Recent Articles & Reviews by Dr. Matt Fleming

Matt Fleming is an educator, researcher, and crisis worker who lives on California’s stunning central coast. Matt is a middle-aged dude, who loves to read, write, and play board games - as well as to read and write about board games. Dr. Matt’s academic writing isn’t too hard to find, but scientific prose is similar to Vogon poetry, and best avoided.His earliest experiences beyond mass market games were with RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons (1E) and Traveller. He also played a lot of Avalon Hill wargames, and the original Star Fleet Battles, which became his first experience in solitaire play.

These days, Matt’s gaming preferences are as eclectic as his taste in music which runs from baroque to jazz and all the way to classic and alternative rock. As a classically trained trumpet player, he has experienced all of it, even performing under the legendary John WIlliams and for a certain mouse-adjacent entertainment company. .Matt is a former US Naval Officer who served during the first Gulf War. He has been married for over 34 years (to the same person), and has three adult children. After completing a PhD in cognitive psychology,he returned to board gaming as a way to avoid screens and decompress. He soon found that board games have many qualities that promote good mental health, and wellness.

Dr. Matt’s board gaming reflects his love of nature and science, his affinity for mythology, fantasy and science fiction, and his willingness to dive into complex and challenging situations. He believes that board gaming can be a bridge for people of different cultures, creeds, and views, and that if more people focused on the small things that fill our lives with love, hope, and joy, the world would be a better place. Those who know him best have compared him to Mr. Rogers and Ted Lasso, and Matt thinks that’s not too bad. And while he isn’t “that kind of doctor” he enthusiastically recommends a daily dose of gaming to keep the blues away.