** In June 2018, Ben Esposito was on his way to a game conference when he received a email that said his game had been stolen. **
The idea he had been working on for six years was already for sale, by someone else. It might have been inevitable. We examine what happens when a bigger company sees an opportunity in your personal small game.
We talk to creator of Donut County, Ben Esposito, the chief operating officer of Noodlecake Studios, Ryan Holowaty and many others about how a French media conglomerate operates and why there are so many mobile game clones.
Music on this weeks episode were thanks to the Free Music Archive. We used "Self-Driving" and "Sentimental" by Sro, "The first person crossing the bridge since a century" by Komiku, "I Used to Need the Violence" and "Rewound" by Chris Zabriskie, "Bargains" by Steve Coombs, "fascinating earthbound objects" by free energy, and "CopperNickle" by UncleBibby.
We're produced out of CJRU 1280 AM in downtown Toronto and made by Arman Aghbali and Daniel Rosen.
Find out more at: https://builttoplay.ca
It's summer crossover time! Here's a special episode with CJRU 1280 AM's comic book show Radio Free Krypton! Justin Chandler joins us as Arman and Daniel about what makes a great Spider-Man story. How do you make an authentic Spider-Man New York? Just how important is that Parker luck?
This episode was made possible thanks to donors to CJRU 1280 AM. Donate to our illustrious home base.
Thanks to the Free Music Archive for the following songs: "BMX Hero" by Pierlo, "Shun-in" by Pleiades.
Built to Play is a product of CJRU in the heart of downtown Toronto. It was produced by Arman Aghbali and Daniel Rosen.
If you like the show please subscribe and rate us online. It helps more people find the show and gives us an idea how we're doing. Find out more at: https://builttoplay.ca
E3 this year gave us a window into gaming's future. What's beyond it?
Phoenix Simms joins us for a conversation about game streaming, political discourse and the raddest video games at this year's E3.
You can find more of her work here: https://twitter.com/phoenixsimms
Music on this weeks episode were from Broke for Free, "Heart Ache" and "Warm Up Suit." We found them on the Free Music Archive.
We're produced out of CJRU 1280 AM in downtown Toronto and made by Arman Aghbali and Daniel Rosen.
Find out more at: https://builttoplay.ca
Gaming's annual grand exhibition, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is only a few more days away. But why does it look like a shadow of its former self?
Brian Crecente at Variety Gaming gives us a window into the organization behind the trade expo.
His story at Variety: Inside the Disarray Facing the Video Game Organization Behind E3
Thanks to the Free Music Archive for the following songs: : "Air Hockey Saloon" by Chris Zabriske, "Southside" by Lee Rosevere, and "Kopeika" by et.
Built to Play is a product of CJRU in the heart of downtown Toronto. It was produced by Arman Aghbali and Daniel Rosen.
If you like the show please subscribe and rate us online. It helps more people find the show and gives us an idea how we're doing.
We're ranking every video game ever made, and we're clearing out as much of Kingdom Hearts as we can:
New additions:
Thanks to OCRemix for the following songs: "Protect Your Kingdom" by Smooth4Lyfe, "Respite (Kingdom Hearts)" by Emunator.
Built to Play is a product of CJRU in the heart of downtown Toronto. It was produced by Arman Aghbali and Daniel Rosen.
If you like the show please subscribe and rate us online. It helps more people find the show and gives us an idea how we're doing.
We've been fascinated by Kingdom Hearts since childhood. But is a series worth going back to? We investigate the value of a long derided series by talking to fans who grew up with the series, and adults who are trying to make sense of it today.
Special thanks to Reid McCarter and Astrid Rose of Bullet Points' Blood of Friendship πx: Re: Podcast.
Thanks to the Free Music Archive for the following songs: "Lake Eerie Wolves" by Fields of Ohio, "Focus" by A. A Aalto.
Thanks to OCRemix for the following songs: "Protect Your Kingdom" by Smooth4Lyfe, "Respite (Kingdom Hearts)" by Emunator, and "Simply Be-groove-ed" by Tetrimino.
Built to Play is a product of CJRU in the heart of downtown Toronto. It was produced by Arman Aghbali and Daniel Rosen.
If you like the show please subscribe and rate us online. It helps more people find the show and gives us an idea how we're doing.
We continued to be haunted by a gamified spirit, as we recount the best and worst games of 2018.
Worst Game We Didn't Play
Best Game to Play Between the End of High School and Start of University
Best Game But From the Year 1993
Dan's List
Arman's List
Music used in this episode: Return of the Obra Dinn Main Theme by Lucas Pope, Destiny from Yakuza 6 - composed by Hidenori Shoji, Memories of Mother (Hip Hop Trap Remix) from God of War - originally composed by Bear McCreary, remix by Rifti Beats, Ressurections from Celeste - composed by Lena Raine
We like video games. We like them a lot. So now, we decided to rank them all from best to worst. We're starting with 8, and we'll soon have them all.
Tune in as Dan and Arman discuss the following games (submitted by the following people):
THANKS TO THE FREE MUSIC ARCHIVE FOR: “THE WHITE” AND “THE BLACK FRAME” BY ROLEMUSIC. IT’S DYING. PLEASE HELP IT.
BUILT TO PLAY IS A PRODUCT OF CJRU IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN TORONTO. IT WAS PRODUCED BY ARMAN AGHBALI AND DANIEL ROSEN.
So everything is broken: What do we do to fix the world we love?
Dr. Kishonna Gray tells us how to identify the legacy of issue facing the gaming industry, and how the gaming community can give us a small window into the future of society. Emma Vossen comes back to teach us a little more about gaming's leaky pipeline.
And heeeeere's part 2 of "Crisis of Toxic Nerds," a multi-part documentary investigating where the toxicity in geek culture comes from, and what we can do about it.
In this part, Radio Free Krypton hosts Justin and Jacob try to make sense of an old beast with a new face: Comicsgate. They speak to comics writer and editor Stephanie Cooke, rapper More or Les, professor Benjamin Woo and writer and PhD candidate Safiyya Hosein about how toxicity develops and the importance of diverse representations in comics.
Originally broadcast on CJRU 1280 AM in Toronto. Written and reported by Justin Chandler and Jacob Dubé. Produced by Jacob Dubé, Justin Chandler and Mitchell Thompson.
RFK-specific fund drive awards can be found here!
In partnership with Radio Free Krypton we're doing two (three) episodes on toxicity in nerdom. Our episode focuses on toxic masculinity in gaming specifically. We talk to talk to Laine "Superphrenic" Yuhas about Dota 2, sexism and her organisation, Desoladies.
Later, researcher Emma Vossen, an expert on gaming and gender, gives us a run down on what it means to be a gamer, and why that sucks for everyone.
PLUS: It's CJRU 1280 AM Fund Drive time! Together with Radio Free Krypton, we have a group goal of $140. If we can pull that off, we’ll do a full bonus episode together! In it, we’ll recap and analyse the new Spider-Man video game. It’ll be a blast, and we really want to do this.
Are Syrian refugees and a love of Spider-Man not good enough? Well, don’t worry, we have a few more incentives.
If you donate $5 you’ll be entered into a draw to win a copy of Monster Hunter World on a platform of your choice. So Xbox One. PS4. PC. You name it.
At $10 we’ll steal a formatting idea from War Rocket Ajax, and rank 7 of your video games of choice. So send us some names, and we’ll tell you if they’re better than Shadow the Hedgehog or worse than Super Metroid. Plus, you get a raffle ticket for Monster Hunter.
At $20 you’ll get all of that, and we’ll read a message of your choice on air.
This ONLY works if you use the B2P offer code. Visit store.cjru.ca to learn more about the program, and make a pledge!
Here's the games we might recommend you check out following this year's E3:
*Both of these are Canadian productions! Part of Beyond Good and Evil 2 will likely be made in Canada, but it's Ubisoft. Everything is made everywhere.
Thanks to the Free Music Archive for "My Sound" by Drum Kid and "Button" by Chad Crouch. Plus, OCRemix for "Incognito" by DjjD and "Smash and Burn" by WillRock.
Built to Play is a product of CJRU in the heart of downtown Toronto. It was produced by Arman Aghbali and Daniel Rosen.
If you like the show please subscribe and rate us online. It helps more people find the show and gives us an idea how we're doing.
By suing two media organizations, Quantic Dream has done something unprecedented. When it comes to their work environment though, it's distressingly average -- with sexual misconduct, shady contracts, and a disregard for the rules. We talk to journalists and a critic who have dove deep into what makes Detroit Become Human tick.
Thanks to the Free Music Archive for "silent eyes," "building stories," " and "unexplored corridor" by 2 Mello, and "Dream," by Chan Wai Fat, "Button" by Chad Crouch and "Sono Tranquile" by Obsibilo.
Built to Play is a product of CJRU in the heart of downtown Toronto. It was produced by Arman Aghbali and Daniel Rosen.
If you like the show please subscribe and rate us online. It helps more people find the show and gives us an idea how we're doing. Feel free to comment down below.
Thanks to the Free Music Archive for "If(you>us)" and "Snooze" by Yaul, and "What Does Anybody Know About Anything," and "Out of the Skies, Under the Earth," by Chris Zabriskie, and "Holy Enough" by Steve Coombs. Also "過去の思い出" by Mewmore.
If you like the show please subscribe and rate us online. It helps more people find the show and gives us an idea how we're doing.
We talk about what to call imperfection and we play some co-operative storytelling karaoke.
We look back at one of the most influential anthology of games - how its creating new ways to make money.
Games writer Walt Williams likes to crunch, but the rest of the industry may not have a choice.