Checkpoint Daily Podcast

With some busy weekends coming up, we take the time to talk about what we’ve been doing in the limited amount of free time we’ve had. We also take a look at CNET’s list of 15 Games That Won’t Rot Your Kids Brains, spoilers, no game does that. We also asked our social media followers what game they’d like to see re-imagined the way Final Fantasy 7 is being completely remade. We go through your answers and give a few of our own.

As more and more games are made availible through subscription services or digital downloads, does it make sense to pay full price for something you dont really own? And at what point will an esports athlete or streamer become so well known they reach true celebrity status? Joe also brings us a list courtesy of The Guardian boasting the top 50 games of the Century.

Red Bull Gaming put out a documentary about OG in DOTA2 and it’s got us asking why there aren’t more films and series about esports. What other stories from esports history deserve to be told? Joe also brings another round of the Better Bargain to the show. Plus, we look ahead to see what games are coming out next month that we should be getting excited about.

PlayVS is a program that’s helping to tackle High School Esports and they’re set to do a phenomenal job at doing so. With season one set to start in October, over 13,000 schools are on the waitlist. For comparison, 14,600 schools participate in football programs. We talk about the impact esports could have on High Schools. Plus, we talk about the idea of using Virtual Reality to help promote healthier living. Finally, could E3 be looking to shift their focus to being a fan and influencer festival?

On today's show we visit Joe at the newsdesk to get the latest headlines in the gaming and esports industries. Like Ash Ketchum finally winning a League Championship title in the anime. Or the controversy surrounding the esports scene in Japan where a Street Fighter V winner gave up most of his winnings in protest of JeSU rules. Plus we ask our social media following what SNES game they’d love to be able to play anywhere, anytime.

With Joe and Norris back in studio, we start by playing catch up with the news out of the Tokyo Game Show. We also talk about the Call of Duty esports scene now that all the franchise slots have been announced. We also talk about how games are becoming increasingly more realistic gameplay wise.

The Esports Business Summit may be wrapped up and done, but we've still got tons of content from it. Joe and Norris talk about the LCS Gauntlet tournament. Plus, they get a chance to sit down with Matt Edelman of Super League Gaming and Felix Lahaye the CEO of United Esports.

At their final day at the Esports Business Summit, Joe and Norris bring us interviews with; Zach Wigal the founder of the charity Gamer's Outreach, Matt Archambault from Riot Games, Podcast host Lisa Foils from '...and a bag of chips!" and Joshua Kell the CEO of Horizon AVL.

For Day 2 at the Esports Business Summit Joe and Norris got to talk to several key players behind major organizations making the industry tick. Including; Bennett Newsome the Esports Strategist for Full Sail University, Mark Deppe the Director of Esports at UCI, Colin Smith the President of 704 Games, Justin Dellario the Head of Twitch Esports and Victoria Horsley the Head of Marketing for NACE.

For Day 1 of the Esports Business Summit, Joe and Norris start off talking about some of the changes to the Esports Business Summit from last year. They also sit down with Megan Kucynski, Managing Director of the Esports Business Summit. They also have a chance to speak with Jacob "PR" Arce, a Gears of War 5 Caster. Finally, they talk about the newest edition to the Beasley XP and Checkpoint XP family, Checkpoint XP On Campus.