Show Notes
In this episode of The Gamers with Glasses Show, we talk about what we mean when we say games are political, AA vs. AAA games (mid-budget vs. big-budget games), why sometimes lack of polish in a game can be a good thing (who doesn’t like a little jank?), the politics of game reviews, entertainment as escapism, and so much more. We also make jokes about the Clash and the Ramones, take Ubisoft to task (do they make the baloney sandwiches of video games?), weave elaborate Simpsons analogies, imagine Animal Crossing with molotov cocktails, and talk about what we’re looking forward to playing later this year. Games discussed: Returnal, Outer Wilds, Necromunda: Hired Gun, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, Biomutant, Virtua Fighter 5, If On A Winter’s Night, Four Travelers, The Wild at Heart, Disco Elysium, Far Cry 6.
More from Gamers with Glasses Podcast
In this episode Nate and Samantha set out to recap and wrap up our summer series on games, childhood, and nostalgia, and end up…somewhere else. We cover all the deep questions, like, “Does nostalgia have to be melancholic?”; “Are console generations a marketing lie, just like other generational divides?”; “Do any of us leave childhood unscathed?”; and, “Isn’t Assassin’s Creed just Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoons?”
In this episode, Nate interviews NikkiJay, developer of the just-released "plotformer" Quantum Witch. Come for the in-depth discussion about cults, conditioning, and choices - stay for the impromptu ukelele concert.
We make learning fun! In this episode, Samantha and Luis interview Dr. Erik Verlage, a research scientist at the Ohio State University who works on interactive media and games in education. Discussion ranges from the use and value of games in education to GeoGuessr and the difference between toys and tools. Where’s the dividing line between a game and a simulation? Why were Skyrim players willing to spend hours on the same thing at the forge, even when it wasn’t fun?
We thought it would be fun to do an “Oops! No Games” episode, in which we try not to talk about games. Inevitably, we totally fail, to the degree that we even end up recommending games at the end. We were all going to bring a book and a movie to talk about, and that somehow inspires us to complain about AI a lot, but probably not enough, because it really is so, so bad.
How do game critics contribute to Western hegemony, and what can we do about it? Nate Schmidt interviews Felipe Pepe, creator of The CRPG Book Project, on his recent essay, “The Gentrification of Video Game History.” Drawing on Mia Consalvo and Christopher Paul’s critique of the concept of “ real games,” their wide-ranging conversation covers mods and mobile games, the relationship between internet cafes and free-to-play RPGs, and the emptiness of the stereotypical “nerd and jock” divide between narrative-driven and sports games.