Best Scholars Strategy Networks Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 288: Recognizing Defendants' Disabilities 37:04

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2h ago37:04

37:04

The criminal legal system often misunderstands—and mishandles—people with intellectual disabilities. Law professor Katie Kronick explains how and why these individuals so often fall through the cracks in a system built around efficiency and rigid rules. She breaks down the stakes with real examples, including a high-profile death penalty case now b…

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Episode 287: Why Local Elections Matter 37:06

2d ago37:06

37:06

This Election Day is the perfect moment to look beyond the national headlines and focus on what's happening closer to home. As Americans head to the polls, Professor Brian Adams breaks down why state and local elections matter—from the mayors, town councils, and school boards shaping daily life to the policies that affect housing and public safety.…

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Jessica Doyle and Jordan Ferguson, "Dance Dance Revolution" (Boss Fight Books, 2025) 36:01

8d ago36:01

36:01

On September 26, 1998, a video game made its debut in Japanese arcades. It was over seven feet tall and weighed just over 900 pounds. It had no characters, no story, no quests to fulfill or bosses to beat. What it had was a metal platform on which you were supposed to stand, put your feet into the right place at the right time, and dance. Join two …

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Episode 286: The Past, Present, and Future of Reproductive Care 39:54

16d ago39:54

39:54

As access to abortion and contraception are curtailed across much of the U.S., Professor Lina-Maria Murillo explains that today's reproductive rights debates are part of a much longer story. Her research in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands show how race and power have always influenced who can get care and who cannot. She connects how earlier attempts t…

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Episode 285: The Big Business of Immigration Detention 37:20

1M ago37:20

37:20

The number of people held in immigration detention centers in the U.S. has exploded in recent years, reaching record highs under multiple administrations. And thanks to the Republican-led budget bill that became law in July, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has seen a major influx of federal funding, further fueling the expansion of d…

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Episode 284: The New Reality of College Debt 26:01

1M ago26:01

26:01

Student loans are shaping the college experience more than ever. As tuition rises and financial aid rules keep changing, more students are taking on college debt. Professor Monnica Chan explains what's happening with student loans, Pell Grants, and repayment plans, and how these choices affect students long after graduation. She discusses the real …

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Kawika Guillermo, "Of Floating Isles: On Growing Pains and Video Games" (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2025) 30:19

2M ago30:19

30:19

An immersive journey into the author's lifelong attachment to video games, revealing how they shape us, shatter us, and give us the courage to start again Of Floating Isles: On Growing Pains and Video Games (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2025) is a captivating collection of personal essays that unpack the mystifying and often intimate roles that video games …

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Alisha Karabinus et al. eds., "Historiographies of Game Studies: What It Has Been, What It Could Be" (Punctum Books, 2025) 27:01

2M ago27:01

27:01

Historiographies of Game Studies: What It Has Been, What It Could Be (Punctum Books, 2025) offers a first-of-its-kind reflection on how game studies as an academic field has been shaped and sustained. Today, game studies is a thriving field with many dedicated national and international conferences, journals, professional societies, and a strong pr…

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Julien Mailland on "The Game That Never Ends: How Lawyers Shape the Videogame Industry" 1:10:25

2M ago1:10:25

1:10:25

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Julien Mailland, Associate Professor of Media Management, Law, and Policy at The Media School of Indiana University Bloomington, about his book, The Game That Never Ends: How Lawyers Shape the Videogame Industry. The book examines key moments, beginning in the 1970s, in which legal decisions influenced …

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Episode 283: How Maps Decide Elections 36:11

2M ago36:11

36:11

Political maps decide who has a voice in government, and who doesn't. And right now, big legal battles in Texas and California are putting redistricting in the spotlight. Professor Michael Latner breaks down the difference between redistricting and gerrymandering, why unfair maps weaken voters' voices, and what today's gerrymandering fights mean fo…

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Episode 282: The Unequal Costs of Climate Change 39:38

3M ago39:38

39:38

In the U.S., 2025 began with devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, followed by hundreds of tornadoes across the central states, and has recently been marked by catastrophic flooding in Texas and across the South and Midwest. These escalating weather disasters aren't isolated events—they're part of a global pattern in which climate change is making …

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Kenneth Jones, "African American Males and Video Games: How Gaming Technology Can Motivate and Enhance Learning" (Myers Education, 2025) 20:01

3M ago20:01

20:01

African American males are confronted with formidable barriers in their pursuit of quality education, resulting in stark disparities in academic performance, economic opportunities, and social outcomes. Despite numerous educational initiatives striving for parity, African American males persistently bear the brunt of the highest rates of suspension…

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Nathan Wainstein, "Grant Us Eyes: The Art of Paradox in Bloodborne" (2025) 24:13

4M ago24:13

24:13

Grant Us Eyes is a book-length close reading of Bloodborne by literary critic Nathan Wainstein (LA Review of Books, Cartridge Lit, American Book Review). Grant Us Eyes situates the game’s oft-discussed difficulty in relation to a much longer tradition of difficult art – surrealist painting, the modernist novel, etc. Wainstein probes the difficulty …

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Dom Ford, "Mytholudics: Games and Myth" (de Gruyter, 2025) 56:10

4M ago56:10

56:10

Dom Ford joins Jana Byars to talk about Mytholudics: Game and Myth (DeGruyter Brill, 2025). Games create worlds made of many different elements, but also of rules, systems and structures for how we act in them. So how can we make sense of them? Mytholudics: Games and Myth lays out an approach to understanding games using theories from myth and folk…

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Episode 281: When the Safety Net Shrinks 33:55

3M ago33:55

33:55

On July 4, President Trump signed a sweeping new law that makes major changes to the social safety net—with serious consequences for families and children. Child and family policy expert Professor Taryn Morrissey breaks down the Republican-backed legislation, which slashes Medicaid, SNAP, and other key supports that millions of families rely on. Sh…

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Cameron Kunzelman, "The World is Born from Zero: Understanding Speculation and Video Games" (de Gruyter, 2022) 37:34

4M ago37:34

37:34

The World is Born From Zero is an investigation into the relationship between video games and science fiction through the philosophy of speculation. Cameron Kunzelman (Mercer University, Macon, Georgia, USA) argues that the video game medium is centered on the evaluation and production of possible futures by following video game studies, media phil…

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James O'Connor, "Untitled Goose Game" (Boss Fight Books, 2025) 23:18

4M ago23:18

23:18

It's a beautiful day in the village, and you are a horrible goose, ready to wreak charming havoc on the weary locals. You'll ruin their gardens, invade their pub, and terrorize their children. What kind of scoundrels would make such a devious game? Before the critical acclaim, the tweets from celebrities, the major awards, the memes, the fan art, a…

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Episode 280: Is the Drop in Gun Violence at Risk? 42:59

4M ago42:59

42:59

Gun violence is down, but you wouldn't know it from the headlines. This progress didn't happen by accident—it's at least partially the result of smart, targeted strategies that address the root causes of violence. Professor Daniel Semenza explains what's working, drawing lessons from Camden's dramatic shift from "murder capital" to record-low homic…

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Episode 279: Clearing Up Vaccine Confusion 34:27

5M ago34:27

34:27

When Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed the entire federal vaccine advisory committee and installed new members, it raised alarms across the public health world. At the same time, measles is making a comeback as more Americans are hesitant about getting vaccines. Professor Lindsey Haynes-Maslow explains how we got h…

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Elliot Lichtman, "The Computer Always Wins: A Playful Introduction to Algorithms through Puzzles and Strategy Games" (MIT Press, 2025) 46:46

5M ago46:46

46:46

In The Computer Always Wins: A Playful Introduction to Algorithms through Puzzles and Strategy Games (MIT Press, 2025), Elliot Lichtman will teach you some of computer science’s most powerful concepts in a refreshingly accessible way: exploring them through word games, board games, and strategy games you already know. Learn recursion by playing tic…

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Carly A. Kocurek and Matthew Payne, "Ultima and Worldbuilding in the Computer Role-Playing Game" (Amherst College Press, 2024) 27:12

5M ago27:12

27:12

Ultima and World-Building in the Computer Role-Playing Game (Amherst College Press, 2024) is the first scholarly book to focus exclusively on the long-running Ultima series of computer role-playing games (RPG) and to assess its lasting impact on the RPG genre and video game industry. Through archival and popular media sources, examinations of fan c…

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Trans Technologies 1:03:27

5M ago1:03:27

1:03:27

How can technology creates new possibilities for transgender people? How do trans experiences, in turn, create new possibilities for technology? Trans Technologies, (MIT Press, 2025) by Dr. Oliver L. Haimson, explores how and why mainstream technologies often exclude or marginalize transgender users. Trans Technologies describes what happens when t…

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Episode 278: How Taxes Can Save Lives 29:25

5M ago29:25

29:25

Congress is in the middle of a high-stakes budget debate that includes fighting over tax policy and funding for many vital public programs. But what's often missing from that budget debate is a focus on the people these decisions affect, especially kids. Professor Jean Junior explains how tax policy choices made on Capitol Hill directly affect heal…

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Episode 277: Consumer Protection Under Fire 37:17

5M ago37:17

37:17

Under the Trump administration, major changes at key consumer protection agencies, including widespread staff cuts and rule rollbacks, are raising concerns about the future of efforts to curb unfair or deceptive financial practices. Professor Terri Friedline explains what's been happening at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, why it matters,…

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Dave Cook, "Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-'Em-Ups" (Bitmap Books, 2022) 19:26

6M ago19:26

19:26

Get ready for the fight of your life in Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-'Em-Ups (Bitmap Books, 2022). Written by award-winning author Dave Cook, and opening with a foreword by legendary Double Dragon creator, Yoshihisa Kishimoto, this odyssey through bare-knuckle nostalgia features over 200 games spanning 37 years. At over 45…

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Episode 276: The Fight Over Medicaid 44:54

6M ago44:54

44:54

As Republican lawmakers push for major budget cuts, Medicaid is in the crosshairs. Professor Nicole Huberfeld breaks down why Medicaid matters to millions of Americans and what makes proposed changes—like work requirements and block grants—so complex and potentially harmful. She moves beyond policy details to explore the real-world impact: how budg…

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Tracy Fullerton and Matthew Farber, "The Well-Read Game: On Playing Thoughtfully" (MIT Press, 2025) 32:08

7M ago32:08

32:08

How players evoke personal and subjective meanings through a new theory of player response. In The Well-Read Game: On Playing Thoughtfully (MIT Press, 2025), Tracy Fullerton and Matthew Farber explore the experiences we have when we play games: not the outcomes of play or the aesthetics of formal game structures but the ephemeral and emotional expe…

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Episode 275: Higher Ed on the Frontlines 45:49

6M ago45:49

45:49

Higher education is under fire—from attacks on DEI to threats against research funding, political pressure is mounting fast. While headlines often focus on elite and Ivy League schools, Professor Cecilia Orphan reminds us that regional public universities and rural institutions are also in the crosshairs. These essential but often-overlooked instit…

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Peter Krapp, "Computing Legacies: Digital Cultures of Simulation" (MIT Press, 2024) 1:10:44

7M ago1:10:44

1:10:44

We're pleased to welcome Dr. Peter Krapp, the author of Computing Legacies: Digital Cultures of Simulation (MIT Press, 2024), to the New Books Network. In Computing Legacies, Peter Krapp explores a media history of simulation to excavate three salient aspects of digital culture. Firstly, he profiles simulation as cultural technique, enabling symbol…

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Tension Ep. 17: Navigating Future Uncertainty in Animal Health 50:23

7M ago50:23

50:23

What happens when a global animal health institution starts thinking about the future? In this episode of the Tension Podcast, foresight advisor Tianna Brand shares how the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) used its 100th anniversary to leap forward — creating participatory future scenarios to explore collapse, innovation, and transformat…

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James Cartlidge, "The Rise of the Roguelite: Inside a Gaming Phenomenon" (CRC Press, 2025) 27:12

7M ago27:12

27:12

The Rise of the Roguelite: Inside a Gaming Phenomenon (CRC Press, 2025) analyzes the wave of roguelite games that have appeared over the past decade, putting them in historical context, informing readers about their development out of and relation to the roguelike genre that inspired them. The book includes discussions of the historical development…

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Episode 274: What's Happening With Social Security 28:11

7M ago28:11

28:11

As the Social Security Administration faces a wave of staffing cuts and administrative shakeups, what's at stake for the millions who depend on it? Brookings Institution economist Dr. Gopi Shah Goda discusses what these behind-the-scenes changes mean—and why some of the loudest political talking points about fraud and inefficiency don't hold up. Sh…

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Jonathan D. Cohen, "Losing Big: America's Dangerous Sports Gambling Boom" (Columbia Global Reports, 2025) 56:01

7M ago56:01

56:01

In 2018, the United States Supreme Court opened the floodgates for states to legalize betting on sports. Eager for revenue, almost forty states have done so. The result is the explosive growth of an industry dominated by companies like FanDuel and DraftKings. One out of every five American adults gambled on sports in 2023, amounting to $121 billion…

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Connor Jackson, "Zombies, Consumption, and Satire in Capcom's Dead Rising" (Routledge, 2024) 16:06

7M ago16:06

16:06

Zombies, Consumption, and Satire in Capcom's Dead Rising (Routledge, 2024) explores the relationship between video games and satire through an in-depth examination of Capcom’s Dead Rising series, which alludes to, recontextualises, and builds upon George A. Romero’s filmic satire on American consumer culture, Dawn of the Dead. Proposing a taxonomy …

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Tension Ep. 16: Is Canada Ready for the Next Climate-Driven Emergency? 27:18

7M ago27:18

27:18

Is Canada ready for the next climate-driven emergency? Behind the scenes, a critical shift is happening in how we plan, respond, and collaborate — and you’re invited into the conversation. In this powerful episode of the Tension Podcast, Donna speaks with Simon Wells and Tiffany Leung from the Canadian Journal of Emergency Management (CJEM) about t…