Podcasts

Episode 190: It’s Dangerous to Go Alone: Co-Op Gaming in the Age of Online (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Spotify).

This week we talk about the joys and problems of playing games together in co-op mode. The struggles of playing games offline and on and, of course, Sam and Alisha talk about State of Decay 2…again.

What We’re Playing:

• Inside (iOS)
• Dead by Daylight
• Kitty Keeper
• Hearthstone
• Overcooked 2: Campfire Cook Off
• Borderlands (GOTY Edition)
• Truberbrook
• State of Decay 2

What We’re Reading

• Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
• Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard
• Games User Research
• Video Games Have Always Been Queer
• How to Play Video Games

What We’re Drinking:

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Old Fashioned
• Sneaky Sneaky (The Peach Edition)

Episode 189: New Dawn, Old Problems: A Conversation About Far Cry: New Dawn (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Spotify).

This week we are joined by TreaAndrea Russworm (UMass-Amerhearst) to talk about Far Cry: New Dawn (Ubisoft 2019), race, and representation.

 

What We’re Playing:

• The Division 2
• Night in the Woods
• Into the Breach
• State of Decay 2

What We’re Reading

• The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
• Gaming Representation ed. Jennifer Malkowski and TreaAndrea Russworm

What We’re Drinking:

• New City Mule Ginger Beer
• Old Fashioned
• Joes Cuervo 1800 Peach Margarita

Episode 188: You’re The Real MVP: Let’s Chat About the Xbox MVP Award (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Spotify).

This week Sam talks with EightBitBlonde (content creator, freelance community manager, and Xbox MVP) and Moto (content creator and Xbox MVP) about their work (and hers) in the games community, the MVP (Most Valuable Professional) Award Program, and other things game related.

What is the Xbox MVP Award? It is an award bestowed upon people who are “community leaders who’ve demonstrated an exemplary commitment to helping others get the most out of their experience with Xbox products and services…The award allows Xbox to recognize community leaders for their contributions, while bringing other voices into game, product, and service development through direct conversations, relationships, and the annual Xbox MVP Summit.”

What We’re Playing:

• The Division 2
• Yonder: Cloud Catcher Chronicles
• Anthem
• Tetris 99
• Apex Legends

What We’re Drinking:

• Water
• Coffee (Oddly this week we were all sick coming home from Summit)

Links of Note

• Xbox MVP Award Program
• Geeks Respawn (Moto’s podcast)
• Girls on Games (EBB’s podcast)
• EightbitBlonde on Mixer
• Moto on Mixer
• NYMG Episode 147 (Moto’s last NYMG appearance)
• NYMG Episode 180 (EBB’s last NYMG appearance)

Episode 187: Whatcha’ Reading (About Video Games)? (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Spotify).

This week we talk about some of our favorite books about video games. You knew we were book nerds before you got here!

What We’re Playing:

• Anthem
• Far Cry New Dawn
• Insane Robots
• Overcooked 2
• Last Year: The Nightmare
• Tetris 99
• Katamari Reroll
• Apex Legends

What We’re Reading:

• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia owens
• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
• Unapologetic: A Black, Queer and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements

What We’re Drinking:

• Homemade Sangria
• Whiskey and Ginger
• Ciderboys Pineapple Hula

Links of Note

• NYMG Episode 144 (On Katherine Isbister’s book)
• NYMG Episode 162 (With TreaAndrea Russworm and Jennifer Malkowski)

Episode 186: Ask Your Black Friend: On Using Other People’s Lives in Video Games (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Spotify).

This week we all played YIIK: A Postmodern RPG and we’ve come together to talk about it.

What We’re Playing:

• Samsara
• Smoke and Sacrifice
• Roterra
• Anthem (demo)
• Stardew Valley
• YIIK

What We’re Reading:

• The Gamer’s Brain by Celia Hodent
• Games User Research
• Computer Games and Technical Communication: Critical Methods and Applications at the Intersection 

What We’re Drinking:

• Ginger Peach Sparkling Water
• Red Blend aged in bourbon barrels
• Dry Ginger Ale and Whiskey

Links of Note

• American Horror Story: The Cecil Hotel

Episode 185: It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times (2018 Edition) (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Spotify).

This week look back on our favorite and least favorite games of 2018 and talk about the games we are looking forward to most in 2019.

What We’re Playing:

• Subnautica
• Diablo III
• Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
• Divinity Original Sin II
• Crusader Kings II
• Return of the Obra Dinn
• Bury Me, My Love

What We’re Reading:

• The Gamer’s Brain by Celia Hodent
• An Unkindess of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
• Rock Needs River by Vanessa McGrady
• Woke Gaming, eds Kishonna Gray and David J. Leonard.

What We’re Drinking:

• Pink Tea
• Peppermint tea and Horny Monk Belgian Style Ale (not together!)

Episode 184: On Thoughtful Gift Giving (For Holidays or Just Because) (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Spotify).

This week we talk we talk about thoughtful gift giving for holidays or just because. We hope that this comes in handy for some of you who may be finishing up your holiday shopping or thinking about what to buy loved ones on any other occasion. Giving yourself the change to tell them “I see you!”

What We’re Playing:

• Kingdoms and Castles
• Katamari Damacy Reroll
• Fortnite Creative
• Strange Brigade
• Mutant Year Zero
• Divinity Original Sin II

What We’re Reading:

• Into the Forest by Jean Hegland
• Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat
• Hunger by Roxane Gay
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
• An Unkindess of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

What We’re Drinking:

• Coffee and Grapefruit Vodka (no, not mixed together)
• California Roots Moscato
• Really bad vodka

Sound quality differs this week because Sam was accidentally using her headset mic. Blame it on the end of the semester!

Episode 183: On Forgotton Anne and Throwness: A Conversation with Valdemar Andreasen (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, and Spotify).

This week we talk with Valdemar Andreasen (@fauxvaldemar), Lead Game Designer on Forgotton Anne (Throughline Games). We have a conversation talking about design, connection, and the concept of thrownness in Forgotton Anne.

What We’re Playing:

• Persona 5
• 9-9-9
• Final Fantasy Tactics
• Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee
• Spyro Reignited
• World of Final Fantasy
• Reigns Game of Thrones
• Dead by Daylight
• Divinity Original Sin II

What We’re Reading:

• 21 Lesson for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
• Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval
• I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness – Austin Channing Brown
• Values at Play in Digital Games by  Mary Flanagan and Helen Nissenbaum
• Gaming Representation edited by Jennifer Malkowski and TreaAndrea M. Russworm
• Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

What We’re Drinking:

• Coffee and Water Kefir (Prune and Apricot)
• Red’s Apple Cider
• Orange Mango juice and mango vodka
• Mint Julep

Links of Note:

• Walking in Anne’s Shoes (Blog Post from Valdemar)

*We received one free code for Forgotton Anne for review purposes.

Episode 182: Just Watch Me!: A Conversation With T.L. Taylor (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, Spreaker, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, and Spotify).

This week Alisha and Sam (@saffista) are joined by the fabulous T.L. Taylor (@ybika) as we talk about E-Sports, live streaming, and her new book Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming.

Episode Note: there is a brief segment in recording where the audio goes wonky (yes, that is the technical term), we have reduced the distortion as much as possible but rest assured it lasts less than 2 minutes.

What We’re Playing:

• Classic Wow Beta
• Life is Strange 2
• Old Man’s Journey
• Fallout 76 (beta)
• Slay the Spire

What We’re Reading:

• Watch Me Play – TL Taylor
• I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness – Austin Channing Brown
• Post, Mine, Repeat: Social Media Data Mining Becomes Ordinary – Helen Kennedy

What We’re Drinking:

• Sparkling Water
• Ciderboys Pineapple Cider
• Pink tea and Eddy’s Peach Vodka

Links of Note:

• Watch Me Play Site
• Sam on Mixer

Episode 181: Would You Ever and Other Questions From the Community (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, and Spotify).

This week Alisha and I answer questions from folks in the community and tried out a new Booze and Games Pairing segment. Come see which booze we think goes with games that we choose for one another

What We’re Playing:

• Fallout 76 (beta)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
• Whispering Willows
• The Room
• Reigns: Her Majesty

What We’re Reading:

• Watch Me Play: TL Taylor
• Restart: Gordon Korman

What We’re Drinking:

• Ciderboys Lemon Cello Cider
• Ciderboys Lemon Cello Cider (with a shot of whisky)

Episode 180: Magic Colonizer Fingers: Let’s Chat About Lara Croft (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talk with Partnered Mixer content creator, blogger, podcaster, and freelance Community Manager and Consultant, Alicia Alexandra (@eightbitblonde) about Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018).

What We’re Playing:

• Maplestory 2
• Forza Horizon 4
• Figment
• The Gardens Beneath
• State of Decay 2
• Reigns: Her Majesty

What We’re Reading:

• Algorithms of Oppression by Safiya Noble
• Survive the Night by Danielle Vega
• To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Jenny Hahn

What We’re Drinking:

• Mango Raspberry Vodka and Grapefruit Sparkling Water
• Whisky and Ginger
• Mike’s Hard Lemonade

Links of Note

• EightBitBlonde on Mixer
• EightBitBlonde’s Blog
• Girls on Games

Episode 179: We Are All Indie(viduals) After All (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week Samantha, Alisha, and Jordyn sit down and talk about the indie games they’ve been playing lately. So if you are looking for some new indie titles to check out (or just want to hang out for a while) this is definitely the episode for you. Thanks to Nnooo, Artifex Mundi, and Smiling Buddha Games for providing us with copies of their titles.

What We’re Playing:

• Anodyne
• My Brother Rabbit
• Fossil Hunters
• Forgotten Anne

What We’re Reading:

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

What We’re Drinking:

• Lemonade and Deep Eddy’s Peach Vodka
• Whisky and Ginger
• Cranberry Wine

Links of Note

• Anodyne postmortem

Episode 178: Post-PAX “Parlay”: PAX West 2018 (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week Alisha and Samantha sit down and talk about PAX West, salty gamers, and whatever else comes to mind. NB in a huge Freudian slip Sam said Fortnite was her favorite Battle Royale when she clearly meant PUBG, LOL.

What We’re Playing:

• Strange Brigade
• Graveyard Keeper
• PUBG 1.0
• Donut County
• Various PAX demos (including The World Next Door, The Gardens Between, Ooblets, and Tunic)

What We’re Reading:

• Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

What We’re Drinking:

• Sweet Tea and Deep Eddy’s Peach Vodka
• Elysian Space Dust IPA

*Photo Credit: Gabriel Senaubar

Episode 177: You Say Social (Gaming) Like It’s a Bad Thing (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week Alisha and Samantha sit down and talk about social gaming (and social justice, of course) as we sit back and prepare for the beginning of the school year. We hope that you co-op this episode with your favorite gaming friends!

What We’re Playing:

• We Happy Few
• Black Ops 4 Beta
• Overcooked 2
• Candle: The Power of the Flame
• Flipping Death
• Design Home

What We’re Reading:

• Snotgirl (Graphic Novel)
• Moonstruck (Graphic Novel)
• Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

What We’re Drinking:

• Absolutely Nothing Fun!

Photo of Note:

The podcast is also available for download on iTunes, Stitcher, and TuneIn. Or add to your favorite podcast app using our RSS feed.

Episode 176: Gaming is For Everyone: On Games, Access, and Inclusivity (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we are joined by Melissa Boone and Jerome Hagan, User Researchers on Team XBox where they focus on Minecraft, online safety, and Gaming is For Everyone. This week we talk about education, access, and building inclusive spaces for gamers of all kinds. Definitely a great show to head back to school with. Apologies for the little audio glitches (they don’t last long).

What We’re Playing:

• Xenoblade Chronicles 2
• Grim Fandango
• Long Story
• Yoku’s Island Express
• Vermantide 2
• Sleep Tight
• Tanzia
• No Man’s Sky Next
• Paladins

What We’re Reading:

• Behold the Dreamer by Imbolo Mbue
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• Rock Steady by Ellen Forney
• Paula by  Isabel Allende
• The History of White People by  Nell Irvin Painter
• Near + Far by Cat Rambo
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
• Saga trade

What We’re Drinking:

• Strongbow cider
• Iced Passion Tea Lemonade and Mango Pineapple vodka
• Ginger -Lime Sparkling Water
• Malbec

Links of Note:

• Phil Spencer’s 2018 DICE keynote “Building A Living and Learning Company Culture” (Slides) (Video)

Episode 175: “I Have A…Nightmare?”: A Conversation About Detroit: Become Human (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we are joined by TreaAndrea Russworm (Associate Professor- U Mass- Amhearst, @ProfessorTMR) and Yussef Cole (Writer and Games Critic, @youmeyou) as we talk about Quantic Dream’s Detroit: Become Human. 

What We’re Playing:

• Hollow Knight
  
• Save the Date
• Floor Kids
• State of Decay 2
• Paladins
• Earthfall
• Defiance 2050
• Crash Bandicoot N’ Sane Trilogy

What We’re Reading:

• No Tea, No Shade ed. E. Patrick Johnson
• An Unkindness of Ghosts by River Solomon
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

What We’re Drinking:

• Deep Eddy’s Sweet Tea Vodka and lemonade
• Mango Tango “juice” and vodka

Links of Note:

• “‘Detroit’ Siphons and Squanders a History of Marginalized Struggle” by Yussef Cole
• Blackness is Burning: Civil Rights, Popular Culture, and the Problem of Recognition by TreaAndrea Russworm
• “Dystopian Blackness” from Gaming Representation: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Video Games

Episode 174: The Shape of Things to Come: Our Favorites From E3 2018 (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

With E3 ending this week Alisha and Sam have come together to talk about the games that they are most looking forward to in the coming year. Sam tries to keep it positive, but Alisha pulls her (kicking and screaming) into the saltiest of salt mines. A fast paced and fun look at some of our favorite E3 announcements.

What We’re Playing:

• Jurassic Work Evolution
• State of Decay 2
• Fallout Shelter

What We’re Reading:

• The Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

What We’re Drinking:

• Deep Eddy’s Grapefruit Vodka and Sprite
• Whiskey and Ginger Beer
• Golden Apple Pear GFuel

Episode 173: Hate-Play and Hashtags: A Conversation with Megan Condis (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we have a conversation with Megan Condis, author of the new book Gaming Masculinity: Trolls, Fake Geeks, and the Gendered Battle for Online Culture. We chat about toxicity and hope in the game community, academia, and elsewhere.

What We’re Playing:

• League of Legends
  
• Analogue a Hate Story
• Stardew Valley (Multiplayer beta)
• Subaeria
• State of Decay 2
• Fallout 4

What We’re Reading:

• This Book is a Dungeon by Nathan Meunier
• Gaming Masculinity by Megan Condis
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

What We’re Drinking:

• Moscow Mule
• Whiskey and Ginger Beer

Episode 172: Regular People in Irregular Circumstances: A Conversation with Undead Labs (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we are joined by Brant Fitzgerald and Geoffrey Card of Undead Labs as we talk about the zombie survival game, State of Decay 2. This time around we talk about mechanics, weapons, diversity, narratives, and surviving the apocalypse. State of Decay 2 launches May 22, 2018 so get out there and save the world!

What We’re Playing:

• State of Decay 2
  
• Frostpunk
• Far: Lone Sails
• Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles

What We’re Reading:

• Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin
• Jack Reacher novels
• Nikola Tesla biography

What We’re Drinking:

• Grapefruit Shandy
• Ace Pear Cider

Episode 171: Take the Cannoli: How Mafia (the game) Can Serve As a Model for Video Game Design (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we have a conversation with Alisha Karabinus and Rachel Atherton (@wrathertweets) about their research on how analog games, like the forum based social deception game Mafia, can serve as a model for video game design. Thus the episode title that pulls from The Godfather quote, “Leave the gun, take the cannoli.” that hints at leaving the forum and taking the design practices to make video games. So grab a glass of vino (or an espresso) and join us for another fun conversation because (surprise) Sam and Alisha get salty this week about Nintendo and Mojang making it impossible to play co-op with our kids.

What We’re Playing:

–Animal Crossing Pocket Camp
–Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon
–Slay the Spire
–Overwatch
–Darwin Project
–Splatoon 2

What We’re Reading:

–Children of Blood and Bone (also the selection for the book group in Sam’s Mixer community)
–Diversifying Barbie and Kombat
–The Toxic Meritocracy of Video Games

What We’re Drinking:

-Raspberry Seltzer Water
-Sweet Water 420 Extra Pale Ale
-Bourbon and Peach Tea
-Diet Coke

*Please note that purchasing anything from the Amazon links above gives us a small percentage to help keep the site running.

 

Episode 170: Mining for Lore: A Chat with Edgar Serrano On Mulaka and the Tarahumara (Click to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talked with Edgar Serrano (@EdgarLunarcito), Co-Founder and Director of Lienzo Studios, maker of Mulaka, a 3D action game based on the Tarhumara, an indigenous people living in the Chihuahua region of Mexico. This week we talk about the importance of integrating narratives, cultures, and histories into video games. Mulaka is a beautiful game and well worth playing. It’s available on Xbox, Switch, PS4, and Steam.

What We’re Playing:

• Super Mario Odyssey
• A Way Out
• North
• Where Are My Friends
• Mulaka
• Slay the Spire

What We’re Reading

• Radical Candor
• I Kill Giants
• Algorithms of Oppression
• Just Mercy

What We’re Drinking

• Coffee
• Angry Orchard Rose

Links of Note

• Mulaka Cultural Videos
• Mulaka Soundtrack
• Worldwinner (this week’s sponsor)

Episode 169: The Stories of The Station: A Conversation with Kevin Harwood (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talked with Kevin Harwood, the Creative Director & Producer of The Station Games (The Station). We had a great conversation about narrative and storytelling. We talk about the narrative experience of The Station and how it all came to be.

What We’re Playing:

• PUBG
• One Eyed Kutkh
• The Station
• Mulaka
• Slay the Spire

What We’re Reading

• Algorithms of Oppression
• Art of War
• Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
• Jordan Peterson

What We’re Drinking

• All of the German Beer
• Fever-Tree Ginger Beer and Jack Daniels

Links Of Note

• S. Gordon Harwood’s Gallery page (Art from Silas’s room in The Station which was drawn from this show)

Episode 168: She Came to Slay: A Conversation on Community Building and Video Games (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we are joined by NYMG and Mixer community member Nicole Kirchoff (@NKirc) as we talk about gaming, building community around games, and slaying monsters with friends. We had a great conversation and the salt flowed freely. For you Breath of the Wild fans you might say there was lots of Salt Grilled Fish!

What We’re Playing:

• Monster Hunter: World
• Minecraft
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance
• My Time at Portia
• Rock Band Rivals
• Slay the Spire
• The Long Dark

What We’re Reading

• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
• Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

What We’re Drinking

• 2 Towns Bright Cider
• Vodka and Seltzer
• Homemade Cranberry Malbec
• Fever-Tree Ginger Ale and Jack Daniels

Links of Note:

• Sam’s Mixer Channel
• “Me at 3 am” video (YouTube)

*posts may contain Amazon affiliate links to games and books mentioned on the show

Episode 167: No Such Thing As A Stupid Question: Taking On Your Questions (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week Alisha and Sam answer questions submitted to the show and throw in one (each) of their own. It was a shorter episode, but it was a blast. Send us more questions to answer!

What We’re Playing:

• Monster Hunter: World
• Staxel
• The Mind’s Eclipse

What We’re Drinking

• Coffee (and lots of it)
• Old Fashioned

Episode 166: Looking Back, Looking Foward: Our Favorites of 2017 and Most Anticipated of 2018 (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we chat about our favorite games from last year and the games that we are most excited to play in 2018. We’re joined by two new voices as two of our current guest writers, Amanda and Jordyn, chime in!

What We’re Playing:

• Beholder
• Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
• Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Orwell
• Mafia 

What We’re Drinking

• Pineapple Hula
• Red Wine (for everyone except Sam)

Episode 165: Thunderbird Strike and the Power of Indigenous Game Design: A Conversation with Elizabeth Lapensee (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we had an amazing conversation with the fabulous Elizabeth Lapensee, Indigenous scholar, artist, and game designer who talks with us about (among other things) her latest game, Thunderbird Strike. She shares with us her experience making the game and the political upheaval surrounding it.

What We’re Playing:

• Thunderbird Strike
• Smite
• Soma
• Your Toy
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2
• PUBG
• Fallout 4

What We’re Reading

• Eligible
• Baldur’s Gate 2
• Hoarders, Doomsday Preppers, and the Culture of the Apocalypse

What We’re Drinking

• Moscato
• Old Fashioned

Links of Note

• Elizabeth’s Site
• Links to download Thunderbird Strike (free)
• Vice Articles on Thunderbird Strike (Destroy Oil Pipelines as a Thunderbird in this New Video Game and Oil Lobbyists: Thunderbird Strike Video Game ‘Promotes Ecoterrorism’

Image Credit: Elizabeth Lapensee, Thunderbirds

Episode 164: On Minstrelsy and Mayhem: A Conversation with Yussef Cole (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talk to games journalist motion designer, Yussef Cole (@youmeyou) about his lastest research and article in Unwinnable, “Cuphead and the Racist Spectre of Fleischer Animation“, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, Super Mario Odyssey, and much more!

What We’re Playing:

• Assassin’s Creed: Origins (or Oranges)
• Rain World
• Super Mario Odyssey
• Bioshock Collection
• Minecraft
• Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
• Game Dev Tycoon
• Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

What We’re Reading

• Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman

What We’re Drinking

• Ace Pineapple Cider
• Egg Nog
• Old Fashioned

Links of Note

• Video Game Hour Podcast
• “Cuphead and the Racist Spectre of Fleischer Animation“
• “Pickaninnies and Pixels: On Race, Racism, and Cuphead at E3”
• “Critical Video Analysis: Cuphead, Fleish & Cherry, and the Influence and Impact of Classic Animation”
• Character Creator Episode: Cuphead’s Racist Grandparents (with Sam and Yusef)

N.B. Going back to look for old images from White Christmas I could not find images of the black face scenes (unedited?) so the burning question is have they been so effectively erased that they are forever lost or was the racism inherent in the practices used in the show so pervasive that my friends and I internalized the blackface images.

Episode 163: Two Tums: Hidden Agenda Spoilercast (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talk about Supermassive Games’ Hidden Agenda for Playstation 4. This is a true spoilercast. If you don’t want to know key parts of the game you may want to save this episode for after you play the game. We talk about story, writing, acting, and what the game all means. We have some very specific opinions about the game and some of the issues that we see as being deal breakers.

What We’re Playing:

• Hidden Agenda
• Farming Simulator 17
• Fortnite: Battle Royale
• Stardew Valley

What We’re Reading

• Lumberjanes

What We’re Drinking

• Sweet Red Wine
• Celebration
• Hot Tea with lemon and honey (for the sick and infirmed)

Episode 162: That Dude at a Party: A Conversation with Jennifer Malkowski and TreaAndrea Russworm (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week Alisha wanted to title the episode “That Tenure Money”, but we really talked about Jen and Trea’s new edited collection Gaming Representation and the ways that we see (or want to see) our scholarship as activist work. The title actually comes from a great story from TreaAndrea that deals with identity, authenticity, and explaining our work as “serious” scholarship.

What We’re Playing:

• NBA2K18
• PS VR Games
• Super Mario Odyssey
• Assassin’s Creed: Origins
• Horizon Zero Dawn
• Fortnite
• Hidden Agenda
• Stardew Valley

What We’re Reading

• Gaming Representation: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Video Games
• Esperanza Rising
• The White Album
• The Emperor of Ocean Park
• Feminist Activism and Digital Networks: Between Empowerment and Vulnerability
• Player and Avatar

What We’re Drinking

• Port
• Hot Apple Cider and Knob Creek
• Bourbon and Ginger
• Sierra Nevada
• Ace Pineapple Cider

Episode 161: Podcast, Please!: On Podcasts and the Problem of “Cool” Scholarship (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talk about doing podcasts (and other non-traditional work) as a form of scholarship and what that means for us as academics and members of the communities that we write and podcast about using Hannah McGregor’s Chronicle of Higher Education article, “Podcasting in Plain Sight” as a jumping off point. The salt flows freely as we critique the things we love.

What We’re Playing:

• Overwatch
• Fortnite: Battle Royale
• Stardew Valley

What We’re Reading

• Esperanza Rising

What We’re Drinking

• Bourbon and Sour
• Sweetwater Triple Tail IPA
• Vodka and Fruit Juice

Episode 160: Dad Jokes & Spooky Corn: A Halloween Special (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talk our favorite horror games and films as well as other gaming experiences that scared us (even if they weren’t supposed to be scary). It’s a great conversation to get you ready for Halloween. Kick back with a pumpkin ale or a pumpkin spice latte and give it a listen. By the way, don’t really write to Alisha and tell her why she’s wrong. Maybe we can get her to do the dramatic reading anyway.

What We’re Playing:

• Dishonored 2: Death of the Outsider
• Fortnite
• Destiny 2
• Pankapu
• Stardew Valley
• Limbo

What We’re Reading

• Paper Girls and Monstress comic trades
• Ready Player Two: Shira Chess

What We’re Drinking

• New Glarus Spotted Cow
• Knob Creek
• Menage a Trois Pinot Noir
• Whiskey Ginger/Old Fashioned

Links of Note

Tiltify campaign for our Puerto Rico Strong team marathon

Episode 159: Some People Just Need Killing: A Conversation with Hazel Monforton on Dishonored 2: Death of the Outsider (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talk with Hazel Monforton about her work as a writer on Dishonored 2: Death of the Outsider (Arkane Studios). Hazel is also a PhD candidate at the University of Durham finishing her degree in English Literature. We talk about the process of writing for games, how she came to work with the folks at Arkane, and most importantly lore and the amazing story of Billie Lurk. We keep it spoiler free as possible with the promise of a spoilercast to come!

What We’re Playing:

• Dishonored 2: Death of the Outsider
• Fortnite
• Maize
• Stardew Valley

What We’re Reading

• Crash Override: Zoe Quinn
• Nights of the Circus: Angela Carter
• Ready Player Two: Shira Chess

What We’re Drinking

• P&G Tips tea
• Sweetwater TripleTail Seasonal
• Coffee and Red Grapefruit sparkling water

Artist’s Note: Our featured image was created in-game by Brittany Adesso (@brittanyadesso). A beautiful tableau created in Dishonored 2.

Episode 158: The Two Jaakko Problem: The Problem of Representation in Game Studies (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we chat about the perils and pitfalls of having a particular history of a the field of game studies laid out in a journal special issue when there is an apparent lack of diversity, disciplinary representation, and more. The title “The Two Jaakko Problem” does not come from the fact that we have a problem with Finnish dudes named Jaakko, but rather that we see the limitations of having a number of scholars with similar demographics while having none that represent others.

Links of Note:
NYMG Call for Submissions

What We’re Playing:

• Conan Exiles
• Mario + Rabbids
• Overwatch
• Fortnite
• Make Hexa

What We’re Reading

• Getting Gamers by Jamie Madigan
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

What We’re Drinking

• Bourbon and Sour
• Grapefruit vodka and La Croix
• Vodka and Crystal Light

N.B. Podcast image created from a Wordle of all of the journal issue’s articles. Compiled by Alex Layne.

Episode 157: Navigating Spaces: Being Together In and Through Games (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we chat about always online games that don’t offer a single player experience. We talk about the positives and negatives (and the in-betweens) of this newly (?) popular experience. We also talk about Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and how representation matters. Finally we talk about Mike Meginnis’ short story “Navigators” and task you all with reading/listening to it and tweeting at us about it (@nymgamer).

Links of Note:

• Sam’s (nymgamer_saffista) Mixer channel http://mixer.com/nymgamer_saffista
• Alisha’s (nymgamer_alisha) Mixer channel http://mixer.com/nymgamer_alisha
• “Navigators” as read by LeVar Burton (on LeVar Burton Reads podcast)
• Mike Meginnis’ “Navigators” is also available in The Best American Short Stories 2012

What We’re Playing:

• Overwatch
• Fortnite
• Diablo 3
• Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

What We’re Reading

• Gaming Representation: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Video Games

What We’re Drinking

• Bourbon and Coke
• Ciderboys Pineapple Hula Cider
• Angry Orchard Cider

Episode 156 Pizza Party is the Best Party…Oh, and Our Video Game Summer Run Down (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we chat about what we’ve been playing this summer and what we are going to be playing to close the summer out before school starts back in a few weeks. We also talk about representation through character body types in Overwatch and Fortnite (aka thick thighs and lies?) , streaming as a gamer, and community building.

Links of Note:

• Sam’s (nymgamer_saffista) Mixer channel http://mixer.com/nymgamer_saffista

What We’re Playing:

• Overwatch
• Hearthstone
• Perception
• Board Games (7 Wonders, Splendor)
• Fortnite
• Path of Exile beta
• Dead Rising 4

What We’re Reading

• Poor Unfortunate Soul by Serena Valentino
• The Expanse by James S. A. Corey
• Vermillion by Molly Tanzer
• Comics (Paper Girls, Vision)
• The Gendered Society by Michael Kimmell
• The Proteus Paradox by Nick Yee

What We’re Drinking

• 4 Roses and Ginger Ale
• Ciderboys Pineapple Hula Cider
• Kirkland Vodka

Episode 155: Rebooting Boyhood and Playing Games For Girls: A Conversation with Carly Kocurek (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we have a conversation with Carly Kocurek, author of Coin-Operated Americans: Rebooting Boyhood at the Video Game Arcade (2015) and Brenda Laurel: Pioneering Games for Girls (2017) and developer of games like Choice Texas. We chat about Al Capone and money laundering, Disney and film preservation, video games (of course), and much more.

What We’re Playing:

• Overwatch
• Ever Oasis
• Perception
• Lego Dimensions

What We’re Reading

• Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer
• Mort (Discworld) by Terry Pratchett
• Technofeminism by Judy Wajcman

What We’re Drinking

• Dogfish Head Namaste White
• Cider Boys Peach County

Episode 154: 2017 E3 Wrap Up: What We Loved and What We Didn’t (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

As a follow up to episode 153, this week we talk about what we saw and played at E3 as well as talking about the things that we are most (and least) excited to get our hands on.

What We’re Playing:

• Super Lucky’s Tale
• Ashen
• Refunct
• Overwatch

What We’re Drinking

• Varied Cranberry Peach mock/cocktails

Episode 153: Champagne Wishes and E3 Dreams (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week in the podcast we talk what we want to see (or not) at E3. A good conversation between Sam and Alisha about upcoming games and what the future holds for gaming hardware with the concept of things being called Elite.

What We’re Playing:

• Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Pokemon Moon
• Sara is Missing
• Hearthstone

What We’re Drinking

• Cider Boys Peach Country
• Bourbon, pineapple, and ginger ale

Episode 152: Then is Not Now: On Nostalgia in Games (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week in the podcast we talk about nostalgia in and around video games. We also talk a lot about playing games with our kids because we do that sometimes.

What We’re Playing:

• Crusader Kings II
• Flock
• Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Prey
• Pokemon Moon
• The Witness
• Sara is Missing
• Hearthstone

What We’re Reading

• Both of us are getting ready to go to a conference

What We’re Drinking

• Abita Andygator
• Old Bardstown Bourbon Sour
• Bourbon, pineapple, and ginger ale

Episode 151: Coming Together Over Streams: A Conversation with Justin Clark (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week in the podcast we are joined by Twitch streamer Justin Clark (Twitch & Twitter: TrueZeldaFan) as we talk about the culture of streaming, why he streams, and lots of things in between.

What We’re Playing:

• Persona 5
• Nier: Automata
• Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Cities: Skylines
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Hearthstone
• Mass Effect: Andromeda

What We’re Reading

• City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World’s Largest Refugee Camp by Ben Rawlence
• When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

What We’re Drinking

• H2O
• Kona Brewing Co. Coco Brown
• Old Bardstown Bourbon Sour

Episode 150: On Recognition, Representation, and Revolution: A Conversation with TreaAndrea Russworm (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week in the podcast we had an amazing conversation with TreaAndrea Russworm (@ProfessorTMR) is an associate professor at UMass Amhearst, author of Blackness is Burning: Civil Rights, Popular Culture, and the Problem of Recognition and co-editor of From Madea to Media Mogul: Theorizing Tyler Perry and the forthcoming Gaming Representation: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Video Games. Check out our conversations that span everything from film to fiction to comics to video games.

What We’re Playing:

• Virginia
• NBA 2K17
• The Sims 3 (link to TreaAndrea’s Sim’s Let’s Plays)
• Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Hearthstone
• Overcooked
• Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy Ep. 1

What We’re Reading

• Black (comic) by Kwanza Osajyefo
• The Heatstroke Line by Edward L. Rubin
• Uberfication of the University by Gary Hall
• Blackness is Burning by TreaAndrea Russworm

What We’re Drinking

• port
• 3 Floyds Space Station Middle Finger & Deep Eddy’s Grapefruit vodka and tonic
• Some abomination of Angry Orchard cider, bourbon, honey, and cinnamon

Episode 149: Now You See Me: On Streaming Games and Representation (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week in the podcast that was cursed (aka the cursedcast) we talk about streaming, streamers, and representation as an part of our ongoing series of podcasts talking to streamers from marginalized populations. We lost our original podcast but the guest we had scheduled will be back soon.

What We’re Playing:

• Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Mass Effect: Andromeda
• Hearthstone
• Blackwood Crossing
• The Sexy Brutale

What We’re Reading

• Between the World and Me
• The Homesick Phone Book

What We’re Drinking

• Ace Perry Hard Cider
• 3 Floyds Gumball Head
• New Glarus Spotted Cow

Episode 148: It’s All Fun and Games: On Childhood, Play, and Video Games (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, BlogTalk Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week are joined by early childhood education specialist Heather Bernt (@ece_nerd) of the Cause An Effect podcast and Lauren Woolbright, Assistant Professor of New Media Studies at Alma College. We had an amazing conversation about the role of play in early childhood and elementary education. We shared a lot about our own experiences as educators and parents, and had a lot of fun while doing it.

(During the episode I mistakenly said that this was episode 149 when it is indeed episode 148. Sorry for the confusion.)

What We’re Playing:

• Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Mass Effect: Andromeda
• Horizon: Zero Dawn
• Little Inferno
• The Flame and the Flood
• Fallout 4
• Little Big Planet 3
• Never Alone
• Yahtzee with Buddies

What We’re Reading

• Video Games and Creativity
• The Geek Feminist
• Jane Eyre
• Changing Minds: The Art and Science of Changing Our Own and Other People’s Minds

What We’re Drinking

• Shiraz in a tub glass
• Mountain Town Brewing Company: Train Wreck IPA
• Blake’s Hard Cider: Archemedes
• Blake’s Hard Cider: Wake Fire

Episode 147: On Streams and Things: A Chat With Girl Tribe Gaming’s Jen (@MotoOnXbox) (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

In this week’s episode we talk with Jen (@MotoOnXbox) co-founder and podcast host at Girl Tribe Gaming and streamer on Beam

What We’re Playing:

• Halo Wars 2
• Riptide GP: Renegade
• Gems of War
• Shift Happens
• Horizon: Zero Dawn
• Leaving Lyndow
• Metal Gear Solid V
• Kentucky Route Zero
• Another Lost Phone

What We’re Reading:

• The Girl with All the Gifts M.R. Carey
• Speak Laurie Halse Anderson
• The Dark Side of Game Play ed. Torill Elvira Mortensen and Jonas Linderoth

What We’re Drinking:

• Whiskey and Ginger
• Deep Eddy’s Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka and Diet Sierra Mist

Episode 146: Sometimes We Play Games on Boards (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

In this week’s episode we talk about board games with our guest Tony Bushner. There’s also lots of talk of TCG’s and Hearthstone because that is how we roll sometimes.

What We’re Playing:

• Sushi Go
• Splendor 
• Oregon Trail
• Exploding Kittens
• Roll for the Galaxy
• Ticket to Ride

What We’re Reading:

• Surfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind by Andy Clark
• The Ellie Chronicles by John Marsden
• The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

What We’re Drinking:

• Barefoot Moscato
• Ace Pineapple Cider
• Moscow Mule
• Kirkland vodka and soda

Episode 145: Sometimes You Have to Kill Things: On Games and Self-Care (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

In this week’s episode we talk about games and self-care. We spend some time talking about the games we play to soothe our souls. We welcome comments from others about what they play (or if they do) as a part of their own self-care regimen.

What We’re Playing:

• Poochy and Yoshi’s Woolly World Demo
• Stardew Valley
• Pokemon Moon
• Diablo 3
• Hearthstone
• Linelight

What We’re Reading:

• The Advancement of Learning by Francis Bacon
• Tomorrow series (Book 6) by John Marsden
• TheMis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson

What We’re Drinking:

• Barefoot Moscato
• Four Roses and ginger ale
• Birthday Cake tea

Episode 144: The F*ck You Line: Games and Emotion (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

In this week’s episode we talk about games and emotion using a chapter from Katherine Isbister’s book How Games Move Us: Emotion by Design. We talk about the emotions that developers expect us to feel and those that they don’t. We also spend some time thinking about what we want games to be able to do for us socially, culturally, and politically.

What We’re Playing:

• Final Fantasy XV
• Stardew Valley
• Pokemon Moon
• Final Fantasy Explorers
• Diablo 3
• Pocket Card Jockey

What We’re Reading:

• Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man’s Education Book by Mychal Denzel Smith
• The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle Treasury
• Tomorrow series by John Marsden
• The Deathsniffer’s Assistant by Kate McIntyre

What We’re Drinking:

• Ace pineapple hard cider
• Whiskey and ginger ale
• Wine!

Episode 143: Best, Worst, and Everything In Between: GOTY 2016 (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

In this week’s episode we talk about our picks for GOTY as well as the games we wish we had never played (and everything in between). And when all is said and done we talk about the two games that we are most looking forward to in 2017. Happy New Year, folks!

What We’re Playing:

• Final Fantasy XV
• Dishonored 2
• Invisible Inc
• Hearthstone

What We’re Reading:

• Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man’s Education Book by Mychal Denzel Smith
• Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood by Liesl Shurtliff

What We’re Drinking:

• A pitcher of piña coladas
• Smirnoff Grapefruit Vodka

Episode 142: 2016: A Podcast Year in Relief (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

In this week’s episode several of us have chosen our favorite podcast moments from the last year and brought them together with our thoughts. It’s a great short(er) episode to wrap up the year. We hope that you enjoy listen to it as much as we have enjoyed recording these podcasts. Happy New Year all!

Episode 141: All I Want for Giftmas (2016 Edition) (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

In this week’s episode we take some time to talk about gifts that we’d like to give to or receive from folks in our lives. Our suggestions range from digital and analog games to Legos (of course). Just a bit of a light hearted show as we all prepare for the winter holidays. So pull up a glass of wine and join us.

What We’re Playing:

• Swapdoodle
• Dishonored 2
• Slime Rancher
• Pokemon Moon
• Tomorrow Children
• Oregon Trail (Card Game)

What We’re Reading:

• Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man’s Education Book by Mychal Denzel Smith
• The Girl with All the Gifts by Mike Carey

What We’re Drinking:

• Wildcat Creek: Lafayette White
• Messina Hoff: Orange Muscat

Episode 140: Racism and Worldbuilding in Mafia III: A Conversation with Joshara Edwards (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

In this week’s episode we talk with Joshara Edwards. Joshara is a game developer at Blind Squirrel Games who worked on projects such as Mafia III, XCOM 2, and Bioshock: The Collection. Hang out with us as we talk about Mafia III, narrative, and world building. It was an amazing conversation. 

N.B. In a fit of passion I said Rekia Boyd when I should have said Renisha McBride.

Intro: 0.00
Whatcha playing, reading, drinking: 3:54
Conversation: Actually starts during the Whatcha Playing segment 20:50

What We’re Playing:

• Mafia III
• Gwent (beta)
• Borderlands: The Prequel
• Hacknet

What We’re Reading:

• Ark of Bones Henry Dumas

• Playful Identities, Or the Ludificiation of Culture

What We’re Drinking:

• Stone Ruination IPA
• Grapefruit vodka
• Ace Pineapple Cider

Episode 139: When Horror Gets Real: The Halloween Episode (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talk about what we are playing and watching as we all hold our own private Halloween celebrations. Thinking through horror games like Night Terrors (iOS) and television series like Black Mirror (especially season 3 episodes 2 and 4) and HBO’s Westworld and the connections that we see to Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR).

Intro: 0.00
Whatcha playing, reading, drinking: 3:24
Conversation: 22.05

What We’re Playing:

• Mafia III
• Ginger: Beyond the Crystal
• Night Terror: The Beginning
• Heathstone
• Thumper
• Until Dawn

What We’re Reading:

• Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown
  

What We’re Drinking:

• Maui Brewing Co. Pineapple Mana Wheat
• Boulevard Cranberry Orange Radler
• A whole bottle of an unnamed Moscato
• Tito’s Screwdriver

Episode 138: “Her Name is Moon-Moon!”: Remasters, Sequels, and A Tale of Games to Come (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talk about what we are playing and looking forward to in the coming couple of months as we find ourselves situated in the middle of a bountiful of new release riches. Alisha rants about all of the 2s and redo’s and Jynx laments the fact that The Last Guardian may just never come.

What We’re Playing:

• Mafia III
• Kingdom Hearts: 3D
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Heathstone
• TellTale Batman Episode 2
• Stardew Valley

What We’re Reading:

• Game of Thrones 
• Death By Video Game
• Witches Abroad

Episode 137: A Turtle Named Shelly: Firewatch With Me (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we come together to talk about turtles, bees, and mysteries in the Wyoming mountains. That’s right we’re talking about Campo Santo’s Firewatch which was (finally)released last week for the XBox One after having been well received on PC and Playstation 4.

Listen in as we talk about narrative, bodies, and our own conspiracy theories.

Intro: 0.00
Whatcha playing, reading, drinking: 3:45
Conversation: 22.40

What We’re Playing:

• Firewatch
• Recore
• Castles
• Her Story
• Zenith
• Bioshock 
• Borderlands 2

What We’re Reading:

• Getting Gamers: The Psychology of Video Games and Their Impact on the People Who Play Them by Jamie Madigan

Episode 136: Dangerous Depictions: A Conversation with Tommi Godwin (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we are joined by guest, Tommi Godwin. Tommi is a veteran, she was an officer, a sentinel, and a woman deployed in Iraq in 2005-2006. She blogged during her deployment and for a bit afterward and it was fucking amazing.

We had the distinct pleasure of talking to Tommi about the depiction of female soldiers in games, the roles of women in the deployment situations, and the importance of human connection and understanding.

Intro: 0.00
Whatcha playing, reading, drinking: 7:02
Conversation: 33.51

What We’re Playing:

• Hack, Slash, Backstab
• Pac-Man
• Galaga
• Earthlock
• 7 Days to Die (Ps4)
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

What We’re Reading:

• How Games Move Us: Emotion By Design by Katherine Isbister
• Black by Kwanza Osajyefo
• The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
• The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

Things of Note

• Tommi’s talk at Pecha Kucha Roanoke, April 2012, entitled “I am a Veteran: one veteran’s story of coming all the way home” where she tells us what veterans need and how to thank a veteran. (YouTube link)
• Tommi’s deployment blog, Sentinel 47: Gatekeeper
• NYMG’s upcoming Stop Soldier Suicide Gaming for Good Event

Episode 135: Just Too Canadian: A Conversation on Feminist Game Studies with Emma Vossen  (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talk with outgoing Editor-in-Chief  of First Person Scholar, Emma Vossen (University of Waterloo) about feminist game studies, “doing” game studies as a woman, and the nature of games criticism.

Intro: 0.00
Whatcha playing, reading, drinking: 4:29
This week we are engaged in conversation that begins during the “Whatcha Playing” segment and continues throughout.

What We’re Playing:

• No Man’s Sky
• Twilight Princess HD Remake
• Uncharted
• Hack, Slash, and Backstab
• The Park
• Dex
• Splendor (iOS)
• Battlefield 1 Beta
• Beyond Good and Evil

What We’re Reading:

• How Games Move Us by Katherine Isbister
• MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood
• The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule

Episode 134: Hauntings: A Conversation with The Deep End Games’ Amanda Gardner  (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talk with writer, producer, and co-founder of The Deep End Games, Amanda Gardner about their upcoming horror game, Perception. We had a great conversation about literary influences, sound design, and more. We were frequently visited by demons that didn’t want us to record and interrupted us at appropriately scary moments. Be aware that we left one demon visit in just for effect and adjust the sound so that it doesn’t scare the heck out of you the way it did us!

Intro: 0.00
Whatcha playing, reading, drinking: 4:25
This week we are engaged in conversation that begins during the “Whatcha Playing” segment and continues throughout.

What We’re Playing:

• Resident Evil 7 demo
• No Man’s Sky
• Uncharted 4
• Inside
• Uncooked

What We’re Reading:

• House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
• Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
• Wind Pinball by Haruki Murakami
• The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

Episode 133: On Toxic Activism with Gil Almogi: Ignore the Trolls and Focus on the Systems  (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talk with freelance games writer Gil Almogi about games, social media, and the work of activism. Gil was a joy to have on the show and we had a wonderful conversation about how we might better deal with cultural and community problem by looking at the big picture.

Intro: 0.00
Whatcha playing, reading, drinking: 13:39
This week we are engaged in conversation that begins during the “Whatcha Playing” segment and continues throughout.

What We’re Playing:

• Pokemon Go
• Story of Seasons
• Rockband 4
• Furi
• Headlander
• Neverwinter
• Minecraft PE

What We’re Reading:

• Racism without Racists by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
• Women in Game Development ed. Jennifer Brandes Hepler
• Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
• Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Episode 132: Fade to White: Colorblind Racism in Games (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talk about what role race and racism play in representation and characterization in video games. Our conversation gets deep, we talk about the foundations of specific racist beliefs and practices and how we see these things reflected specifically in some games. With all of the racialized violence that is going on in the world around us we see this as being a conversation that is necessary to have over and over again.

Intro: 0.00
Whatcha playing, reading, drinking: 4:06
Issue of the Week: 43:42

What We’re Playing:

• Pokemon Go
• Inside
• The Division
• Dots and Co.
• Story of Seasons
• Song of the Deep
• Transistor
• Tumblestone
• WoW

What We’re Reading:

• Racism without Racists by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
• The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
• The Truth by Terry Pratchett
• Pyramids by Terry Pratchett

Episode 131: Gamer Classes and Gamer Personalities: What Kind of Gamer Are You? (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we talk about our own personality traits and how they align (or not) with the roles we play in games and how we game. Affected by the murders of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling this week, we have a discussion of the importance of representation in video games.

Games Played:

• Pokemon Go
• Lost Sea
• Inside
• 999
• Don’t Starve: Reign of Giants
• Rogue Legacy
• The Division
• Overwatch
• WoW

 

Episode 130: The Games We Need: A Conversation with Evan Narcisse (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week we are joined by pop culture critic Evan Narcisse (@EvNarc) to talk race and video games. Sit back and listen as we talk about everything from this year’s E3 showings, upcoming consoles, and representation in games and comics.

Games Played:

• Diablo 3
• Heathstone
• Minecraft
• Stardew Valley
• State of Decay
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2
• Uncharted 4
• WoW

Episode 129: Gay Farming; On Digging, Dating, and Identity Politics in Stardew Valley (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

This week Jynx joins us for their first podcast and we have a little fun. In this episode we talk about our experiences and expectations playing Stardew Valley. As always there are comparisons to Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing. Come see what all we have to say about this sleeper hit from Chucklefish Games.

Games Mentioned/Played

• Quantum Break
• Uncharted 4
• Diablo 3
• The Division

Photo credit: Jynx Boyne

Episode 128: Never Alone and the Gifts of Our Ancestors: A Conversation with Amy Fredeen (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

Last night we were privileged (nay blessed) to have a conversation Amy Fredeen of the Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC). Amy is the Executive Vice President and CFO of CITC as well as the CFO of E-Line Media and the Lead Cultural Ambassador on the beautiful platformer Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna).

The week we talk about tribal memory, stories, community, connection, and where the idea for the game came from (as well as the steps that it took to get there). Once in a great while you experience something so powerful that it helps you realize the connection between souls, bodies, and stories and that was the experience that we had with this podcast.

Understanding the connection between other people and their stories can also help us to understand our connections to our own stories. Through that sense of connectedness we are given the opportunity to learn to respect and appreciate each other and our interconnectedness. This knowledge of connection is the gift of her ancestors that Amy Fredeen shared with us this week. And this is the gift that we, in turn, share with you.

Games Mentioned/Played

• Quantum Break
• Overwatch
• Uncharted 4
• Until Dawn
• The Last of Us
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Destiny
• This War of Mine
• Fruit Ninja
• State of Decay

Books We’re Reading

• Diamond Age
• Midnight Riot
• Utopian Entrepreneur
• Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat

What We Were Drinking

• Pinot Grigio/Colombard Blend
• Underwood Rosé

Episode 127: Brains and Games: A Chat With Deborah Budding on Neurodiversity and Games (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

In this episode we talk with Deborah Budding (@Nebula63), neuropsychologist and podcaster at neurocurious.org

This week we talk about neurodiversity, brains, and games. We also about environmental, social, and cultural factors at work (and play). It was a wonderful conversation that gave us a chance to discuss the intersectionality of neurodiversity (causes, support, etc).

Games Mentioned/Played

• Quantum Break
• Sunken Secrets
• Overwatch Beta
• Diablo 3
• Sailor Moon Drops
• Witcher 3
• Uncharted 4
• Tropico 5 (Ps4)
• Crusader Kings 2
• Stardew Valley
• Minecraft
• Portal 2
• Sea Hero

Books We’re Reading

• Whistling Vivaldi
• High Desert
• We Have Always Lived in a Castle

What We Were Drinking

• Crispin Hard Pear Cider
• Ballast Point Watermelo Dorado
• Abita Purple Haze
• Abita Big Easy IPA

Episode 126: A Conversation Under the Shade Tree With André Brock.  (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn).

In this episode we talk with André Brock (aka @DocDre). André is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Michigan and is currently completing a book on social media, Black identity, and the digital divide.

This week we talk about a whole lot of fascinating stuff from life as game scholars to the importance of ratchet culture in social media. We also learned about where André and Kishonna are going to be in the coming academic year. We run a bit long this week, but it is worth every damned minute of it!

Games Mentioned/Played

• Gears of War 4 Beta
• Star Wars Battlefront
• Quantum Break
• Letterpad
• Sunken Secrets
• Sunset Overdrive
• Lucid9
• Don’t Starve
• Salt and Sanctuary
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Mad Max

Books We’re Reading

• So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
• I’m Not a Slut by Leora Tanenbaum
• Rivers of London 

Episode 125: Speaking Light Into the Darkness: A Conversation with Nico D.  (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

In this episode we talk with Nico D. (aka@appleciderwitch) formerly of the Justice Points podcast. We had a fascinating conversation about internet shaming, Rust, and feminist game studies and podcasting. We learned what what she is up to now and what may be coming for her next.

Games Mentioned/Played

• Stardew Valley
• Sailor Moon Drops
• Lego Dimensions
• Miitomo
• The Flame in the Flood
• Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

Books We’re Reading

• So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
• I’m Not a Slut by Leora Tanenbaum
• Gaming on the Edge by Adrienne Shaw
• The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart
• Madwomen and Muses

Episode 124: Alison Rapp, Nintendo, and the Future of the Games Industry (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

In this episode we talk amongst ourselves about Nintendo’s termination of Alison Rapp, online harassment, and the future of feminism in and around the games industry. Grab a drink and settle in.

Games Mentioned/Played

• Stardew Valley
• Walking Dead: Michonne
• Lego Dimensions
• Miitomo
• The Flame in the Flood
• Gems of War
• Bravely Second (demo)
• Oxenfree
• Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam

Episode 123: Where the River Takes Us: A Conversation with Gwen Frey of The Molasses Flood (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

In this episode we talk with Gwen Frey from The Molasses Flood the developers of the new indie survival roguelike (yeah, that’s all kinds of awesome) The Flame in the Flood about the Southern Gothic, survival, and procedurally generated maps. Gwen was an amazing guest and much hilarity ensued. We hope that you enjoy this episode as much as we did.

Gwen Frey is the Technical Artist/Animator and a co-founder of The Molasses Flood, developers of The Flame in the Flood (XBox One, Mac, and PC).

Links of Note

• Scott Sinclair, artist
• Chuck Ragan, musician
• Job Simulator: The 2050 Archives

Games Mentioned/Played

• Pokemon Yellow
• Clash Royale
• Anatomy
• The Flame in the Flood
• Oxenfree
• State of Decay
• Metal Gear Solid V
• Disgaea 6
• This War of Mine: The Little Ones

Episode 122: “We Got You A Pony!”: A Conversation with Lauren Stone and Travis Stout (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

In this episode we return to Trumbull Valley for more discussions with folks from behind the scenes on State of Decay, the game that shuffles on (in the most positive sense) for us like a horde of ravenous undead. We keep playing, and discussing, and this time we got to sit down with the game’s lead writer, Travis Stout, and Lauren Stone the voice of two characters, Lily Ritter and Becca Collins. We talked State of Decay as the game that was promised, in a sense, the game that actually does manage to include all kinds of people, including a disabled woman, Black folks who actually survive (maybe), queer characters, diverse body types, and even a sex worker — and we learned that Alisha has to adjust the diversity research, because two of the characters previously uncertain were confirmed Asian!

Lauren Stone is now lead writer on Rainbow Six Siege for Ubisoft Montreal and we talk a little bit about that as well. Travis Stout is currently a script writer for Ubisoft Montreal working on For Honor. Also: don’t forget to check out episode 104, in which we talked all things State of Decay with the game’s lead designer, Geoffrey Card, another designer (and friend of the site who sometimes pops into Twitch streams), Brant Fitzgerald, and Drew Hobson, the voice talent behind Marcus, Sasquatch, and more (including some undead).

Games Mentioned/Played

• Pokemon Yellow
• Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright
• Skylanders
• Anatomy
• The Flame in the Flood
• TWD: Michonne
• State of Decay
• Metal Gear Solid V
• Far Cry Primal
• Panda Pop
• Darkest Dungeon
• Rainbow Six Siege

Episode 121: Everything Is Awful: But For Now We Fight (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

The episode in which we talk about our lives and how we see them matching up with the questionable methods of disagreement on the internet. It reminds us all that even when everything is awful, we continue to fight because we have to. We also talk about the National Breast Cancer Foundation mammothon that we held on February 13 and remind folks that they have until February 29th to donate (you’ll find a direct link to our donation portal here).

Games We Played:

• Cibele
• Destiny
• King’s Quest Episode 2
• The Magic Circle
• Metal Gear Solid V
• Pony Island
• Skylanders: Trap Team
• State of Decay
• This War of Mine: The Little Ones
• Unravel
• Until Dawn
• Yo Kai-Watch

Episode 120: Who’s Your Daddy?: Society’s Take on Faulty Fathers and Monstrous Mothers (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

The episode in which we talk about Joe Williams’ early access Steam game, Who’s Your Daddy, and how it reflects on the way maintain society sees mothers, fathers, and gender roles. We take this opportunity to explore these issues critically and passionately, and sometimes with an expletive or six (as we do), and we talked about our upcoming streaming marathon for charity. We’ll be raising money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation on February 13 with all-day streams. Help spread the word, and come on by while we play (you’ll find a direct link to our donation portal here).

Games We Played:

• Who’s Your Daddy (obviously)
• Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
• Yo-Kai Watch
• Her Story
• Clockwork Tales
• Undertale
• Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2 (Beta)
• Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
• Until Dawn
• Life Is Strange
• Zheroes

Books We Read:

• Half-Real by Jesper Juul (though some of us recommend The Art of Failure instead!)

Episode 119: Sometimes We Study Vaginas: The 5th Anniversary Episode (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

Tomorrow marks our fifth(!) anniversary, and in celebration, we gathered the whole current crew for this episode to talk games, origin stories, and why some of us refuse to give Bungie any more dollars (for now). Because we had a full crew, we’ve got a big list of games and more for you in these notes. Thanks for five great years of blogging and podcasting, friends — and here’s to five more!

Games We Played

• Metal Gear Solid V
• Kentucky Route Zero
• Shadowgate (remake)
• Star Wars Battlefront
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows
• The Sims 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
• Knack
• Destiny: The Taken King
• Lego Dimensions
• Gems of War
• Hasbro Live
• State of Decay 
• A Bird Story
• Neko Atsume

Books We Read

• Homo Ludens by Johan Huizinga (again, forever)
• A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster
• And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
• Saga by Brian K. Vaughn
• Lumberjanes by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Noelle Stevenson
• Bitch Planet by Kelly Sue Deconnick
• Rat Queens by Kurtis J. Wiebe

Episode 118: Who Gets to Be a Gamer?: A Conversation with Latoya Peterson (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

In this episode we talk to the fabulous Latoya Peterson, creator of Fusion’s Girl Gamer documentary. A rousing conversation about gaming as women, online games community, and so much more.

Games that We Played:
Bloodbourne
Cibele
The Beginner’s Guide
Rainbow Six: Siege
Assassin’s Creed
A Bird Story
Tomb Raider
State of Decay

Links of Note:
Girl Gamer Documentary
The Tits Have It (Kotaku)

Episode 117: Lost in Liminal Space: A Chat with Melissa Bianchi (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

In this episode we talk to Melissa Bianchi from University of Florida about her research . We talk about things from liminal space to animal studies.

Games That We Played:
Pneuma
Never Alone
Destiny
Don’t Starve
Cibele
Submerged
Tomb Raider
Until Dawn
Fallout 4

Some Things We Read
Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss
Gun with Occasional Music Jonathan Letham
All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr

Episode 116: Submerged: An Interview with Ed Orman of Uppercut Games (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

In this episode we talk to Ed Orman of Uppercut Games about their beautiful games, Submerged (2015). In this show we talk about diverse characters, game design, and nonviolent games.

Games That We Played:
Book of Unwritten Tales 2
Cibele
Destiny
Don’t Starve
Submerged
Tomb Raider
Until Dawn

Episode 115: Life is…Weird: On Choice and Consequences in Life is Strange (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

This episode we sit down and talk about DONTNOD’s episodic game, Life is Strange. All of it, filled with spoilers, and pulling no punches. Join us as we talk about the choices that we made through our individual play throughs and what they mean.

Games We Played (many. we played many games.)

• State of Decay
• Until Dawn
• Life is Strange
• Fallout 4
• Submerged
• Tales of the Borderlands
• Book of Unwritten Tales 2
• Void and Meddler
• Fallout Pip-Boy
• Don’t Starve
• Cibele
• Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain
• Halo V
• Whispering Willows
• Assassin’s Creed: Unity
• Diablo III

Some Things We Read:

• The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

Episode 114: No One Benefits From Exclusion: A Conversation with Lauren Warren (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

This episode, we sat down with Lauren Warren of Black Girl Nerds to talk first-person shooters, transferable skills, and Lauren’s Diversity in Gaming project (here’s a recent one!), and by the time we were done, we were ready to duel BGN for the right to keep her forever. This is a sometimes-raucous, sometimes-serious episode that is not to be missed.

Games We Played (many. we played many games.)

• The Beginner’s Guide
• Undertale
• State of Decay
• Civilization 5
• Halo 5
• GTA V
• Halo Reach
• Dying Light
• LEGO Dimensions
• Portal
• NBA 2K16
• Mario Kart
• Super Smash Bros
• The Last of Us
• Super Mario Maker
• Life is Strange
• Minecraft: Story Mode
• Soda Dungeon (iOS)
• Star Wars Battlefront Beta
• Yo-Kai Watch (demo)

Some Things We Read:

• Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, Jeremy Scahill
• The Modern Mercenary: Private Armies and What They Mean for World Order, Sean McFate
• The Meaning and Culture of Grand Theft Auto, Nate Garrelts
• Self-Inflicted Wounds: Heartwarming Tales of Epic Humiliation, Aisha Tyler
• Living Out Loud, Dr. Steven Alvarez
• Library of Souls, Ransom Riggs
• The Island of Dr. Libris, Chris Grabenstein

Episode 113: Scared Shitless and Loving It: What to Play, Watch, and Read This Halloween (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

The episode where we talk about all of our favorite scary books, games, and movies that we’re using to put us in the mood for Halloween and, yes, to have a bit of

Games We Played

• World of Warcraft
• Tony Hawk 5
• Castlestorm
• Hearthstone
• Lego Jurassic World
• Civilization 5
• SW Battlefront
• Mario Maker
• 12hrs
• State of Decay
• Dragon Age: Inquisition
• Her Story
• Splendor
• The Walking Dead Season 1
• Super Mario Maker
• Lego Dimensions
• Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer
• Johann Sebastian Joust
• Faerie Solitaire
• Splendor (boardgame)
• 7Wonders (boardgame)
• Machi Koro (boardgame)

Spooky Movies We Mentioned (and Some We Didn’t)

• The Babadook
• La Horde
• Inside
• The Devil’s Backbone
• Cube
• Mama
• The Children
• Night of the Living Dead
• 28 Days Later
• The Thing
• The Descent
• Audition
• Ginger Snaps
• Rose Red
• Storm of the Century
• Hellraiser
• Pan’s Labyrinth
• The Strangers
• Dark Skies
• A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
• Shaun of the Dead
• The Witches
• Hocus Pocus
• Silence of the Lambs

Books We Read

• Missing 411

Spooky Games We Mentioned

• Outlast
• P.T.
• Fatal Frame II
• Resident Evil 2
• The Evil Within
• Resident Evil
• Eternal Darkness

Episode 112: On LatinX Nerds and Hispanic Heritage Month: A Conversation with Sylvia Monreal (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

We sat down with Sylvia Monreal of ¿Como Se Dice Nerd? to talk about her Hispanic Heritage Month Game Jam, Latinx identity in gaming spaces, and some contenders for our all-time favorite games in this latest episode. Check out her Twitter and Tumblr accounts, as well as the game jam, which is ongoing through October 15 and open to all.

Games We Played

• 12hrs
• Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer
• Animal Crossing: Wild World
• Depression Quest
• Destiny
• Dragon Age: Inquisition
• Her Story
• Johann Sebastian Joust 
• Lego Dimensions

(Some) Things We Read

• What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning and Literacy
• Dragon Age: The Masked Empire

Episode 111: On Anita Sarkeesian: Ti**ies as Reward (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, orTuneIn).

This show is definitely not for the easily offended. Tonight we talk about Anita Sarkeesian’s latest mini-episode on women as reward in DLC and MGSV’s Quiet…because photosynthesis…and titties.

Games

• Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS
• Until Dawn 
• Skylanders Trap Team
• agar.io
• Shadowrun: HK
• Dragon Age: Inquisition
• Splatoon
• Peggle
• Limbo (3rd times a charm for Charlotte)
• Lego (actual Lego bricks)

Books

• Gaming at the Edge
• Geronimo Stilton: The Phoenix of Destiny: An Epic Kingdom of Fantasy Adventure

Episode 110: Back to School Special: Learning With, Through, and Around Games (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

With school starting recently for all of us, we’ve been thinking a lot about games as educational spaces. In this episode we talk about lots of different ways (and things) that we have learned from and through games and play. Charlotte also talks about Lego and serious play!

Games

• Tales from the Borderlands
• Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS
• Little Healer
• Lego Jurassic World
• Don’t Starve Together
• Until Dawn 
• Lego (actual Lego bricks)
• Analog Games
  • Splendor
  • Machi Koro
  • Flip City
  • Clue

Books

• Metal Gear Solid
• From Playgrounds to Playstation: The Interactions of Technology and Play

Episode 109: Games, Identification, and Culture: A Conversation with Adrienne Shaw (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, or TuneIn).

Not a milestone episode numerically, but what a shift: we added contributor Bianca Batti to the podcast crew (finally!) and were joined by our dear friend Kishonna Gray and we talked to Adrienne Shaw about Gaming at the Edge, LGBTQ research, identity, and more. A long show, but worth it, especially if these folks keep coming back.

Games

• Ingress
• Assassin’s Creed (several)
• Angry Birds Space
• King’s Quest 
• Life is Strange 
• Minecraft 
• Fallout Shelter 
• Shadowrun Hong Kong
• Alphabear
• Game of Thrones
• agar.io
• Depression Quest
• Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
• ​The Magic Circle
• ​Beyond Eyes
• NES Remix
• Mario Kart
• Smash Brothers

Books

• Metal Gear Solid
• Lumberjanes
• Rat Queens
• Playing with Power
• Death of a Suburban Dream: Race and Schools in Compton
• Black Marxism

Episode 108: Love is a Battlefield: Games That We Love (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes or Stitcher).

Tonight we just sat down and talked about some of our favorite games and why they are our favorites. It was lighthearted and fun and we hope that you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it!

Games We Played

• King’s Quest Episode 1
• Life is Strange Episode 4
• Splendor (Boardgame)
• Flip City (Boardgame)
• Lego Jurassic World
• Nevermind
• Her Story
• Minecraft
• Don’t Starve Together
• Rock Band 3
• Alphabear

Books We Read

• God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
• Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
• The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
• The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

Episode 107: A Conversation with Dr. Kishonna Gray (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes or Stitcher).

We don’t always get to sit down with other academics who care as much about games as we do, but when we do, we talk for hours… and that’s what happened when Dr. Kishonna Gray stopped by the podcast. Gray, Assistant Professor in the School of Justice Studies at Eastern Kentucky and the author of Race, Gender, and Deviance in Xbox Live, talked with us about online spaces, activism, the importance of training designers in analysis and critique, among other things, and somehow we managed to have a good time. Seems impossible while navigating such heavy subjects, but Dr. Gray is a treasure. We hope she’ll come back!

Games We Played

• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Smite
• Battlefield: Hardline
• Alphabea
• DA: Inquisition
• Don’t Starve Together
• The Fall
• Dwarf Fortress
• Mighty Switch Force! 3DS
• Jotun
• Monument Valley
• The Last of Us Remastered

Books We Read

• Race, Gender, and Deviance in Xbox Live: Theoretical Perspectives from the Virtual Margins by Kishonna Gray
• The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks
• Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty
• Stiff: Curious Life of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Episode 106: This Ashly Burch Interview Is Strange… (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes or Stitcher).

Or maybe it’s just awesome! Who knows, really? What we do know is this: we talked Life Is Strange, Adventure Time, voice acting, writing, mental illness, and we even got to ask “Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin?” (Spoiler: she’s playing some Legend of Zelda.) You won’t want to miss what guest Ashly Burch had to say about life, the universe, and everything in between.

Links of Note

• HAWP Patreon (support season five!)
• NYMG’s Invisibility Blues Kickstarter
• Develop awards (Life Is Strange won two awards!)
• HAWP Official YouTube Channel

Games We Played

• The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
• Super Mario Bros 2
• Alphabear
• Toren
• Monument Valley
• The Path
• Fallout Shelter
• Elder Scrolls Online
• Dragon Age: Inquisition
• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
• Thomas Was Alone

Books We Read

• Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
  
• Cinder by Marissa Meyer
  
• The Lewis Man by Peter May
• Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft

Episode 105: Dialogue, Critique, and Privilege (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes or Stitcher).

For Episode 105, we welcomed three friends of the show in to talk about some difficult topics. We were joined by Dr. Cody Reimer (congrats on the new position!), PhD student Patrick Love (who’s been on with us before), and friend of the show* Terry Babb, a Purdue student studying engineering and sustainability. Gamers all, and challenged this week to help us talk about:

• separating critique from attack
• looking at one’s own privilege
• discussing privilege and inequality
• games, games, and more games

After a lot of disagreement, moments of clarity and clarification, rousing discussion, and laughter, we figured out one thing, at least: we like games a lot and we need critique.

*he has to be, really — he’s Alisha’s husband

Games We Played

• Mortal Kombat X
• Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup
• Elder Scrolls Online
• Her Story
• Lego Jurassic World
• Viva Piñata
• Super Mario World
• Fallout Shelter
• State of Decay
• Don’t Starve Together
• Super Mario 3D Land
• …and a whole lot of Hearthstone

Episode 104: Because the Apocalypse Is About People, or An Interview with Undead Labs (Right click and save as to download, or you can find us on iTunes or Stitcher).

It’s not any kind of secret that we like State of Decay — we’ve written extensively on Undead Labs’ title since its original 2013 release, and with the release of the Year One Survival Edition (YOSE), we’ve been talking about the gang in Trumbull Valley all over again. For the 104th episode of our podcast, we were joined by the game’s lead designer, Geoffrey Card, another designer (and friend of the site who sometimes pops into Twitch streams), Brant Fitzgerald, and Drew Hobson, the voice talent behind Marcus, Sasquatch, and more (including some undead). We even had a cameo from Mark Jessup at the end! The result was a rollicking blast of a show featuring a lot of passion for all things undead, and a nomination of the UL team for presidents of gaming (and not just because of the sweet couch in their HQ). But you’ll hear all that for yourself. In the meantime, here are some of the things we talked about while making Drew show off his Marcus voice:

Indie Game of the Week: Survivalist

Games Played and Discussed

• State of Decay YOSE
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
• Fallout Shelter
• Batman: Arkham Knight
• Invisible, Inc.
• Lego Jurassic World
• Dungeon Defenders II
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2 (no one mentions 3)

Miscellaneous

• Drew Hobson’s site with DJ information and more (Seattle-area friends, go see the man do his thing)
• To watch the actual Google Hangout of our interview check it out on our YouTube channel
• Alisha’s video of 1000 deaths in State of Decay: YOSE 

News

• Same-sex marriage in Fire Emblem
• The Batman: Arkham Knight debacle
• Transgender NPC in Guild Wars 2

Verdict: Broken games are a terrible thing, but Brant shed some good light on how that can happen, and also, we yearn for a day when same-sex marriage and transgender characters are so commonplace as to not be news items.

See you in two weeks!

Episode 103: E3 and the Year of Fours (Right click and save as to download, or hit us up on iTunes or Stitcher).

Our show was long, the news was deep, and it was late, late, late when we crept away to sleep (or to play video games after hours of discussing them). We previewed E3, talking confirmations, rumors, dashed hopes, and machine gun pauldrons. Look at all the GIFs being spawned! Oh, and we’ll get games out of it, too. Here are a few we talked about:

• Halo 5
• Fallout 4
• Doom (4?)
• Uncharted 4
• Mirror’s Edge Catalyst
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Battlecry
• Star Wars: Battlefront
• Hyrule Warriors
• Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate
• Lego Dimensions
• No Man’s Sky
• Bravely Second End Layer
• Until Dawn
• Ratchet and Clank
• Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
• Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer
• Yoshi’s Woolly World
•  Forza 6
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

And we talked about the new controllers (boo) and the TB models of new consoles and rumors of Nintendo’s new hardware. Speaking of rumors, there are a lot of games and franchises that aren’t confirmed for E3 (or in some cases, at all) that were mentioned. Here are a few of those:

• Dishonored 2
• Pokémon Z
• Paper Mario 5
• The Legend of Zelda
• Metroid Prime 4
• Gears of War (4?)
• Mass Effect 4
• The Last Guardian
• Red Dead Redemption
• Killzone

You may be getting a hint as to why this episode was so dang long. We also discussed the recent Reddit bans and ideas of censorship, along with Alex’s Indie Game of the Week, Klei Entertainment’s Invisible Inc.

Episode 102: Elfroot, Bells, and Potato Crops, or Pick, Plant, Repeat Forever: Tedium in Games (Right click and save as to download, or hit us up on iTunes or Stitcher)

Long title, for extra tedium.

In this episode, featuring special guest Tanya D., AKA @cypheroftyr, AKA “the spawn point of #INeedDiverseGames,” we talk tedium in games. What is it, when is it, how is it, are all games a little tedious by definition, is tedium like that infamous threshold for obscenity? Surprisingly hard questions, because even when some of the responses came quickly, it felt like there was always more to discuss, and we had a load of helpful questions and examples from Twitter. Thanks to everyone who pitched in! (I’m still amazed we never talked about World of Warcraft.)

Games We Played and/or Mentioned (a partial list; thanks, technical difficulties, no really, thanks.)

•  Lifeline
• Dragon Age: Inquisition (again/forever)
• State of Decay (again/forever)
• Toren
• Life Is Strange
• Game of Thrones
• Lifeless Planet
• Don’t Starve
• Steamworld Dig (thanks, Humble Bundle!)
• Ingress
• Sunset
• Toukiden: Kiwami

Other Points of Interest

• WisCon, where everyone should go next year if you didn’t go this year
• Cinder
• Gaming at the Edge
• Our newly improved Patreon
• Jenn Brissett’s Elysium
• Alaya Dawn Johnson’s Love is the Drug
• #INDG T-shirts: not mentioned really, but you need one on your body, probably, and check out the #INDG Patreon
• INDG Website: ineeddivgms.info
• Email: whyineeddiversegames@gmail.com
• Twitter: @INeedDivGms

Episode 101: Rage On Fleek: On Choice Feminism and Diverse Identities (Right click and save as to download, or hit us up on iTunes or Stitcher)

The episode where we talk about “Choice Feminism” and how we understand what it means and what the implications of it are. Discussions of the personal as political and where we see feminism (especially intersectional feminism) manifest in our everyday lives. Passions run high in this episode and it’s all kinds of awesome.

Games We Played And/Or Mentioned:

• • Don’t Starve Together
  • State of Decay YOSE
  • Neverwinter
  • Rayman Legends
  • Paper Sticker Mario
  • Sims 4
  • Hotel Remorse
  • Over the Hills and Far Away
  • Home is Where you Start (Indie Game of the Week)
  • Terraria
  • Knights of Pen and Paper
  • Destiny
  • Never Alone

Episode 100 (Part the Second): A Conversation with Brianna Wu (Right click and save as to download, or hit us up on iTunes or Stitcher)

So it wasn’t all parties and mayhem in our celebration of our 100th podcast episode; we also sat down for a very serious conversation with developer Brianna Wu of Giant Spacekat about Revolution 60 past and future, and about blazing trails in the gaming industry. Part one was funny, but if there can be only one this week, part two is it. Don’t miss it.

Featured:
Brianna Wu/Revolution 60

Episode 100 (Part the First): Come Play With Us; Or, “You Had One Job!” (Right click and save as to download, or hit us up on iTunes or Stitcher)

What a milestone: 100 episodes! And to celebrate, not one but two episodes, not at all alike in dignity: in the first, we took the core crew into the hostile fields of Don’t Starve Together, an experience which saw some of us fail the prime directive by actually starving (you people had one job!) while others took to robbing corpses. The only way to heal the wounds of death and destruction was to cap off the evening with a little online Cards Against Humanity. Yes, friends; to get over being horrible to one another, we were horrible to everyone else. Feel free to watch the video along with the audio for the full experience happening in our Hangout that night, and then, as a palate cleanser, check out part two, our interview with developer Brianna Wu.

Games We Played And/Or Mentioned (a partial list, because we were busy starving instead of note-taking):

• Don’t Starve Together
• State of Decay YOSE
• Albino Lullaby
• Broken Age Act 2
• Abyss Raiders: Uncharted
• Gravity Falls
• Bloodborne
• Fable Legends
• Neverwinter
• Hearthstone

Episode 99: August and Everything After: An Actual Discussion on Ethics and Gamers (Right click and save as to download, or hit us up on iTunes or Stitcher)

This week, Alex, Alisha, and Sam talked GamerGate, the continuing, shifting mass that continues to dominate so much of the discussion of culture around gaming trends and communities.

It went exactly as you’d expect.

Linknotes:

• Destiny news; Mortal Kombat news
• The cheesecake of diversity (thanks, @maxxiebytes)
• This video “argument” full of “facts” from Sargon of Akkad on academic gamers
• Obviously, our fresh new Patreon

Episode 98: Treating Through Play: A Conversation With Philippe A. Ménard! (Right click and save as to download, or hit us up on iTunes or Stitcher)

This week, we talked games and mental illness with Philippe A. Ménard, a scriptwriter at Ubisoft Montreal, among other things, who recently held forth on anxiety and depression in gamers at PAX East. Phil snarked back with the best of us and managed to keep a heavy subject fairly light, and we even managed to stay on topic most of the time, which is rare. Plus, we learned that random NPC chatter that adds to the narrative (“barks”) are these days referred to as “arrow-to-the-knee” stories, and if that doesn’t make your whole damned day, I just don’t know what to tell you.

Linknotes

• News, news, and more news
• The Lies of Locke Lamora
• Lexy Cooper’s Glitched
• VR as therapy

Episode 97: Let’s Talk About Let’s Plays  (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

This week we talk about Let’s Plays and their potential as critical media.

Episode 96: It’s All About Community: A Chat with Dave Hulegaard  (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

This week we talk about games and narrative with sci-fi/paranormal author and Bioware Canada Community Manager, David Hulegaard (davidhulegaard.com).

Episode 95: Strange Choices: Discussion of Life is Strange (Episode One)  (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

This week we talk about the first installment of DontNod’s episode game, Life is Strange. Spoiler alert, we talk about the entire episode.

Episode 94: #gamingconfessions: The Deep Dark Secrets of NYMG  (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we divulge our deepest, darkest #gamingconfessions. Come and listen to ours and then feel free to share yours in the comments.

Episode 93: We’ve Got Nothing But Time: On Finding Time to Play Games for Fun and Research (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk about finding time to play games as gamers, researchers, and parents. We are joined this week by guest and NYMG community member, Patrick Love.

Episode 92: It Was the Best of Games, It Was the Worst of Games (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

Welcome to 2015 and we start with a discussion of our best and worst games of 2014. We are joined this week by guest and NYMG community member, Ashley Barry.

Episode 91: The Happy Meal Argument: No Such Thing as a Boy/Girl Toy (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

This week we talk about gendered marketing of new toys (and the toys themselves) and wax nostalgic on toys in our own past. Join us as we talk about everything from the new Lego Fusion sets to Monster High dolls. Just in time for winter holiday shopping for your favorite children (or adults)!

Episode 90: Girls and Their Toys: On Toys Done Right (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

As we get closer to Christmas we hope to turn to happier things…like toys. In this episode we wanted to talk about toys and the ones that we think get it right in terms of the messages that they send to children. We do that, but we also have a digression along the way where we talk about just why this sort of thing is so important. We round it out with a discussion of the hot new Bratz, Ever After High, and Monster High lines of toys, books, and films. More on toys to come!

Episode 89: Spirits of Spring: A Case for Diversity in Games (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

In this episode we talk about the Spirits of Spring, the new game that looks at bullying from Minority Media. Stay tuned after the closing for a ending spoiling chat between Sam and Charlotte.

Episode 88: Legos and Lady Parts: On Gamer Anticipation and Participation (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

In this episode we talk about the games that we are most looking forward to in the coming months and why as well as discussions on the latest goings on in #gamergate.

Episode 87: On Guilty Pleasure Games; Or, It was Destin(y)ed to Happen (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

In this episode we talk about guilty pleasure games and what constitutes them.

Episode 86: A Narrative By Any Other Name: On the Importance of Narrative in Games (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

In this episode we talk about the importance of narrative in games and just what narrative is.

Episode 85: Down the Rabbit Hole and Back Again: More on “Gamergate” and Women in the Gaming Community (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

In this episode we talk about “gamergate” and community building among diverse gamer populations.

Episode 84: Standing Around With Your %#@& In Your Hand: On Terrorism, Zoe Quinn, and Anita Sarkeesian (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

In this episode we talk about the difference between harassment and terrorism on the Internet and the goings on of the last two weeks.

Episode 83: Absent Mental Defect: HBO’s Documentary, Love Child, and the Games Addiction Defense (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

In this episode HBO’s documentary, Love Child, and video game addiction scapegoating (again).

Episode 82: Tears from a Gamer: Video Games as Emotional Catalysts (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

In this episode we talk about emotional game, games that have made us cry or just think more deeply about emotional issues in our own lives. Join us as we think about games as more than just an entertainment medium.

Episode 81: Chatting in the Clubhouse: A Conversation with Stacey Deddo (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

While Nintendo may have it’s Treehouse (and awesome localization writer/editor, Stacey Deddo) this week she visit’s the NYMG clubhouse for a great conversation about games and breaking into the games industry. Another great show not to miss.

Episode 80: It’s the Sam and Wendi Show: Smart Women, Sparse Crew Talking About Upcoming Games (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

With everyone else moving or traveling it’s a pretty sparse show this week, but Sam and Wendi have a good conversation about, what else? Games!

Episode 79: It’s a Damned Shame: Summer Gaming and Our Piles of Shame (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

In this episode we talk about our plans for gaming this summer and share our dirty little secrets about which games are in our shameful piles of unplayed/unfinished titles.

Episode 78: The Daily Grind: Purposes of Grinding in Video Games (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

In this episode we talk about grinding in video games. Why we do it, what we learn from it, and if we like it.

Episode 77: Dominique Pamplemousse: The Fat Lady Sings of Gender (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk with Deirdre Kiai, designer of Dominique Pamplemousse, about games as critical critique and inclusion in the games industry.

Episode 76: The AHa! Moment: How Did We Get Here From There (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk the AHa moments that led us into game studies. Citywide cable internet issues cause us to lose Alex halfway through, but it is still a thrilling episode.

Notes of Link:
Dominique Pamplemousse (check it out in preparation for our next episode)

Episode 75: If Not Points and Badges, Then What: On Gamification (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk about gamification and the future of games based learning. Definitely a fun way to learn more about games and learning.

Episode 74: Failing (in Order) to Win: The Role of Failure in Games and Game Studies (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk about failure in gameplay and game studies. We are joined this week by guest co-host, Jennifer Lynn. A fun discussion that starts with Jesper Juul’s work on failure.

Episode 73: Right, Wrong, and Everything In Between: On Ethics in Video Games (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk about ethics in and around games.

Episode 72: Lady Legs and Tentacle Monsters: What Will You Do for a Game? (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk about the things that we are willing to put up with (or not) in order to play games. A fun and thought provoking episode.

Episode 71: The Unconventional Dwarf: An Interview with Tof Ecklund and Rhiannon Reyes (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk to Tof and Rhiannon about their new book on creating non-traditional/non-standard characters in Role Playing Games and anything else that we can think of.

Links of Note:

The Unconventional Dwarf book

12 Fundamentals of Writing the Other

The Kingdoms Bundle Game Bundle

Episode 70:  New Year, New Views: Predictions and Resolutions for 2014 (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The first episode of the new year and our first live video episode. Come and check out our predictions for this year and our discussion of our predictions from last year. Thanks so much to the awesome folks who joined our live episode and added so much to the show! If you want to watch the video of the show check it out on our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOhU0vS0Zio&feature=youtu.be

Episode 69:  And Game of the Year Goes To… (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we end the year talking about our individual game of the year choices. Which would you like to spend some quality time with. Our regular co-hosts are joined by a special visitor who also throws her 3 favorite games into the mix.

See you in the New Year!

Episode 68: Giants and Volcanoes: History of Marketing to Women (or Not) (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

Please ignore the fact that we called this episode 67 in the intro, we were clearly delusional. Episode 68 is the episode where we talk about the history of gender and marketing as it pertains to video games (and all the things) and Alex declares that some research is like “A giant sh*tting in a volcano”.

Links of Note:

Colecovison/Cabbage Patch Commercial on YouTube

Polygon Article by Tracey Lien, No Girls Allowed

Forbes article on playing games with your children

Episode 67: I Used to Go Black Friday Shopping, Then I Took An Arrow to the Elbow (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we give some insight into our favorite holiday gifts, for ourselves and our loved ones.

Links of Note:

World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor

Black Friday deals revealed

Slender: The Eight Pages (The free, first game)

Episode 66: Put An Ace Bandage On Those Things: Talking Games Research with Carly Finseth (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk about games research, why we do what we do, and where we go from here.

Episode 65: Spirit Walk With Me: The Grand Theft Auto V Spoilercast (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where all five of us come together to spoil GTAV in more ways than one. It’s a long episode but it is definitely worth it!!

Episode 64: Quiet, Woman: On Silent Women in Video Games and On Underpants (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

Alex, Sam, and Sarah come together to consider Metal Gear Solid’s mute sniper, agency, and silent women in video games and on underpants. We had a few technical difficulties (and a sleepless kid in Lego underpants) , but it is a conversation worth listening to.

Episode 63: A Cornucopia of Topics: We’ve Got Plenty to Talk About (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

Join us as we talk about the resurgence of the argument that violent games make violent people as well as our early thoughts on Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V. Our topic of the week leads to a lot of fruitful discussions…a cornucopia of topics.

Episode 62: The 3 New R’s: Rape, Respect, and Responsibility in the Geek Community (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode that almost wasn’t. After trying for 3 weeks we finally got this week’s issue covered. This week we talk about objectification vs. idealization as indicative of a larger issue within the geek community. It’s a good one, don’t miss out.

Episode 60: Redeemed by the Blood: The One Drop Redemption Rule for Minority Protagonists (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

In this episode we talk about race in video game characters and discuss the possibility of the existence of the one drop redemption rule in character design. Alex graces us with her pneumonia ridden presence and her lack of of an internet connection.

Episode 59: “Vag Up”: On the Strength of Women in Game(s) (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

In this episode we talk about our favorite female protagonists and what the difficulty of these choices means for the games industry. This episode was recorded (mostly) in person so we really can’t be responsible for what happened.

Episode 58: Remember Me and the Plight of the Female Protagonist (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

In this episode we talk about Dontnod’s Remember Me and Nilin as the female protagonist. We answer a few viewer emails and talk about one of a few new and upcoming features at NYMG. A great podcast with the entire NYMG staff present.

Episode 57: Zombies at the Beach: A Conversation About Summer Gaming (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk about various facets of summer gaming. It’s a light hearted episode and we are joined by Alisha K. for the conversation. Also check out the blog for a new post by Alisha.

Episode 56: What’s Passion Got to Do With It?: On Men Doing Feminism (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we discuss whether or not men can do feminist work. Come on and join in on the discussion. Let’s have a little fun. We talk about Kickstarters, EA and their Online Passes, and Double Fine’s new strategy game (also on Kickstarter).

And we forgot to tell you (again) to email us at nymgamer(at)gmail(dot)com with email, voice mail, or video mail. You can also follow us on Twitter at @nymgamer or like us on Facebook.

Episode 55: Mommy Dearest: A Mother’s Day Tribute to Mamas Who Game With Their Kids (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we hear from mothers who game with their children (in myriad ways). We are joined this week by Jennifer, the mother of our own Alex Layne. We also have a couple of other special guest testimonials for you to check out. It’s a fun way to spend Mother’s Day and to work on convincing your own mother to game with you.

We also want to say congratulations to the winner of our latest contest. Sarah is now the proud owner of her very own copy of Forza for the Xbox 360. Enjoy and see if you can get your mother to join you for a few laps around the track. (A t-shirt is coming to Alexander B. for giving it one hell of a try!)

Links of Note:

Microsoft appoints first female CFO

[RUMOR] New Xbox to be named “Xbox Infinity”

EA exec Andrew Wilson sells entire stake in company

WoW loses 1.3 million in 3 months

Full video from this episode (thanks again to Christine, Lukasz, and Kasia)

Episode 54: Raising a Self Saving Princess: An Interview with Mike Hoye? (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode in which we talk with Mike Hoye, the dad who hacked The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Walker so that his daughter could play as a female character. We had a great conversation with Mike not only about his hacking the game but about gender in games and gaming in general. Enjoy!

Episode 53: Lara Croft: Whimpering Idiot or Feminist Icon? (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode in which we talk about Tomb Raider! It’s a long episode and the first half is us talking about what we’ve been playing (a lot apparently) and the news. In our Tomb Raider spoiler we talk about the game, the characterization of Lara, stereotypes, mechanics, and about everything else that we can think of. At the end we announce a contest for a free copy of Forza Horizon for the XBox 360. See the blog and/or listen to this episode for details about the contest that runs through Friday, May 3, 2013.

Episode 52: The Proof in the Pudding: Doing the Academic Gamer Thing (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode in which we talk a bit about our presentations that were delivered at the 4Cs conference in Las Vegas last week and share our presentations with you. While Samantha’s recorded presentation is integrated in the podcast itself Alex’s video (here) and her speaking notes for the talk that preceded her video can be found here. Nicole’s Prezi in on the Prezi site here (and the archival PDF is here).

Episode 51: Don’t Psychoanalyze Me: A Romantic Valentine’s Day Episode (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode in which we talk about all of the usual stuff and some deeply twisted stuff under the guise of talking about our three favorite relationships in video games.

Links of Note:

Critics say not to play Aliens: Colonial Marines

Use your mind to play a game in this Kickstarter project

EA doesn’t think next-gen consoles will allow backwards compatibility

**And I stand corrected, some further research shows that it looks like as of 2008 none of the states in the US have differing ages of consent for boys and girls (except in the cases when one person is 48 months+ older than the other or in a position of authority)

Episode 50: We’re Golden!: Celebrating Episode 50 With Meagan Marie (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

Our 50th episode where we are joined by Meagan Marie, community manager for Tomb Raider (Crystal Dynamics). Meagan she talks about her work at Crystal Dynamics, in the industry in general, and her famous cosplay.

Episode 49: The Choices We Make: The Walking Dead (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we totally spoil TellTale Games’ The Walking Dead (all 5 episodes). We discuss the choices that we made in each episode and work through our own WD issues. We’ve all played it now come see what we have to say about it.

Episode 48: And the Award Goes To: Our Best and Worst of 2012 (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk about favorite games and biggest disappointments of 2012. We also share our wildest predictions for 2013. Make sure that you bookmark this one so that you can come back in a year to see who was right and who was wrong!

Episode 47: Leaving Ourselves Behind: An Interview with The Able Gamers Foundation’s Mark Barlet (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk to Mark Barlet, CEO of the Able Gamers Foundation and the winner of the 2012 Paul G. Hearne Award from AAPD (American Association of People With Disabilities), about video games and accessibility.

The AbleGamers Foundation is dedicated to bring greater accessibility in the digital entertainment space so that people with disabilities can gain a greater quality of life, and develop a rich social life that gaming can bring (ablegamers.com).

Links of Note:

Able Gamers Foundation and Community

Read more about and download the Includification guide from Able Gamers

American Association of People With Disabilities
Episode 46: Schooled!: An Interview with Christa Charter, Author of Schooled: A Lexy Cooper Videogame Mystery (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode in which we talk to Christa Charter about her latest novel, her time as a community manager at XBox, and women in the games industry.

Schooled is available from Amazon for the Kindle.

Links of Note:

XenonX Fansite http://www.xenonx.org
Lexy Cooper on Twitter https://twitter.com/LexyXenon

Episode 45: (Corrected) All I Ever Needed to Know About History I Learned From Video Games  (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk about history and video games, more specifically Assassin’s Creed III and Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation as “historical” texts.

Links of Note:

GameStop PR Chief embezzled $2 million from company (http://updates.kotaku.com/post/34901428509/gamestops-former-pr-chief-pleads-guilty-to-embezzling)
EA Posts $381m loss (http://www.gamespot.com/news/ea-posts-381-million-loss-6399243)

Games help kids control their anger (http://news.yahoo.com/biofeedback-video-game-helps-kids-control-anger-185134807.html)

Episode 44: I See Dead People: Games to Play On All Hallow’s Eve (Or Any Other Time)  (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk about scary games that we recommend (or not) for this bewitching season. We go through some AAA titles and Indie titles alike. Sam didn’t mention her all time favorite Halloween game, Grim Fandango, because it is almost impossible to get until someone re-releases it!

Error Correction: Costume Quest was originally release in October of 2010 and not 2011 as I inaccurately stated. -Sam

Links of Note:

UPDATE: Project Eternity a game being developed by Obsidian, which was covered in the last podcast, is funded at $3.9m (http://www.gamespot.com/news/project-eternity-closes-with-39m-6398388)

Preview to holiday shopping: Surface RT tablets begin at $500 for 32gb model (http://www.gamespot.com/news/surface-rt-tablets-begin-at-500-6398321)

Surprise surprise, children are making the WiiU at Foxconn (http://kotaku.com/5952422/report-chinese-kids-were-used-to-manufacture-the-wii-u)

Halo 4 has been leaked, look out for spoilers! (http://kotaku.com/5951525/spoiler-alert-halo-4s-out-in-the-wild-so-be-careful-what-you-read-for-the-next-3-weeks?tag=leak)

The Dream Machine, point and click adventure game (http://www.thedreammachine.se)

Blackwell’s Asylum (http://store.steampowered.com/app/213590)

Episode 43: It’s All About Me: Narrative Modding, Feminism, and Games  (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk about narrative spaces outside of games and how they can be feminist tools. Yeah, and there were pandas…lots of pandas.

Links of Note:

Get Halo 4 armor if you watch the presidential debates on Xbox Live (http://www.gamespot.com/news/free-halo-4-armor-for-those-who-watch-debates-on-xbox-live-6397513)

No federal charges for 38 studios (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/178636/38_Studios_safe_from_federal_criminal_charges.php#.UGxF1k3A8rU)

Unnamed employee from San Francisco studio Kixeye writes blog post detailing racist remarks fellow employees made towards him and his fellow black employees (http://kotaku.com/5948422/serious-racism-allegations-levelled-at-video-game-developer)

Episode 42: The WiiU Announcement Episode Recap  (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we do a quick recap of the awesome episode that didn’t record. We talk about the WiiU launch announcement as well as the usual stuff.

Links of Note:

Kojima Productions is hiring for studio in Los Angeles: (http://www.gamespot.com/news/kojima-productions-staffing-up-los-angeles-studio-6396374)

MGR: Revengeance canceled in Japan for 360, US and Europe on track: (http://www.gamespot.com/news/mgr-revengeance-xbox-360-canceled-in-japan-on-schedule-for-west-6396321)

Obsidian Entertainment launches a KickStarted project to fund their next RPG: (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidian/project-eternity)

Episode 41: What It Means to Be a Female Gamer  (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

This week we talk about what it means (to each of us) to be a woman gamer. The episode where we share a bit of what being gamers and women simultaneously means to us and why it’s important that we acknowledge both of those identities at the same time.

Episode 40: Call Me!: The Listener Email Episode  (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

This week we answer some great questions from listeners. After the usual sign off we added the audio from our video mail question and answer so don’t miss that!

 

Episode 39: How Much Is That Booth Babe in the Window: Booth Babes, Feminism, and Context  (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

This week we talk about booth babes in the larger context of feminism and sexism in the games industry.

Confessions of a sometimes booth babe

Man Declares Love to Booth Babe and Is Taken Away by Security

Pre-Schoolers Who Play Interactive Games Have Better Motor Skills

Sony Santa Monica: God of War Ascension Does Not Feature Violence Against Women

 

Episode 38: Teacher, There’s a Game in My Classroom!: Games and Learning  (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

This week we talk about games and education in like of some new moves in the field from the likes of EA, Valve, and the White House.

OUYA Kickstarter page

EA’s Institute of Play

Teach with Portals

Episode 37: “Whoa, V*gina!: Lollipop Chainsaw, Tomb Raider, and the Need for Sarkeesian’s Cultural Critique” (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

This week we segue from last week’s episode to this week’s by talking about rape imagery in the new Tomb Raider trailer, our playing of Lollipop Chainsaw, and Anita Sarkeesian’s Kickstarter financed cultural critique project.

Links of Note:

Anita Sarkeesian’s Feminist Frequency Site

Tomb Raider Crossroad’s Trailer

 

Episode 36: “‘I Raped You!’: Rape Culture and The Mis-Education of the Gamer” (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The catalyst for this week’s episode was Patricia Hernandez’s Kotaku article “Three Words I Said to the Man I Defeated in Gears of War That I’ll Never Say Again“. In this episode we talk about rape culture as it applies to game play, game content, gaming communities, and the gaming industry. This is definitely one not to be missed.

Links of Note:

Dark Side of Open Source Conferences

It’s not just Noirin

Timeline of incidents

Episode 35 : “I’m Sexist and I Know It: Sneaky Sneaky Till the Soapbox Comes Out” (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where Sam, Alex, and Nicole record in one space and have drunch (aka drinks and lunch). They each take a turn with the games soapbox and talk about issues of representation, gamer apathy, and the roles female characters play in larger narrative. Definitely an episode not to miss!

Links of Note:

Dragon Age Legends Shutting Down

Woman Sues Capcom for Harassment

Episode 34 : “Shut Up and Take It!: Death Threats and the New Industry Norm” (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where Alex Layne narrowly escapes death herself and we talk about death and assault threats against women (and men) in the industry. It’s finals time and we’re all pretty crazy in this neck of the woods. And while we call it episode 33 during the podcast it’s really 34. Blame it on the end of semester madness.

Links of Note:

Calls to “tell the oatmeal what its like to game as a woman”

Tetris may help treat PTSD

Episode 33 : “Vagina Blocked!: On Sex, Games, and Community Supported Developers” (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

More on feral children and an interesting discussion between male led and female led community funded Kickstarter project

Links of Note:

GOG CEO Hates the Steam Sales
BBB is Not Liking Capcom’s DLC Practices
CoD is Blamed for the Shooting Death of a 10 year old boy.

Episode 32 : “No Man? No Problems?: Female-Female Character Interactions in Games” (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where Sam calls other people’s children feral and we talk about interaction between female characters in video games. There is more talk of Mass Effect 3, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Skyrim, and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City and PSN’s blockbuster artgame Journey join the fray.

Links of Note:

 

Epic Games to make government training games
Anonymous to Shut Down the Internet on March 31
Kellee Santiage, Co-Founder and Co-President of thatgamecompany, quits as Journey breaks records on PSN

Episode 31 : “Monstrous Mamas, MILFs, and (M)androgeny: Femshep, Ripley, and Chun Li’s P3nis” (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

The episode where we talk about female protagonists on (stereo)typically male roles. Focus on Mass Effect 3, the Alien movie series, and the women of Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. We are joined this week by co-host Nicole Marie.

Links of Note:

George Washington a character in Bioshock Infinite
Game sales down in February by 24% in comparison with last year

Episode 30 : A NYMG Interview with Author and Game Designer Sheri Graner Ray (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

“If you ask people to hire who they like, what you end up with is a homogenous team. People like people who are just like themselves.” -Sheri Graner Ray

Episode 29 : Women Behaving Badly (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

This week we are joined by guest co-host Nicole Marie and we talk about misogyny in the games industry in light of the Bioware/Jennifer Hepler. We also talk about our desert island game choices and tell why we chose them.

Links of Note:

This week we are joined by guest co-host Charlotte Hyde and we talk about gaslighting in video games.

Links of Note:

 

Episode 27 : Brains! Making, Using, and Eating Them: On Countdowns and Cognition in Video Games (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe)

This week we talk about the games that we are anticipating most in 2012. 2011 gave us a lot of solid games to play. Will 2012 do the same?

Links of Note: