78. Gaming Across Ages and Abilities with Dylan Kistler

Text us your thoughts about this episode. I met Dylan Kistler when I was working at Vanderbilt University and he was an undergraduate student there. Given our shared interests in games and education, we crossed paths several times, and we've stayed in touch since we both moved on from Vanderbilt. Dylan has launched a game publishing company, Kistler Games, that specializes in games that "empower players of diverse abilities, ages, and gaming experience to play together." Dylan reached out after my recent episode on gaming with a three-year-old, and I was excited to have him on the show. In this extra-long episode of the podcast, Dylan and I first discuss some of those games I play with the now-four-year-old and why they work well with players of different ages. Then we discuss the kinds of games that Kistler Games will be publishing. What does it look like to create games where people of different abilities—perhaps even radically different cognitive abilities—can play together? Dylan draws on his background in neuroscience and special education and his internship at Leder Games, the publisher of Root, to help us imagine what’s possible.  Episode Resources Kistler Games Kistler Games on Instagram "Learning at Play" recaps and blog posts Podcast Links: Order a First Player Token coffee mug. Visit the First Player Token website. Join the FPT Facebook group. Follow @firstplayertoken on Bluesky. Join the Family Tabletop Community on Discord.