Phil Salvador hosts a discussion with Dr. Wendi Sierra, author of Todd Howard: World Building in Tamriel and Beyond, and Emily Higgs Kopin. Dr. Sierra’s, associate professor of games studies at Texas Christian University, book follows the career history of the Bethesda Game Studios executive producer and his influence on game design throughout the years. Emily Kopin, head of digital collections strategy at the Swarthmore College Libraries, joins us as our guest expert on the Elder Scrolls franchise to make up for Phil’s tragic lack of extended time spent in this expansive universe. Wendi and Emily take Phil through discussions of Howard’s impact on world building through micro narratives, challenges of documenting emergent gameplay, importance of scoping research, and the influence of Howard’s design philosophy on modern gaming.

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See more from Dr. Wendi Sierra:

TCU Profile: https://honors.tcu.edu/view/wendi-sierra

Recent Publication: Gaming for the seventh generation: Indigenous Futurisms in games

See more from Emily Higgs Kopin:

Bluesky: @ehkopin.bsky.social

Latest Published Work: American Archivist

Swarthmore Profile: swarthmore.edu

Video Game History Foundation:

Email: podcast@gamehistory.org

Website: gamehistory.org

Support us on Patreon: /gamehistoryorg

Episode 146: A Monograph of Todd Howard