David Thomas: On Becoming a Playvolutionary for Fun

<p>David Thomas: On Becoming a Playvolutionary for Fun</p><p>Dave's CliftonStrengths: Ideation | Strategic | Intellection | Input| MaximizerDavid Thomas hosts the podcast <a href="https://thefunquestion.com/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Fun Question</a> and co-founded <a href="https://professorsatplay.org/about/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Professors at Play</a> — the nearly-1,000-member "Playvolution" remaking higher education — and co-author, with John Sharp, of <a href="https://direct.mit.edu/books/book/4180/Fun-Taste-amp-GamesAn-Aesthetics-of-the-Idle" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fun, Taste, and Games</a> (MIT Press, 2019). His work argues that play isn't ornamental or adjacent to serious work. It's a distinct aesthetic with its own structure: ludic form, ambiguity, and set-outsidedness. </p><p>Recorded: Friday, May 8th, 2026</p>