{"id":60326,"date":"2016-10-27T20:52:28","date_gmt":"2016-10-28T01:52:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=60326"},"modified":"2026-10-14T13:34:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T18:34:08","slug":"podcast-247-pleasure-limits-uses-boredom-antidote-excessive-irony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/character\/self-improvement\/podcast-247-pleasure-limits-uses-boredom-antidote-excessive-irony\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcast #247: The Pleasure of Limits, the Uses of Boredom, and the Antidote to Excessive Irony"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thanks to digital technology, modern life often promises us a world full of limitless possibilities where you\u2019ll never have to be bored again. But what if that promise of limitlessness and freedom actually contributes to our lives feeling dull, flat, and full of anxiety? What if embracing constraints and even boredom can give our lives more texture and heft?<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s what my guest today argues in his book Play Anything: <\/em><\/a>The Pleasure of Limits, the Uses of Boredom, and the Secret of Games<\/em><\/a>. <\/i><\/span>His name is Ian Bogost, he\u2019s a professor of philosophy and<\/i>, get this, a video game designer. Today on the show, Ian and I discuss why modern life can often be filled with existential angst, why we live in an age of irony that’s supercharged by the internet, and how looking at the world as a metaphorical playground can help you feel more grounded and present in reality. This show is full of counterintuitive wisdom and ready-to-work tools that can help you live a more fulfilling life. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thanks to digital technology, modern life often promises us a world full of limitless possibilities where you\u2019ll never have to be bored again. But what if that promise of limitlessness and freedom actually contributes to our lives feeling dull, flat, and full of anxiety? What if embracing constraints and even boredom can give our lives […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":195735,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[502,156,42388],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-character","category-podcast","category-self-improvement"],"featured_image_urls":{"large":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/247-538x280.png","medium_large":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/247-768x432.png","aom":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/247-372x230.png","reactor-320":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/247-320x180.png","reactor-640":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/247-640x360.png"},"yoast_head":"\nPodcast: The Pleasure of Limits and the Uses of Boredom | Art of Manliness<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What if embracing constraints and boredom can give our lives more meaning? 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