Pixel Spectrum

Sometimes two book girlies just need to yap. Today, former games media and PR specialist Natalie Checo joins me to reminisce on The House in Fata Morgana, one of the most critically acclaimed visual novels of all time. Along the way, we talk about the literacy crisis, the power of reading, the benefit of a balanced artistic diet, and the sometimes unfair attitudes mainstream gamers can take towards the visual novel genre.

You can follow Natalie on any social media platform she graces as Heartimecia. While she's not currently the mainstay of journalism and PR she historically has been, she's still a follow that is as insightful as she is delightful.

I'm joined today by my good friend Tom aka Bearpigman to talk about how, while we appreciate this sudden wave of intense negative press Xbox is receiving for recent layoffs and studio closures, we wish some of that energy had been there for the whole "boycotting genocide enablers" thing.

You can follow Tom on most social media platforms as Bearpigman, and keep up with other streaming and fundraising activities via the New York Snark Exchange (found wherever medias are socialed).

Meeting fellow queer folks online in gaming spaces can be a huge source of support, but it can also drive you mad. I'm joined today by Christie J aka theanarchristie to talk about some of the complicated feelings around Pride as a spectacle, how we stay grounded and focused on the things that matter, and how we intersect with a mixture of fellow queer and trans folks and well-intentioned allies, both online and off.

You can follow Christie on BlueSky at theanarchristie.bsky.social, watch her streaming on Twitch as TheWivesAnarchy, and keep up with other streaming and fundraising activities via the New York Snark Exchange (found wherever medias are socialed).

Monster Hunter Wilds looked like it was going to be one of The Games Of All Time, and then it launched. On today's episode, I'm joined by Danny and Conner, two very different flavors of Monster Hunter player, to talk about where Wilds fell short and what the upcoming (perhaps soon-to-be-revealed) expansion needs to do to win us back.

You can follow Danny on most platforms as CGDannyB, the Playlog podcast anywhere you get your podcasts, and Conner wherever he goes as H0b0monkey.

A raw, unscripted dialogue with the void about the emotional complexities of managing mental health and creating content as the world falls down.

No guests on this one, it's 100% personal.

Miss our panel at PAX East 2026? No you didn't!

Licensed videogames have a long and weird history. They ran the quality gamut from shovelware to masterpieces, and filled the libraries of consoles up until they fell out of favor. On this panel, we discuss how videogames based on licensed properties came in and out and back in to fashion over the years.I was joined for this panel by my sister and Castle Bravo cohost Charlotte Landale, my friend and former podmate Matthew Finneman aka Finn, and our good buddy Cam Hawkins.

Make sure to follow Charlotte @dollblood.garden, Finn @nolanerdcast.bsky.social, and Cam camfinalmix.bsky.social.

PAX East is upon us once again, and it's time for Pixel Spectrum's first annual show floor report! I'm joined by my sister and Castle Bravo cohost Charlotte Landale to check out games, run and go to some panels, and give folks who didn't attend an idea of what they missed out on and what they can look forward to from the gaming world.

You can follow Charlotte on bluesky at dollblood.garden. You can also catch more of both of us together on the Castle Bravo podcast, available on all the usual podcast apps.

Note: the panel I ran will not be a part of this log, and will be uploaded separately into the feed in the coming days.

Collectible trading card games are a point of strong nostalgia for many, but they don't have to remain a happy memory. In fact, TCGs have been resurging for some time now both in physical and digital formats. We're joined today by writer, critic, journalist, guidesmaker, and card game sicko Veerender Jubbal to learn about how card games can shape our relationships with our communities and maybe get some advice on how to fall back in love with TCGs.

You can follow Veerender on bluesky at veerenderjubbal.bsky.social. Keep an eye out there for some cool (as yet unannounced) upcoming projects from him!

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Pixel Spectrum! We're joined today by writer, critic, and journalist Ashley Schofield to talk about the ways games media is failing its professionals top-to-bottom, and how that's bad for everyone. With layoffs and lack of opportunities becoming the norm, it rapidly leaves behind a space where only the most well-established have any security, and the void ends up filled by content creator types (well-intentioned or otherwise).

You can follow Ashley on bluesky at ashlikeadragon.bsky.social. You can preorder her upcoming book "VA-11 Hall-A: Design Works" today from publisher Lost In Cult before its launch later this year.