Episode 24: Emily Friedman, Actual Play, Critical Role, and Utopianism

<p>In this episode, we speak with Emily Friedman, the Jean Wickstrom Liles Associate Professor at Auburn University, an 18th-century literary scholar by training who has become one of the leading academic experts on TTRPGs (tabletop role-playing games) like Dungeons &amp; Dragons and &#39;Actual Play&#39;.</p><p>In speaking with Emily about TTRPGs and Actual Play, we consider how playing TTRPGs or watching or producing Actual Play content can be considered utopian: they are collaborative practices, often hold progressive values, allow us to measure different modes of living in both utopian and dystopian settings, and are rooted in care.</p><p>Emily and Matt spend some time discussing Actual Play as a genre and consider how it unlocks possibilities not seen in other literary modes. This leads to a chat about Critical Role, one of the biggest Actual Play series (one of Matt and Liam&#39;s not-so-guilty interests!), and the utopianism found in the stories they tell and the community they have built.</p><p>In closing, Emily and Matt turn to the political elements of TTRPGs and Actual Play, with Emily then sharing details of her upcoming projects and making a few recommendations for our listeners.</p><p>You can find out more about Emily and her work on her <a href="https://www.ecfriedman.com/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">website</a>, on <a href="https://x.com/friede?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">X</a>, and on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/friede.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Bluesky</a>.</p><p>If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know! You can follow and rate the podcast, leave us a comment, or email us on <a href="utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com</a></p>