Disclaimers: Listener discretion is advised as we cover discussions of alcohol use and Adderall in this episode. We swear a lot and we want this to be an unfiltered experience so be aware of that before you listen. This is a mishmash episode. We use the Ace Attorney games as a precursor to have a full discussion of Maria's Capcom fandom and to reflect on questions on the legal system. Why does a prosecutor losing a case such a big deal? Why is the burden so heavy on the defense in Ace Attorney? Etc. We weave our discussions to examine layoffs and how capitalism creates a major struggle for people who love to create art. I also spend some time reflecting on the mission of Phenomena Gaming with this chaotic landscape. I give some brief notes about business incubators, social entrepreneurship, and worker owned cooperatives as a point of reflection. Overall, this is meant to be a reunion for Maria and I since we haven't recorded in a few months. We're excited to be back and I'm excited to engage more with our listeners as our responsibilities have integrated into our lives.

CW: Therapy, Mental Illness Castlevania's lore is focused on the Belmont family and their duty to protect the world from monsters and vampires. Generations of Belmonts have served to defeat Dracula and we highlight Simon in his journey from Castlevania 1 & 2. Maria and I discuss Simon's trauma, the unique narrative of men sharing emotion when societal narratives deeply discouraged men showing emotions other than anger. This has changed a little in the past 30 years but we still have a long ways to go. If you need emergency help with mental illness, please contact the National Suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Also, please seek therapy if you are noticing any symptoms. Life is very difficult and our circumstances as a society are steadily becoming more stressful. We also know there is a lot of privilege in this statement as mental health care is not easily accessible for everyone. However, we want to provide a base reflection from our own experiences and work with the community on how we actually create better conditions for people to access the care they need. This is the beginning of a conversation, not the end. Phenomena Gaming has a lot of goals for 2024 and we are excited to meet you as we start going to some local conventions. Our dream of a gaming focused worker cooperative will take all of us to want better conditions in gaming employment. We hope you will join this journey with us in 2024.

Maria is back for a series about Castlevania! This will be a 3 part series. Episode 1 highlights Rondo of Blood briefly and then spends the majority of the time on Symphony of the Night. We discuss lore, lost love, and Alucard. We love Alucard. Poor man trying to sleep and keeps being woken up by his father. Part 2 will focus on Castlevania 1 and 2 while Part 3 will be an overview of the themes throughout the entire series. You can reach Maria at Space-Kitty00. We are signing up for Convergence con this summer in Minneapolis where listeners can meet Maria and I. This will take place July 4th-7th. We're also developing a plan for social media and email engagement. Please sign up at www.phenomenagaming.com to stay posted on our episodes, blog posts, and future plans. 2024 is going to be an exciting year!

Maria is back! She guest stars on the podcast to talk about platonic male/female relationships in video games and the importance of seeing representation in gaming. We talk about social cues and how to build a philosophy. We didn't think we would teach that in this episode but we had a lot of fun. Maria is Space_Kitty00 on Discord.

No More Heroes is an apt title for a game when we think about how literature has evolved to include more anti-heroes and mixed motivations in character development. Maria gives a great breakdown of Travis Touchdown and how his development through the course of the No More Heroes series teaches us all about growth, goofy antics, and dispositional change over the course of one's life. I learned a lot about the series. Heavy spoilers are in this episode.

@HighleyGinger is back to talk about death in Death Stranding. Death is often uncomfortable and challenging and @Highleyginger covers it with grace. We discuss the beach, Heartman trying to find his family, and our pondering about Death Stranding 2. We are building our thoughts with a number of unknowns but it is a reflective and fun episode. Find Aly: Twitter: @HighleyGinger Bluesky: @HighleyGinger Discord: @MrsAlyCat

Twitter @HighleyGinger Discord @MrsAlyCat Bluesky @HighleyGinger Please support the podcast at patreon.com/phenomenagaming or subscribing on your favorite podcast service. Heavy spoilers for Death Stranding in this episode!!!! In this episode we will delve into the importance of critical engagement, connection, and navigating an apocalyptic world in Death Stranding. We have a good mix of science, ethical reflection, and deep dives on the characters of Death Stranding. Aly has some unique expertise and her reflection shone throughout this episode.

Amy comes on the Pixelated Plato Podcast to talk about horror and finding her own identity and interests in a challenging situation. We think about horror as a genre, I try my best to build atmospheric horror and Amy reflects on empathy and reading social cues as a person with ADHD. This was a really brilliant discussion and I learned a lot. Her Twitter is sillibean_ https://sillibean.com/ Her website has all of her links to social media. Unfortunately we lost the last few minutes to an upload error which was removed and explained in the editors' note. Hopefully we can get Amy back soon!

Ulana and I had a great discussion about Final Fantasy, friendship, and the inspiration of gaming for our lives. Ulana has become a great fantasy writer because of her grounding in Final Fantasy. We also talk a bit about Ulana's creative process and the game writing course she took. We have a link to the Narrative Department where you can register for the six week course Ulana mentions in the podcast. If you like the Pixelated Plato Podcast, support us on Patreon. www.patreon.com/phenomenagaming If you want to access Ulana's writing or interact on social media, see these links below. Website: https://www.ulanadabbs.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ulanadabbs Link to my latest book on Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Lumis-Legacy-Epic-Fantasy-Fiction-ebook/dp/B0C71WBWHS This is the link to Susan O'Connors website and the writing course Ulana mentions. https://www.thenarrativedept.com/

A great discussion on gaming as relationship building, growing in social awareness, and development of empathy. This episode is also promoting Ellie's half-marathon for SpecialEffect! Ellie shared her story about coming to know SpecialEffect and her passion for supporting the organization. We talked a lot about the good development of the heart and the mind and getting them to move together. To donate to support Ellie's half-marathon for SpecialEffect go to: https://www.justgiving.com/page/ellie-hayden-1683357460228?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=one_page&utm_content=page/ellie-hayden-1683357460228&utm_campaign=pfp-tweet&utm_term=eead0c58b5ca4eed923dafb29e85dcc8 Follow Ellie on Twitter: @ellieminimay

Come join Nathan and I for a conversation about Persona 4 Golden! We talk about Naoto and Kanji and reflect upon the journey to deal with the collective unconscious and our individual journeys of coming of age. Life can be exceptionally difficult and Persona 4 does a good job of highlighting the importance of authentic presence. You can find Nathan on Twitter: @nathanl75 Nathan's piece on Persona 4 Golden is below. https://medium.com/@nathanlamb75/acceptance-is-the-price-of-freedom-in-persona-4-6b3c7dcad82f

Maggie Jones Lutey, staff writer from Nintendo Force Magazine, comes to the Pixelated Plato Podcast to talk about her journey into games writing, the Trails series, and how Trails games have made her a better person. Some spoilers for Trails Games are present because we are using Trails for reflective purposes. Phenomena Gaming will also have a Spoilercast for Trails at a later time. Maggie's Contact information Twitter: @AvengerMags www.nintendoforcemagazine.com

We had a great conversation about representation in video games, PR work and a surprise mini conversation about Elden Ring. She gave a lot of great reflections on toxicity in video game communities and her story and intelligence is something you don't want to miss. Kaitlyn also had a game she wanted to promote called Raji: An Ancient Epic. https://rajithegame.com/ This game takes place in Ancient India. Featuring acrobatic combat, deep storytelling featuring Hindu Gods, and an embrace of Indian culture, this game I had not heard about before this interview but is definitely on my list. You can find Raji on Switch, PS4, XBOX and Steam.

First, support all anti-imperialist efforts, most particularly be aware and sensitive to the suffering which war brings. Today is a day for stillness and reflection. Second, I think Aloy is given an unfair reputation as being a flat character and this reflection is about social anxiety, trauma and changing opinions, and the difficulty of accepting love after periods of isolation.

New name, new format, same depth of reflection now with other gamers. Our first episode is with GameswithGrayce where we discuss how gaming has helped her build friendships and her streaming community. I learned a lot about horror and the cost genre. In addition GameswithGrayce's boyfriend helped me rename my podcast and GameswithGrayce helped with sound editing and recording as I learn how to use my new equipment. You can find GameswithGrayce on Twitter: @GameswithGrayce and on Twitch: www.twitch.tv/Gameswithgrayce

A nuanced reflection about NFTs, Blockchain, Crypto, and the Metaverse. A wondering about innovators and how to get transparent answers to questions that innovators are trying to solve. One segment because I got into a rhythm and just kept going.

Persona 5 Royal gives a great reflection about empathy and building long lasting connections which enrich the character's lives and which help the common good. I use the metaphor of a conservation reserve to reflect upon right relationship and how persona 5 Royal gives a good game mechanic to help build right relationship.

Trails of Cold Steel and Persona 3 tell stories of characters thrown into global conflict with different amounts of readiness. These stories help us reflect about how we can be ready for the situations where we become aware of the world not being in right relationship and how we can intentionally be different.

A journey to find what it means to build a new world, embracing the possibility and responsibility of creating and the limits of creating too small of a world.