Utopian game manifestos and 21st-century play

We're joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis), and Steve Gillham (OzymandiasAV) to discuss [REDACTED] hidden within the UFO 50 collection. Massive spoilers ahead!

Next week: Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games Presents: A Year of UFO 50 Finale Eggstravaganza - LIVE!(Airing live on Wednesday, September 17th, 2025 at 7:30pm CST at https://www.twitch.tv/eggplantshow)

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway

Discussed in this episode:

Eggplant Merch!

https://cottonbureau.com/people/eggplant-the-secret-lives-of-games-podcast

FuryForged – What dark secrets hide beneath the surface of UFO 50?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__FyJ-Obu9E

UFO 50 WRITE-UP v2

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yuVnnJDmKKGrlTIGVn1Zykp9Tpn4rthGFei1gztRAN4/edit?tab=t.0

MAPPING MUSIC TO MIAS

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kvdqYzJCO16-UAZV5tkTIrltzEOcQjQV/mobilepresent?slide=id.g30af015f402_0_0

MRMACDUGGAN'S GAME LORE SHEET

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JqOjkGkXjoRvE_uE-nc4bTfFOzcudvKP3WDanGdaio0/edit?gid=2032987708#gid=2032987708

TERMINAL 101

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Y2gHxlxKlm2jyTIY_7QoNOF6iUjhvfWnOO6mIy6P-H8/edit?gid=0#gid=0

Exeter Book Riddles

https://oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/exeter-book-riddles/

Mushroomy Kingdom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhNgQ16s-u8

Deadly Premonition OST – Life is Beautiful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzvXBFwcyek

Yume Nikki

https://store.steampowered.com/app/650700/Yume_Nikki/

Undertale

https://undertale.com/

Off

https://offtherpg.com/

Space Funeral the First

https://thecatamites.itch.io/space-funeral

Ib

https://vgperson.com/games/ib.htm

Petscop

https://www.youtube.com/petscop

UFO 50 Bandcamp

https://phlogiston.bandcamp.com/album/ufo-50

Miasma Tower Bandcamp

https://phlogiston.bandcamp.com/album/miasma-tower

B3313 Mario 64 Mod

https://b3313.fandom.com/wiki/B3313

Has anyone else seen this in miasma tower? i dont know how exactly to trigger it

https://www.reddit.com/r/ufo50/comments/1guzkfu/has_anyone_else_seen_this_in_miasma_tower_i_dont/

The Grasshopper (and "Words on Play")

https://broadviewpress.com/product/the-grasshopper-third-edition/#tab-description

Glider (Conway's Game of Life)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glider_(Conway%27s_Game_of_Life)

Eric Zimmerman Manifesto: The 21st Century Will Be Defined By Games

https://kotaku.com/manifesto-the-21st-century-will-be-defined-by-games-1275355204

Games Climbers Play by Lito Tejada-Flores

https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1968_files/AJ%201968%2046-52%20Tejada-Flores%20Games.pdf

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