Not Your Mama's Gamer

This week we had a conversation about summertime gaming. We talked about everything from having more time to having less time for gaming in the summer and everything in between.

What We're Playing:

Sea of Solitude
The Sinking City 
Stranger Things 3
Dead by Daylight
Sherlock Holmes The Devils Daughter
Portal 2
My Big Sister
Azul
Sagrada
Welcome to Your Perfect Home
What We're Reading

War Storm (Red Queen 4) by Victoria Aveyard
7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Hunger by Roxane Gay
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
What We're Drinking:

Grapefruit Shandy
312
Flat Tire
Jose Cuervo Pink Lemonade Margarita

This week we had a conversation with Bonnie (Bo) Ruberg (University of California, Irvine), author of Video Games Have Always Been Queer and co-editor of Queer Game Studies, about their latest book and queer game studies.

What We're Playing:
State of Decay 2; Heartland
Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled
Katamari 
Gears of War Ultimate
Halo: Combat Evolved

What We're Reading
Video Games Have Always Been Queer by Bonnie Ruberg
King's Cage
Two Dark Reigns
Trail of Lightning

What We're Drinking:
Sneaky Sneaky
Glenlivet
Blueberry Moscato

This week Sam, Alisha, and Jordyn talk about the best (and worst) of E3. Now you get to hear what we are most and least excited for and hear us talk about the predictions we made in the last episode. 

What We're Playing:

Wargroove
State of Decay 2; Heartland
L.A. Noire
Elder Scrolls Online
What We're Reading

Video Games Have Always Been Queer by Bonnie Ruberg
Crazy Rich Asians
Three Queens
What We're Drinking:

Guiness
Glenlivet
Jose Cuervo 1800 Peach Margarita

This week Sam, Alisha, and Jordyn talk about their E3 hopes, dreams, and predictions. We get the specifics of the Death Stranding bet between Sam and Alisha and so much more!

What We're Playing:

Dead by Daylight
Nidhogg 2
Speedrunners
Mafia
Sagrada
Hearthstone
State of Decay 2
Marenian Tavern Story: Patty and the Hungry God
Dauntless
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark
Minecraft
What We're Reading

Video Games Have Always Been Queer by Bonnie Ruberg
They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
What We're Drinking:

Bay Bridge Rose Wine
3 Floyd's Gumballhead
Jose Cuervo 1800 Peach Margarita

This week Sam, Alisha, and Jordyn talk about their experience playing Bendy and the Ink Machine (Joey Drew Studios, 2017). Sam tries to pay penance for giving in the Solo cups...

What We're Playing:

Bendy and the Ink Machine
Glass Masquerade
Sims 4: Strangerville
Brawlhalla
Rocket League
Rage 2
Overcooked 2: Campfire Cook Off
Borderlands 2 
State of Decay 2
What We're Reading

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard
Video Games Have Always Been Queer by Bonnie Ruberg
The Girls by Emma Cline
Lord of California by Andrew Valencia
What We're Drinking:

Oliver Soft Red with Lime Extract
Old Fashioned and 3 Floyd's Gumballhead
Pink Grapefruit Sparkling Water with Mango Pineapple vodka

This week we talk about the joys and problems of playing games together in co-op mode. The struggles of playing games offline and on and, of course, Sam and Alisha talk about State of Decay 2...again.

What We're Playing:

Inside (iOS)
Dead by Daylight
Kitty Keeper
Hearthstone
Overcooked 2: Campfire Cook Off
Borderlands (GOTY Edition)
Truberbrook
State of Decay 2
What We're Reading

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard
Games User Research
Video Games Have Always Been Queer
How to Play Video Games
What We're Drinking:

Sauvignon Blanc
Old Fashioned
Sneaky Sneaky (The Peach Edition)

This week we are joined by TreaAndrea Russworm (UMass-Amerhearst) to talk about Far Cry: New Dawn (Ubisoft 2019), race, and representation.

What We're Playing:
The Division 2
Night in the Woods
Into the Breach
State of Decay 2

What We're Reading
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Gaming Representation ed. Jennifer Malkowski and TreaAndrea Russworm

What We're Drinking:
New City Mule Ginger Beer
Old Fashioned
Joes Cuervo 1800 Peach Margarita

This week Sam talks with EightBitBlonde (content creator, freelance community manager, and Xbox MVP) and Moto (content creator and Xbox MVP) about their work (and hers) in the games community, the MVP (Most Valuable Professional) Award Program, and other things game related.

What is the Xbox MVP Award? It is an award bestowed upon people who are "community leaders who’ve demonstrated an exemplary commitment to helping others get the most out of their experience with Xbox products and services...The award allows Xbox to recognize community leaders for their contributions, while bringing other voices into game, product, and service development through direct conversations, relationships, and the annual Xbox MVP Summit."

What We're Playing:

The Division 2
Yonder: Cloud Catcher Chronicles
Anthem
Tetris 99
Apex Legends
What We're Drinking:

Water
Coffee (Oddly this week we were all sick coming home from Summit)
Links of Note

Xbox MVP Award Program
Geeks Respawn (Moto's podcast)
Girls on Games (EBB's podcast)
EightbitBlonde on Mixer
Moto on Mixer
NYMG Episode 147 (Moto's last NYMG appearance)
NYMG Episode 180 (EBB's last NYMG appearance)

This week we talk about some of our favorite books about video games. You knew we were book nerds before you got here!

What We're Playing:

Anthem
Far Cry New Dawn
Insane Robots
Overcooked 2
Last Year: The Nightmare
Tetris 99
Katamari Reroll
Apex Legends

What We're Reading:

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia owens
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Unapologetic: A Black, Queer and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements

What We're Drinking:

Homemade Sangria
Whiskey and Ginger
Ciderboys Pineapple Hula
Links of Note

NYMG Episode 144 (On Katherine Isbister's book)
NYMG Episode 162 (With TreaAndrea Russworm and Jennifer Malkowski)

This week we talk about some of our favorite books about video games. You knew we were book nerds before you got here!

What We're Playing:

Anthem

Far Cry New Dawn

Insane Robots

Overcooked 2

Last Year: The Nightmare

Tetris 99

Katamari Reroll

Apex Legends

What We're Reading:

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia owens

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Unapologetic: A Black, Queer and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements

What We're Drinking:

Homemade Sangria

Whiskey and Ginger

Ciderboys Pineapple Hula

Links of Note

NYMG Episode 144 (On Katherine Isbister's book)

NYMG Episode 162 (With TreaAndrea Russworm and Jennifer Malkowski)