Gaming - The Podcast

This week we are talking about implicit and explicit narrative forms in video games.

How are the two related, how are they separate and how, in particular, can the implicit side of a game's narrative cause within us some of the most powerful and memorable reactions?

Games discussed include The Last of Us 2, the Uncharted series, The Legend of Zelda series, The Witcher series, APEX Legends, Fortnite, Rust, Valhiem and Shadow of the Colossus. Be warned that there are spoilers for some of these games.

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Visit our website https://www.indiebydesign.net to check out our books! If you're looking for 20 Double Fine Years, our big book of all things Double Fine, then head straight to DOUBLEFINEBOOK.com to get your copy.

Find us on Twitter @IndieByDesign

A video version of this podcast is available at https://www.youtube.com/c/indiebydesign

https://www.indiebydesign.net/podcast

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Resident Evil was first released on 22 March 1996. In honour of Resident Evil's 25th Anniversary we present you the final of our three episodes focused on the game's legacy, influence and design.

We've already covered the game's Spencer Mansion location and its design and implementation of 'safe rooms', and in this episode we take a step back and look at the game as a whole - discussing how and why it has stood the test of time to become one of the most iconic games ever made.

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Visit our website https://www.indiebydesign.net to check out our books! If you're looking for 20 Double Fine Years, our big book of all things Double Fine, then head straight to DOUBLEFINEBOOK.com to get your copy.

Find us on Twitter @IndieByDesign

A video version of this podcast is available at https://www.youtube.com/c/indiebydesign

https://www.indiebydesign.net/podcast

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're delving into the belly of the beast on this week's gaming the podcast as Stace Harman and myself, John Robertson, discuss and explore Resident Evil 1's mansion.

What makes it so revered? How has it stood the test of time so well and how does its design impact everything that occurs in the game?

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Visit our website https://www.indiebydesign.net to check out our books! If you're looking for 20 Double Fine Years, our big book of all things Double Fine, then head straight to DOUBLEFINEBOOK.com to get your copy.

Find us on Twitter @IndieByDesign

A video version of this podcast is available at https://www.youtube.com/c/indiebydesign

https://www.indiebydesign.net/podcast

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sports games are diverse and numerous, but do you have to like the sport in question to enjoy the game?

Join John Robertson and Stace Harman on this week's Gaming: The Podcast as they delve into the question by exploring their own relationships with sports and sports games and how they interact and inform one another.

Perhaps the ultimate question: Is 'sports game' am meaningful genre classification for a family of games that is diverse and different from one another?

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Visit our website https://www.indiebydesign.net to check out our books! If you're looking for 20 Double Fine Years, our big book of all things Double Fine, then head straight to DOUBLEFINEBOOK.com to get your copy.

Find us on Twitter @IndieByDesign

A video version of this podcast is available at https://www.youtube.com/c/indiebydesign

https://www.indiebydesign.net/podcast

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Safe Rooms are the topic of this week's Gaming: The Podcast, those things with the typewriters in in Resident Evil games.

Specifically we're talking about how and why they work and how they are designed to inform and enhance those things that take place not only inside of their walls, but outside of them.

One thing to note on this episode is that we suffered a microphone issue on Stace's end which we weren't able to fix in time for release - such are the dangers of recording remotely in a lockdown. Rest assured that this issue has now been fixed and will not impact future episodes, just as it hasn't impacted previous ones.

Indie By Design is John Robertson and Stace Harman, videogame design and narrative consultants and creators of books that celebrate the art, history and culture of gaming.

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Visit our website https://www.indiebydesign.net to check out our books! If you're looking for 20 Double Fine Years, our big book of all things Double Fine, then head straight to DOUBLEFINEBOOK.com to get your copy.

Find us on Twitter @IndieByDesign

A video version of this podcast is available at https://www.youtube.com/c/indiebydesign

https://www.indiebydesign.net/podcast

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catherine (Atlus, 2011) celebrates its 10th anniversary this week, so what better time to revisit it and explore just what makes it such a memorable and great game?

You play as Vincent, a guy in his 30s trying to navigate a path through his relationships and into his future. On the surface of it the game seems to be about the nature of commitment versus temptation, as communicated through Katherine and Catherine.

Is that really what it's about, though? Is there more to Vincent's story than there initially seems and how does this extra depth play into Catherine's value as a videogame and a piece of social commentary?

Join Indie By Design's John Robertson and Stace Harman as they discuss and explore the game a decade after its release.

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Visit our website https://www.indiebydesign.net to check out our books! If you're looking for 20 Double Fine Years, our big book of all things Double Fine, then head straight to DOUBLEFINEBOOK.com to get your copy.

Find us on Twitter @IndieByDesign

A video version of this podcast is available at https://www.youtube.com/c/indiebydesign

https://www.indiebydesign.net/podcast

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is it about some games that makes you never want to stop playing them?

In this episode of Gaming: The Podcast, Indie By Design's John Robertson and Stace Harman discuss the experience, gameplay and rewards of Supergiant Games' Hades after 400 hours of play.

How much new and unseen content still remains after so many gameplay hours? What is so rewarding as to make you want to keep coming back? Does the game still offer a challenge? How has mastery of over the tool-set changed how you see and think about the game?

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Visit our website https://www.indiebydesign.net to check out our books! If you're looking for 20 Double Fine Years, our big book of all things Double Fine, then head straight to DOUBLEFINEBOOK.com to get your copy.

Find us on Twitter @IndieByDesign

A video version of this podcast is available at https://www.youtube.com/c/indiebydesign

https://www.indiebydesign.net/podcast

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dungeons & Dragons and videogames are both 'games' goes the general understanding, but how are they inherently different to one another and what is it about their designs that cause us to interpret them in wildly disparate ways?

Join Indie By Design's John Robertson and Stace Harman as they discuss the fundamental approaches to design that lead to videogames and Dungeons & Dragons being viewed, by their players, as very different entities to one another.

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Visit our website https://www.indiebydesign.net to check out our books! If you're looking for 20 Double Fine Years, our big book of all things Double Fine, then head straight to DOUBLEFINEBOOK.com to get your copy.

Find us on Twitter @IndieByDesign

A video version of this podcast is available at https://www.youtube.com/c/indiebydesign

https://www.indiebydesign.net/podcast

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hitman III is game about the environment and level design more than it is about the characters, it's a game about freedom of expression as well as repetitive trial and error.

Indie By Design's John Robertson and Stace Harman explore the nature of this freedom/repetition dichotomy, how it informs and results in the experience offered by Hitman III.

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Visit our website https://www.indiebydesign.net to check out our books! If you're looking for 20 Double Fine Years, our big book of all things Double Fine, then head straight to DOUBLEFINEBOOK.com to get your copy.

Find us on Twitter @IndieByDesign

A video version of this podcast is available at https://www.youtube.com/c/indiebydesign

https://www.indiebydesign.net/podcast

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hideo Kojima is a designer that has pushed boundaries, provided us with new genres and creates games under the mantra that it is possible to bring the impossible to players.

In this episode of Gaming: The Podcast we talk about his impact on the video game medium, the importance of strong themes in his writing and direction and how it is that he has come to be such an important and unique voice.

Conversation is primarily centered around Death Stranding and the Metal Gear Solid series and there are some minor spoilers for these included.

Enjoy!

Visit our website https://www.indiebydesign.net to check out our books! If you're looking for 20 Double Fine Years, our big book of all things Double Fine, then head straight to DOUBLEFINEBOOK.com to get your copy.

Find us on Twitter @IndieByDesign

A video version of this podcast is available at https://www.youtube.com/c/indiebydesign

https://www.indiebydesign.net/podcast

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.