Critical Technology
The Critical Technology podcast (2020-2023) explored cutting edge research on the social, cultural, and political implications of new technological developments. Each episodes features an interview with a leading scholar of technology about one (or more) of their most recent publications. Initially launched as a COVID-19 pivot and funded by the Knowledge Media Design Institute (KMDI) at the University of Toronto, the podcast was produced, edited and hosted by Dr. Sara Grimes, with massive help and creative contributions from several outstanding UofT students and alumni (see credits for details). Critical Technology was nominated for a Canadian Podcast Award in the Best Technology Series category in 2023 (finalist, but not awarded), and was accepted into the Amplify Podcast Network’s Sustain Stream inaugural cohort in 2023-2024. Read the open access "postmortem" report about Critical Technology and the process of creating a podcast for academic knowledge mobilization here: https://utoronto.scholaris.ca/items/3e6d7ce3-d5ae-4c3e-a302-4ca3b52d85d4
Critical Technology
Transgressive/Toxic Play (Interview with Dr. Kelly Boudreau originally aired Mar. 15, 2021)
Digital gaming is a vital source of fun, relaxation, learning and social connection for kids and adults alike. But people don’t always “play nice” and games can also become the sites of interpersonal conflict, trolling, and seriously harmful behaviours. In this episode, Dr. Sara Grimes chats with Dr. Kelly Boudreau, a professor at the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, about her fascinating and timely research on problematic and toxic gameplay; the roles of these practices within gaming subcultures, and their sociological function as forms of boundary keeping.
This discussion is focused on Dr. Boudreau’s contribution to the ground-breaking new edited collection Transgression in Games and Play (2019, The MIT Press): a nuanced, multi-disciplinary exploration of transgressive game content and boundary-crossing player practices.
Type of research discussed in today’s episode: game studies; sociology; (sub-)cultural studies.
Keywords for today’s episode: problematic play; toxic player behaviour; gamer (sub)culture; transgressive play; trolls/trolling; boundary keeping; identity.
