So what exactly is a mountain lifestyle? Is it a marketing phrase? A type of view from your window? A bonified set of cultural practices? Whatever it is, it must be pretty awesome, considering how awesomely expensive the mountain lifestyle is getting these days!

This week we're joined by Shaun Martin, a Nintendo loving editor working for an educational nonprofit in Greensboro, North Carolina. Originally from Marshall, NC, with family roots dug several generations down, Shaun has first-hand knowledge of the different styles of lives you can find in the Appalachian region of ye Old North State. We dig deep into the phrase "mountain lifestyle", uncovering the multiplicty of lives that make up mountain living including, you guessed it, lifestyles that include gaming!

(psst... confused about the episode title?)

This episode is part six of "Playing Appalachia", a series of conversations with Appalachian and Appalachian adjacent gamers and game makers. To start at the beginning, check out "What Games Are Getting Right About Appalachia" with Dr. Elizabeth Catte, followed by our conversation with Cardboard Computer about Kentucky Route Zero to learn more about the relationship between magical realism and Appalachia. The third part of the series is "Rural Flight, Virtually Speaking" with Meredith Wilson, an Appalachian transplant whose experiences in the region have affected the way she makes games (and who she makes games for), with part four introducing us to Appalachian-raised Jerel Culliss (aka King Lemming of Team CoFH) who regales us with tales of LAN parties and Minecraft modding ethics in "Modding Appalachia". In part five, "The Streamers of Madison County", we meet Renee Hill (aka The Caked Crusader), a video game live streamer and nerd extraordinaire whose home base is western North Carolina.

Stuff We Mentioned...
Marshall, NC
Greensboro, NC
Asheville, NC
A-B Emblem
Piedmont Region of NC
Madison’s history jailhouse
Urban Outfitters Protests
Legend of Zelda
SNES