Welcome!
Welcome to Ludology, an analytical discussion of the hows and whys of the world of board games. Rather than news and reviews, Ludology explores a variety of topics about games from a wider lens, as well as discuss game history, game design and game players.
We post a new Ludology episode every other week. In these episodes, hosts Erica Bouyouris and Sen-Foong Lim deep-dive into a single topic within game design, often with a well-regarded guest from the game industry. We generally focus on tabletop game design (mainly board games and RPGs), but we often pull in experts from all forms of games, from video games to escape rooms to slot machines.
On weeks where there is no flagship Ludology episode, we will alternate between two smaller mini-sodes. Erica and Sen are happy to announce that Sarah Shipp of Shippboard Games and Stephanie Campbell of TTRPGKids will be joining us for the next year, providing additional content between our longer episodes.
Sarah's segment, Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, is a monthly feature that dives deeper into the other aspects of games beyond the dice and cards we're all familiar with.
Stephanie's segment, TTRPGKids, explores how parents and teachers can use role playing games with children in the home and in the classroom.
We hope you enjoy the additional content!
Our History
We aim for most Ludology episodes to be timeless, so you are welcome to explore our entire catalog. Most of it should age quite well. The podcast was started in 2011 by Geoff Engelstein and Ryan Sturm, with Mike Fitzgerald taking over for Ryan in 2015. Gil and Scott joined the show in 2017 when Mike stepped aside, and Emma joined in 2019 when Geoff ended his tenure as host. Emma left in 2021, and Erica and Sen joined us. Since then, Scott stepped down in 2022 and Gil will be hanging up his mic in 2023, leaving Erica and Sen to carry on this amazing legacy.
Erica and Sen are working to bring new voices to Ludology and have some great things to announce as gaming expands to include even more people!
Contact Us
Have your own thoughts about our topics? We encourage you to visit us at our guild on Boardgamegeek to get involved in a continuing discussion.
You can also email us at hello@ludology.net.
Ludology is part of The Dice Tower Network, the premier board game media network.
If you have questions that you'd like answered on Ludology, let us know by filling out this Google Form; you can also leave an audio question that we can use on the show, if you wish!
Burning Questions for Ludology
Support the Show
Ludology is made possible through the support and donations of listeners like you.
We currently have 3 "First Listen" series that will go out to Patrons well in advance of the audio being released to the wider audience.
- The Memories that Made Us (monthly) - memories about gaming experiences that helped shape the people that bring modern games to life
- Tales from the Designer Toolbox (monthly) - tips and tricks from industry pros learned from both success and failure
- Ludology Live - recordings from conventions around the world
Patrons will also get extra consideration for any giveaways that we might have!
You can also make a one-time or monthly donation here. The link will take you to Erica's account. People who donate in this way will not have access to the Patreon page - sorry!
Apr 26, 2020
Scott goes into the checkered history of The Game of Life, which has had many inspirations and incarnations, and is still going strong.
(Content warning: this episode contains quick, passing references to sex and suicide.)
0m00s: Join Gil's and
Emma's remote playtesting
groups!
1m44s: A
Little Pretty Pocket Book. Fun fact: this book contains the
first appearance of the term "base-ball," although that term at the
time was an alternative regional name for the sport now known as
Rounders.
2m37s: The
New Game of Human Life. Here's
the original French game that inspired it, which BGG has under
the name La Vie Humaine un Nouveau Jeu.
3m19s: More
information about the teetotum, which was often used to avoid
the impression of gambling.
5m48s: The Reward
of Merit,
The Mirror of Truth: Exhibiting a variety of Biographical Anecdotes
and Moral Essays calculated to Inspire a Love of Virtue and
Abhorrence of Vice, and The
Mansion of Happiness.
7m45s: The
Checkered Game of Life.
9m17s:
The Game of the Telegraph Boy,
Game of To the North Pole By Airship, and
The Game of Playing Department Store.
9m32s: More information about toy and game designer Reuben
Klamer.
10m48s: The famous blue and pink pegs are, of course, the
inspiration for the name of the excellent board game podcast
Blue Peg, Pink Peg.
11m44s: Here's a page with a photo of the 1960
edition of The Game of Life.
12m28s: More information about the
resolution of the lawsuit between Klamer and Markham.
13m32s: The
Game of Life: Twists and Turns
14m08s: The
Game of Life Express
16m33s: This would also be a good time to mention some modern board
games that handle the same subject matter, and were no doubt
somehow inspired by The Game of Life. The
Pursuit of Happiness, Funny
Friends, CV, and
My
Story.