game developer who runs Molleindustria. Pedericini’s games offer systemic critiques of capitalism, and invite players to wonder whether video games can be a source of organizing and consciousness-raising.

——————-FURTHER READING & PLAYING——————-

• Dive into Pedericini’s games, such as Democratic Socialism Simulator, Building a Better Mousetrap, the McDonald’s Videogame, Every Day The Same Dream, Phone Story, Operation: Pedopriest, Tamatipico, Rules and Roberts, and Kosmosis — “an arcade game from an alternate socialist universe.”
• Have a read of some of Pedericini’s writings, including “Gaming Under Socialism,” “Video Games and the Spirit of Capitalism,” and “Games Without Players.”

—————————-CONTACT US————————-

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——————-SUPPORT THE SHOW——————-

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—————————-CREDITS—————————-

Darts and Letters’ is hosted and edited by Gordon Katic. Our lead producer is Jay Cockburn, and our chase producer is Marc Apollonio. We had research and support from Addye Susnick and David Moscrop. Our theme song was created by Mike Barber. Our graphic design was created by Dakota Koop.

This episode received support by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research, which provided us a research grant to look at the concept of “public intellectualism.” Professor Allen Sens at the University of British Columbia is the lead academic advisor. It was also part of a wider project looking at the politics of video games, housed at UBC and also advised by Lennart E. Nacke at the University of Waterloo.

Darts and Letters is produced in Toronto, which is on the traditional land of Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples. It is also produced in Vancouver, BC, which is on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.