Leveller

About Leveller

Welcome to Leveller, the podcast where two academics dive deep into the intersection of video games and politics. Join PhD students Emma Brewis and Adam Cooper as they discuss video games as a medium through which to stretch, challenge, and transform our thinking. In each episode, they dissect how games reflect, shape, and inform political discourse. Through engaging discussions and interviews with fellow academics, they delve into topics like security, democracy and the influence of gaming communities on real-world politics. Whether you're a seasoned gamer, a political junkie, or simply curious about the ways in which games intersect with the wider world, Leveller has something for you. Join us as we embark on an intellectual journey through the pixels, exploring the rich and complex relationship between video games and politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Emma and Adam

Category

leisure · news · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 May 2024

Latest episode

13 Dec 2024

Latest episodes

9 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Dec 2024

   Christmas Special - Alternative Political Game Awards

   Leveller hosts Adam and Emma present their Alternative Political Game Awards, highlighting games that challenge corporate power, engagement, and more, offering unique perspectives on the gaming industry.

2. 

   6 Sept 2024

   Oliver Booth: Crusader Kings 3 and chaos in the Conservative Party

   Why do the Tories choose bad leaders? Why are they so divided? And what role does ideology play? In this episode, we are joined by Oliver Booth, fellow PGR at the University of Leeds and researcher of the Conservative Party and British Politics. We talk to Oli about Crusader Kings 3 (vaguely) to discuss the path to power, party instability, factionalism, and much more! Works mentioned: Booth, O. (2024). The Downfall of Boris Johnson: Analysing Patterns of Opinion among Conservative Parliamentarians in the Confidence Motion and Mass Resignations. Representation. Booth et al. (2023). Selecting Sunak: Conservative MPs’ Nomination Preferences in the (Second) British Conservative Party Leadership Election. Parliamentary Affairs. Volume 77, Issue 3, July 2024, pp.450–469. Heppell, T. & Booth, O. (2023) The Conservative Party Leadership Election of 2016. In Roe-Crines, A. S. & Jeffery, D. (eds.) Statecraft: The Policies and Politics of Prime Minister Theresa May. (pp. 13-32). Cham: Springer International Publishing. Find Oli here: https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/politics/pgr/1380/oliver-booth (https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/politics/pgr/1380/oliver-booth) https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-booth-a48440188/?originalSubdomain=uk (https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-booth-a48440188/?originalSubdomain=uk) Write to us! - levellerpodcast@gmail.com Avatars by MostlyPixels / Lunaii (http://www.lunaii-dollmaker.com/) @ https://www.avatarsinpixels.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   23 Aug 2024

   Alba: What can Alba teach us about local activism as a response to environmental challenges?

   In this episode, we discuss Ustwo’s 2020 Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, a heartwarming exploration game in which you play a young girl who documents wildlife and strives to save the local nature reserve from being replaced by a luxury hotel while visiting her grandparents. Join us as we explore what Alba has to say about the trade-offs between economic growth and environmentalism, the power of community action, and the role of young people in changing the world. Works mentioned: Figueres, C. and Rivett-Carna, T. 2020. The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Leston-Bandeira, C., 2019. Parliamentary petitions and public engagement: an empirical analysis of the role of e-petitions. Policy & Politics, 47(3), pp.415-436. Raworth, K. 2017. Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think like a 21st-Century Economist. London: Random House Business Books. See also: https://doughnuteconomics.org/about-doughnut-economics#what-is-the-doughnut (https://doughnuteconomics.org/about-doughnut-economics#what-is-the-doughnut) https://www.museumfortheunitednations.com/ (https://www.museumfortheunitednations.com/) Write to us! - levellerpodcast@gmail.com Avatars by MostlyPixels / Lunaii (http://www.lunaii-dollmaker.com/) @ https://www.avatarsinpixels.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

4. 

   9 Aug 2024

   Paul Geyer: What insights does "Watchdogs 2" offer into social media, data and democracy?

   What role does social media play in our lives? Is there life after data? And what does the future look like in a world where privacy is a luxury? In this episode, we welcome Paul Geyer, PGR at the University of Leeds, political theorist and five-a-side football star. We talk to Paul about Watchdogs 2 to discuss what happens to social media after data, neofeudalism and the challenges of privacy. Works mentioned: Arditi, D., 2023. Digital feudalism: Creators, credit, consumption, and capitalism. Emerald Publishing Limited: Bingley Soares, Ian Varela, Masaru Yarime, and Magdalena Klemun. "Balancing the trade-off between data center development and its environmental impacts: A comparative analysis of Data Center Policymaking in Singapore, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, USA, and the UK." Environmental Science & Policy 157 (2024): 103769. Srnicek, N., 2017. Platform capitalism. Polity Press: Cambridge. Unterberger, K. and Fuchs, C., 2021. The public service media and public service internet manifesto (p. 135). University of Westminster Press. Varoufakis, Y. 2023. Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism. Random House: London. Zuboff, S., 2019, January. Surveillance capitalism and the challenge of collective action. In New labor forum (Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 10-29). Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications. Find Paul here: https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/politics/pgr/1383/paul-geyer (https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/politics/pgr/1383/paul-geyer) Geyer, P. 2024. An Uncritiqued Frontier of Social Media: The Social Media Subscription Model. In tripleC: Communication, capitalism & critique (Vol. 22, No. 1, pp.44-58). Write to us! - levellerpodcast@gmail.com Avatars by MostlyPixels / Lunaii (http://www.lunaii-dollmaker.com/) @ https://www.avatarsinpixels.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

5. 

   19 Jul 2024

   Papers, Please: Can bureaucracy accommodate morality?

   In this podcast episode, we delve into "Papers, Please," the 2013 simulation game which immerses players in the role of an immigration officer in the fictional country of Arstotzka. Through its gameplay mechanics and narrative, we examine the moral dilemmas faced by bureaucrats tasked with enforcing strict border control policies. Join us as we explore whether bureaucratic systems can uphold moral values amidst the complexities of governance and individual decision-making. Works mentioned: Cabellos, B., Pozo, J.I., Marín-Rubio, K. and Sánchez, D.L., 2022. Do pro-social video games promote moral activity?: an analysis of user reviews of Papers, Please. Education and Information Technologies, 27(8), pp.11411-11442. Kelly, M., 2018. The game of politics: Examining the role of work, play, and subjectivity formation in papers, please. Games and Culture, 13(5), pp.459-478. Morrissette, J., 2017. Glory to Arstotzka: Morality, rationality, and the iron cage of bureaucracy in Papers, Please. Game Studies, 17(1). Yee, N., 2006. The labor of fun: How video games blur the boundaries of work and play. Games and culture, 1(1), pp.68-71. Write to us! - levellerpodcast@gmail.com Avatars by MostlyPixels / Lunaii (http://www.lunaii-dollmaker.com/) @ https://www.avatarsinpixels.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

6. 

   5 Jul 2024

   Emily Gee: What insights does "The Last of Us Part II" provide about the identities and dynamics of perpetrators and victims of violence?

   What is legitimate violence for women? How does emotion guide gendered violence? And who gets to tell women's stories? In this episode, we welcome our friend and scholar Emily Gee, PGR at the University of Leeds. She uses The Last of Us Part II to explore her powerful research on peacekeeper sexual violence, touching on themes of agency, conflict and insecurity. Works mentioned: Beyond Mothers, Monsters, Whores: Thinking about Women's Violence in Global Politics - Caron E. Gentry, Laura Sjoberg (2015) Just add women and stir? - Sahana Dharmapuri (2011) The Continuum of Sexual Violence; in Women, Violence and Social Control - Liz Kelly (1987) On Intersectionality - Kimberly Crenshaw (2017) UN Resolution 1325 (https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/SC_ResolutionWomenPeaceSecurity_SRES1325%282000%29%28english_0.pdf) Find Emily here: https://twitter.com/EmilyRGee (https://twitter.com/EmilyRGee) https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/politics/pgr/2187/emily-gee (https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/politics/pgr/2187/emily-gee) https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-gee-1b72b0172/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-gee-1b72b0172/) Write to us! - levellerpodcast@gmail.com Avatars by MostlyPixels / Lunaii (http://www.lunaii-dollmaker.com/) @ https://www.avatarsinpixels.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

7. 

   21 Jun 2024

   Stardew Valley: How well does Stardew Valley function as a critique of capitalism, harmful environmental practice, and community?

   What does Stardew Valley have to say about corporations? How does it encourage us to think about and interact with the environment? And is community romanticised in Stardew Valley? In this episode, we discuss Eric Barone's 'cosy game' Stardew Valley, a farming simulator which grapples with how to live well in a difficult world. Join us as we explore these themes and ask ourselves how well Stardew Valley functions as a critique of capitalism. Write to us! - levellerpodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

8. 

   7 Jun 2024

   Ged Hiscoke: What can Deus Ex: Mankind Divided tell us about discrimination, civil unrest, and reintegration?

   What role does employment play in rebuilding after conflict? Can you do peace without justice? And what gets in the way of reintegration ? In this episode, we welcome our friend and colleague Ged Hiscoke, PGR at the University of Leeds. He explores Deus Ex: Mankind Divided through the lens of his fascinating research on the role of employment in preventing conflict. Write to us! - levellerpodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

9. 

   24 May 2024

   Night in the Woods: What does it tell us about alienation, nostalgia and deindustrialisation?

   What role does resentment play in shaping our political choices? Why might the left behind be nostalgic, even for a past that never existed? And why might someone turn to sacrificing the young to a demonic Black Goat in order to save a dying town? Join us as we discuss Night in the Woods in an attempt to try to answer these questions and more! Write to us! - levellerpodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

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Spotify

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5 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.