logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2022
1h 12m

A Philosophy of Games That Is Really a P...

NEW YORK TIMES OPINION
About this episode
When we play Monopoly or basketball, we know we are playing a game. The stakes are low. The rules are silly. The point system is arbitrary. But what if life is full of games — ones with much higher stakes — that we don’t even realize we’re playing? According to the philosopher C. Thi Nguyen, games and gamified systems are everywhere in modern life. Social m ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Trumpism Is Backfiring
If you want to understand the ruins of President Trump’s foreign policy, look no further than Canada. Trump tried to strong-arm America’s trading partner and closest ally with punishing tariffs and threats of becoming the “51st state” in order to extract more concessions.The resu ... Show More
1h 17m
Oct 16
Is There an A.I. Bubble? A Debate.
The gargantuan bet on the future of A.I. is driving the U.S. stock market and economic growth. And the building of data centers is sucking up so many construction resources, it’s crowding out the construction of homes.The multitrillion-dollar question is: Will this bet pay off? O ... Show More
1h 7m
Oct 14
Is It a Relationship if No One’s on the Other Side?
Roughly half of American adults are using chatbots. Nearly one in five U.S. adults has chatted with an A.I. that simulates a romantic partner. And some children now struggle to distinguish between talking to chatbots and humans.What does this mean for the future of our relationsh ... Show More
1h 14m
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2022
How Corporations and Governments Use Games to Control Us
Do you ever feel like you’re being played? Like the people who run the world have got you on a treadmill that’s feeding you just enough rewards to keep going. Gold stars on your attendance sheet at elementary school. Apps that encourage you to run by pretending you’re fleeing zom ... Show More
42m 51s
Jun 2021
55: Games Against Humanity (w/C. Thi Nguyen)
This episode is co-hosted by Dr. C. Thi Nguyen, a philosopher who teaches at the University of Utah. His breakthrough book is about agency in games, in which he shines a light on disquieting aspects of our gamified lives and the question of whether we’re still able to act on our ... Show More
1h 40m
Mar 2023
Is Investing a Game?
In everyday life, your value system is complicated and rich. Games make that system simple, and you know exactly how well you’ve done.  C. Thi Nguyen is a philosophy professor at University of Utah and author of the book Games: Agency As Art. Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner ... Show More
34m 11s
Jun 2024
How to Know What's Real: How to Win at Real Life
Games can serve as an escape from reality—but they can also shape our understanding of trust, collaboration, and what might be possible IRL. Megan Garber talks with C. Thi Nguyen, an associate philosophy professor at the University of Utah, to better understand how games can help ... Show More
32m 18s
Jun 2024
How to Tap the Power of Games to Live a Better Life | Kelly Clancy
<p>What if the games we play reveal deeper truths about human nature and society? In this mind-expanding conversation, neuroscientist Kelly Clancy, author of <a href="https://amzn.to/459Z0zx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Playing with Reality: How Games Have Shape ... Show More
56m 17s
Aug 2022
Games People Play
Do you realise that you and all the people you know play games with each other – all the time? It can be sexual games with a love interest, competitive games with our friends, power games with our boss, or marital games with our spouse. Regardless of the subject matter or the set ... Show More
31m 49s
Dec 2023
Playing games
It’s play time on Start the Week. The mathematician Marcus Du Sautoy looks at the numbers behind the games we play, from Monopoly to rock paper scissors. In Around The World in 80 Games he shows how understanding maths can give you the edge, and why games are integral to human ps ... Show More
42 m
Oct 2022
When the Video Game Reaches Out to Ask You to Spend More Money
We’ve all gotten a little too involved in a video game. I’ve talked repeatedly about how I’ve gotten lost in trying to complete maps in open world games like Assassin’s Creed. And there’s a million stories out there about kids who spent all their parents' money on upgrades in Far ... Show More
32m 47s
Jan 2022
162 - The Games We Play
The games we play...some thoughts about Right View. Thich Nhat Hanh says: "Our happiness and the happiness of those around us depend on our degree of Right View. Touching reality deeply -- knowing what is going on inside and outside of ourselves -- is the way to liberate ourselve ... Show More
18m 30s