Player vs Plot

By Player vs Plot Podcast

Player vs. Plot takes video game stories seriously.

Whether you're eager to revisit the story of your favorite video game through a different lens, looking for a synopsis of a game you never played b... more

4.3

1717 ratings

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about Player vs Plot:

How many episodes does Player vs Plot have?

The podcast currently has 23 episodes available.

Player vs Plot episodes:

September 15, 2020S2E12 - Chrono Trigger
Episode Notes
In this exciting season finale, we discuss the plot and philosophical questions of the beloved SNES RPG, Chrono Trigger! We take you through the main plot, the side quests, and (many of) the endings! We also discuss some of the bigger lingering questions often debated by the game's fandom: what exactly is Lavos, and who might be the Entity?
Check back each week for a new discussion of a video game story! As always, catch us on Instagram and Twitter at @playervsplot, send your questions and comments to [email protected], and check out our website, http://playervsplot.com!
Time Stamps
0:00:00 What's Chrono Trigger?
0:14:00 The first quest: to the Middle Ages and back
0:38:00 Discovering the Apocalypse and the Future
0:45:55 Helping a frog knight defeat a wizard
0:53:00 Prehistoric era: when Lavos landed
0:58:28 Zeal and Magus's origin story
1:08:00 Side quests and getting stronger for Lavos
1:31:30 Final battle and the endings
2:02:10 What is Lavos and what does it want?
2:09:30 Who is the Entity?
...more
2h 33min
September 07, 2020S2E11 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Episode Notes
We tackle another behemoth of a game this week with The Witcher 3! We walk you through the story beats of the main quest, summarize some of the bigger side quests, and analyze what the game has to say about fatherhood, political action, and interdimensional factionalism. We also talk about the unique challenges this game tackles in setting an open world RPG in the world of a licensed property.
Check back each week for a new discussion of a video game story! As always, catch us on Instagram and Twitter at @playervsplot, send your questions and comments to [email protected], and check out our website, http://playervsplot.com!
Time Stamps
0:00:00: What's The Witcher franchise all about?
0:18:15: Important characters to know
0:27:45: The inciting incident
0:39:35 Events in Velen
0:57:40 Events in Novigrad
1:09:35 Events in Skellige
1:20:00 Locating Ciri, Kaer Morhen
1:50:40 Final Quests
2:09:40 Finale and the Endings
...more
2h 55min
August 31, 2020 S2E10 - Frame Narratives in Video Games
Think of today's episode as a story within a story - because we're doing framing narratives! We discuss games that have you playing out a story being told in-universe like Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time, Dragon Age 2, Final Fantasy X, and more. It's a classic narrative technique, but how does it fare in the realm of video games? Tune in to find out!
Check back each week for a new discussion of a video game story! As always, catch us on Instagram and Twitter at @playervsplot, send your questions and comments to [email protected], and check out our website, http://playervsplot.com!
...more
1h 37min
August 24, 2020S2E9 - Metal Gear Solid
Episode Notes
This week's episode is a doozy. We tackle the hotly requested Metal Gear Solid! We summarize the major story beats and discuss its meta elements, our treatment of soldiers, and whether your genes really determine your future. This is a long one and a bit on the goofy side so sit back, suppress your stomach acids, turn on your stealth camouflage, put away your Murakami novel and get in your box while we walk you through one of the weirdest game stories we've tackled yet!
Check back each week for a new discussion of a video game story! As always, catch us on Instagram and Twitter at @playervsplot, send your questions and comments to [email protected], and check out our website, http://playervsplot.com!
Time Stamps
0:00 Our relationship with the game and Kojima
19:45 What you need to know from Metal Gear 1 and 2
38:12 MGS1's mission briefing
44:15 Introducing the support staff
53:25 Infiltrating Shadow Moses and finding the hostages
01:17:20 Nuclear weapons storage Building
01:52:50 The finale
2:11:00 How the game discusses genetics, autonomy and heritage
2:27:50 Further reading
...more
2h 39min
August 17, 2020S2E8 - Shadow of the Colossus
This week on Player Vs Plot we tackle a game that may seem to have a small plot but in the end is full of colossal themes to unpack. That's right, we're discussing Shadow of the Colossus! Join us as we talk about how this game connects with others games, the myths it taps into, and the overarching messages it sets out to convey.
Check back each week for a new discussion of a video game story! Catch us on Instagram and Twitter @playervsplot, send your questions and comments to [email protected], and check out our website at http://playervsplot.com!
Time Stamps
00:00:00 Introduction, what kind of "art" games existed in the mainstream at the time?
00:22:28 The premise and basic plot
00:52:00 Are the Colossi sapient?
00:58:20 The climax
01:17:00 Dormin and the ending
01:25:00 Analyzing the ending
01:44:25 Fan theories and the last secret
01:59:15 Listener questions
...more
2h 20min
August 10, 2020S2E7 - Street Fighter II
This week, Player vs Plot covers an unusual source of compelling video game storytelling: fighting games! How does a competitive arcade game tell a story when the player experience is always different? How does a match between two players fit into the game's "canon" plot? And how much storytelling can you get in with just animation, endings and win quotes, anyway? We tackle all of these questions using Street Fighter II as a case study!
Check back each week for a new discussion of a video game story! As always, catch us on Instagram and Twitter at @playervsplot, send your questions and comments to [email protected], and check out our website, http://playervsplot.com!
Time Stamps
0:00:00 Our relationships with the arcade
0:17:00 Fighting games before Street Fighter
0:21:00 Plot of the original Street Fighter, what is a Street Fighter?
0:38:25 Street Fighter II, context of release
0:44:00 Sources of canon in Street Fighter
0:46:12 The player's narrative in Street Fighter II
1:22:22 Chun Li
1:40:00 Guile
1:45:10 Blanka
1:46:32 Zangief
1:48:24 Honda
1:48:55 Dhalsim
1:54:30 Ken
1:57:55 Ryu
...more
2h 19min
August 03, 2020S2E6 - Animal Crossing: New Horizons
This week we tackle the Animal Crossing series, with a particular focus on its latest entry: New Horizons. We discuss its peculiar "communication" genre label and try to pin down what common stories will emerge from the game's many activities. We also discuss the movie adaptation and some popular fan theories!
If you're an Animal Crossing fan or just wondering what story we could possibly be pulling from this series, this episode is for you!
Check back each week for a new discussion of a video game story! Catch us on Instagram and Twitter @playervsplot, send your questions and comments to [email protected], and check out our website at http://playervsplot.com !
Time Stamps
00:00:00: Intro, release history of the series
00:12:30: Main concept of Animal Crossing, discussing the "communication" genre
00:25:30: What's the player character supposed to be?
00:34:45: Animal villagers, their role in the game, and their personality types
01:23:00: Exploring common narrative threads in an Animal Crossing experience
01:32:45: The Animal Crossing movie adaptation
01:47:15: Development of the original Animal Crossing
01:52:50: Fan theories
02:09:00: Further Reading
...more
2h 17min
July 27, 2020S2E5 - Power Progression Mechanics in Video Game Narratives
Episode Notes
This week we chat about the many ways in which video games make the player character stronger over time. What forms can it take, what does it accomplish for a story, and what kind of new challenges and solutions has this narrative technique brought to the medium? We discuss all this and more!
Check back each week for a new discussion of a video game story! As always, catch us on Instagram and Twitter @playervsplot, send your questions and comments to [email protected], and check out our website at http://playervsplot.com !
Time Stamps
00:01:45 What is power progression?
00:07:20 Why do we like it so much? What do we get out of it?
00:14:00 The dark side of power progression
00:18:10 Power progression in sequels
00:23:00 How experience points and currency tell a story
00:31:00 Prescriptive vs Descriptive power progression mechanics
00:33:30 Losing progression to serve design
00:37:00 Has power progression become less part of the narrative voice of games?
00:53:00 What kinds of narratives are best served by progression mechanics?
01:12:38 "Increment games" (Progress Quest/Cookie Clicker) and their implications
01:30:00 Summary and wrap-up
...more
1h 39min
July 20, 2020 S2E4 - BONUS: Interview with Sauna 2000 creator Amos Sorri
Episode Notes
Amos Sorri joins us this week to discuss his new horror-comedy game Sauna 2000, which is nearing the end of its Kickstarter campaign! We talk about the importance of saunas to Finnish culture, how comedy and horror are more similar than you might think, and many more topics in this interview special!
Check out the Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/madpuppeteer/sauna-2000-sauna-simulator-with-retro-aesthetic
Check back each week for a new discussion of a video game story! As always, catch us on Instagram and Twitter @playervsplot, send your questions and comments to [email protected], and check out our website at http://playervsplot.com !
...more
1h 6min
July 20, 2020S2E3 - Lightning Round: Rogue, Binding of Isaac, and Slay the Spire!
This week, Player Vs. Plot takes on another lightning round. That's right, it's three games packed into one episode! In this episode, we focus on the namesake of the genre: Rogue. Then, we share two of our favorite modern installments in the genre: The Binding of Isaac and Slay the Spire. We take a look at what tropes of the genre are present across all three games and how each game uses the roguelike elements to tell a unique story.
Check back each week for a new discussion of a video game story! As always, catch us on Instagram and Twitter @playervsplot, send your questions and comments to [email protected], and check out our website at http://playervsplot.com !
Time Stamps
2:24 - Rogue
36:00 - Binding of Isaac
1:17:56 - Slay the Spire
...more
2h 7min

FAQs about Player vs Plot:

How many episodes does Player vs Plot have?

The podcast currently has 23 episodes available.