failure is always an option
•••
Skylar Hinnant (QA Tester at Bethesda and representative for The Bethesda Union) and Mark talk about the temperature in the games industry, the loss of a generation of developers, what scale looks like, and if there will even be anyone left to work in games.

Let us know: what is the future of working in the games industry?

Follow us on the proper socials:

Twitter: @QuickPlayPod

Instagram: @QuickPlayPod

GG|: @QuickPlay

Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social

Threads: @QuickPlayPod

Listen online: Quick Play

RSS: Quick Play

Email us: [email protected] 

If you enjoy this podcast: subscribing, rating, reviewing, and sharing it with others goes a long way to helping it grow. Thanks for listening!

Quick Play is just a small part of the Play Well Network. Learn more about PWN and other shows at playwellnetwork.com. 

Games mentioned:

• UFO 50
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Fortnite
• The Witcher 3
• The Witcher
• The Witcher 2
• Stardew Valley
• Balatro
• Mina the Hollower
• Shovel Knight
• Bastion
• Transistor
• Pyre
• Hades
• Ghost of Tsushima
• Horizon Zero Dawn
• Spider-Man (2018)
• God of War (2018)
• Wolverine
• Ratchet & Clank (series)
• Sly Cooper (series)
• Jak and Daxter (series)
• Spyro the Dragon (series)
• Hypnospace Outlaw

What we’re playing:

• Blippo+

• Mario Kart World
  

life after layoffs
•••
Skylar Hinnant (QA Tester at Bethesda and representative for The Bethesda Union) and Mark talk about Skylar's new day-to-day in a post (and still impending) layoff world at Bethesda, the union's role with those impacted by layoffs, and the long-term impacts of Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda.

Follow us on the proper socials:

Twitter: @QuickPlayPod

Instagram: @QuickPlayPod

GG|: @QuickPlay

Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social

Threads: @QuickPlayPod

Listen online: Quick Play

RSS: Quick Play

Email us: [email protected] 

If you enjoy this podcast: subscribing, rating, reviewing, and sharing it with others goes a long way to helping it grow. Thanks for listening!

Quick Play is just a small part of the Play Well Network. Learn more about PWN and other shows at playwellnetwork.com. 

What we’re playing:

flavor blasted metroid
•••
Parker Deal and Mark talk about the two recent Nintendo Directs, their highlights, the curse of expectations, and whether or not Ocarina of Time looks a little unreal.

Let us know: What are your highlights from the Nintendo Directs?

Follow us on the proper socials:

Twitter: @QuickPlayPod

Instagram: @QuickPlayPod

GG|: @QuickPlay

Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social

Threads: @QuickPlayPod

Listen online: Quick Play

RSS: Quick Play

Email us: [email protected] 

If you enjoy this podcast: subscribing, rating, reviewing, and sharing it with others goes a long way to helping it grow. Thanks for listening!

Quick Play is just a small part of the Play Well Network. Learn more about PWN and other shows at playwellnetwork.com. 

Find more Parker on the internet:

Bluesky: @ParkerDeal.bsky.social

Spotify: Parker Deal

Soundcloud: Parker Deal

make it weird, make it new
•••
Nate "SPyKe" Foote and Mark talk about the innovative gems out in the wild, what innovations the medium of games could see in the future, and what a truly "weird" game is.

Let us know: what is the future of weird games?

Follow us on the proper socials:

Twitter: @QuickPlayPod

Instagram: @QuickPlayPod

GG|: @QuickPlay

Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social

Threads: @QuickPlayPod

Listen online: Quick Play

RSS: Quick Play

Email us: [email protected] 

If you enjoy this podcast: subscribing, rating, reviewing, and sharing it with others goes a long way to helping it grow. Thanks for listening!

Quick Play is just a small part of the Play Well Network. Learn more about PWN and other shows at playwellnetwork.com. 

Games mentioned:

• Anodyne
• The Legend of Zelda (series)
• Splatoon (series)
• Death Stranding (series)
• Max Payne (series)
• Alan Wake (series)
• Control
• Mina the Hollower
• Dark Souls (series)
• Shovel Knight
• Toem
• Toem 2
• Pony Island
• Pony Island 2
• Inscryption
• Project Shadowglass
• Screenbound
• Undertale
• Evoland

What we’re playing:

the dopamine hit vs. the really cool stuff
•••
Nate "SPyKe" Foote and Mark talk about the lost art of unlockables in games, how paid DLC and dopamine hits have taken their place, and how we long for significant rewards in games and real life.
Post Games episode referenced: "Games Can Save Us From the Hell of Silicon Valley Optimization"

Let us know: What's your favorite unlockable?

Follow us on the proper socials:

Twitter: @QuickPlayPod

Instagram: @QuickPlayPod

GG|: @QuickPlay

Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social

Threads: @QuickPlayPod

Listen online: Quick Play

RSS: Quick Play

Email us: [email protected] 

If you enjoy this podcast: subscribing, rating, reviewing, and sharing it with others goes a long way to helping it grow. Thanks for listening!

Quick Play is just a small part of the Play Well Network. Learn more about PWN and other shows at playwellnetwork.com. 

Games mentioned:

Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Mario Kart (series)

SSX On Tour

Fortnite

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Dark Souls (series)

Anodyne

Star Fox 64

Spider-Man (2002)

What we’re playing:

we built hypothetically perfect controllers

•••
Trash Turkey and Mark talk about the best controllers out there and then describe their perfect franken-controllers.

Let us know: What would your perfect franken-controller be?

Follow us on the proper socials:

Twitter: @QuickPlayPod

Instagram: @QuickPlayPod

GG|: @QuickPlay

Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social

Threads: @QuickPlayPod

Listen online: Quick Play

RSS: Quick Play

Email us: [email protected] 

If you enjoy this podcast: subscribing, rating, reviewing, and sharing it with others goes a long way to helping it grow. Thanks for listening!

Quick Play is just a small part of the Play Well Network. Learn more about PWN and other shows at playwellnetwork.com. 

Find more Trash on the internet:

Podcast: ⁠Picking Up with Trash Turkey

Games mentioned:

Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller

8BitDo Ultimate 2 Controller

Nintendo Switch [1] Pro Controller

GameCube Controller

8BitDo SN30 Pro

8BitDo SN30 Pro+

8BitDo SN30 Pro 3

Xbox Series Controller

Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Controller

SNES Controller

Wii U Gamepad

Wii U Pro Controller

Madden (series)

Xbox 360 Chat Pad

PS4 Dualshock

Sega Saturn Controller

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Steam Deck

Stardew Valley

Wii Remote + Nunchuk

Halo (series)

Nyko Air Flow (incorrectly referenced as a Mad Catz controller)

Steam Machine Controller

Super Smash Bros (series)

Vampire Survivors

What we’re playing:

BallxPit

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

discs: dead as disco?
•••
Trash Turkey and Mark talk about current affairs in physical media, the place of physical games within the market, and what physical games look like in the future.
Listen to the Bitesized Backlog Breakdown episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bite-sized-sonys-digital-disaster/id1403870501?i=1000777202959

Let us know: What is the future of physical games?

Follow us on the proper socials:

Twitter: @QuickPlayPod

Instagram: @QuickPlayPod

GG|: @QuickPlay

Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social

Threads: @QuickPlayPod

Listen online: Quick Play

RSS: Quick Play

Email us: [email protected] 

If you enjoy this podcast: subscribing, rating, reviewing, and sharing it with others goes a long way to helping it grow. Thanks for listening!

Quick Play is just a small part of the Play Well Network. Learn more about PWN and other shows at playwellnetwork.com. 

Find more Trash on the internet:

Podcast: Picking Up with Trash Turkey

Games mentioned:

Mina the Hollower

Guitar Hero (series)

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

What we’re playing:

Inazuma 11: Victory Road

F1 23

the good, the bad, and all of the above
•••
Nate McKeever and Mark talk about the state of affairs in video game discourse, what the "middle ground" discourse could look like, and being a non-anxious presence.

Let us know: What is the future of game discourse?

Follow us on the proper socials:

Twitter: ⁠@QuickPlayPod⁠

Instagram: ⁠@QuickPlayPod⁠

GG|: ⁠@QuickPlay⁠

Bluesky: ⁠@quickplaypod.bsky.social⁠

Threads: ⁠@QuickPlayPod⁠

Listen online: ⁠Quick Play⁠

RSS: ⁠Quick Play⁠

Email us: ⁠[email protected]⁠ 

If you enjoy this podcast: subscribing, rating, reviewing, and sharing it with others goes a long way to helping it grow. Thanks for listening!

Quick Play is just a small part of the Play Well Network. Learn more about PWN and other shows at ⁠playwellnetwork.com⁠. 

Find more Nate on the internet:

Linktree: ⁠/thebacklogbreakdown⁠

Twitter: ⁠@bbdowncast⁠

Instagram: ⁠@thebacklogbreakdown⁠

Nate on Twitter: ⁠@nate_mckeever⁠

Nate on Instagram: ⁠@nate_mckeever⁠

Games mentioned:

Okami

Forza Horizon 6

Mixtape

The Lord of Ring: Gollum

Sonic the Hedgehog (series)

What we’re playing:

Destiny 2

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

ex-clusivity

•••

Nate McKeever and Mark talk about the current state of exclusive games, their impact (or lack thereof) within the industry, and what exclusivity means for contentment overall.

Let us know: Should console exclusive games exist?

Follow us on the proper socials:

Twitter: @QuickPlayPod

Instagram: @QuickPlayPod

GG|: @QuickPlay

Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social

Threads: @QuickPlayPod

Listen online: Quick Play

RSS: Quick Play

Email us: [email protected] 

If you enjoy this podcast: subscribing, rating, reviewing, and sharing it with others goes a long way to helping it grow. Thanks for listening!

Quick Play is just a small part of the Play Well Network. Learn more about PWN and other shows at playwellnetwork.com. 

Find more Nate on the internet:

Linktree: /thebacklogbreakdown

Twitter: @bbdowncast

Instagram: @thebacklogbreakdown

Nate on Twitter: @nate_mckeever

Nate on Instagram: @nate_mckeever

Games mentioned:

Death Stranding

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Clockwork Revolution

God of War (series)

Intergalactic: The Heretic Project

The Last of Us (series)

Ghost of Tsushima

Shadow of the Colossus

Marvel's Spider-Man

Astro Bot

What we’re playing:

Universal Paperclips

the quest for questions
•••
Mark talks about the question-focused nature of the podcast, the benefits and differences between lateral and vertical questions, and how questions lead to better connections.

Let us know: What are the best kind of questions about video games?

Follow us on the proper socials:

Twitter: @QuickPlayPod

Instagram: @QuickPlayPod

GG|: @QuickPlay

Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social

Threads: @QuickPlayPod

Listen online: Quick Play

RSS: Quick Play

Email us: [email protected] 

If you enjoy this podcast: subscribing, rating, reviewing, and sharing it with others goes a long way to helping it grow. Thanks for listening!

Quick Play is just a small part of the Play Well Network. Learn more about PWN and other shows at playwellnetwork.com. 

Games mentioned:

Outer Wilds

Death's Door

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

What we’re playing:

Mina the Hollower