"Fun" and Games Podcast

Content Warning: Sexual Assault; Explicit Language (More than usual) Online gaming has allowed us to play and engage with total strangers the world over. And many of us use this marvel of network technology to impugn matters of identity and claim matriarchal relations upon said strangers. And frankly, many of us have no reason to be dicks online, so why are we? When do we learn it, and can we un-learn it? Matt & Geoff are trying their best here, but are working to do better.

Whether it's 80+ hour weeks, 14+ hour days or worse demanded of a development team's time and energy, it feels like crunch time has been a part of video game development since its inception. But, does it help? Why do we allow it? What choices can we make as informed consumers? Matt & Geoff get no closer than usual to concrete answers, but the questions need asking.

Perhaps the greatest expression of creativity a player can have within a video game is customizing their character. Their look, moveset, voice, and so much more. Whether it's making a version of yourself, or your favorite characters from other games, video game character creation has given us all untold hours of fun from fiddling with faders. Matt & Geoff discuss some of their favorites.

With the recent release of the first numbered Mega Man title in nearly a decade, Case Aiken join Matt & Geoff in talking about their experiences with the mainline Mega Man series (and a little bit of Mega Man X).

The joys and conveniences of modern gaming have been wrought through release after release, and iteration after iteration, over several generations of consoles. What once stood as the pinnacle of a genre is now an unplayable mess. But we loved it so! Do we have to hate it now? No, but that doesn't mean we all have to be subjected to it. Matt & Geoff discuss.

Matt gets Geoff's report from A Video Game Con 2018. Started in 2015, A Video Game Con has been a celebration of gaming both retro and modern. They host vendors, free play console and arcade games, tournaments, musical performances, and panels about a wide range of topics in the industry and hobby. For the most part, Geoff bought a lot of video games.

The landscape of video game developers, publishers and rights holders changes drastically from month to month, let alone decade to decade. What can be done to preserve so many of the titles that have been released over the last 40 years? Matt & Geoff discuss what could be lost, and how the digital release movement has skewed our idea of what we're really paying for on a digital marketplace.

When old consoles become obsolete, how do we go back to playing the classics? Emulation! Everyone does it, from consumers to publishers re-releasing old titles. Matt & Geoff discuss their experiences with emulation and where they feel it falls, legally and morally speaking.

Matt & Geoff discuss their love of portable games. From Game Boys to Mobile phones, there's a lot of game you can fit in your pocket (Actual Results may vary, based on size of pocket).

Beginning as Japan's digital take on tabletop role-playing games, the JRPG genre has gone through a great many phases and styles. Matt & Geoff reflect on their favorites and how they feel the genre will continue in the future. There is no fervent yelling. There is overt fanboyism.

The difficulty level of a game impacts your experience. But when does it inhibit it as well? Case Aiken joins Matt & Geoff in discussing what can get locked behind the higher difficulties in games new and old.

Matt & Geoff say they're not going to go over every little detail of this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. Here is an hour of them going over a lot of the big details. Score one for technicalities.

In order to buy a game, you have to know it exists. In order to know it exists, A game company needs to release previews. What is the right amount of game hype. Is there such a thing? Where to start? Matt & Geoff have no idea, but that's never stopped them before.

Professional reviews, online critiques, and popular opinion can help us make smart purchasing decisions as a gamer. But what critically acclaimed duds do we buy? What hidden gems remain unearthed? Without getting too Relativist, Matt & Geoff try to find that fine line between blind trust and contradictory solipsism.

If you want to experience a game fully, do you also need to play all the other entries in the franchise? What about any crossover games that may happen? Does the order matter if the entries aren't numbered? Matt & Geoff tackle the subject of Franchise Fatigue and trying to enjoy new games anyway.

Matt & Geoff talk about some highs, lows, and favorites of superheroes in video games. Whether they come from Marvel, DC, an independent publisher or an original IP created for the game, Video games and superpowers just seem to go hand in hand. Even if they don't often seem to in execution.

Nintendo's NES and SNES Classics have combined sold over 6 million units. Another Pass Podcast's Case Aiken joins Matt & Geoff in speculating about the possibilities of an N64 Classic Edition. Between whether it will ever exist, game lists and sharing N64 memories there's a lot to talk about. Superman 64 is mentioned. Once.

For the past few console generations, gamers have been asked to pay up front for pre-orders and season passes. Matt & Geoff share some of their experiences with the varying forms of gaming's down payments.

With Nintendo rolling out new version of "My Nintendo" and their new subscription plan due to debut this year, Matt & Geoff talk about their experiences with loyalty programs, subscription plans, and anticipatory revenue streams.

They existed before podcasts, before YouTube, before major gaming sites. For a long time, your best source of gaming news and entertainment was found in countless monthly gaming magazines. Matt & Geoff reminisce and try to figure out what the decline of the physical gaming magazine is for the better or for the worse.

When it comes to adding a new entry to your video game collection, there's more than one way to get it. Matt & Geoff compare and contrast physical vs. digital copies.

Matt & Geoff discuss the backlog of games looming over their lives, how they intend to tackle them, and why we can't say no to Steam sales.

Matt & Geoff discuss the 3D collectathon; from the N64 offerings of Rare to the new and current. What works, what's been left behind, and how important is it really, to get 100%?

Happy 2018! Matt & Geoff look back on the last year of gaming. What trends they noticed, what games they played, and what they thought of it all. Matt & Geoff play the Switch an awful lot.

With a New "Star Wars" a week away, Matt & Geoff talk about the undeniable presence of the franchise throughout gaming history. Despite retcons, revamps and revisiting certain set pieces one too many times, "Star Wars" looks to remain a force in the world of Video Games. Please stop me before the puns get any worse.

The nature of producing new media is the act of adapting already existing ideas. But video games have had a long history of licensed games, and more directly adapting worlds characters and stories. Matt & Geoff discuss the highs and lows and what can make a good licensed video game. Also, current events.

Whether they go by badges, trophies, medals, stamps or achievements, the past decade of gaming has been filled with system-wide quantifiable "goals". When save game files can already display 100%, and there are countless other ways to reward playing the game, do these unlockable achievements matter? Matt & Geoff wonder if the trophies themselves are the problem.

One of the great joys of video games is what can be hidden, waiting to be unearthed. It could be a cleverly concealed reference, or just an unexpected shift in a game's proceedings. Matt and Geoff discuss what defines an Easter Egg and some of their favorite finds.

Continuing the talk about multiplayer games, Matt & Geoff share their memories, experiences, and thoughts on the original online game platform: The Personal Computer. Nobody calls it a Personal Computer anymore, but that's progress for you.

Many would argue some of the best gaming experiences aren't made alone. Since the dawn of video games, there has been room for more than one gamer at a time. But before you could plug your console into the wifi, that meant crowding on the couch. Matt & Geoff share some of their observations, analysis and stories of local console multiplayer.

Many adult gamers first childhood game was very likely a 2-D platformer. The Genre has had its ups and downs over the decades, but has never been truly dormant. Matt & Geoff discuss where the genre has been, why it endures and possibly where it can go.

Since there was disk space for it, music has had a place in gaming. Sometimes the music is the gameplay and you end up with a Rhythm game or one of its many hyphenated off-shoots. Matt & Geoff share their thoughts on those games that connect the beats to the buttons.

When it comes to game immersion, it's not just the design or the world building, but the device you use to interact with the game. Matt & Geoff touch on some of the design evolutions and missteps that have occurred. And why do we keep shoehorning motion control?

Since 2010, Games Done Quick has been a bi-annual video game charity event publicly showcasing speedrunning. Which is exactly what it sounds like. Matt and Geoff explore the notion of "Fun" in shaving seconds off a completion time and doing it in front of an online community. View the current GDQ or just find out more about the event at: https://gamesdonequick.com/

Another E3 has come and gone. Matt and Geoff wonder if the current incarnation is its best form. Why do we need to push and preview so forcefully? How best can we go about it? DISCLAIMER: Matt and Geoff do like games other than Nintendo games.

How many times do you have to buy Sonic 2 before enough is enough? What's the best version? Does Why bother buying legacy collections and HD remakes? Why bother making them? Who really benefits? Matt and Geoff try to figure it out. With added art gallery and sound test*

When keeping up with the Joneses seems like the only way to have a gaming experience sometimes! Between patches, server closings and lack of single-player, Matt and Geoff share experiences and observations on times and places when a game's experience is gone and it's not the player's fault.

When does a console "die"? Can it truly die? Have the signs of life changed from generation to generation? Matt and Geoff discuss.

An episode several months in the making! Matt and Geoff share their thoughts on the possibilities, market place and gaming experiences of the Nintendo Switch both a month before and month after its release.

Matt & Geoff introduce themselves and offer a brief look into their Video Gaming history. Matt & Geoff briefly touch on their strong feelings for the medium of video games and their hopes to provide perspective on the medium as it stands alone and in comparison to other modern digital media.