Podcasts about imaginary worlds

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comHere near the end of Dice Exploder's larp series, I wanted to have on Caro Murphy (Galactic Starcruiser) to talk about experience design, and specifically how to think about curating all those parts of an experience bigger and larger than most of us at home will ever have access to. How do you design the set a game is played on? How do you design something for hundreds if not thousands of participants?And Caro delivered so much more: we get into bleed and empathy and how Caro sees games as an inherently educational medium. Let's get into it!Ad LinksVesta Mandate by Story Games ChicagoSign up for the Spectacula pre-release newsletter from Jeremy MelloulFurther readingMeghan Gardner at Guard Up AdventuresClub DrosselmeyerCaro on Imaginary Worlds and then AgainGalactic Starcruiser on WikipediaSocialsCaro's websiteSam on Bluesky and itchThe Dice Exploder blog is at diceexploder.comOur logo was designed by sporgory, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey.Join the Dice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!Dice Exploder on Patreon

The widespread infection of roughly four million virtual characters all started with a giant snake demon. In 2005, the massively multiplayer online video game World Of Warcraft introduced a special event raid, where groups of players could team up to fight a giant snake demon named Hakkar the Soulflayer. Hakkar would cast a spell called “Corrupted Blood” on players, which would slowly whittle down their health.The effect of the spell was only supposed to last inside the raid arena—when players returned to the main world of the game, the spell would dissipate. But thanks to a software glitch, that wasn't the case if the player had a pet companion. When the pets returned to the main world, they started infecting players and non-playable characters with the Corrupted Blood spell. If the player wasn't powerful enough to heal themselves, they would die and erupt in a fountain of blood before turning into a skeleton.What followed was a virtual pandemic that startlingly resembled today's COVID-19 pandemic, from the spread, human behavior, and cultural response. Blizzard, the developer of the game, wanted players to social distance. Some players listened, but others flouted the rules, traveling freely and spreading the disease with them. Conspiracy theories formed about how the virus was engineered by Blizzard on purpose, and others placed blame on players with pets as the cause of the outbreak, mirroring the racist anti-Asian attacks and rhetoric surrounding COVID-19 today. Coincidentally, two epidemiologists, Nina Fefferman and Eric Lofgren, were there to witness the World Of Warcraft outbreak unfold. They studied and used the incident to model human behavior in response to a pandemic. Their findings were published in The Lancet in 2007. Many of their observations came to pass in 2020 when COVID-19 appeared. Today, we're revisiting a 2021 conversation that SciFri producer Dee Peterschmidt had with Eric Molinsky, host of the podcast Imaginary Worlds, who reported this story for his show. He talks about the epidemiologists who studied the outbreak and how it prepared them for the public responses to COVID-19.Universe of Art is hosted and produced by Dee Peterschmidt, who also wrote the music. Our show art is illustrated by Abelle Hayford. And support for Science Friday's science and arts coverage comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.Do you have science-inspired art you'd like to share with us for a future episode? Send us an email or a voice memo touniverse@sciencefriday.com.

This week's episode comes from our Patreon podcast Between Imaginary Worlds. It's a more casual chat show that appears between ad-free episodes of Imaginary Worlds for listeners who support the show on Patreon. I wanted to play this episode for you because it gives a good sense of the types of conversations we're having on Between Imaginary Worlds. I talk with the anime voice actress Veronica Taylor about her career dubbing characters in shows like Pokémon, Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, One Piece and Yu-Gi-Oh. We also discuss the differences between working with anime and working with American cartoons, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Here is the link to support the show on Patreon. This episode is sponsored by ShipStation. Go to shipstation.com and use the code IMAGINARY to sign up for your free trial.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A few months ago, Lisa and David played Ghost Light at Myss Tic in Brooklyn, NY, with Eric Molinsky, host of the podast Imaginary Worlds. Eric has been a long time immersive theater and larp fan, but he had yet to be sold on escape rooms. They were convinced that he (like so many others!) just hadn't had the opportunity to experience what great escape rooms have to offer - so they pitched him on doing an escape room episode.  What he made was a beautiful exploration of the escape room world. We absolutely love the episode that he produced and want to make sure that our community is aware of it.    REPOD Season 9 is currently in the works... we have some amazing episodes already lined up for you. More soon. 

I'm excited to announce that we're starting a new Patreon-only ad free show called Between Imaginary Worlds, which is a more casual chat show format. In each episode, I talk with different people about what they're excited about in sci-fi fantasy, what they're looking forward to, pet peeves and a lot more. Between Imaginary Worlds is available to people pledging $10 a month or more on Patreon. New episodes appear in between regular episodes of the show in the ad free feed that comes with a Level 3 or 4 Patreon subscription. You can also listen to Between Imaginary Worlds directly on the show's Patreon page, but it's only accessible to people pledging $10 a month or more at Levels 3 and 4. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second part of our retrospective on how Imaginary Worlds has covered sci-fi and fantasy since September 2014, we look at the world of gaming. I visit the game shop Sip & Play and talk with the owner Jonathan Li. Game designer and cultural consultant James Mendez Hodes returns to discuss the affect Stranger Things and Critical Role have had on the popularity of D&D, and why the last decade has been a golden age of indie tabletop games. Illinois Tech professors Carly Kocurek and Jennifer deWinter discuss the breakout video games in the last 10 years, and why it's harder for indie video games to have the same success as indie board games. This week's episode is sponsored by GreenChef, ShipStation and Hims. Go to greenchef.com/imaginaryclass for 50% off your first box and 50 free credits with ClassPass Go to shipstation.com and use the code “Imaginary” to sign up for your free 60-day trial. Start your free online visit today at hims.com/imaginary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes publishing hurts, but that doesn't mean you should give up on writing! Pam gets personal in this special Heart 2 Heart episode of Writes4Women, giving you 5 reasons you should keep writing that DON'T include signing a book contract. If the sometimes fickle publishing industry has you a bit down, have a moment with Pam and find your mojo again Timestamps:(01:30 - 02:45) Sometimes Publishing Hurts - What Inspired this Episode(15:08 - 16:57) Reason 1: Writing as Creative Expression(18:01 - 19:33) Reason 2: The Cathartic Nature of Writing(19:35 - 20:51) Reason 3: Escaping into Imaginary Worlds(22:20 - 24:50) Reason 4: Being Part of the Writing Community(26:05 - 28:17) Reason 5: Writing as an Act of Hope   SHOW NOTES: Writes4Women www.writes4women.com Facebook @writes4women Twitter / Instagram @w4wpodcast   W4W Patreon https://www.writes4women.com/support-us-on-patreon   Pamela Cook www.pamelacook.com.au Facebook: click here Twitter: click here  Instagram: click here   This episode produced by Pamela Cook for Writes4Women on unceded Dharawal country.            Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=trueSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of a lot of landmarks in pop culture, especially sci-fi and fantasy. So many franchises were born in 1984. Some came to define the genre or invent new genres. The great podcast Imaginary Worlds noticed this and produced a three-part series about 1984's Cambrian explosion of creativity that  landed on the big screen, the small screen, bookstore shelves and, of course, the toy store.In this episode we learn about at two iconic franchises that launched in 1984: Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They came from opposite ends of the business spectrum. Transformers was a top-down marketing synergy between American and Japanese toy companies along with Marvel Comics to compete against He-Man -- another TV toy behemoth. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle would eventually rival them in cultural dominance, but it began with two indie comic book creators making a black and white comic as a lark. But Turtles and Transformers both ended up wrestling with similar questions around what happens when you put the cart before the horse in creating content to sell products.Toyetic

On Our Minds' first podcast swap! We hope you enjoy this special episode from KUOW's RadioActive. From video games and D&D to fandoms and cosplay, RadioActive shares the stories of people who create and consume media. This episode was produced by RadioActive's Indigo Mays, Dash Pinck, and Carter Ortiz. Production assistance by Antonio Nevarez. Transcript and KUOW website here.

Violinist Alena Baeva is Russian, Luxembourgish Polish and Ukrainian. With her Ukrainian husband, the pianist Vadym Kholodenko, she has just released a new album entitled "Fantasy", which revisits dream-tinted music by Franz Schubert, Igor Stravinsky, Robert Schumann and Olivier Messiaen. The duo are currently touring the record and the award-winning soloist stopped by arts24 to tell us more about it. We also take a look at other new collaborative albums including Ye (Kanye West) and Ty Dolla Sign's "Vultures 1", as well as Liam Gallagher and John Squire's eponymous first album.

I sit down with my daughter Abigayle for a conversation about growing up on the back of a bike. Listen to Imaginary Worlds podcast! https://www.imaginaryworldspodcast.org See me and my brother Cal on our Big Wheel trikes on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/tellmeaboutyrbike Follow the podcast on Facebook for more fun posts! https://www.facebook.com/tellmeaboutyrbike/posts Support Tell Me About Your Bike on Patreon and you'll get a shout-out on the podcast! We're working on some stickers, too!Support the show

This episode's guest, Jessica Creane, has reimagined and dare I say, redefined the experience of gaming that challenges all the concepts we've come to know about the win/lose nature of play. Starting with an infinite play tabletop game that explores the way humans are all ways playing in this world in a never ending way, Jessica is now creating, designing and hosting immersive gaming experiences around the world that enable participants to enjoy the journey of getting know who they are and how they show up in these play full moments. Have a listen to this very special conversation that will certainly stretch the limits of your imagination. About Our Guest: Jessica is a maker of play/s. She is a designer of both games (play) and theater (plays), often combining them into immersive, interactive experiences (play/s). Her work has been presented by ArsNova (NYC), La Jolla Playhouse (San Diego), Caveat (NYC), HERE Arts (NYC), IndieCade (L.A.), Tanween Creativity Festival (Ithra, Saudia Arabia), UPENN's Environmental Storytelling and Virtual Reality Summit (Philadelphia), and SXSW (Austin), as well as working on game design projects for YouTube/Google, Five Story House, and Superbien. As the founder and Chief Creative Officer of IKantKoan Play/s LLC, Jessica leads a team of multi-hyphenate, medium-agnostic artists and technologists in the creation of collaborate, playful immersive and interactive experiences that level up our lives. She believes that the things we take most seriously in the life are the things we ought to be most playful about. She believes that creativity and play bring out the best in us and help us to contend with the complex challenges of the world. Her work reflects this philosophy. Jessica's work has been recognized as Best of Immersive Theater by No Proscenium, Immersive Nation, NextWave, and Broad Street Review. Her immersive theater productions Chaos Theory and Know Thyself have run a combined 18 months in NYC. She has published seven tabletop games to date and her games have won accolades, including best new name, at Fastaval (Copenhagen), Hawaiicon (Honolulu), and BostonFIG (Boston). Her work has been featured by The New York Times, Imaginary Worlds, and on KQED San Fransisco, among others. Jessica is a published author of critical game theory with the journal Game Environments (‘Let the Magic Circle Bleed: Bridging the Gap Between Games and Reality') as well as a co-author of the upcoming 2023 book release of 'An Existential Toolkit for Climate Educators', contributing a chapter on 'Teaching Climate Change Resilience Through Play'. She is a Professor of Game Design at Drexel University, a 2022 Arctic Circle Artist-in-Residence, an environmentally-focused game designer with The National Parks Service, and a founding member of The Rachael Carson Center Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice Educators. Jessica has been a keynote and/or featured speaker at TEDx (‘Gamifying Chaos: Embracing Uncertainty Through Play'), Beyond Opera (Helsinki), The World Economic Forum DQ Symposium on Xr+ (NYC), and Games for Change (NYC). Her playable theater piece Fair Trade, designed in collaboration with Yannick Trapman-O'Brien, will be presented at the 2023 La Jolla Playhouse Without Walls Festival next month. Guest Info: Website: https://ikantkoan.com/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/ikantkoan Facebook: www.facebook.com/IKantKoan LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ikantkoan Email: jessica@ikantkoan.com Connect with Erin Patten: Website: themetabusiness.world Email: info@erinpatten.com Instagram: @iamerinpatten Podcast IG: @themetabusinessmillennialpodcast LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/iamerinpatten YouTube: youtube.com/@iamerinpatten WANT MORE? I would love to hear from you. Let's do a “Catch Up” Zoom Call with me. https://calendly.com/erinpatten/catch-up-call-with-erin-patten It's just a casual 15 min Zoom call to see what is going on in your world. Just pure connection. Anyone can use this Catch Up call. Even if we haven't met yet. (This is not a discovery call, I won't sell any of my programs to you, unless you inquire). Which MetaBusiness Avatar are you? Take this free 15 questions quiz to find out: www.themetabusinessquiz.com FREE Masterclass: Get Aligned and Live Abundantly Masterclass https://www.erinpatten.com/courses/get-aligned-and-live-abundantly Visualize to Actualize https://www.erinpatten.com/courses/visualize-to-actualize

When Jim Henson hired Bonnie Erickson to design Muppets in the early 1970s, Bonnie had no idea this experimental project they were working on – a prime time TV show with puppets – would evolve into the cultural phenomenon of The Muppet Show. I talked with Bonnie about how the crew tried several one-off specials where they figured out who the main characters would be, what they'd look like, and what they'd sound like. Bonnie explains how she came up with the designs for Miss Piggy, Statler and Waldorf, Zoot and others. And we talk about one of the biggest challenges in making The Muppets seem believable – where to place the pupils in their eyes. This episode is sponsored by ExpressVPN. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here or email us at sponsors@multitude.productions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This summer, Hideo Miyazaki will be releasing his final animated film before retiring. Environmental stewardship has been a consistent theme throughout his work, from My Neighbor Totoro to Spirited Away to Princess Mononoke. But what exactly has he been saying all this time about our relationship to the natural world? I gather a panel of experts to discuss the worlds that Miyazaki creates, and how his stories tap into current debates around the climate crisis. Featuring Yuan Pan, lecturer on Environmental Management at the University of Reading, and environmental journalists and authors Isaac Yuen and Emma Marris.   This episode is sponsored by ExpressVPN and Factor. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here or email us at sponsors@multitude.productions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New data shows just how bad Arizona's air quality has gotten — and how it's worse in certain areas. And we'll hear from one local mother about her concerns that her kids are getting a white-washed version of history in their schools. That and more on The Show. 

Discworld might be the most popular fantasy series you've never heard of. The late Terry Pratchett wrote 41 novels in the Discworld universe. To honor the 75th anniversary of his birth, we look at what fueled his satire, how he put himself into his characters, and why so many Discworld fans find solace and inspiration in his worldview. I talk with Pratchett's former assistant and biographer Rob Wilkins, dramatist Stephen Briggs who adapted many Discworld novels to the stage, cultural critic Emmet Asher-Perrin and Professor Jacob Held, author of Philosophy and Terry Pratchett. Also featuring readings by Pavel Douglas. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp and ExpressVPN. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here or email us at sponsors@multitude.productions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Content notes at end of show notes PRODUCTION Greater Boston is created by Alexander Danner and Jeff Van Dreason, with help from T.H. Ponders, Bob Raymonda, and Jordan Stillman. Recording and technical assistance from Marck Harmon. This episode was written by Alexander Danner with Jeff Van dreason and sound designed by Alexander Danner. Dialogue editing by Bob Raymonda. Portions of this episode were recorded at The Bridge Sounds and Stage with recording engineers Javier Lom and Alex Alinson. CAST This episode featured: Alexander Danner as The Narrator Jordan Higgs as Ethan Bespin and Cheese Robots Braden Lamb as Leon Stamatis and Cheese Robots Mike Linden as Oliver West and Some Dude on the Train James Johnston as Dimitri Stamatis Johanna Bodnyk as Mallory Michael Melia as Philip West Mario Da Rosa Jr as Isaiah Powell Tanja Milojevic as Jelena Segeivich with a special appearance by Eric Molinsky as Charlie on the MTA Eric hosts the wonderful podcast Imaginary Worlds, a show about how we create them, and why we suspend our disbelief. Interviews recorded with real Greater Boston Residents. MUSIC Charlie on the MTA recorded by Emily Peterson and Dirk Tiede Hanged Man and Charlie on the MTA alternate version recorded by Adrienne Howard, Emily Peterson, and Dirk Tiede For news and updates, you can sign up for our newsletter! Link in the show notes! You can support Greater Boston on Patreon. Find all of our sponsor discount links here.  Greater Boston is a ThirdSight Media production. Content Notes Corporate surveillance Parental guilt Absent father Discussion of parental cruelty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is Old Tech Creepy? (Analog Horror, The Gothic & Hauntology) Mason finds a mysterious VHS copy of Candle Cove. Not having a VCR, he heads to Perry's Airbnb mansion only to discover that Perry is also VCR-less. After a short debate, they hop into the FolksWagen and head to Todd's pawn shop. And that's where things get a bit strange... In this episode: A dramatization of the Candle Cove creepypasta. A discussion about Analog Horror and how it intersects with folklore. The Carterhaugh School breaks down Gothic. The term "hauntology" as explained by Diane Rodgers. Imaginary Worlds host Eric Molinsky makes an appearance. Guests: Diane A. Rodgers PhD, Senior Lecturer in Media at Sheffield Hallam University Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman from the Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic Eric Molinsky, creator and host of the Imaginary Worlds podcast. Alex Hera, filmmaker. Creator of the documentary, "The History of Analog Horror", and a 100 Episode webseries called "Walker Creek", which was later re-edited into a feature-length video, and was the basis of a feature-length documentary titled "Making an ARG: Walker Creek". Featuring voice acting from: Brooke Jennett of THIRTEEN as Voice #1 in the opening story. Daniel Spencer of Frankenstein's Jukebox as Voice #2 in the opening story Erin King of The Amelia Project as Voice #3 in the opening story Rich Daigle (aka Mouth Almighty) voices Todd the pawn shop owner.

Margaret Cavendish was a pioneer of modern science fiction – except she didn't intend to write science fiction. In the 17th century, Cavendish was a noblewoman who wanted to be taken seriously as a philosopher. In her poetry and her landmark work, The Blazing World, she imagined parallel universes, microscopic cities, human animal hybrids, zombie armies and flying vehicles. I talk with professors Emily Thomas (Durham University), Lisa Walters (University of Queensland), Lisa Sarasohn (Oregon State University), and Lara Dodds (Mississippi State University) about why Cavendish wrote for future generations that she hoped would understand and appreciate her ideas. Featuring readings by Tanya Rich. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here or email us at sponsors@multitude.productions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the March 1923 issue of Weird Tales hit newsstands, many people didn't know what to make of this new magazine. But 100 years later, Weird Tales has had a huge influence on modern day sci-fi, fantasy and horror. I talk with authors John Locke and Will Murray, former Weird Tales editor Darrell Schweitzer, current Weird Tales editor Jonathan Maberry, and art collector Steve Korshak about how a scrappy publication often on the verge of bankruptcy inspired a cultural revolution.  This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp and ExpressVPN. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here or email us at sponsors@multitude.productions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The town of Ong's Hat in New Jersey may have been the site of a top secret experiment that brought scientists to a parallel world in another dimension. Or it's the subject of a big inside joke and perhaps the first alternate reality game on the Internet. This week's episode comes from the Slate podcast Decoder Ring, where the host Willa Paskin explores questions that have haunted me for a long time. When a fantasy world and the real world blur together, does it matter if we don't know the difference? What happens when we suspend our disbelief too much? This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here or email sponsors@multitude.productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we near the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I check in with the Ukrainian writers I interviewed for my 2022 episode A Nation Dreams of Itself. Maria Galina tells me about the difficulties of trying to create during wartime. Svitlana Taratorina and Volodymyr Arenev talk about why writing isn't just a form of therapy or escapism, but it's also a patriotic duty to keep Ukrainian culture alive in a war that's also being fought in libraries, bookstores and publishing houses. Borys Sydiuk talks about why science fiction is making a comeback over fantasy during the war. And I talk with Max Kidruk, the new breakout star in the Ukrainian sci-fi scene. You can watch Svitlana's YouTube channel Fantastic Talks at: https://www.youtube.com/@fanttalks Ukrainian Red Cross: https://donate.redcrossredcrescent.org/ua/donate/~my-donation?_cv=1 Mercy Corps: https://www.mercycorps.org/donate/crisis-ukraine-give-now International Medical Corps: https://give.internationalmedicalcorps.org/page/99837/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=DP~UA22~DPHHU2202 Save the Children: https://support.savethechildren.org/site/Donation2?df_id=5751&mfc_pref=T&5751.donation=form1 This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp and Bombas. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here or email sponsors@multitude.productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I've been following parallel media stories about visual artists in two different fields. Each story is about artists who create fantastical images, but they're worried they can no long practice their craft or earn a living. First, a visual effects artist who worked with Marvel explains (as read by the actor Peter Grosz) why Marvel is so dysfunctional, and how the studio may be pushing the effects industry to the brink. Former VFX exec Scott Ross discusses how the system is set up to exploit visual effects companies and pit them against each other. Shifting focus from Hollywood to Silicon Valley. I talk with artist Steven Zapata about why AI image generating programs are an existential threat to artists, especially freelance fantasy illustrators. And Orbit Books creative director Lauren Panepinto explains why she doesn't think AI will be putting her, or the fantasy artists she works with, out of work yet. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here or email sponsors@multitude.productions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nghi Vo's novels Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful have gotten widespread critical acclaim, which was a pleasant surprise to her because she only started expanding beyond short story writing in the last several years. Both novels are set in the same magical early 20th century America where a Hollywood studio or Jay Gatsby's mansion could be places of treachery and wonder. I talk with Nghi about the inspiration for her main characters, who are both queer Asian American women navigating white spaces with style and attitude. And she explains why in her world, magic is just another form of power. Also featuring readings by the actress Shannon Tyo. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a fantasy or sci-fi story is set in a real location, what happens when fans go to that place looking for a glimpse of magic? How do the locals feel about their hometowns turning into fandom destinations? I talk with tour guide Jen Cresswell about why Edinburgh has become a mecca for Harry Potter tours, even though the city is never mentioned in the books. Jelena Šimac is a tour guide in the city of Dubrovnik – a.k.a. King's Landing on Game of Thrones. She explains how fantasy tourism changed the trajectory of Croatia after years of war and strife. Catherine Farry looks at why the town of Broken Hill has drawn filmmakers to the Australian Outback. And Adrian Bennett tells the story about how he became so enamored with Mad Max, he moved his family 10,000 miles to start a Mad Max Museum in a remote area of The Outback where the post-apocalyptic franchise is filmed. This episode is sponsored by Bombas. Go to www.bombas.com/imaginaryworlds and use the code imaginaryworlds for 20% off your first purchase. s Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we're sharing an episode of Imaginary Worlds. For the last 30 years, the real world has been catching up to Neal Stephenson's vision of the future in his 1992 novel Snow Crash, which influenced the creators of Google Earth, Second Life, Oculus Rift and more. Now the centerpiece of the novel, a virtual world called The Metaverse, may become a daily part of our lives thanks to Facebook (renamed Meta) and other big tech companies. In this episode of Imaginary Worlds, host Eric Molinsky explores whether it's a good idea to use a satirical cyberpunk novel from decades ago as a blueprint for the future.You can hear more episodes of Imaginary Worlds at https://www.imaginaryworldspodcast.orgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Octavia Butler's birth. There have been commemorations nationwide, and I wanted to join in by replaying my 2016 episode, “The Legacy of Octavia Butler.” I produced that episode early in the history of my podcast, when I was still discovering the world of sci-fi literature. I became obsessed with Butler's writing – even though at times it can be disturbing. Nisi Shawl, Ayana Jamieson and Cauleen Smith explain how Butler came to tell stories about power imbalances between humans and other worldly beings, and what her work means to them. And we hear actress Aliza Pearl read a passage from Butler's 1987 novel “Dawn.” This episode is sponsored by Brilliant and D&Tea. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. To get started for free, visit brilliant.org/imaginaryworlds to get 20% off Brilliant's annual premium subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the subgenre of analog horror, there's something sinister or supernatural lurking in the horizontal lines and vertical holds in those old VHS tapes. Filmmaker Chris LaMartina explains why he wanted his movies WNUF Halloween Special and Out There Halloween Mega Tape to seem like live broadcasts taped off local TV news in the ‘80s and ‘90s. I talk with podcasters Perry Carpenter and Mason Amadeus from the show Digital Folklore about how The Internet became our new campfire to tell spooky stories. Plus, we hear from Alex Hera, director of the documentary The History of Analog Horror, and folk horror lecturer Diane A. Rodgers of Sheffield University about why people born in the digital age want to tell horror stories set in the distant yet familiar era of VCRs. In this episode we also discuss The Mandela Catalog, Local 58, and The Backrooms. This episode is sponsored by Birds of Empire, and Brilliant. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Visit brilliant.org/imaginaryworlds to get 20% off Brilliant's annual premium subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Was the tale of Hansel and Gretel inspired by a real crime in German history? It would make for a great story, if it were true. This week's episode comes from the podcast Cautionary Tales, where host Tim Harford looks at how misinformation can cast a spell on us like a fairy tale, and he connects the dots from The Brothers Grimm to The Coen Brothers. This episode is sponsored by Brilliant and Nord VPN. Visit brilliant.org/imaginaryworlds to get 20% off Brilliant's annual premium subscription. And go to nordvpn.com/imaginaryworlds to get a discount off your NordVPN Plan and one additional month for free. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From TV and film to novels and video games, the artistic movement of Indigenous Futurisms has been gaining momentum and breaking cultural barriers. I talk with professor and author Grace Dillon, filmmaker Danis Goulet, fiction writer Stephen Graham Jones, and visual artist Virgil Ortiz about what defines a work of indigenous futurism and why telling stories about werewolves, spirits, A.I., and time travelers can be an act of resistance. This episode is sponsored by Mr Ballen Podcast and D&Tea. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff Russo has composed music for sci-fi fantasy shows like Star Trek Discovery and Picard, The Umbrella Academy, Altered Carbon, For All Mankind, and Lucifer. But he didn't set out to be known as a composer of SF projects, or even a composer at all. He began as a rock musician, and found he had a knack for writing music for the screen because he understood that music plays a crucial role in grounding unreal stories in the emotions of the characters. We talk about his approaching to scoring and why it's so challenging to write a theme song. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a booming culture of VTubers – people who create content online, but their fans rarely see their real faces or know their names. VTubers use motion-capture technology to appear as animated characters they designed, and many of these characters are otherworldly from robots to aliens to demons. I talk with VTubers named Xinebi Ven, Pandora Arktos, GloopQueen and D-36-5908 Ω (a.k.a. Omega) about the joys and challenges of becoming a VTuber, and whether inhabiting an animated character allows them to be their more fully authentic selves. Xenebi Ven's YouTube and Twitch streams Pandora's YouTube and Twitch streams GloopQueen's YouTube and Twitch streams Omega's YouTube and Twitch streams Also mentioned in this episode: Ironmouse's YouTube and Twitch streams Mori Calliope's YouTube and Twitch streams This episode is sponsored by Aspiration debit card and D&Tea. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most common tropes in fantasy genres is personifying Death – turning this abstract and often terrifying concept into a character that people can interact with. Sometimes Death is portrayed as a Grim Reaper, but Death doesn't have to be grim. Death can be compassionate, and even funny. And more often in recent years, Death has been depicted as someone with deeply ambivalent feelings about their job. I talk with listeners about their favorite portrayals of Death from Discworld to Sandman to Dead Like Me, and why imagining Death as a character changed the way they felt about death and grief.  Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. List of media mentioned in this episode: The Sandman comics and Netflix series Dead Like Me Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett Death With Interruptions by Jose Saramago On A Pale Horse by Piers Anthony The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Critical Role podcast The Seventh Seal Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey Monty Python and The Meaning of Life Personification of Death academic study from 2019 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The stories we tell about the past can determine the way we understand the present. But what happens when we combine tales of magic and fantasy with some of the most traumatic chapters in history? I talk with novelists P. Djeli Clark, Nisi Shawl, and Zen Cho about how speculative fiction can be a useful tool to reimagine the legacy of colonialism and imperialism. Plus, we hear readings from actress Nneka Okoye. Books mentioned in this episode: A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark Everfair by Nisi Shawl Sorcerer to The Crown by Zen Cho Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R. F. Kuang (author of The Poppy War series) A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine Nisi also recommends: A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar The Dominion of the Fallen series by Aliette de Bodard  The works of L Timmel Duchamp and Margaret Killjoy This episode is sponsored by Aspiration Zero credit card. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In part 2 of our mini-series on mentorships, we travel to a galaxy far, far away. Amy Richau (co-author of Star Wars; I am Your Father and other Star Wars-related books) talks about her favorite partnerships between the Jedi and other characters in the Star Wars found family. Blogger Angry Staff Officer explains why the rigid rules for Jedi mentorships may have led to the downfall of the Jedi Council. And Ryan Arey of ScreenCrush says we can see how the rival philosophies of The Jedi and The Sith would play out in the real world on the show Cobra Kai, which imagines the rivalries from The Karate Kid being passed down to the next generation. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first of a two-part episode on mentors in fantasy genres, we look at the roles of superheroes and their protégées. Matt Fraction talks about the inspiration for his acclaimed comic book series Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon, which was adapted into a Disney+ series. University of Oregon professor Ben Saunders explains why Peter Parker needs an endless series of mentors. Holy Cross professor Stamatia Dova explains why all these fantasy mentors can be traced back to the character of Mentor in The Odyssey. And Julie Nugent, senior VP of learning and advisory services at Catalyst, discusses how superhero mentorships reflect the way mentoring plays out in the workplace. This episode is sponsored by Aspiration Zero Credit Card. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of an alien abduction, what do you picture? Humanoid creatures, medical experiments, lost memories retrieved through hypnosis? That narrative was largely unknown until Betty and Barney Hill went public about their own alien abduction in the 1960s. Betty Hill's niece, Kathleen Marden, recounts how the story went viral and her aunt and uncle became unwitting celebrities. Then professors Susan Lepselter, Chris Bader, Joseph O. Baker and Stephanie Kelley-Romano explain how the Hills' alien abduction changed science fiction forever. Thanks to Eric Molinsky for bringing us this story that originally aired on his terrific podcast Imaginary Worlds. Eric's got a lot more stories like this one so subscribe wherever you listen.  Decoder Ring is written by Willa Paskin and produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director. If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com If you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you get ad-free podcasts, bonus episodes, and total access to all of Slate's journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of an alien abduction, what do you picture? Humanoid creatures, medical experiments, lost memories retrieved through hypnosis? That narrative was largely unknown until Betty and Barney Hill went public about their own alien abduction in the 1960s. Betty Hill's niece, Kathleen Marden, recounts how the story went viral and her aunt and uncle became unwitting celebrities. Then professors Susan Lepselter, Chris Bader, Joseph O. Baker and Stephanie Kelley-Romano explain how the Hills' alien abduction changed science fiction forever. Thanks to Eric Molinsky for bringing us this story that originally aired on his terrific podcast Imaginary Worlds. Eric's got a lot more stories like this one so subscribe wherever you listen.  Decoder Ring is written by Willa Paskin and produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director. If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com If you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you get ad-free podcasts, bonus episodes, and total access to all of Slate's journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of an alien abduction, what do you picture? Humanoid creatures, medical experiments, lost memories retrieved through hypnosis? That narrative was largely unknown until Betty and Barney Hill went public about their own alien abduction in the 1960s. Betty Hill's niece, Kathleen Marden, recounts how the story went viral and her aunt and uncle became unwitting celebrities. And professors Susan Lepselter, Chris Bader, Joseph O. Baker and Stephanie Kelley-Romano explain how the Hills' alien abduction changed science fiction forever. Thanks to Eric Molinsky for bringing us this story that originally aired on his terrific podcast Imaginary Worlds. Eric's got a lot more stories like this one so subscribe wherever you listen.  Decoder Ring is written by Willa Paskin and produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director. If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com If you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you get ad-free podcasts, bonus episodes, and total access to all of Slate's journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of an alien abduction, what do you picture? Humanoid creatures, medical experiments, lost memories retrieved through hypnosis? That narrative was largely unknown until Betty and Barney Hill went public about their own alien abduction in the 1960s. Betty Hill's niece, Kathleen Marden, recounts how the story went viral and her aunt and uncle became unwitting celebrities. And professors Susan Lepselter, Chris Bader, Joseph O. Baker and Stephanie Kelley-Romano explain how the Hills' alien abduction changed science fiction forever. Thanks to Eric Molinsky for bringing us this story that originally aired on his terrific podcast Imaginary Worlds. Eric's got a lot more stories like this one so subscribe wherever you listen.  Decoder Ring is written by Willa Paskin and produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director. If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com If you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you get ad-free podcasts, bonus episodes, and total access to all of Slate's journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the artist Cliff Chiang co-created the comic book series Paper Girls, about four suburban kids in the ‘80s who get caught up in forces that can break space and time, he thought they'd come up with something totally original. But soon after the comic book came out, Stranger Things debuted on Netflix. Both creative projects are part of a genre that's more popular than ever: Kids on Bikes. I talk with Cliff about why he wanted Paper Girls to stand out from other Kids on Bikes stories. Screenwriter Stephany Folsom discusses how she adapted Paper Girls into an Amazon Prime Video live-action show by pitching it as “anti-nostalgia.” I also talk with game designers Jon Gilmour and Doug Levandowski about how they distilled the elements of Kids on Bikes stories into a role-playing game, and whether the genre is ready to outgrow its 1980s setting. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's not often that I'm watching a TV show and I think, “I should ask the writers about that.” Luckily, I was in the same undergraduate film program as Henry Alonso Myers and Bill Wolkoff, who are writers and producers on the Star Trek series Strange New Worlds, and they were happy to chat. We cover the challenge of telling new stories about legacy characters like Spock and Uhura, the need for Star Trek to stay politically relevant, why Captain Pike is really into cooking and hijinks are the most logical course of action during a Vulcan courtship. This episode is sponsored by NordVPN. Grab the NordVPN exclusive deal at https://nordvpn.com/imaginaryworlds. Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I've long been fascinated by automatons – wind up mechanical beings that create the illusion of life. People have been making automatons for centuries, but how many automatons get to sing opera? This week's episode comes from the podcast Aria Code from WQXR, WNYC Studios and The Metropolitan Opera. The show breaks down famous arias and looks at the meaning behind them. Host Rhiannon Giddens, along with Soprano Erin Morley, conductor Johannes Debus, machine learning researcher Caroline Sinders, and psychologist Robert Epstein explore Jacques Offenbach's 1881 opera The Tales of Hoffmann and how its automated character Olympia echoes current day concerns about A.I. technology. This episode is sponsored by Nord VPN. Exclusive deal -- grab the NordVPN deal at https://nordvpn.com/imaginaryworlds. Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our Flag Means Death is a hilarious anachronistic pirate comedy on HBO Max. But the backstory of its main characters is surprisingly real. I talk with pirate historian Jeremy Moss, Purdue professor Manushag Powell and Jamie Goodall, staff historian at the U.S. Army Center of Military History, about how the historical figure of Blackbeard used theatricality to become a media phenomenon, and why it was an easy transition for people to believe he was a fantasy character versed in the dark arts. And we look at whether the endearing portrayal of the bumbling “gentleman pirate” Stede Bonnet in Our Flag Means Death is leaving out a crucial aspect of his backstory. To learn more, check out these books: British Pirates in Print and Performance by Manushag N. Powell The Life and Tryals of the Gentleman Pirate, Major Stede Bonnet by Jeremy R. Moss Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: From the Colonial Era to the Oyster Wars by Jamie L.H. Goodall This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile, Squarespace and Riverside. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I began this podcast in September 2014, I couldn't imagine myself someday celebrating 200 episodes of Imaginary Worlds. It feels like a momentous occasion, a moment to reflect and celebrate. So, I put together a super-sized episode where I check in on creative people that I've interviewed in the past. We also hear from listeners about where they listen to the show, and how those places evoke imaginary worlds for them. Featuring Caro Murphy, Jason Suran, Tim Lapetino, Shari Spiros of AdMagic, and Scot and Jane Noel of DreamForge magazine. You can learn more about Jason's show Reconnected here. This episode is sponsored by Backblaze and Squarespace. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mystery Science Theater 3000 or MST3K is back once again. The show was first created by Joel Hodgson, then a stand-up comedian who was ambivalent about the career path laid out in clubs or maybe a sitcom. His premise -- that he and a few robot pals are trapped by mad scientists on a spaceship and forced to watch bad movies – turned the show into a cult classic and helped define a snarky, self-aware sense of humor for pop culture in the ‘90s. I talk with Joel about why he left the initial run of the series, and how he's brought it back on his own streaming service called Gizmoplex. We also explore how his sense of humor has changed, and whether he might have been too harsh on some of the films they lampooned. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile and Squarespace. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the last 30 years, the real world has been catching up to Neal Stephenson's vision of the future in his 1992 novel Snow Crash, which influenced the creators of Google Earth, Second Life, Oculus Rift and more. Now the centerpiece of the novel, a virtual world called The Metaverse, may become a daily part of our lives thanks to Facebook (renamed Meta) and other big tech companies. I talk with Meta's director of A.I. policy Kevin Bankston, Silicon Valley engineer Stephen Pimentel, Australian National University School of Cybernetics director Genevieve Bell, Yale professor Lisa Messeri, and Grace Ng of the DAO Crash Punks about whether it's a good idea to use a satirical cyberpunk novel as a blueprint for the future. Plus, actor Varick Boyd reads from Snow Crash. ‪Our 200th Episode is coming up! We'd love to hear from you, especially if you have listened to Imaginary Worlds in a place that's evocative of imaginary worlds, or if a particular episode spoke to you and maybe inspired a creative work. Leave us a voice mail at 732-743-8255, and we might use your audio in the 200th episode. You can also send a voice memo to the show's Facebook or Instagram accounts.  This episode is sponsored by Backblaze, VAST Horizon, and Squarespace. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's an old saying that everyone wants to live long, but no one wants to get old. The same can be applied to our favorite sci-fi fantasy franchises. As familiar faces return to Star Wars, Star Trek, and other movies and shows, some franchises have embraced stories about aging and mortality, while others have used digital technology to erase those issues with mixed results. In a roundtable discussion, I talk with Christina Valeo of Eastern Washington University, Shawn Taylor of San Francisco State University and podcaster and pastor JR Forasteros about who is aging well, or de-aging poorly. Spoiler alert, we discuss the Picard series and older Star Trek movies, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Mirror, and Upload. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile, Podboard and Squarespace. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most common requests I've gotten over the years has been to do an episode about why so many autistic people are drawn towards science fiction, and these suggestions have come from listeners who are autistic or have autistic children. Fiction writer Ada Hoffmann, writer and professor Dora Raymaker, YouTube presenter Quinn Dexter, and author and professor Nick Walker, who co-runs the publishing company Autonomous Press, have each given this subject a lot of thought. Their experiences and perspectives as autistic sci-fi fans and creators overlapped in many ways, from the joy of complex worldbuilding, to identifying with fictional characters like Data or Spock, to wanting to imagine a future where aliens, humans and A.I. can coexist without a hierarchy of neurotypical perspectives. Featuring actress Shannon Tyo reading passages from Ada and Dora's novels. Dora Raymaker's new novel Resonance has just been published through Autonomous Press. Dora and Ada have also contributed short stories to Autonomous' anthology series Spoon Knife. Quinn Dexter's YouTube channel is Autistamtic. This episode is sponsored by Backblaze, Echoes of History: Ragnarök and Squarespace. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

100 years ago this month, the vampire film Nosferatu was released in Germany. Not long after, it was hit with a lawsuit – which the filmmakers lost – and every copy of the film was to be destroyed. At least one copy managed to survive, and decades later, Nosferatu became a worldwide classic. Part of what's kept the film alive has been live orchestras who infuse this old vampire film with fresh blood and original scores. I talk with Philip Shorey of The Curse of the Vampire orchestra and Josh Robins of Invincible Czars about their different approaches to writing music for Nosferatu and how audiences have reacted to them. I also talk with Carnegie-Mellon professor Stephen Brockmann about which aspects of vampire lore originally came from Nosferatu as the filmmakers tried to change the Dracula story enough so they could avoid blood-sucking lawsuits.   This episode is sponsored by Inked Gaming. Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices