
Welcome to Meaningful Play, a podcast where we talk about video games, new or old, light or serious, controversial or inspiring, and everything in between with an academic flair. Meaningful Play is hosted by Sian Tomkinson and Heather Blakey, who are games studies scholars based in Perth, Western Australia.
| Publishes | Infrequently | Episodes | 40 | Founded | 7 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Video GamesLeisure | |||

In this episode we celebrate the release of Sian’s book Video games and gender assemblages: Understanding #Gamergate and beyond. Following a chat about some games we’ve enjoyed lately, including Guardians of Azuma and We Know the Devil, we dive into ... more
We’re back to haunt you! After our hiatus we’re back for our first episode of 2025. We discuss some games we’ve been playing lately, including The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, Piofiore: Fated Memories, and The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, and So... more
In this episode, Sian and Heather reflect on the past few busy months and discuss their favourite games of the year. From the psychological horrors Mouthwashing and The Coffin of Andy and Leyley to the action-RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard and visual ... more
In this episode, Sian and Heather reflect on the complexities of archiving video games. We discuss the way that formal archiving is often difficult and tied up with ideas and judgements about cultural value. We also reflect on the importance of fan p... more
Queer games? For pride month? Ground-breaking. This episode Sian and Heather chat about queer game design and the growing body of scholarship from writers including Bo Ruberg and Xavier Ho on queer games and the way queer games reimagine and play wit... more
In this episode Sian and Heather reflect on ‘cosy’ games – games that are designed or played for relaxation and comfort. We recap our research over the past month or so, including the DIGRAA conference, and games we’ve played recently, including Sign... more
In this episode Sian and Heather ‘dive in’ to underwater worlds and level design in video games, particularly the kinds of storytelling inscribed in watery environments. We first catch up on different research projects we’ve been working on and what ... more
In this episode, Sian and Heather ‘tuck in’ to video game food and its role from both mechanical and narrative perspectives. Food, an essential part of life, is a constant presence in video games that rely on world-building and environmental storyte... more
This podcast is great. The insight and perspective comes from a place of research and experience instead of purely opinion, and that truly sets it apart from the majority of the gaming podcasts on the market. The chemistry between hosts is charming and engaging, and I’m looking forward to more episodes to come. Keep up the good work!









Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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Meaningful Play Podcast launched 7 years ago and published 40 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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