Pixel Parents | A Video Game Podcast

This week we’re digging into Highguard and tackling a spicy conversation about what actually makes someone a hardcore gamer… and why it’s definitely not just the people sinking endless hours into games.

Life gets busy. Priorities shift. Kids appear. Jobs explode. But the passion for gaming doesn’t disappear (it just shows up in different ways). So we’re asking: What defines a Hardcore gamer? And who gets to decide that, anyway?

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re naming the Best Easy Game, the perfect comfort pick when life gives you 20 minutes instead of two hours.

In this episode:

• Highguard thoughts & reactions
• Intro to Steam Deck and Handheld PC Life
• What actually defines a hardcore gamer
• Gamer parents and the shifting identity of “hardcore”
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Easy Game

FREE PATREON: www.patreon.com/pixelparents

Write to us: [email protected]

Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social

Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

This week we react to the Xbox Developer Direct and run through the biggest moments as we see more from Fable, Forza Horizon 6, Beast of Reincarnation and Kiln! 

PLUS  - Big news this week — Scott is going to be a dad again!

So we’re pressing reset and talking honestly about what it means to juggle gaming when life gets busier, noisier, and a whole lot more sleepless.

We break down what changes (and what doesn’t) when you’re expecting again, what expectations Scott has this time around, and what advice we’d give to listeners heading into that newborn window. No pressure, no myths, just real talk from two gamer parents.

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re naming the Best Short Session Game, perfect for those tiny pockets of time life still gives you.

In this episode:

• Xbox Developer Direct 26’ reactions
• 2026 Challenge game update
• Pressing Reset: Gaming & expecting again
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Short Session Game

SUPPORT US AND JOIN OUR FREE PATREON: www.patreon.com/pixelparents

Write to us: [email protected]Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social
Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

This week, Alex is back for what might be our most chaotic episode yet as we play a ruthless round of Underrated or Overrated.Nothing is safe.No franchise is sacred.And yes — your favourite game might appear.

Expect sparks and the kind of nonsense that only happens when two tired gamer parents decide to say what many others dare not!

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re naming the Best Polarising Critique Game, the titles that split reviewers, communities, and sometimes even us.

In this episode:

• ​Underrated or Overrated Games: Vol 1
• ​Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Polarising Critique Game

Write to us: [email protected]

Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social

Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

It’s a brand new year, which means one thing... more games than we’ll ever find time to play.

This week, friend of the show and host of The Mimic's Veil, Alex, returns as our special guest! 

And we’re kicking off 2026 by breaking down the games we’re most excited about, from the obvious heavy hitters to the long shots and dream announcements. We also tackle the elephant in the room: GTA 6, when we think it will land, and how it could reshape everything around it.

We chat through Xbox’s anniversary year with Halo, Fable and Gears all lining up for a comeback, Nintendo’s potential big swings in a Switch 2 world, and whether the Steam Machine really could be hiding Half-Life 3 or something equally seismic.

Then we grab the crystal ball and make our bold, probably-wrong 2026 predictions.

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re naming the Best Bullet Heaven/Hell Game.

In this episode:

• Liam's Journey into PC Gaming with the ROG Xbox Ally X 
• Our most anticipated games of 2026
• Our bold 2026 predictions
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Bullet Heaven/Hell Game

SUPPORT THE SHOW - JOIN OUR FREE PATREON: www.patreon.com/pixelparents

Write to us: [email protected]

Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social

Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

We’re kicking off the new year with a look forward and a look back.

First, we set out our 2026 gaming resolutions, the promises, intentions and delusions we’ll almost definitely break by March. Backlog goals, platform habits, spending choices, and the types of games we want to play more (or less) of next year.

Then we revisit 2025 and grade the Big Three: PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo.
Who delivered? Who stumbled? And who quietly had the strongest year of the lot?

All wrapped in a wee bow as we kick off our own year in gaming as two tired gamer dads!

In this episode:

• Our 2026 Gaming Resolutions
• PlayStation 2025: Our final grade
• Xbox 2025: What worked, what didn’t
• Nintendo 2025: Late-year momentum and the road to Switch 2
• Our personal year-in-gaming wrap-up

Write to us: [email protected]
Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social
Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

It’s our biggest episode of the year, the Pixel Parents Game of the Year 2025.We’re counting down our top ten favourite games of the year, celebrating the surprises, the slow burns, the instant classics, and the titles that defined our time playing games this year.

No big stage. No world premieres. Just the honest, personal picks that stuck with us.

In this episode:

• ​The official Pixel Parents GOTY 2025
• ​Top ten games of the year
• ​Honorable mentions and moments

Support the show and get more! Join our FREE Patreon: www.patreon.com/pixelparents

Write to us: [email protected]Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.socialMusic & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

It’s Christmas at Pixel Parents HQ, and we’re going full festive this week.

We’re looking back at the games we wanted for Christmas growing up, the ones we got, the ones we didn’t, and the ones that live rent-free in our memories.
Inspired by Jingle All The Way, we’re also asking the big one: What would be the "Turbo Man" if it were a game?

We also chat about our modern festive gaming rituals, the media traditions we fall into every year, and the cosy comfort games we reach for once the Christmas lights go up.

This is the warm, nostalgic, slightly chaotic end-of-year hangout you deserve. Grab your favourite festive tipple, get cozy, and join us for a nostalgic and festive chat about video games!

In this episode:

• Our Christmas Rituals
• Jingle All The Play The Games Wanted 
• Turbo Man Game Picks

Write to us: [email protected]
Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social
Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

This week we’re doing what should have been done years ago:
A full audit of The Game Awards’ GOTY winners. We go year-by-year through every Keighley-era champion, asking:
did the right game win — or did something else deserve the crown?

From undeniable classics to questionable choices, we break down each year, what else was nominated, and which games have actually stood the test of time.

Also, we’re chatting about our time with Metroid Prime 4, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny and Demonschool to name but a few games to chat about this week!

It’s equal parts nostalgia, hindsight, and a bit of chaos.

In this episode:

• Metroid Prime 4
• Marvel Cosmic Invasion
• Demonschool
• Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny
• Main Topic: Every GOTY ever: The Game Awards Audit
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Snubbed GOTY Game

Write to us: [email protected]
Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social
Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

This week, it’s time for yet another alternative Game Awards…. The Geoffies! No orchestra, no celebrity cameos, just two tired gamer dads handing out deeply unserious gongs for the best (and strangest) moments in gaming this year.

We’ve got brand new categories, some new favourites, and a few that probably shouldn’t exist at all. 

No tuxedos or trailers, but plenty of laughs in what is our most unhinged episode yet!

In this episode:

• Pixel Parents Presents…The Geoffies: Yet Another Alternative Game Awards 2025

Write to us: [email protected]Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social
Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

This week we’re taking a look back at the Console Wars: the daft bits, the fanboy era, and what it’s become in the age of “play anywhere.”
Who won? Who lost? Has the battle shifted to storefronts (Game Pass, PS Plus, Steam, Epic) instead of plastic boxes?

We’re also reviewing CloverPit and joining in the fun, sharing our looting tales from Arc Raiders. 

We’ve also got a Festive Gaming Buying Guide 2025 — our best tips for Black Friday through Christmas to get the most for less, whether you’re buying for big kids or little ones.

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re crowning the Best System Seller… the games that made you buy the box.

In this episode:

• CloverPit Review
• Arc Raiders Tales
• Festive Gaming Buying Guide 2025: deals, bundles, and smart buys
• RIP Console Wars (?): from culture war to storefront war
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best System Seller

Write to us: [email protected]Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social
Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com