First Person Podcasts: Recent Episodes
FirstPersonScholar.com
First Person Podcast is a subset of First Person Scholar. Our content advocates for a new dynamic, one in which we demonstrates our relevancy through timely, rigorous, and accessible criticism that challenges all players to engage in what Mary Flanagan calls critical play.
The podcasts we produce encourage players—be them developers, scholars, critics, or enthusiasts—to consider alternatives to popular interpretations of games, game play, and games culture. Through this discourse we seek to establish and sustain a critical conversation amongst those producing and playing games, demonstrating in the process that the player is a figure capable of enriching and challenging our understanding of games and what they are capable of.
First Person Podcast is produced by Giuseppe Femia with support from The Games Institute at the University of Waterloo. You can find us @FPSWeekly, or start a conversation using the #FirstPersonPodcast on Twitter.
This month Collin is joined by Aleks from our essays department as well as special guests Ruby (Codex Entry) and Spencer as they explore the very nature of art and entertainment as the concepts apply to the medium of video games. That is to say, do games need to be "fun" to be "good"? With a special focus on Ice Pick Lodge's cult classic Pathologic, the conversation juxtaposes the subject at hand against the mediums of theatre and visual art and explores the value of unpleasantness when a piece of art "pushes back" against its audience.
This month Collin, Sabrina and our two guests have a blast talking about the ins and outs of dating, virtual relationships, and human sociality in video games. A can't miss episode if there ever was one, tune in for an exploration of how games have (or haven't) succeeded in digitizing one of the most integral parts of the human condition.In fact, we had so much fun, we'll be streaming Dream Daddy over on the First Person Scholar with our guests from this month as an extension of discussion! Stay tuned for a link and more information in the days to follow.
The apocalypse is something we often perceive as a cataclysmic event or phenomena representing the harbinger of the end- the utter extinguishment of life as a society has come to know it. But, how true is this assumption? This month, we discuss the popularity of post-apocalyptic settings in video games, our biases and assumptions about them, and how, ultimately, they can often yield something greater than the sum of their parts.
This month Collin is joined by Sabrina Sgandurra and Dakota Pinheiro to discuss how we approach power in video games when we're given the uncanny ability to wield a God hand. Will we bless our flock? Or set the whole sand box ablaze- just for the fun of it? Tune in to hear our thoughts on how things seem to play out more often than not.
Welcome to the 58th episode of the First Person Podcast. This Halloween we will be looking at the horror game titles that were adapted into movies and vice versa. I am joined today by Dr. James Rendell from the University of South Wales and streamer and occasional cosplayer, Rosemarie Sarno, aka Rosie Stormborn. Together we will be analyzing the differing creative decisions used in movie and gaming media when it comes to some of our classic horror narratives.
Welcome to the 57th episode of the First Person Podcast. We are back with another academic semester and since we have been running with the theme of nostalgia lately, it’s about time that we take a look at how far the video game narratives have come. We will be examining the story of some of my favourite titles: Gears of War, God of War, and Halo to see their progression from a generic hack and slash or war game to a more substantial impact on our gaming culture.
Welcome to the 56th episode of the First Person Podcast. This month will examine the relationship between capitalism and nostalgia. We’ll be looking at ways the gaming market today appeals to our warm and fuzzy memories to move units, where we sit regarding gaming nostalgia, and whether this is a bad thing or totally fine. Joining us today are myself, Patrick Dolan, and fellow FPSers Aleks, and Dakota, who are all here in remembrance of the recently deceased, Intellivision Amico.
Hello, and welcome to the 55th episode of the First Person Podcast! I’m Alex Chalk, resident labour guy and editor for Commentaries, and today I’m filling in for Giuseppe Femia as moderator as I talk with Mariah E. Marsden and Kelley Paige Mason, authors of a fascinating chapter on the commodification of play in AP called “Consumable Play: A Performative Model of Actual Play Networks”.
Welcome to the 54th episode of the First Person Podcast. This month will be examining the social functions of roleplaying games: how the stories and characters we make in RPGs can have a positive and healing impact on ourselves and our community. We look at the benefits that have been acknowledged through roleplaying game studies and the real impacts that RPG media has had on the rhetoric surrounding disparaged communities. Joining us today we have special guests Adrianna Burton, Aaron Trammell, and Elise Vist, all of whom have done extensive work in this field.
Welcome to the 53rd episode of the First-Person Podcast! We are continuing our conversation from February by discussing video game preservation and the industry. So, if you haven’t seen that one, please do check it out. We once again have special guest Alex Fleck to talk about why video game preservation matters in academia as well as its implications on gamer culture. Fresh from the game room, right to the study hall, please welcome our First-Person Scholars.
Welcome to the 52nd episode of the First-Person Podcast! This month, we are going to be talking about video game preservation and the industry. We have brought on special guest Alex Fleck to talk about his work in this relatively new academic realm. From archiving to modding to emulation, FPS will be exploring the intricacies of maintaining some of your favourite titles.
Welcome to the 51st episode of the First-Person Podcast and the annual Best Games episode of 2021! This year we wanted to take this opportunity to introduce the current FPS team, so you will hear some new and old voices. They are going to tell you about their favourite games of this past year and maybe a bit more in the realm of critique. So, without further ado, let’s jump into it.
Welcome to the 50th episode of the First-Person Podcast and the last episode of the year 2021! As this is our 50th episode we wanted to take some time to look at the current state of academia and games studies. A lot has changed over the course of FPS’s life and there have been some wild developments and stagnation in the field. We are joined by Emma Vossen who is as former EIC who works at the Games Institute as a Research Communications Writer and also teaches in the Game Design and Development program at Laurier. She will be helping us take an in-depth look of how things are and where we want to see our academic field headed.
Welcome to the 49th episode of the First-Person Podcast. After being off for a month we are coming back strong for the beginning of a new semester to look at what has been going down in the videogame industry since we’ve been away. Oh boy! We are joined by Daniel Joseph from Game Workers Unite to have a look into the Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft mess that has been taking the academic spheres by storm. However, many people have already broken down the events for us so we will be looking at the game workers side of things in the industry for a more “positive” approach?
Welcome to a very special 48th episode of the First-Person Podcast. The world is opening back up and gaming backlogs are clogging up with sweet savings from summer sales. With the regular crew on a well-deserved break, we have some fantastic guests from the FPS community to take over. This month, we’ll be taking a return trip to Disco Elysium in light of it’s recent Final Cut and we have a trio of DE-experts to a tour guide. But don’t be frightened or intimidated, these are fun and friendly fellows, and I (Patrick Dolan, Managing editor of FPS) will be here with you the whole time. Ok so, let’s let these gentlemen and scholars introduce themselves.
Welcome to the 47th episode of First-Person Podcast and Happy Pride Month everybody! This episode we are going to be looking at and talking about queer representation in gaming. Whether it be queer theming, queer performativity, or explicitly queer characters, we want to try and open up the conversation a bit more looking at the way gaming media frames queer values and narratives. Join us as we look into both mainstream and indie games and discuss our experience with them.
Dr. Kishonna Gray joins interviewer Pallavi Sodhi to discuss their life as a game studies scholar.
Welcome to the 46th episode of the First-Person Podcast. This month we aren’t going to be talking about the Ludonarrative Dissonance but focusing on the Player-Narrative Dissonance. How do we ourselves legitimize doing something in a video game world that we are morally opposed to in the meatspace?
Welcome to the 45th episode of First-Person Podcast. This is the final part of our three-part series that we are doing to examine how games are introduced to us and played with on YouTube. For part three, we are going to be looking at the Content videos that we see comic youtubers and casual gamers making for us. We can see what’s new on Twitch and where the YouTube community can go from here.
Welcome to the 44th episode of First-Person Podcast. This is part two of our three-part series that we are doing to examine how games are introduced to us and played with on YouTube. For part two, we are going to be looking at the Lore Analysis videos that get worked into the mainstream YouTube feed every so often. And, yes this was my way of working in a reason to talk about Dark Souls.
To commemorate our transition to YouTube, this is part one of a three-part series that we will be doing to examine how games are introduced to us and played with on YouTube. For part one, we are going to be looking at the Parasocial play involved with a lot of retro and modern YouTube content. From Walkthroughs to Let’s Plays, this is the foundation of our YouTube gaming experience.
After the grueling year that has been 2020, we invite you to join us in reminiscing the games that we played over these past 12 months. Come find out what we were busy playing and join us in welcoming our newest cast member, Alex Chalk.
We are ending this year on a more technical note by discussing the button mapping that we see in our modern games. Join Giuseppe, Sabrina, Lia, and Patrick as we discuss the intuitive design of the controls we’ve come to know and hate.
Architecture has an unspoken influence over how we navigate and interpret the games we play. So, we are going to talk about it. Today we are going to be taking a look at how the world of our favourite games has been constructed and how gaming architecture influences the game world, theming, and plot progression. On this episode you are joined by, Giuseppe Femia, the FPS Podcast Producer, Sabrina Sgandurra, our new Editor-in-Chief/Book Reviews Editor, Lia Black, our new Co-Managing Editor/Commentaries Editor, and Patrick Dolan, our other new Co-Managing Editor/Essays Editor.
First Person Podcast is getting ready for Halloween. On this episode you are joined by, Giuseppe Femia, the FPS Podcast Producer, Sabrina Sgandurra, our new Editor-in-Chief/Book Reviews Editor, Lia Black, our new Co-Managing Editor/Commentaries Editor, and Patrick Dolan, our other new Co-Managing Editor/Essays Editor. For the month of October, we will be looking at themes that are set up and explored through the game designer’s usage of monsters in the horror game genre. We will be giving our experience with how the monsters come off and what they signify while making sure that themes of mental health are handled respectfully.
Welcome back to First Person Podcast after our August hiatus. On this episode you are joined by, Giuseppe Femia, the FPS Podcast Producer, Sabrina Sgandurra, our new Editor-in-Chief/Book Reviews Editor, Lia Black, our new Co-Managing Editor/Commentaries Editor, and Patrick Dolan, our other new Co-Managing Editor/Essays Editor. In this episode, we’re going to be discussing the companions that venture forward with us into the night. Or, the ones that stand by us through the good and the bad. We will be examining and discussing the plot significance that the in-game companions have and what they undergo while keeping us company.
Banner Source: http://retrowaretv.com/still-loading-the-lessons-of-gaming/
Happy Pride month from First Person Podcast! On this episode, we go back to a conversation that happened years ago to exhibit some queer games. Join Elise Vist, Rob Parker, Chris Persaud, and Matthew Perks as they delve into the discourse of queer game design. What is the main criticism of queer games? How did our guest experience Tusks and Dream Daddy? They will give you the relevant insight now.
This month on the First Person Podcast, we delve into Disco Elysium with Lindsay Meaning, Rob Parker, Sabrina Sgandurra, and Axel Hassen Taiari to discuss their experiences with the game. We are going to look at the different directions that they took in their gameplay and what outcomes were possible with this detective rpg. Where does it stand on the political spectrum? What does it have to say about leftist culture? Find out now!
This month on the First Person Podcast, you join Lia Black, Betsy Brey, Sarah Stang, Nicholas Hobin, and Sabrina Sgandurra to discuss their favourite pets in gaming history. We are going to be looking at the autonomy that has been allowed to animals in gaming ranging from the Final Fantasy Series to Pokémon. Through these games we will address themes like friendship, consent, and the proper pronunciation of the word Chocobo. So, tune in for a furreal experience.
This month on the First Person Podcast, you join Lia Black, Giuseppe Femia, Chris Lawrence, and Sabrina Sgandurra to look at the roles they have filled. What experience are they looking for in the characters they portray? How do they shape their own experiences? And what the heck is a QAF Character Generator? Listen in as we reveal all.
This month on the First Person Podcast, we sit down with Lia Black, and Sarah Stang for Valentine’s Day to discuss their hot takes on romance in gaming. What are their video game crushes? What makes for a good romance narrative? What should we be seeing more of in our romance titles? All these questions and more will be answered on this episode of the podcast.
Banner Source: https://atlus.com/valentine2017/studentByDay/
Annnnd we're back at it again. After a short break, we're returning to share our thoughts and ideas about games and game studies. This month, we carry on our proud tradition of bad takes about games, our one true game of the year, and get to know new editors Lia Black and Patrick Dolan.
Welcome to a special edition of the First Person podcast. This week, we’re introducing a queer games and queer making special issue, edited by Jess Marcotte. We are joined by Jess Marcotte, Bonnie Bo Ruberg, and Kara Stone to talk about their experiences as queer game designers and queer games scholars! See firstpersonscholar.com for a transcript.
Welcome back to First Person Podcasts. It’s been some time and we are grateful to those of you who are coming back to us after a little hiatus. We’re back and raring to go with a totally original, out of nowhere, never before heard episode on...our Games of the Year. Don’t worry, we go all meta on the rhetorics of the term, and we talk about some games you might not have seen in a big GOTY list. Listen in for a discussion on what it means to call something a GOTY and what we want our own picks to mean at FPS.
Andrew Reinhard is as old as Pong. He is currently a third-year “mature” PhD student at the Department of Archaeology at the University of York (UK) where he is completing his thesis on archaeological tools and methods for investigating digital cultural heritage. Past video game archaeology projects include the excavation of the Atari Burial Ground, the No Man’s Sky Archaeological Survey and the Legacy Hub Archaeological Project, landscape archaeology in Skyrim VR, and the code archaeology of Colossal Cave Adventure. He is currently interested in understanding software as digital built environments, machine-created culture, and software as archaeological artifact, site, and manufactured landscape. His book, Archaeogaming: An Introduction to Archaeology in and of Video Games, was published by Berghahn Books in 2018. Reinhard is the Director of Publications for the American Numismatic Society. He is currently playing Diablo II (again).
In this month's podcast, the FPS crew reflect on their week-long, 10-person international game of Subterfuge, an online, real-time strategy mobile game. During the week, alliances were forged, rivalries formed and relationships were put to the test both in the game and beyond. Will FPS ever be the same?
In this month's podcast, Pierson, Rob, Betsy and Will discuss the trend towards “games as services” rather than one-off products. They also consider whether there is an increasing tendency towards specialized consumption of specific games. If we are playing a smaller number of games for longer periods of time, are these new developments in game consumption habits? How might changes in making, selling and distributing games be involved in the reasons we are playing specific games longer?
In this month's podcast, Betsy Brey, Pierson Browne and Chris Lawrence discussed pervasive cultural anxieties that manifest in games set in outer space. They discuss how games like No Man's Sky and Stellaris, with their imperatives to colonize, harvest and exploit, usually enjoin players to become despots. That said, there's no denying how fun it can be to command and conquer; to paint the map one's chosen colour, to revel in the revealed dimensions of one's burgeoning empire. This month, we talk about how recognizing these mechanics can offer ironic ways of engaging with and reading against them.
In this month's podcast, we discussed Dream Daddy, an interactive visual novel developed and published in 2017 by Game Grumps that describes itself on its Steam storefront page as “a game where you play as a Dad and your goal is to meet and romance other Hot Dads”. So far, so good. Given the dearth of games catering to explicitly queer players, the FPS staff were naturally thrilled to have such a game and were eager to sit down to discuss it. As a bunch of gay and queer-identifying scholars, some of whom conduct research on queer representations in media objects, we had much to discuss about this game. While praising the game's merits, including its diverse cast, focus on queer romance, and inclusion of a trans character, we consistently found ourselves undercutting that praise by noting the conspicuous absence of roles, opportunities and content in the game.
Another year, not another award show. In our January 2018 podcast, Betsy, Chris, Will and Justin discuss their picks for games of the year... with a twist: categories ranged from the social ("Fine, stop yelling I'll play it award") to the academic ("game that made me rethink my research"). Stick around for the end when the FPS crew each discuss their one true game of the year.
Book Reviews and Interviews section head Justin Carpenter sits down with Katja Rogers, a PhD student from the Institute of Media Informatics at Ulm University, Germany. They discuss the effects of audio on player experience in VR horror games.
Our Editor in Chief Betsy Brey and our Book Reviews/Interviews section head sit down with Shannon Sun-Higginson to talk about about GTFO, a film that investigates harassment, discrimination, and misogyny in the videogame industry.
The topic of this month's podcast was ostensibly about Arkane studios’ third installment in the Dishonored franchise: Death of the Outsider, and writer Hazel Monforton's contributions to the development of the game's narrative. However, it was in many ways a metadiscussion about the game and the worlds games inspire. The conversation grappled with the questions of how and why games move us.
This month, Betsy, Pierson, Will and Chris discuss third-person stealth games, what makes them unique, and how these mechanics afford different playstyles, the use of surveillance as a power fantasy and cinema as an immersive effect.
FPS Podcast Episode 22
The sense that the crest of VR's popularity may have already peaked was the idea behind this month's podcast, in which our participants Betsy Brey, Rob Parker and Justin Carpenter revisit the question with only a slight revision: was 2016 the year of VR?
Our podcast participants perform a small dive into the VR industry, engaging in a critical interrogation of VR affordances and contemporary VR design while enjoining designers to do the same.
They outline their concerns with VR technology, including their experiences with motion sickness and disorientation, raising questions about pleasurable and unpleasant immersion.
Their discussion suggests that as a speculative design and technological affordance, VR has yet to reach mass market potential, limited by the lack of VR-intended titles. The solution they point to is less a need for a killer application and more a call to explore the unique affordances of this technology.
In FPS's September Podcast, Betsy Brey, Elise Vist, Chris Lawrence and Rob Parker sit down to discuss Love Nikki-Dress UP Queen, including its free-to-play mobile model, how it integrates with Facebook and social media platforms, game localization, metagaming, and raise concerns about cultural appropriation and cybertourism. Who knew playing a dress-up mobile phone game could be so fun and so contentious?
For the last podcast of the school year and also my final appearance on the First Person Podcast, I talk with Rob Parker and our web editor Rina Wehbe about Christine Love's Ladykiller in a Bind. Bringing together many of the discussions we've been having on the podcast this year, we discuss the representation of gender and the role of sex in the game. We also discuss the controversy of the removed sex scene during one of the final chapters and the continuing discussion of visual novels and their mechanics
This month on the first person podcast I talk Breath of the Wild with Chris and previous editor-in-chief Emma. We discuss our favourite quests and playstyles, the upcoming DLC as well as more in depth discussions about themes of sacrifice and Zelda's role in the narrative. We also rank Breath of the Wild against our favourite Zelda games. Is Breath of the Wild the best Zelda game yet? Listen to find out!
This month on the first person podcast I am joined by Betsy, Rob and Shawn to discuss Final Fantasy 15. We go in depth with our history of the series and what made us so excited for the latest installment. We also cover the representation of male friendship, the role of female characters in the game and the major updates to the story.
-- We had a mic issue this month, apologies for the variable quality on Rob's mic. Sorry Rob!
This month on the First Person Podcast, special guest Cameron Kunzelman joins Chris Rob and I to talk isometric rpgs. How and why has the genre persisted after all these years? What function does long form textual narrative have in today's attention-economy? We also talk about Cameron's ongoing video let's play of the Baldur's Gate series, Mages and Murderdads as well as his work with Waypoint and Paste.
This month for a special Valentine's Day themed episode of the First Person Podcast, I speak with Betsy, Shawn and Alex about the hit mobile dating sim, Mystic Messenger! We discuss some of our experiences playing the game and have some general discussion about dating sims. How do you choose routes in dating sims? Who does the genre appeal to and what are its audience limitations? What kind of relationships are portrayed in dating sims?
At First Person Scholar, we do Game of the Year differently. The rampant chaos of end of term and the general lack of time and funds that graduate students have means that getting through many of the latest releases is nearly impossible. Instead, we focus on the games we spent the most time with and the ones that the had the biggest impact on us in 2016.
This month we talk the latest trends in First Person Shooters with Rob, Chris, Shawn and Pierson with a focus on the games Titanfall 2, Doom, Battlefield One and Overwatch and I swear I only mention D.Va once! We focus on the narratives by first talking about how we as academics dedicate our time to story modes in games. What are some of the popular narratives in First Person Shooters and what is experiential difference between the stories we tell about gameplay? Do first person shooters need a single player campaign at all? This and pigeons in this month's podcast.
On November 1st and 2nd Brianna Wu visited University of Waterloo as part of the HeforShe campaign to talk with students and professors about women in tech initiatives, Gamergate and feminism in the games industry. I was able to steal her away from her busy itinerary to discuss the role of academic institutions and publishing in the tech world, as well as some of her missions while she is here in Waterloo.
Interactive fiction/game creator Michael Lutz joins host and EIC Alexandra Orlando, Essays Editor Betsy Brey, and Social Media Editor Rob Parker to talk about Michael's work, jump scares, glitch horror, and other spooky stuff. *There were some technical difficulties that arose during recording -- our first faulty cable! -- and a couple other blips related to Skype recording. We apologize. Also, the glitch horror is real and ever-present. -- The Editor.
Our first podcast with new FPS EIC Alexandra Orlando hosting. Alex, Rob, Shawn, and Justin discuss No Man's Sky: impressions, hype, developer-publisher relations, expectations, and the promise and reality of procedural.
In this Podcast (which is Elise and Emma’s last podcast!) we have a conversation about sex and sexuality in gaming that discusses a lot of topics that don’t really get covered in game studies very often! These topics Include: the difference between in game sexuality and sexualizing characters, the differences between depictions of sexuality in video games and depictions of sexuality in film, sexual awakenings via video games, our first video game crushes, Bioware games, queer representation, and “the gay button”. Furthermore, we wonder if women attracted to women can appropriate or inhabit the male gaze that is so prominent and games and we ask a lot of questions including: why does it feel like there are there so many queer women in game studies? When is sex in videogames sexy? When is it horribly unsexy? Will better graphics make a difference? And, ironically, did videogames make me gay?
Corrections: When we said Horizons 2 we actually were referring to Robert Yang’s Radiator 2 sorry for any confusion this caused.
This month on the First Person Podcast four editors fan out in our ALL ZELDA ALL THE TIME episode. We play Zelda trivia, we wax nostalgic about our favorite Zelda games, we hard-core rag on our least favorite Zelda games, we talk timelines and aesthetics, and speculate on what’s to come. We discuss almost every Zelda game at least briefly and get into the controversies around Breath of the Wild and gender, Nintendo’s E3 showings, and discuss how the series has evolved. What’s the best Zelda game? Will there ever be a female Link? What do we want out of an open world Zelda? Is Breath of the Wild going to be the best Zelda ever or is it the series death rattle? Have a listen and let us know in the comments what you think!
In Episode 8 of the First Person Podcast we discuss Campo Santo’s debut game Firewatch. In this short episode Rob, Shawn, and Emma cover a ton of topics including: genres of horror, the cost vs time investment debate, what realistic depictions of romance in games look like, the game’s multiple endings, what games made us cry the most, and how Firewatch is like a short story in all the best ways possible. This episode is full of spoilers and we don't recommend it if you are planning on playing Firewatch and haven’t got around to it yet. We do recommend that you go play Firewatch and experience its bomb voice acting first hand before you get back over here and listen to us because this game is definitely worth both your time and money.
Instead of examining a specific game on Episode 7 of the First Person Podcast we turn a eye, an upraised eyebrow, and a single tear towards Nintendo and its recent decisions. Four disapointed Nintendo fans look at the many controversies and rumours currently surrounding both Nintendo as a company as well as their current and upcoming games. In this episode we cover the Fire Emblem localization, Nintendo’s lack of reaction to GamerGate, Nintendo firing Alison Rapp, the launch and staying power of Miitomo, and the rumours about implementing a choice between male and female link in the new Zelda game. Beyond this will also discuss larger issues of localization, how sexuality is depicted in games, and wonder how many different varieties of “hard core” gamers we’ve encountered. LINKS Austin Walker “Why we Write” Leigh Alexander “Gamers Don’t Have to be your Audience Gamers are Over” Patrick Klepek “Nintendo Employee Terminated” Patrick Klepek “From Japan, With Changes: The Endless Debate Over Video Game 'Censorship’ Janine Hawkins Skin to Screen Allegra Frank IGDA calls out Nintendo for how it handled harassed employee's termination Ian Bogost How to do things with Videogames Leigh Alexander And You Thought Grand Theft Auto Was Bad: Should the United States ban a Japanese "rape simulator" game? Tina Amini BioWare Writer Describes Her Gaming Tastes; Angry Gamers Call Her a "Cancer" Report Suggests Miitomo Brings in $40k every day New 'Legend Of Zelda' Wii U Rumor Says Players Can Choose Between Male Or Female Link
'That was Link' in Zelda Wii U trailer and rumours it was a girl 'kind of grew' - Aonuma
Episode 6 of the First Person Podcast will discuss the critical darling Undertale. We cover the attempts at gender neutrality, the ups and downs of pacifism, the anxiety produced when mixing bullet hell and RPG elements and the barriers to entry when playing such a meta game. This podcast is full of spoilers so we recommend you play Undertale first if you were planning on it.
This month we are having a very general discussion of Dragon Age as a series with two of our FPS editors Betsy Brey and Elise Vist. We discuss a whole variety of stuff in this hour including what it is about Dragon Age that makes people obsessively play these games over and over, the differences between Dragon Age and Mass Effect, the in-game politics, histories and philosophies of the games, and the focus on romance and sexuality within the universe. This podcast does contain spoilers, especially for Dragon Age 2, but is mostly general discussion about the series.
Links
David Gaider on Dragon Age Narrative Design (and the story of Thedas’s name) http://dgaiderarchive.tumblr.com/post/108861967367/on-narrative-design David Gaider on sex in video games at GDC: http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1017796/Sex-in-Video Bioware Employees Jessica Merizan, David Gaider, Karin Weekes, Patrick Weekes, and Robin Théberge, discuss “Building a Better Romance” at GaymerX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osFtsfucIhA Megan Blyth Adams on sexuality in Mass Effect: http://journals.sfu.ca/loading/index.php/loading/article/viewArticle/154 On Discovering your sexuality through videogames: http://www.polygon.com/2014/8/28/6074131/fallout-sexuality
This January we sat down to discuss the history and significance (or lack thereof) of the award “Game of the Year” (GOTY). We then discuss some of the games that were put forward for the title this year, and our own personal favorite games of 2015. Check out FirstPersonScholar.com for links to some of the stuff we talk about!
First Person Scholar editors and friends gather around the microphone to talk about Dontnod's episodic video game "Life is Strange."