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This episode, and the next couple of episodes, are about word games! Today, Joshua Blackburn recounts how his sons' uninspiring English homework led to him inventing the language quiz game League of the Lexicon; and Kathryn Hymes and Hakan Seyalıoğlu of Thorny Games explain how they make topics like language loss and deciphering alien language into creative play.
Word Play part 1 is about how Leslie Scott of Oxford Games makes word games like Ex Libris and Flummoxed. It was one of the earliest episodes of the show! I remember that my first recording with Leslie had failed and she’s so kind that she did the interview all over again, the second time in Kipferl Austrian cafe in London, if you ever need somewhere to buy Mozartkugeln in London.
EXTRA MATERIALS:
Joshua made a word quiz especially for you! I scored an adequate but non-mighty 5/9.
Kathryn talks about the Aphasia Games for Health collaboration at the Game Developer Conference.
“When I playtested Dialect, regardless of what happened to our characters, my fellow players and I held on to the words we created, and even playing the game felt like a special experience that could only be explained using our new terms.”
“Why a really great word game makes you feel smart, and also stupid.”
I was recently on an episode of Random Pursuit podcast, playing alllll the editions of Trivial Pursuit at once.
A friend just recommended the book Playing Oppression: The Legacy of Conquest and Empire in Colonialist Board Games - and there’s a free PDF of the text.
Otherlusionists: as well as the aforementioned Word Play part 1? The sneaky Typo Demon haunts Joshua, and us all. And hear about Lauren Marks’s experiences of aphasia in Eclipse, a fan favourite episode.
🔭 There’s a space-themed live Allusionist IN THE PLANETARIUM at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver BC on 18 April 2024. ☄️
The evening’s entertainments include a terrific talk about weird space terms by astronomer Marley Leacock, and you get to nose around all the Space Centre’s exhibits. Tickets are on sale now.
Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, fortnightly livestreams with me and my dictionaries, and membership of the Allusioverse Discord community.
YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
lunula, noun, 1. the white area at the base of a fingernail;
2. a crescent shaped Bronze Age ornament.
Origin 16th century from Latin, diminutive of luna 'moon'
CREDITS:
Kathryn Hymes and Hakan Seyalıoğlu are the two halves of Thorny Games. Find their work, including their games Dialect, Sign and Xenolanguage, at ThornyGames.com. To learn more about their collaboration making games and a gaming community for people with aphasia, visit AphasiaGamesForHealth.com.
Joshua Blackburn is the founder of Two Brothers Games and the creator of League of the Lexicon. Find it via TwoBrothersGames.co.uk where you can also subscribe to his Word Sauce mailout. And head to JoshuaBlackburn.art to see some of his other work, including his book Launderama featuring photos of every launderette in London.
This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, and Martin Austwick, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
The original Allusionist music is by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.
Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social and instagram.com/allusionistshow
Back in two weeks with a new episode - HZ.
Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:
• Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online empire. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist.
• Babbel, the language-learning app designed by real people for real conversations. Get up to 60% off your Babbel subscription at Babbel.com/allusionist.
• Wildgrain, the subscription box for sourdough breads, fresh pastas, and artisanal pastries that you can cook from frozen in 25 minutes. Get $30 off your first box, PLUS free croissants in every box, when you start your subscription at Wildgrain.com/allusionist or use promo code ALLUSIONIST at checkout.
• Home Chef, meal kits that fit your needs. For a limited time, Home Chef is offering Allusionist listeners 18 free meals, plus free shipping on your first box, and free dessert for life, at HomeChef.com/allusionist.
