Sadly, Jared is very ill and the future of the podcast is unknown at this time. Until I get an update regarding Jared's health, The Console Kingdom will remain on indefinite hiatus.

Jared and Dan discuss the history of the Doom Franchise - the good, the bad and the ugly - and talk about where the franchise came from and where it's headed.

In this episode Jared and Dan break down the whole Castlevania franchise going back to the very beginning. There's lots of Castlevania trivia, our own reviews of just about every game in the franchise and some discussion about the evolution of the series from its humble beginnings onward.

Also this week we begin our new segment in which we run down this week's top stories in gaming news.

Dan is solo in this quick update episode talking about some recent gaming news and letting you know that while we've recently experienced some setbacks, Jared and I will be back to our regular schedule soon.

Join Jared and Dan as we share anecdotes from our personal history with video games, from childhood up into our adolescence and early aduthood. What games and experiences have solidified themselves in our memories? We'll talk about our favorite arcades and how our love of video games carried over into our everyday lives.

In this episode, Jared and Dan talk about the upcoming games that they're excited about and discuss whether collector's editions are worth the money, bodacious babes, zombies and physical games vs. digital distribution. A special guest commentator joins us to talk about Mario + Rabbids.

Jared and Dan dive into topics surrounding video games and mental health. We'll be looking not only about how our gaming affects our mental health, but also about how our mental health impacts our gaming habits.

Depression. Anxiety, ADHD and other conditions can have a tremendous impact on how we engage with our entertainment and inversely, the entertainment we choose and the habits we maintain can profoundly affect our mood, demeanor and the severity of our symptoms. Are video games helpful or harmful to individuals struggling with mental health issues?

Could video games be used as treatment for symptoms of depression or ADHD?

Are violent video games really harmful to our children?

Join us as we discuss all this and more on this episode of the Console Kingdom Podcast.

Studies referenced in this podcast:

• https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/g4h.2019.0132

• https://games.jmir.org/2021/2/e26575

• https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/g4h.2019.0032

• https://games.jmir.org/2021/2/e26575

• https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2014.0091

• https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/cyber.2021.0252

• https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-psychiatry/article/abs/attention-deficithyperactivity-disorder-and-video-games-a-comparative-study-of-hyperactive-and-control-children/138B6BF4F28D18F216550308B8C6C340

• https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/132/2/260/31361/Video-Game-Use-in-Boys-With-Autism-Spectrum

• https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10964-013-9986-5

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1359178997000554

• https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fppm0000030

With Video games becoming more complicated and more expensive every year and going to the movies becoming a thing of the past, have video games eclipsed motion pictures as a storytelling medium? Join Jared and Dan as they discuss the quality of storytelling on the big screen and in the living room.

Final Fantasy VII changed the landscape of video games forever. Join Jared and Dan as they take a walk down memory lane and talk about the history behind the Playstation Era of Final Fantasy titles. We'll discuss various trivia about these games and talk about our own personal experiences as well as what these exceptional games mean to us.

In this episode Jared and Dan discuss the first six Final Fantasy titles, taking us through both the 8 and 16-bit eras. With tons of interesting facts and fun trivia, this is a must listen for any fan of Final Fantasy. Have you ever wondered why the numbers are different here or why some of the games were not released in North America until much later, or why the translations always seemed just a little off? We have all your answers here at The Console Kingdom!