Conference presentation
Performing an Imagined Antarctic Environment: Exploration through Admiral Byrd’s South Pole Game “Little America”
Biennial Academic Conference of the Standing Committee on Humanities and Social Sciences (SC-HASS), 2025 (Online, 07-Oct-2025–09-Oct-2025)
2025
Abstract
How does one nurture a society’s shared imagination of Antarctica during the mid-20 century? In December 1933, Parker Brothers Incorporated finalized an endorsement contract leveraging Admiral Richard E. Byrd’s celebrity status, their gaming expertise, increased American awareness of the Southern Continent and recent technological achievements into a commercial board game: Admiral Byrd’s South Pole Game “Little America.” Both parties sought to take financial advantage of Byrd’s Second Antarctic Expedition while the expedition’s reports and scientific discoveries absorbed American imagination during the Great Depression. Performance studies provides a theoretical methodology for unpacking the board game’s playing mechanics, the game’s licensing agreement and the potential gameplay impact on its players. To play Admiral Byrd’s South Pole Game “Little America,” players learnt gameplay mechanics (point-to-point map movement driven by a spinner device) alongside the game’s rules about performance. Throughout the course of the game, these imaginary Antarctic explorers describe their encounters on the Southern Continent through provided microphone game pieces. As a result, Parker Brothers crafts a game experience enhanced by the players’ Antarctic knowledge, their engagement with the expedition’s radio broadcasts and previous encounters with Byrd’s various engagement activities. Taken as a case study, this presentation argues that Admiral Byrd’s South Pole Game “Little America” offers a fascinating synthesis of mass communication, targeted engagement with popular culture, and commercialisation of Antarctic scientific endeavours.
Details
- Title
- Performing an Imagined Antarctic Environment: Exploration through Admiral Byrd’s South Pole Game “Little America”
- Authors
- Carl Walling (Presenter) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Business and Creative Industries
- Conference details
- Biennial Academic Conference of the Standing Committee on Humanities and Social Sciences (SC-HASS), 2025 (Online, 07-Oct-2025–09-Oct-2025)
- Date published
- 2025
- Grants
- Cultivating the Post-Heroic Age Antarctic Persona: Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd's Career in the Antarctic, 0980029212, University of the Sunshine Coast (Australia, Sunshine Coast) - UniSC
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991168645602621
- Output Type
- Conference presentation
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