PODCAST · society
Powered by Play
by Drew Chappell and Avery Tang
Every month, Avery and Drew explore what we play, how we play, and why we play. From board and video games to escape rooms, from cat cafes to fantasy football, we believe that play is powerful. It’s an opportunity to explore power dynamics, practice agency, and discover how we can change the status quo through play. Play’s fulfillment, learning, and connection is what powers us, and that’s what makes it powerful!
Episodes
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Final message
Avery and Drew sign off from Powered by Play, talking about what they're currently playing, recent shows they've seen, and what they hope for listeners to take away from this podcast. Reach us at [email protected]
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Playing the Future
What does the future look like? How do we use science fiction and technology to imagine and play with what could happen days, weeks, years from now? Alongside special guest Brooke Chappell, Drew and Avery explore the bright and hopeful–-or dangerous and despairing—future. From time capsules…
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Playing Fitness and Sports
This month, Avery and Drew get active! From Jazzercise to kung fu, fitness can be a source of play in our daily lives. Sports such as track and field, e-sports, and even minigolf can organize us into beating personal records, cheering each other on, or simply socializing. Join us as we dive...
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Playing Traveler and Tourist
What are the ways we playfully venture into the great (for us) unknown? How do we navigate when far from home, and how do we bring far from home to us? This month Avery and Drew are joined by Rose Angulo to explore playing traveler and tourist, making our way to unfamiliar spaces and learning…
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Playing Dress Up
This month, Avery and Drew get dressed up! From theatrical costumes to personal style, from school uniforms to superhero transformations, and even dabbling in the spooky and naughty, playing dress up can be a big part of our playful lives. It allows us to alter our appearances for aesthetic...
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Playing Home
What makes a house a home? Could it be a sense of play? This month, Avery and Drew go deep into the foundations of how we learn what it means to have a space to call our own. Designing homes, thrilling at haunted houses, or imagining rooms on stage—there are many ways we play to understand where…
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Playing Joker
What makes you laugh? How are jokes playful, and how might they have serious consequences? This month, Avery and Drew play at being jokers, examining how humor playfully comments on the world around us. Tricksters, jesters, even social change facilitators- who writes the jokes and who does the...
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Playing Law and Order
Does crime play? This month, Avery and Drew are joined by Orange County Public Defender Rose Angulo to explore the playful (and serious) aspects of law and order in society. From Paw Patrol to Model UN to the sentencing of Mr. Toad, we’ll explore how crime, justice, and laws are part of our lives...
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Playing Romance and Desire
Got a secret admirer? How about someone who gives you butterflies? This month, Avery and Drew get swept away by the languages of the heart. We’ll be delving into playground chants, adult party games, valentines, and BDSM dungeons. What does it mean to desire, in the many ways we use the term? Why...
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Playing Hero and Villain
Heroes and villains: they are the cornerstone of epic storytelling. From Indiana Jones to Sailor Moon, and Spider-man to Ali Baba, there's countless ways to play the role of a hero. And as demonstrated by Elphaba in Wicked, Syndrome in The Incredibles, or Zuko in Avatar the Last Airbender, our...
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Playing Pilot, Driver, and Rider
Listeners, start your engines! This month Drew and Avery feel the need… the need for speed! Join us as we examine what it means to drive, pilot, and ride along, whether it’s by wings, wheels, sails, rails, or on four legs. We’ll watch train sets circle a table, construct and play some Mario Kart...
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Playing Aggression, Violence, and Destruction
How do we rehearse our unconscious desires to wreak havoc or release negative emotions? How is fighting, professional or not, full of ritual play or aggression? What are the ways that we play around with causing chaos or exchanging pain, and why do we involve ourselves in activities that “hurt so...
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Playing Science, Nature, and Medicine
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…
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Playing with Food and Drink
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...
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Playing Fantasy
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,...
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Playing Wealth and Commerce
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…
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Playing Monster
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…
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Playing Artist
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...
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Playing Collector
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…
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Playing Fear and Mortality
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…
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Playing Heritage
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…
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Playing Rebellion, Misbehaving, and the Carnivalesque
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...
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Playing Care, Attention, and Comfort
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...
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Playing American
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…
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What is play? Why do we play?
In the first episode, Drew and Avery discuss the definition of play and what makes something "playful." What divides play and the rest of life? What games did we grow up playing, and which ones do we play now? You can now support our podcast on Ko-Fi!
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Trailer
This podcast explores the ways that play teaches us about ourselves as individuals and members of society. We look at forms of play through games, sports, celebrations, performances, toys, and everyday “fun!” As researchers and fans, we go out and play, meet our fellow players, and then discuss...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Every month, Avery and Drew explore what we play, how we play, and why we play. From board and video games to escape rooms, from cat cafes to fantasy football, we believe that play is powerful. It’s an opportunity to explore power dynamics, practice agency, and discover how we can change the status quo through play. Play’s fulfillment, learning, and connection is what powers us, and that’s what makes it powerful!
HOSTED BY
Drew Chappell and Avery Tang
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Powered by Play have?
Powered by Play currently has 26 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Powered by Play about?
Every month, Avery and Drew explore what we play, how we play, and why we play. From board and video games to escape rooms, from cat cafes to fantasy football, we believe that play is powerful. It’s an opportunity to explore power dynamics, practice agency, and discover how we can change the status...
How often does Powered by Play release new episodes?
Powered by Play has 26 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Powered by Play?
You can listen to Powered by Play on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Powered by Play?
Powered by Play is created and hosted by Drew Chappell and Avery Tang.
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