#Harmonies #PlanetGame #Ecology #NichePartitioning #BoardGames #Science We 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 lightn...
Jun 25, 2025•28 min•Ep. 19
#PlanetX #PlanetaryScience #ExtrasolarPlanets #SolarSystemEvolution #Telescopes #Observatories #ScienceGames #BoardGames #Science Overview 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 conferences...
May 28, 2025•58 min•Ep. 18
#Undergrove #AEGGames #mushrooms #fungi #mycorrhizae #mothertree #BoardGames #Science Summary 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...
Apr 30, 2025•59 min•Ep. 17
#Computation #TuringMachine #AlanTuring #Logic #DeductionGames #BoardGames #Science #Math #STEM Summary 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, p...
Mar 26, 2025•56 min•Ep. 16
#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 scien...
Feb 26, 2025•54 min•Season 2Ep. 15
#Holotype #Programming #GameDesign #Python #BoardGames #Science Summary 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:...
Feb 12, 2025•27 min•Season 2Ep. 2
#Holotype #BrexwerxGames #CommonDescentPodcast #Dinosaurs #Paleontology #BoardGames #Science Summary 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 dino...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 1
#Academia #Publications #Satire #PublishOrPerish #BoardGames #Science Introduction 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 https://www.gamingw...
Dec 18, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 12
#Pandemic #Epidemiology #PublicHealth #Disease #COVID #BoardGames #ZManGames #Science #SciComm Find 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 ...
Nov 27, 2024•48 min•Ep. 11
#Earth #Biome #Biodiversity #Terrain #Flora #Tableau #BoardGames #Science #SciComm #InsideUpGames Find 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 -...
Oct 30, 2024•48 min•Ep. 10
#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...
Sep 25, 2024•45 min•Ep. 9
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 #...
Aug 28, 2024•40 min•Ep. 8
#Evolution #NaturalSelection #Darwin #Competition #BoardGames #Science Today 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 www.Gam...
Jul 31, 2024•42 min•Ep. 7
#Interview #Maize #Corn #Genetics #Scientists It'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 - Cl...
Jun 26, 2024•19 min•Ep. 6
#Chemistry #Bonds #Scientists #LabWork #ScienceGames It's time to grab some atoms and make some bonds! In this episode we cover Compounded: The Peer-Reviewed Edition by Greater Than Games. We'll cover chemistry basics, how bonds work, a bit of what it's like in an actual research lab, and why sabotaging others is fun in games but not so much in real life. Timestamps 00:53 - Corn diversity for humans 05:05 - Basics of the game 11:30 - Basics of atoms & electrons 17:00 - Making bonds 22:17 - W...
May 29, 2024•43 min•Ep. 5
#SpaceExploration #StellarHorizons #Space #CompassGames Find our socials at GamingWithScience.net This month we head to the final frontier, with Stellar Horizons from Compass Games. We also have our very first guest host, Christoph Wagner from Kennedy Space Center. We talk about near-future space exploration, colonization, asteroids, launch failures, space pirates, and more. Timestamps 00:44 - Meet Christoph Wagner 03:19 - Science facts - Rusty Mars and poisonous oxygen 05:26 - Stellar Horizons ...
Apr 24, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Let's talk birds! In this episode we cover Wingspan, an amazing game by Elizabeth Hargrave and published by Stonemaier games. Also, Jason just got back from a conference and has tons of fun science facts to share. One note: we had an audio glitch that resulted in lower audio quality than normal, which we didn't realize until after the recording. Quality will be back to normal next episode. Timestamps 00:33 - Conference news about hemp, COVID evolution, and bird pangenomes 07:58 - Wingspan overvi...
Mar 27, 2024•34 min•Ep. 3
We dive into one of Jason's all-time favorite games: Robo Rally, where you program little robots to play capture the flag while shooting each other with lasers and avoiding deathtraps. Also, some stuff about remote-controlled bacteria and computers destroying the world with paperclips. Timestamps 0:04 - Remote-controlled bacteria 2:18 - Robo Rally background 7:54 - Game mechanics and updates 12:07 - CPUs, GPUs, and computing 17:32 - Machine learning 22:12 - Factory automation 25:38 - Grades and ...
Feb 28, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Our very first episode. We start with bio-inspired (or just plain biological) sensors, and move on to the game Photosynthesis, which is about growing trees until you harvest them for victory points. Timestamps: 1:09 - Artificial maple seed sensors 3:30 - Plants as land mine sensors 5:45 - Introduction to Photosynthesis 8:50 - Ecological Succession (or maybe Forestry) 14:19 - How seeds move around 16:24 - Not that much photosynthesis in Photosynthesis 18:12 - Soil fertility 24:14 - Gameplay exper...
Jan 31, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 1
