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Ever dream of being a mad scientist, mixing chemicals with a maniacal laugh? Or an emergency medic traveling the world saving patients from a pandemic? This month high school biology teacher Kristen Cruz joins Avery and Drew to explore the ways science “plays out” in society. Join us as we look at classrooms, video games, and more to find the ways science exists all around us and calls us to playfully engage with natural laws! Note: this episode includes discussions of dissection as teaching strategy, including the ways specimens for dissection are obtained.

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Food and drink are with us, and before us, every day. They’re part of the web of intercontinental trade, the ritual of cooking and eating, the morning rush of the mom-and-pop donut shop or closing time at a Michelin star restaurant. They’re in our global economics, our rituals from festivals to funerals, and our books, movies, and games! This month, Avery and Drew ask: are we really what we eat? How do we “play with our food,” even though our parents told us not to? From table side guacamole, to eating while dungeon delving, to sacred rituals involving eating and drinking, we’re here to talk about what food and drink represent, and why playing with them inherently connects us with who we are inside!

What would life be without a healthy dose of magic? From dragon riding to quests and prophecies, we wander in fantasy worlds to help make sense of modern life. This month, Avery and Drew explore the roads that “go ever on,” as Tolkien wrote, making sense of fantasy tropes and the power they hold, both in-world and outside. What is compelling about befriending a mystical creature? About learning the art of swordplay? About mastering spells and connecting with power from before the dawn of humanity? Join us and get caught up in the magic of fantasy!

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Is money really the root of all evil? Can it buy everything? This month, Avery and Drew set out to examine how we sometimes play above our means! Whether cosplaying as millionaire playboys, striking it rich in Monopoly or Acquire, earning along stone by stone and crop by crop in Stardew Valley, or imagining a bougie life in the roaring 20s or the Regency period: How does playing wealth prepare us for a lifetime of climbing the ladder to financial success?

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History is full of monsters: from Ancient Greece, China, and Scandinavia to Europe’s Gothic Horror and even Sesame Street. But what are these monsters, and how do we play with and through them? What are the Kaiju, gelatinous cubes, and Muppets we invite onto our screens and gaming tables? And what are the monsters inside ourselves? This month, Avery and Drew face their fears and name the monsters that make us all who we are!

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Can you imagine yourself as a rock star playing air guitar? Or as the next Monet as you paint and sip? What’s the line between playing Artist and being an Artist? This month Drew and Avery put on their berets and their salsa dancing shoes, and play imaginary trombones as they explore the ways we playfully engage with art, performance, and design. Come join us as we think through how that play might bring us closer to the sublime… or at least to some scattered applause in a karaoke booth!

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Collections! All over the world, people of all ages collect all sorts of things by seeking, displaying, and maintaining items they personally find interesting, beautiful, or meaningful. Whether it involves coins or tarot decks or board games, collecting is a form of play. This month, Avery and Drew are here to investigate why it matters. 

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Noises in the night. Jump scares. The sound of a theremin! Facing our fears through play is a long-standing strategy and can even be funny or joyful! Join Avery and Drew as they welcome communications scholar Dr. Christian Seiter to discuss being scared and being mortal! From video and board games to escape rooms and ghost tours, we will open some eerie curtains and discover how we acknowledge and manage our greatest fears through play.

 

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How do we know where we come from? What does our ancestry add to who we are? This month, Drew and Avery explore what it means to explore heritage through play. We'll investigate how we play to remember or even to learn new things about our family's pasts and where (and how) we belong. From museums to Lunar New Year and the Titanic, we'll discover how much of our past and others’ is encountered, preserved, and even transformed through play.

 

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Ever feel like breaking the rules? Putting on a costume and pretending to be naughty? Join Avery and Drew as they discover when and where playful misbehavior is accepted, maybe even expected. From Mardi Gras to drag shows, when do players get to color outside the lines? When are small acts of rebellion enough, and when do they lead to larger movements? Demand candy, throw tea in the water, and draw a lipstick V on your friend’s head as we make like Firefly and aim to misbehave!

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We all need a little bit of care sometimes! This month, Avery and Drew explore the ways we play to feel better, healthier, and calmer. We visit cat cafes and listen to soothing ASMR videos. We explore cozy games and appreciate cleaning and refreshing footage. Come and take a relaxing and playful break with us!

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State fairs, monster trucks, and fantasy football! What does it mean to play as Americans? Who are we as a nation and how does it define the ways we play? How does our play reflect both a coherent national identity and regional or community identities? What is our history with play and how does it relate to the American Dream–or the American reality?

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