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PODCAST

Gaming with Science

Gaming with Science Podcast

Gaming with Science is a podcast that looks at science through the lens of tabletop board games. If you ever wondered how natural selection shows up in Evolution, whether Cytosis reflects actual cell metabolism, or what the socioeconomics of Monopoly are, this is the place for you. (And if not, we hope you’ll give us a try anyway.) So grab a drink, pull up a chair, and let’s have fun playing dice with the universe!

science games

All Episodes

40:16

S2E10.1 - John Coveyou (Interview)

Gaming with Science ·

2025/12/17

#GeniusGames #STEMEducation #SciComm #JohnCoveyou #BoardGames #ScienceWe've done several episodes on games from Genius Games (Cytosis, Periodic, Genotype), and now we get to speak to the man behind it all: John Coveyou, founder and CEO of Genius Games. John graciously sat down with us to talk about the beginning of Genius Games, the stigma of "educational" games, the challenges and joys of STEM game design, and some of his favorite non-Genius games to play. So sit back and enjoy this conversation

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50:04

S2E10 - Nature (Evolution redux)

Gaming with Science ·

2025/11/26

#NatureGame #NorthStarGames #Evolution #Ecology #Predators #BoardGames #Science #SciCommSummary Welcome to Nature, the next evolution of Evolution! We're joined once again by Dr. Thiago Moreira to talk about this reimagining of a popular game, including covering a lot of evolutionary territory we couldn't last time. We'll talk about why everything isn't actually turning into crabs, why anteater-ification needs to be a word, how humans shape evolution from moths to elephants, what exactly a species

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67:31

S2E09 - Periodic (the Periodic Table)

Gaming with Science ·

2025/10/29

#Periodic #GeniusGames #Chemistry #PeriodicTable #Atoms #Elements #STEM #BoardGames #Science #SciCommSummary In this episode we get elemental for the game Periodic, with the amazing Dr. Raychelle Burks as our special guest. We talk about why the table is arranged like it is, why some elements are weird, what the groupings mean, why we should love *all* subatomic particles, how isotopes help solve crimes, and how some people get viscious when playing Monopoly. So grab some dihydrogen monoxide and

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74:39

S2E09 - Daybreak (Climate Change)

Gaming with Science ·

2025/09/24

#Daybreak #CMYKGames #Climatechange #ClimateScience #BoardGames #ScienceCommunication #SciComm Things are warming up in this episode as we talk with Dr. Jacquelyn Gill about Daybreak, a cooperative game about combatting climate change while keeping society intact. We cover tipping points, carbon drawdown, ocean acidification, the clean energy transition, what fossil fuels actually are, and some actually good news about climate change. Timestamps 00:00 - Introductions 01:31 - Baby pterosaurs and

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53:48

S2E07 - Genotype (Genetics)

Gaming with Science ·

2025/08/27

#genetics #genotype #GeniusGames #mendel #peas #BoardGames #ScienceThis month we're talking about Genotype, by Genius Games, where you get to play a field assistant to the father of modern genetic, Gregor Mendel. We'll talk about who Mendel was, why his peas were so important to biology, how he got a bit lucky, and how many different ways there are to break a gene. (Also, why it's weird that some humans can drink milk as adults, and why cats and borrowed board games don't mix.) Timestamps 00:00

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54:59

S2E06 - Atiwa (Fruit bats)

Gaming with Science ·

2025/07/30

#Atiwa #Bats #UweRosenberg #LookoutGames #Extension #Outreach #SciComm #BoardGames #ScienceOverview It's time for bats! In this episode, we talk about Atiwa, a worker-placement game by Uwe Rosenberg based on a specific scientific study showing how fruit bats provide enormous ecological benefit to communities in Ghana. We're also joined by Mariëlle van Toor, one of the researchers involved in that exact study, to help explain why this whole thing is so important. So grab some fruit, settle into your

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27:38

S2E05.1 - Harmonies and Planet (Ecological Niches)

Gaming with Science ·

2025/06/25

#Harmonies #PlanetGame #Ecology #NichePartitioning #BoardGames #ScienceWe have a short bonus episode today, going over two science-inspired games, Harmonies and Planet. Both of these games touch on ecology and what animals need in their environment, but in a very science-light manner. We talk about niche partitioning, compare and contrast the games, and even have a cool science fact about trees using lightning to kill their neighbors. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 01:06 Trees weaponizing

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58:11

S2E05 - The Search for Planet X (Planetary Science)

Gaming with Science ·

2025/05/28

#PlanetX #PlanetaryScience #ExtrasolarPlanets #SolarSystemEvolution #Telescopes #Observatories #ScienceGames #BoardGames #ScienceOverview We're going back into space this episode with The Search for Planet X, by Foxtrot Games and Renegade Game Studios. Join us with our guest, Addie Dove, planetary scientist and co-host of the Walkabout the Galaxy podcast, as we search for the mysterious Planet X while juggling the issues of scheduling telescope time, publishing papers, and attending

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59:28

S2E04 - Undergrove (Mycorrhizae mushrooms)

Gaming with Science ·

2025/04/30

#Undergrove #AEGGames #mushrooms #fungi #mycorrhizae #mothertree #BoardGames #ScienceSummary Join us for a trip belowground as we explore Undergrove, a game about mushrooms and nutrient networks by Elizabeth Hargrave and Mark Wootten. We cover some basics of fungal biology, how and why these fungi form partnerships with trees, and the controversial idea of a "mother tree" selectively nourishing its seedlings through these networks. Timestamps 00:20 Introductions 02:33 Killer vines and efficient

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56:28

S2E03 - Turing Machine (Computation)

Gaming with Science ·

2025/03/26

#Computation #TuringMachine #AlanTuring #Logic #DeductionGames #BoardGames #Science #Math #STEMSummary Today we cover Turing Machine, a pure logic and deduction game where you use punchcards to identify the hidden code. We're joined by the inestimable Stephen Granade, grand high guru of the DragonCon Science Track, to help us understand who Alan Turing was, what a computer is, and how its logic works, plus cool facts about lasers and stuff. Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction 2:11 - Laser cooling,

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53:34

S2E02 - Gut Check (Microbiome)

Gaming with Science ·

2025/02/26

#Microbiome #GutCheck #SciComm #Dysbiosis #Antibiotics #Probiotics #GameDesign #BoardGames #Science Overview In this episode we talk with Dr. David Coil, microbiome scientist and the creator of Gut Check. We talk about microbiome health, antibioics, probiotics, prebiotics, game design considerations, and how the game's origin includes cheerleaders and the International Space Station. Timestamps 0:00 Introduction 1:17 Microbiome body odor & sweat 4:47 Gut Check overview 10:45 Microbiome

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27:06

S2E01.1 - Brett Harrison (Interview)

Gaming with Science ·

2025/02/12

#Holotype #Programming #GameDesign #Python #BoardGames #ScienceSummary A follow-up to our last episode, in this episode we interview Brett Harrison, one of the co-creators of Holotype. Specifically, Brett is the one who programmed a computer to play Holotype against itself 10,000 times per minute in order to precisely balance the point values of different parts of the game. In this interview we'll cover a bit of the background behind Holotype, why he did that sort of optimization Timestamps 00:00

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01:01:55

S2E01 - Holotype (Paleontology)

Gaming with Science ·

2025/01/29

#Holotype #BrexwerxGames #CommonDescentPodcast #Dinosaurs #Paleontology #BoardGames #ScienceSummary Break out your pick and hand brush because in this episode we discuss "Holotype" by Brexwerx Games, and are joined by the wonderful Will and David from the Common Descent podcast. This isn't just another game about dinosaurs; it's a game about the people who dig them up, clean them off, hit the library and museum to cross-check them, and finally publish the coveted holotype to ensconce a new dinosaur

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22:18

S1E10.1 - Publish or Perish (Academic Publishing)

Gaming with Science ·

2024/12/18

#Academia #Publications #Satire #PublishOrPerish #BoardGames #ScienceIntroduction Merry early Christmas, as we go through a short bonus episode on Publish or Perish, a satirical card game by Dr. Max Bai. We talk about the nature of academic publishing, including problematic aspects like predatory journals, and how some of the quirkier aspects of the process get reflected in the game. So enjoy this lighter offering, and we'll see you with Season 2 in 2025! Find our socials at

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48:26

S1E10 - Pandemic (Epidemiology)

Gaming with Science ·

2024/11/27

#Pandemic #Epidemiology #PublicHealth #Disease #COVID #BoardGames #ZManGames #Science #SciCommFind our socials at https://www.gamingwithscience.net Overview In this month's episode we're covering "Pandemic" by Z-Man Games, where you play public health workers trying to save the world from four diseases at the same time. We're joined by Drs. Yann Boucher and Anna Szuecs to help us talk about what a pandemic is, how diseases spread, how COVID-19 compares to both historical pandemics and the ones in

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47:45

S1E9 - Earth (ecology)

Gaming with Science ·

2024/10/30

#Earth #Biome #Biodiversity #Terrain #Flora #Tableau #BoardGames #Science #SciComm #InsideUpGamesFind our socials at https://www.gamingwithscience.net Overview Welcome to the wonderful (and complicated) world of Earth, a tableau- and engine-building game by Maxime Tardif and Inside-Up Games. In this episode we talk with Dr. Alex Strauss about ecology, ecosystems, biomes, and just how complicated things can get with a handful of cards. Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction and Guest Introduction 0:58 -

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44:38

S1E8 - Terraforming Mars (Martian Science)

Gaming with Science ·

2024/09/25

#Science #BoardGames #SciComm #Terraforming #Mars #Exobiology #Astrobiology #Regolith Introduction Today we talk about Terraforming Mars, with special guest Dr. Laura Fackrell of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We cover how Mars lost its atmosphere, whether you really can survive off just potatoes, what makes regolith different from soil, the ethics of terraforming, reality TV, and why you should probably read Elon Musk's End-User License Agreement. Many thanks to Dr. Fackrell, and we hope you

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39:36

S1E7 - Cytosis (Cell Biology)

Gaming with Science ·

2024/08/28

Today we cover Cytosis, a worker-placement game about cell biology from Genius Games. This is one of our all-time high scorers, with both excellent science and excellent gameplay. Join us for a tour de cell as we go through the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, mitochondria, and cell membrane, plus gush over how cute kinesins are and argue about whether bacteria have organelles.Find our socials at GamingWithScience.net #BoardGames #Science #CellBiology #GeniusGames #Cytosis #Protein #RNA #DNA

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42:04

S1E6 - Evolution (Natural Selection)

Gaming with Science ·

2024/07/31

#Evolution #NaturalSelection #Darwin #Competition #BoardGames #ScienceToday we get down and dirty with Evolution, which is both a board game and that wonderful emergent property that happens when you have species competing for finite resources (including little food tokens on a game board). Joining us is a special evolutionary biologist guest, Dr. Thiago da Silva Moreira, who will help us walk through evolution, mutation, natural selection, sex, and other fun topics. Find our socials at

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18:51

S1 Bonus 1 - The Maize Genetics Meeting

Gaming with Science ·

2024/06/26

#Interview #Maize #Corn #Genetics #ScientistsIt's our mid-season break, so we've got a bonus episode talking to a handful of game-loving scientists at the 2024 Maize Genetics Meeting. We talk about science, games, perseverence, the winding path of becoming a scientist, and plenty more. Timestamps 01:35 - Introductions 02:25 - How did you get into science? 06:28 - What do you research? 09:38 - Favorite games? 12:29 - Turning your work into a game? 14:24 - Advice to aspiring scientists 17:44 -

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