Say It Like You Play It

About Say It Like You Play It

The podcast about games, language and culture. With hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe. Dr. Ibi has a Ph.D. in Linguistics and likes to play games. Dr. Joe has a Ph.D. in Media & Cultural studies, and designs games for a living. 📜 If you would like more Say It Like You Play It content, you can find our BLOG here: https://ibibaxterwebb.wordpress.com/blog-podcast/ ☕ If you would like to support us, you can buy us a coffee here: buymeacoffee.com/sayitlikeyouplayit 📺 We're also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SayItLikeYouPlayIt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Ibi Baxter-Webb & Joe Baxter-Webb

Category

comedy · education · leisure

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

26 Jul 2024

Latest episode

29 Aug 2025

Latest episodes

12 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Aug 2025

   Blue Prince: puzzles, puns, and politics

   In this episode we discuss the puzzle adventure game Blue Prince by Dogubomb. Hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe cover topics including: The game's world & lore Word play in puzzles, as clues, & for fun Colour semiotics Sign versus noise ratio The (un)translatability of the game Songs that are low-key about playing Blue Prince: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6DbDTBrBK23NIV4u077vcx?si=d8ed31681e964979 Contains some strong (and other types of) language. ☕ If you would like to support us, you can buy us a coffee here: buymeacoffee.com/sayitlikeyouplayit 📺 We're also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SayItLikeYouPlayIt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   30 Jun 2025

   Semiotics and (video) games

   Hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe explore semiotics and meaning-making through signs, specifically in video games, analyzing multimodal elements like UI and controls to understand genre conventions.

3. 

   4 Jun 2025

   Chants of Sennaar & Sethian reactions: what makes a good language puzzle game?

   Hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe discuss language puzzles and translation mechanics in 'Chants of Sennaar' and 'Sethian,' exploring conlangs in game worlds and decipherability in this interview episode.

4. 

   28 Apr 2025

   Language, character design, and world building

   In this episode we talk about the role of language in character design and world building. Hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe cover topics including: language ideologies, stereotypes, and othering characters with different accents or speech impediments spelling in conlangs inspired by real languages real-world associations mapping onto fictional worlds games such as the Dragon Age franchise, Pillars of Eternity, Cyberpunk 2077, Disco Elysium Contains some strong (and other types of) language. ☕ If you would like to support us, you can buy us a coffee here: buymeacoffee.com/sayitlikeyouplayit 📺 We're also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SayItLikeYouPlayIt Resources: Burrell-Kim, Danielle (2023). Stuttering Matt: Linguistic ableism and the mockery of speech impediments in video games. Game Studies, 23(2). Available here: https://gamestudies.org/2302/articles/burrellkim (https://gamestudies.org/2302/articles/burrellkim) Villanueva, Emily & Ensslin Astrid (2021). Divine intervention: Multimodal pragmatics and unconventional opposition in performed character speech in Dragon Age: Inquisition. In: Planchenault, G. & Poljak, L. (eds.) Pragmatics of Accents. John Benjamins Publishing Company, 205-228. Available here: https://bora.uib.no/bora-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2993691/villanueva_ensslin_preprints.pdf?sequence=1 (https://bora.uib.no/bora-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2993691/villanueva_ensslin_preprints.pdf?sequence=1) 'Constructed Languages and Intuitive *~ Culture Feels ~*', forum thread. Available here: https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/63958-constructed-languages-and-intuitive-~-culture-feels-~/ (https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/63958-constructed-languages-and-intuitive-~-culture-feels-~/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

5. 

   30 Mar 2025

   Hearthstone deep dive: when game studies meets linguistics

   In this episode we take a close look at the online collectible card game 'Hearthstone', which is part of Blizzard Entertainment's 'Warcraft' franchise, and three research papers which study the game in relation to language and communication. Hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe cover topics including: Humour, puns, and wordplay in Hearthstone; Linguistic differences between rule texts and flavour texts; The functions and forms of keywords and card names; Localization, with a focus on the use of Kanji in Japanese; Communicative affordances and limitations of the in-game emote system; Players' perceptions of "bad manners"; Qualitative versus quantitative research approaches and the obstacles of research cultures; Contains some strong (and other types of) language. ☕ If you would like to support us, you can buy us a coffee here: buymeacoffee.com/sayitlikeyouplayit 📺 We're also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SayItLikeYouPlayIt Resources: Arjoranta, J., & Siitonen, M. (2018). Why do players misuse emotes in Hearthstone? Negotiating the use of communicative affordances in an online multiplayer game. Game Studies, 18(2). Available here: https://gamestudies.org/1802/articles/arjoranta_siitonen (https://gamestudies.org/1802/articles/arjoranta_siitonen). Jacquin, J., & Xanthos, A. (2021). Evolution of linguistic complexity in Hearthstone: a resource and an example in linguistic game studies. Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 36(4), 907-918. Available here: https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_FA8B6BCC9CA2.P001/REF.pdf (https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_FA8B6BCC9CA2.P001/REF.pdf) Robertson, W. (2020). Unspeakable puns: kanji-dependent wordplay as a localization strategy in Japanese. Perspectives, 28(4), 606-624. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2018.1548628 (https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2018.1548628). 'German translations messy since last update', forum thread: https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/hearthstone/t/german-translations-messy-since-last-update/126281 (https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/hearthstone/t/german-translations-messy-since-last-update/126281). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

6. 

   26 Feb 2025

   Gamified language learning: neither fun nor educational?

   In this episode we discuss our experiences of using language-learning apps. Hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe cover topics including: What is gamification? Loss aversion, quizzes, and immersive learning The (im)balance between vocabulary and grammar Different needs for different audiences Contains some strong (and other types of) language. 📜 If you would like more Say It Like You Play It content, you can find our BLOG here: https://ibibaxterwebb.wordpress.com/blog-podcast/ ☕ If you would like to support us, you can buy us a coffee here: buymeacoffee.com/sayitlikeyouplayit 📺 We're also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SayItLikeYouPlayIt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

7. 

   26 Jan 2025

   'The gostak distims the doshes': deciphering gibberish-English in a text-based adventure game

   In this episode we discuss Carl Muckenhoupt's challenging 'The Gostak'; a text-based adventure game in which the player has to decipher a gibberish version of English. Hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe cover topics including: How the game works Translation as game mechanic The syntax of English and what it tells us about the meaning of words Verb transitivity, direct objects, and indirect objects Thinking of nouns and verbs as building blocks of games more generally If you would like to play 'The Gostak' youself, you can do so on the Interactive Fiction DataBase: https://ifdb.org/viewgame?id=w5s3sv43s3p98v45#:~:text=The%20reference%20is%20to%20the,can%20be%20distimmed%20by%20a (https://ifdb.org/viewgame?id=w5s3sv43s3p98v45#:~:text=The%20reference%20is%20to%20the,can%20be%20distimmed%20by%20a) Contains some strong (and other type types of) language. 📜 If you would like more Say It Like You Play It content, you can find our BLOG here: https://ibibaxterwebb.wordpress.com/blog-podcast/ ☕ If you would like to support us, you can buy us a coffee here: buymeacoffee.com/sayitlikeyouplayit 📺 We're also on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SayItLikeYouPlayIt 📚 Resources: Ingraham, A. (1903). Swain school lectures. Open Court Publishing Company. Available at: https://archive.org/details/swainschoollectu00ingruoft (https://archive.org/details/swainschoollectu00ingruoft) Ogden, C. K., & Richards, I. A. (1927). The Meaning of Meaning: A Study of the Influence of Language upon Thought and of the Science of Symbolism. Harcourt, Brace. Tenielle Fordyce-Ruff, Tenielle. ‘Beyond the Basics: Transitive, Intransitive, Ditransitive and Ambitransitive Verbs’. The Advocate, Feb. 2015, p. 54-55. Available at: https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=lawfaculty (https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=lawfaculty) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

8. 

   30 Nov 2024

   Real cultures in games: humour, accents, and how you hold your pizza

   Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe delve into the nuanced representation of real cultures in video games, exploring humor, accents, and stereotypes, and their impact on player experiences.

9. 

   1 Nov 2024

   Social simulation in games: what is it and why isn’t there more of it?

   In this episode, we talk about social simulation in games, taking as our starting point Mitu Khandaker's talk ‘Thinking about people: Designing games for social simulation’. Hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe discuss: What’s a social sim? Autonomous behaviour versus authored branching stories Social simulation in tabletop games What are NPCs for? The multiple functions of communication and interaction in real life and games Games such as The Sims, Baldur's Gate 3, Skyrim, Dragon Age, Redshirts, and Ctrl.Alt.DEL List of resources: Jakobson, Roman. 1960. ‘Linguistics and poetics’. In T. Seboek (ed.) Style in Language, MIT Press, 350-377. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/download/33061075/Jakobson_Eks_15_F12.pdf Khandaker, Mitu. 2015 ‘Thinking about people: Designing games for social simulation’, Game Developers Conference, San Francisco. Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haNy1kSHMt8&t=2591s Mathiot, Madeleine & Garvin, Paul L. 1975. ‘The functions of language: A sociocultural view’, Anthropological Quarterly, 48(3). 148–156. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3316921 Searle, John R. 1975. ‘A taxonomy of illocutionary acts.’ In K. Gunderson (ed.) Language, Mind, and Knowledge, University of Minnesota Press, 344–369. Contains some strong (and other type types of) language. If you would like more Say It Like You Play It content, you can find our BLOG here (https://ibibaxterwebb.wordpress.com/blog-podcast/). If you would like to support us, you can buy us a coffee here (https://ibibaxterwebb.wordpress.com/blog-podcast/). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

10. 

    28 Sept 2024

    Ludemes, ‘game as language’, and other metaphors

    In this episode we try to wrap our heads around the concept of 'ludemes'. Hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe discuss: The origins of the term 'ludeme' Different games scholars' and game designers' definitions of ludemes Comparisons between ludemes, memes, genes, and linguistic concepts such as phonemes and morphemes Underlying metaphors used to describe games as systems, such as ‘game as language’ and ‘game as organism’ The ‘language as organism’ metaphor in historical linguistics The economy of metaphors in academia List of sources we read for this episode: Bojin, Nis. 2010. ‘Ludemes and the Linguistic Turn’. Futureplay '10: Proceedings of the International Academic Conference on the Future of Game Design and Technology, Vancouver, 25–32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/1920778.1920783 (https://doi.org/10.1145/1920778.1920783) Browne, Cameron. 2021. ‘Everything’s a Ludeme. Well, Almost Everything’. Proceedings of the XIIIrd Board Game Studies Colloquium (BGS 2021), Paris. Available at: https://sorbonne-paris-nord.hal.science/hal-03737317/document (https://sorbonne-paris-nord.hal.science/hal-03737317/document) Depaulis, Thierry. 2019. ‘On the Origins of the Word ‘Ludeme’ (French Ludème)’. In Browne et al., Foundations of Digital Archaeoludology. Report on Dagstuhl Research Meeting, Saarbrucken, 23–26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1905.13516 (https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1905.13516) Available at: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1905.13516 (https://arxiv.org/pdf/1905.13516) Koster, Raph. 2005. Conference notes for ‘A Grammar of Gameplay (Game Atoms: Can Games be Dia- grammed?)’. Game Developers Conference (GDC ’05), San Francisco. https://www.theoryoffun.com/grammar/gdc2005.htm (https://www.theoryoffun.com/grammar/gdc2005.htm) Koster, Raph. 2006. 'A bit on how I think games work' https://www.raphkoster.com/2006/03/05/a-bit-on-how-i-think-games-work/ (https://www.raphkoster.com/2006/03/05/a-bit-on-how-i-think-games-work/) Koster, Raph. 2006. Comment made March 7, 2006 at 2:44 pm https://www.raphkoster.com/2006/03/05/a-bit-on-how-i-think-games-work/#comment-3827 (https://www.raphkoster.com/2006/03/05/a-bit-on-how-i-think-games-work/#comment-3827) Koster, Raph. 2006. Comment made March 7, 2006 at 4:26 pm https://www.raphkoster.com/2006/03/05/a-bit-on-how-i-think-games-work/#comment-3836 (https://www.raphkoster.com/2006/03/05/a-bit-on-how-i-think-games-work/#comment-3836) Parlett, David. 2006. ‘What’s a ludeme?’ https://www.parlettgames.uk/gamester/whatsaludeme.html (https://www.parlettgames.uk/gamester/whatsaludeme.html) Contains some strong (and other type types of) language. If you would like more Say It Like You Play It content, you can find our BLOG here (https://ibibaxterwebb.wordpress.com/blog-podcast/). If you would like to support us, you can buy us a coffee here (https://ibibaxterwebb.wordpress.com/blog-podcast/). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

11. 

    25 Aug 2024

    Deciphering the Nebula: language, history and narratology in Heaven’s Vault

    In this episode we discuss the brilliant Heaven's Vault; a narrative adventure videogame about decyphering a constructed language in order to learn the history of a fantastical world. Hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe cover topics including: How the game works Ideographic vs Alphabetic writing systems Semantics and Morphology in language Science fiction, media representation, and attempts at avoiding orientalism Translation and archaeology as game mechanics To hear Jon Ingold of Inkle talk about Bladerunner and writing game dialogue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vRfNtvFVRo For an excellent GDC talk on the making of the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o02uJ-ktCuk Contains some strong (and other type types of) language. If you would like more Say It Like You Play It content, you can find our BLOG here (https://ibibaxterwebb.wordpress.com/blog-podcast/). If you would like to support us, you can buy us a coffee here (https://ibibaxterwebb.wordpress.com/blog-podcast/). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

12. 

    26 Jul 2024

    From Elfsperanto to Orcstralian: The Languages of D&D

    In this episode we discuss the languages used in Baldur's Gate 3, and in Dungeons & Dragons more broadly. Hosts Dr. Ibi and Dr. Joe cover topics including: What is a lingua franca? What is a constructed language? Fantasy races (species) and the signs and sounds they make. How the needs of tabletop roleplay leave D&D's designers to "leave something to the imagination". Contains some strong and other types of language. If you would like more Say It Like You Play It content, you can find our BLOG here (https://ibibaxterwebb.wordpress.com/blog-podcast/). If you would like to support us, you can buy us a coffee here (https://ibibaxterwebb.wordpress.com/blog-podcast/). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

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YouTube views

968

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

52

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0

YouTube

66

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