Game Hugs

This week's Game Hugs features the founder of Queerly Represent Me, sessional academic at the University of the Sunshine Coast, and freelance games journalist and columnist Alayna Cole.

Alayna joins host Jason Imms for our usual jaunt through the career that has led to her current position in the Australian games industry, as well as something of a rebuttal. In response to Game Hugs Episode 55 with Lisy Kane on the subject of how tertiary education is serving and failing the Australian games industry, Alayna adds her point of view as someone actively working to help her students be the best candidates they can be.

So, join us to hear her side of the story, how her work in mapping queer representation in video games has moved from strength to strength, and for a sobering discussion about working a freelance journalist for the enthusiast press.

Disclaimer: The audio quality of this and the following episode doesn't live up to our usual standards, and for that we apologise. We felt that the discussion as-recorded was worth preserving, however, so please bear with us. Rest assured, the source of this issue has been found and repaired.

Say hello to Luke Lancaster, who was until recently a well-known Australian associate editor at CNET, before being selected as the new PAX Australia Content Manager, replacing ex-Game Hugs host Guy 'Yug' Blomberg. He's also a co-creator of The Badguys, an excellent weekly webcomic that recently took home the top prize in Stan Lee's POW! Media Superhero Comic Contest.

This episode marks the beginning of a Game Hugs multi-part episode experiment, in which we check in with Luke in the week before he kicks-off his new and high-pressure role, to talk about hopes and fears leading up to taking the help of his first PAX. We'll speak to Luke again after PAX Australia 2017 to see how it all went, and how much of him survived.

Tune in to hear Luke and host Jason Imms discuss journalistic ethics, the realities of working in your dream job, and the power and responsibility that comes with being a focal point for an entire region of game developers.

Eli Hodapp is the editor in chief of Touch Arcade, the world's largest reviews and news site dedicated to Apple mobile devices. He's also possibly a Juggalo, though the jury is still out on that one.

Join Eli and host Jason Imms this week as they discuss working remotely, American gun culture, and the question of elitism in free-to-play vs. premium games.

Show Notes
Episode 54 with Matt Ditton of Mighty Games featured a related conversation on free-to-play ethics in games.

As a producer at League of Geeks, co-founder at Girl Geek Academy, and a Forbes 30 Under 30 lister, Lisy Kane doesn't seem to do anything by halves.

Join Jason Imms this week for a chat with Lisy about her incredible and densely accomplished career. Also, the pair take a look at how the Australian education system is both serving and failing the game development industry, internships, and how Armello's intriguing profit-share program works.

Show Notes
Lisy Kane
League of Geeks
Girl Geek Academy

Matt Ditton is the managing director of the Mighty Games Group (Shooty Skies, Disney Crossy Road, Charming Keep, Charming Runes) and Many Monkeys Development (Breath of Light, ANZ Future Play), both based in The Arcade in Melbourne, Victoria.

Matt is one of Australia's veteran game developers, one of the rare few that stuck around after the industry crash that began in 2010. In fact, his chat with Jason Imms in this episode goes into some depth on what the crash looked like on the ground, as Pandemic Australia and other studios shut down around the country.

Stick around to the end of the episode for a frank discussion on the ethics of free-to-play game design, player entitlement, and the practical realities of running a games studio for profit.

Ken Wong is the founder and creative director of Mountains, a self-described "craft games studio," based in Melbourne. He's also well known for his work as the lead designer and artist on Ustwo's seminal mobile title, Monument Valley.

In this episode, Ken and Jason discuss his work with Ustwo, being discovered by American McGee, his work on Alice: Madness Returns, and much more.

Katie Stegs is co-founder and creative director of games PR and marketing agency Lumi Consulting. You might think this would place sufficient burden on Katie's calendar, but NO. Katie has also co-founded Blush Box, a collective of game creators that focuses on romance, love and sexuality, and a symposium and game jam called Heartbeat which hopes to give that community a chance to come together and grow.

In this episode, Jason Imms chats with Katie about her dark caravanning past, what drives her passion for games about passion, the challenges of running a consultancy for small games studios, and more.

Guy 'Yug' Blomberg is not only the creator of this fine podcast, but also the newly appointed Global PAX Content Director, ensuring that every PAX show around the world is crammed full of amazing stars, panels, expo booths, and entertainment.

No, Yug won't be interviewing himself - his new role doesn't leave enough time to concentrate on Game Hugs, so this episode will be the first for new host, and past Game Hugs guest, freelance games and tech journalist Jason Imms. You can read the full announcement with our friends over at MCV Pacific.

Listen-in to hear more about Yug's pre-PAX history, his secret porn career, the life and death of the Mana Bar, and the ill-fated TV show Game Damage.

James Cullinane is the Games Account Manager at CBS Interactive, including sites GameSpot, Giant Bomb, GameFAQs, ComicVine, Metacritic and CNET.

He was previously the Editor of Gameplanet, before becoming the Editorial Director accross both New Zealand and Australian Gameplanet sites.

Paul Verhoeven is a writer, comedian, host, and storyteller. He co-hosts the popular gaming podcast 28 Plays Later with Kris Straub, is the host of the ABC3 show Steam Punks, and is currently writing the upcoming novel Loose Units.

Previously he was a host and producer of various Triple J programs including The Breakfast Show, Nerdy by Nature, and The Graveyard Shift. He is a regular guest on The Project, Studio 3, and Good Game, having also co-hosted on gaming show Save Point and geek comedy program Planet Nerd.

He has written for The Vine, Junkee, MMGN, and Film Inc, and made his stand up comedy debut in the show Tell Me Lies at the Melbourne Fringe Festival.