Kevin Nguyen, author and Features Editor at The Verge, discusses his new novel "Mỹ Documents", what it means to write about video games, comparisons between mediums as a critic, and the unfortunate sale of Polygon.
Links
"Mỹ Documents" (Penguin Random House)
"New Waves" (Penguin Random House)
Strong Songs Podcast (Website)
Game Maker's Toolkit - Developing (YouTube)
Press Reset: The Story of Polygon (YouTube)
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Social
Guest: Kevin Nguyen
Bluesky
Video game journalist Andy Robertson discusses his new project Ludocene — a game discovery service in the form of a deck-building dating app. Ludocene is based on human-curated data and offers users the ability to augment their recommendations with filters and "Expert cards" — games journalists and trusted curators who've been paid to provide recommendations — to offer a truly one-of-a-kind discovery experience.
Andy also dives into his origins with video games and why he thinks they're important for people of all ages and the culture at large.
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Links
Ludocene (Kickstarter)
Family Gaming Database (website)
Taming Gaming (Unbound | Amazon)
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Social
Guest: Andy Robertson
Bluesky | Twitter/X
Writer and programmer Alanna Okun shares how video games influenced the recent decision to leave her tenured career in journalism for an education in interactive technology — a conversation through the boom and bust of the 2010s media landscape to a revelation of control and expression found in making video games.
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Links
bitsy (website)
Knit a Hat: A Beginner's Guide to Knitting (Microcosm Publishing)
NYU Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) (website)
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Social
Guest: Alanna Okun
Website | itch.io | Instagram
Pixar Creative Director (Theme Parks), Tasha Sounart, discusses her career journey, from animating at Pixar on A Bug's Life through Cars to directing Double Fine's Costume Quest, to her return to Pixar and overseeing the implementation of Pixar properties in Disney Parks. She shares how video games influence physical attractions, gaming as a family, and her fondness for RPGs and MMOs.
[DISCLAIMER: Kyle here. My Host audio quality is subpar in this episode. I failed to realize that I was peaking a bit when captured. AJ did everything in their power to clean this up, but there's only so much that can be done with poorly captured audio. I've listened back to this episode a few times and I don't feel it detracts from Tasha's interview whatsoever. That said, I'll be more mindful in the future.]
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Links
Pikuniku (website)
Pixar pixel-art tile artwork (LinkedIn)
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Social
Guest: Tasha Sounart
Mastodon | LinkedIn
Award-winning journalist and non-fiction writer, Simon Parkin, discusses his journey into journalism, curiosity about video games, the transition from 2D to 3D gaming, and informing the broader culture about the medium.
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Simon Parkin's website (with links to his books, articles, and audio)
simonparkin.com
My Perfect Console
shows.acast.com/my-perfect-console
Pushing Buttons newsletter from The Guardian
theguardian.com/games/series/pushing-buttons
Raiden (Youtube)
DoDonPachi (Youtube)
Return of the Obra Dinn
obradinn.com
Chants of Sennaar
rundisc.io/chants-of-sennaar/
"The Wager" by David Grann
davidgrann.com/book/the-wager/
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Social
Guest: Simon Parkin
Instagram | Twitter/X
Guest Show: My Perfect Console
Instagram | Twitter/X
Chris Plante, Editor-in-chief of Polygon and co-host of The Besties podcast, chronicles his journey into games journalism, his fondness for "7/10 (rated)" video games, and what makes video games different (and the same!) as other mediums.
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Polygon: Gaming and Entertainment News, Reviews, and More
Polygon.com
The Besties (podcast)
themcelroy.family/besties
The Besties (newsletter)
thebesties.substack.com
GameDiscoverCo (Simon Carless's awesome newsletter)
gamediscover.co
1994 Fisher Price Magna Mover Town
Youtube
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Social
Stephen Hilger, co-host of Into the Aether podcast, discusses the power of video games on childhood, art, and imagination.
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Into the Aether
intothecast.online
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Social
Guest: Stephen Hilger (Into the Aether)
Twitter/X | Instagram
Music industry extraordinaire and founder of Washed Up Emo, Tom Mullen, joins the show to discuss his lifelong fascination with video games, the link between music and games, staying relevant with the youths, and his love of strategy guides. Can you guess the song he brought to Guitar Hero III?
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Washed Up Emo
https://www.washedupemo.com/
Is This Band Emo?
http://isthisbandemo.com/
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Music
'Liminal Fields' by Vulture Feather
https://vulturefeather.bandcamp.com/album/liminal-fields
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Social
Guest: Tom Mullen (Washed Up Emo)
Twitter | Instagram
Y-Button producer AJ Fillari doubles up as a guest to discuss their fascination with games, why video games media doesn't get old, how chip tunes change their world, and why it's important to enjoy the simple act of playing.
Podcasts
Ten Very Big Books - A Malazan Read-through Podcast
https://www.patreon.com/tenverybigbooks
Into the Aether - A Low Key Video Game Podcast
https://intothecast.online/
Asynchronous - A Video Game Catch-Up Show
https://feeds.transistor.fm/asynchronous
Frog of the Week
https://frogpod.online/
Music
'Atebite and the Warring Nations' by Disasterpeace
https://disasterpeace.bandcamp.com/album/atebite-and-the-warring-nations
'Simulant Rain' by _amaranthine
https://amaranthine.bandcamp.com/album/simulant-rain
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Social
Guest: AJ Fillari
Twitter | Mastodon
Paul Levering and Paul Owens discuss the history of 2 Player Productions, the game development insights they learned over seven years of filming PsychOdyssey — Double Fine's 32 episode documentary of the making of Psychonauts 2 — and depths of artistry, critique, and misunderstandings of video games.
PsychOdyssey
https://www.doublefine.com/dftv/psychodyssey
2 Player Productions
https://www.youtube.com/user/2PlayerProductions
Behind the Scenes Making of Halo 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q69Msy8ttM
Twitter
https://twitter.com/2pproductions
Naoko Takamoto, Principle Producer at Double Fine Productions, shares how music led her into games and ultimately production, working at Double Fine and on Psychonauts 2, the challenges of working through the pandemic, and what games mean to her.
https://www.naokotakamoto.com/
Double Fine PsychOdyssey
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIhLvue17Sd70y34zh2erWWpMyOnh4UN_
Princess Problems
https://www.princessproblemsmusic.com/
That Handsome Devil
http://www.thathandsomedevil.com/
From creating a self-published zine, to writing for EGM, to working for one of the most innovative game studios in Enhance, Chris “CJ” Johnston shares his extensive journey in the industry, the games that opened his eyes to what’s possible, and the through line that holds it all together.
Mastodon
@superpac
Twitter
@superpac
Humanity
https://humanity.game/
Player One Podcast
http://www.playeronepodcast.com/
"Mystery Box" Vintage Video Game Magazines - Video Game History Foundation
https://the-video-game-history-foundation.myshopify.com/collections/featured-products/products/blind-box-vintage-game-magazine-subscription
Robert Ashley, host of A Life Well Wasted, talks about games journalism, podcasting, music, food, parenting, learning, and why he cares about video games.
A Life Well Wasted
https://alifewellwasted.com/
I Come to Shanghai
https://icometoshanghai.com/
Riot Games (League of Legends, VALORANT, Team Fight Tactics) Associate Art Director Lana Bachynski shares stories about her love of video games from a young age, her journey into animation, community in video games, work... in general... but also what it's like to work on something you love.
The Riot Games Super Art Power Hour | Episode 4: Animation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRMCGJk_hN8
DLC Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/dlcpod
Brendon Bigley (co-host of Into the Aether) shares his experience being around video games since birth, the tolls and triumphs of generating loads of video game podcast content, Sketch Turner, and the excitement of the unknown.
Into the Aether:
https://intothecast.online
Wavelengths Blog:
https://www.wavelengths.online/
Wavelengths Podcast:
https://www.wavelengths.online/podcasts/
Christian Spicer shares his story as a former attorney turned comedian, writer, and podcaster, and why he cares about video games.
https://www.christianspicer.com/
DLC Podcast with Jeff Cannata and Christian Spicer:
https://dlc.fireside.fm/
The Official Last of Us Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-official-the-last-of-us-podcast/id1514792212
