New Books in Science, Technology, and Society

Peter D. McDonald, "The Impossible Reversal: A History of How We Play" (U Minnesota Press, 2026)

·31 min·3 clips

How does Yoko Ono's all-white chess set, where you play until you forget whose pieces are whose, redefine what it means for something to be playful?

The episode begins with a survey promotion and host introduction by Rudolf Inders, a game studies professor. Guest Peter MacDonald, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discusses his book published by the University of Minnesota Press. MacDonald explains the book originated from his graduate work and inspiration from Mary Flanagan's 'Critical Play', particularly Fluxus art games. He challenges binary definitions of play, arguing for a pluralistic view where playfulness varies culturally and historically. MacDonald introduces the 'impossible reversal' as a style of playfulness seen in riddles, pinball, and Fluxus puzzles, characterized by passive engagement leading to sudden insight. He frames the mid-20th century as an 'era of design play', where focus shifted to designing player experiences rather than inventing games as machines. The discussion critiques Johan Huizinga and Roger Caillois, suggesting their theories obscure situational judgments in play. MacDonald uses diverse examples from Fluxus performances to Tetris to demonstrate a method that crosses disciplinary boundaries without rigid definitions. He explores corporate role-playing, tracing it to Jacob Moreno's 1920s therapeutic practices and its use in managerial training for emotional distancing. The conversation addresses gamification, arguing play is both subversive and an instrument of control, with play constantly outpacing structural constraints. MacDonald speculates on digital culture's role, citing alternate reality games, tabletop role-playing innovations, and parasocial interactions as emerging playful forms. He concludes by emphasizing play's plurality and historical change, hoping readers appreciate their own play practices. The episode ends with praise for the book's cover and a farewell.

As heard by us

A measured look at play as a cultural technology shaped by chance, theory, and power.

Play comes across here as more than a harmless break from serious life. Peter follows the way playful practices can harden into technologies, shaped by chance lines of cause and effect and gradually drawn into systems of power.

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Why you'd press play

You will hear play, game design, and systems of power placed on the same historical map.

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