Playing Life’s Game: Bridging Esports and Improvisation

Gamers Change Lives

Sep 9 2023 • 58 mins

Today we are speaking with Patricia Ryan Madson, a Professor Emerita from Stanford University, and author of the book: "IMPROV WISDOM: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up".

"The Gamers Change Lives Podcast" Episode with Tom Leonard & Patricia Ryan Madsen:

  • Special Guest: Patricia Ryan Madsen, author of "Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up" and Stanford Professor Emerita, brings her improv insights to the gaming conversation.
  • Mindset Matters: Patricia advocates for an "average" mindset to foster creativity and minimize pressure. The conversation touches on team dynamics, the value of positive reinforcement, and the essence of gaming.
  • The Universality of Improv: Patricia discusses the culture of improvisation, emphasizing its widespread appeal and ability to bridge generational, political, and ethnic divides.
  • Personal Growth: Patricia underscores the significance of self-awareness and self-improvement, highlighting the need to focus on our behaviors over attempting to change others.
  • The Power of Storytelling: Tom shares his experiences from Fiji and Thailand, emphasizing the universal human need for narratives and connection.
  • Closing Remarks: The episode wraps up with a look at "Silver gamers" and reinforces the podcast's mission - "Play games. Create jobs. Change lives."

Catch the full episode to delve deeper into the intersections of gaming and improvisation.

Episode Webpage: https://www.gamerschangelivespodcast.com/playing-lifes-game-bridging-esports-and-improvisation

Featured in this episode:

Patricia Ryan Madson

Patricia Ryan Madson is a world authority on improvising in everyday life.  She is the author of IMPROV WISDOM: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up. Random House, Bell Tower Books, 2005.  Her book has been translated into nine languages and is also an Audio and Ebook.

Patricia is a professor Emerita from Stanford University where she taught since 1977. In their Drama Department she served as the head of the undergraduate acting program and developed the improvisation program. In 1998 she was the winner of the Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award for Outstanding Innovation in Undergraduate Education at Stanford.

She is a frequent speaker for business and educational groups. Her corporate clients have included:  IDEO, Google, Gap Inc.'s Executive Leadership Team, The Lucille and David Packard Foundation, the Banff Centre for Leadership, Sun Microsystems Japan Division, Apple Computers, Adobe Systems, and Price Waterhouse.  She lives in El Granada, California with her husband Ronald and an elderly cat named Lyra.

Email: improvwisdom@gmail.com

Web Page: www.improvwisdom.com

Web Page: www.improvwisdom.blogspot.com

Also Mentioned: The Silver Snipers

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PRODUCTION:

Creator and host: Tom Leonard (USA) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomeleonard/

Producer: Reginald Nsowah (Ghana) - https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginald-nsowah-09352929/

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Play Games. Create Jobs. Change Lives.

This is a show about how to build an esports business from literally anywhere in the world where each week we showcase the journey of esports entrepreneurs and others to learn how they solved a particular problem that everyone will ultimately face.

In Season Three our theme is “Building a Business: Esports 101”.

I am your host, Tom Leonard. I have a background in entertainment marketing. After working with many amazing esports entrepreneurs from emerging markets, they inspired me to create a show to tell their stories so that others can be motivated to create their own esports business. Gaming and esports can create jobs tackling the problem of global youth unemployment. Creating jobs from playing games. What could be better than that?

Thanks for listening to The Gamers Change Lives Podcast!