Overthinking Games

Empathy and Games

Maybe it’s just because Seth and Katie teach teenagers, but it seems that there’s a bit of a crisis of empathy…”back in my day, I could put myself into somebody else’s shoes! Kids these days…” - Katie as the oldest member of the team, the next step is “get off my lawn!” Jokes aside, this week we look at empathy and gaming; are video games a good medium for encouraging/teaching empathy?

What ways do games and gaming culture discourage empathy? Plus, Seth says we’re overthinking things (it’s in the title, man!)

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A very horny episode

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Loneliness

Join us as our loneliness diminishes because Brett, of Lore’d to Death, joins the whole gang for a regular episode of Overthinking Games!

We discuss loneliness in videogames; dissect isolation vs. solitude; repeatedly talk over each other as we learn to be a 4-person band; and everyone wishes they could just play Silksong instead of being adults with jobs.

Also, check out our YouTube!

We’ve got more Shorts and content coming your way! Share your favorite lonely-vibes game, tell us which game helps you feel a little less lonely, or suggest a topic for our next episode by sending us an email! [email protected]

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Its Silksong Day!!! 

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Find us on: Youtube Apple Podcasts Spotify Tik Tok/Instagram Bluesky

Theme music is copyright free and from: https://www.youtube.com/@Pixverses

We finally talk about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Check out Ran's Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ranran.words?_t=ZT-8zXGsP3jqY3&_r=1

This week, Katie picked yet another topic she didn’t really understand well, and maybe we all will understand it a smidgeon better by the end. Maybe… Teleological thinking is “means to an end” kind of thinking, and non-teleological thinking is more like “the journey, not the destination” thinking.

We discuss the way these two kinds of thinking can influence the games we play and how we play them, and also, and also a rather-longwinded discussion of how the way one approaches gaming relates to chores….

Do you approach games the same way you do the dishes? Are you goal- or vibes-oriented?

Send us an email with your thoughts! [email protected]

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This week, Dempsey and Katie play shoulder advocates on either side of Seth’s quandary: should he get a Nintendo Switch 2? This existential question leads us into the question of “value,” and what it takes for something to be “worth it.”

Katie continues to be alarmingly anti-Nintendo, Dempsey wants to watch the world burn, and Seth is not helped much by either one.

Are you getting a Switch 2? Why or why not? Send us an email and let us know what you think! [email protected]

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This week, Dempsey’s real-life action adventure game called “being a documentarian” leads us into dark, claustrophobic caves, wide open worlds, environmental story-telling, and the power of setting in video games.

Send us an email with your favorite video game setting, or a place you’d love to see a game set; we’d love to hear from you! [email protected]

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What do Celeste, The Binding of Isaac and Hellblade have in common? Interesting approaches to talking about mental health, of course!

This week we get into the weeds about mental health in games, the relationship between player mental health and games, and society’s portrayal of and broader conversation about mental health.

Games also discussed: Elden Ring: Nightreign, Balatro, Crush House, Arcade Paradise, and, at some length, Death Stranding.

Send us an email with your thoughts on this week’s topic, a suggestion for an episode, or whether you think themes are real or not!

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Waiting sucks! Except for when it…doesn’t.

Why can waiting for an upcoming, scheduled release feel like Advent (thank Seth for that one), but waiting for Silksong incites insanity among its fanbase? Is there a difference between delayed gratification, and gratification delayed(that one was Katie’s fault…)? How does player agency tie into all this?

Join us as we discuss waiting and video games, as well as the decline of the human attention span, and Elden Ring: Nightreign.

If you’d like to send in your thoughts about a recent episode, we’d love to hear from you! [email protected]

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