What’s the difference between leading an empire and building an urban environment? In this installment of deeper into the genre, the fellas discuss city- and civilization-management games. Appearances by Age of Empires, Cities: Skylines, and Total War.

In this episode of Deep in the D-Pad, the fellas discuss games that challenge intuitions about mind, self, and identity. For his D-Pad Delight, Carlos describes his first experience in VR for the first time. RK Taylor juxtaposes John Locke’s theory of personal identity with the Ship of Theseus thought experiment. Appearances by Soma, Superliminal, and Pocket Mortys.

Intro-00:00:00

D-Pad Delights-00:01:11

Deeper into the D-Pad- 00:10:15

Skill Treat-  01:06:40

Outro-01:17:13

Special thanks to 8-bit Jazz & Kevin MacLeod for supplying music for the show and Julia Eldred for creating the artwork.

The boys discuss why rougelikes can drain a player. Special focus on Back 4 Blood, Hades, and Spelunky.

What can games teach us about time management? Which games address existence from a philosophical lens? In this episode of Deep in the D-Pad, the fellas discuss the relationship between time management and existential dread in and out of games. For his D-Pad Delight Carlos Gutierrez discusses how Dead Rising killed his Xbox360. We round out today’s episode by exploring small unit tactics as they pertain to AI during Skill Treat. Appearances by Zelda--Majora’s Mask and Skyward Sword—Spiritfarer, and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes.

Intro-00:00:04

D-Pad Delights-00:00:15

Deeper into the D-Pad- 00:10:15

Skill Treat-  00:53:15

Outro-01:01:00

Special thanks to 8-bit Jazz & Kevin MacLeod for supplying music for the show and Julia Eldred for creating the artwork.

Eidos-Montréal and Eidos-Sherbrooke have adopted a four-day workweek. What implications might this have for other game studios?

Let's talk about pooches! In this episode of Deep in the D-Pad, the fellas discuss various roles that dogs play in videogames—characters, supports, accessories. They reminisce about Neopets and Nintendogs during the D-Pad Delights. In Skill Treat, RK Taylor introduces “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?” by Thomas Nagel. Appearances by Call of Duty, Fable, and Dog’s Life.

Intro-00:00:04

D-Pad Delights-00:00:30

Deeper into the D-Pad- 00:13:42

Skill Treat-  00:47:30

Outro-00:58:20

What Is It Like to Be a Bat?—https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Nagel_Bat.pdf

Special thanks to 8-bit Jazz & Kevin MacLeod for supplying music for the show and Julia Eldred for creating the artwork.

These iconic puzzlers beg to be discussed. Let's get deeper into the genre!

In this episode of Deep in the D-Pad, the fellas break down the psychology and game mechanics of revenge. They explore the Psychonauts series and Squid Game during D-Pad Delights. In Skill Treat, Carlos discusses how network topology has changed the way he approaches level design. Appearances by God of War, South Park’s World of Warcraft parody, and John Wick.

Intro-00:00:04

D-Pad Delights-00:00:30

Deeper into the D-Pad- 00:13:42

Skill Treat-01:05:15

Outro-1:06:00

Special thanks to 8-bit Jazz & Kevin MacLeod for supplying music for the show and Julia Eldred for creating the artwork.

Check out this behind the scenes episode where the fellas discuss the development of an episode from rant to release.

Carlos Gutierrez and RK Taylor discuss their experiences with this dodgeball fave. Note: Contrary to initial comments, Knock Out City is not free, but is currently included with Game Pass.