The Experience Points Podcast

Scott and I have returned with another selection of independent games that deserve your attention for more than a few reasons. We begin with two browser-based MMO's, the first a bullet-hell RPG the other a surreal cat roleplaying game, both of which will tickle your... fancy feast (YEAAAA!) We round out the show with a more serious look at Triple Town, Yeti Town, and the dangers of clones and patent laws. You can find links to all the games in the show notes below along with a few articles of interest. As always, we encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Show notes:

- Run time: 39 min 55 sec- Realm of the Mad God, by Wild Shadow Studios- Chatchat, by Terry Cavanagh and Hayden Scott-Baron- Triple Town, by Spryfox- Yeti Town, by SixWaves/LoLApps (and allegedly Spyrfox)

- "The Bulldog and the Pegasus," by Ian Bogost via Gamasutra- "Attack of the Clone Attackers," by Jamin Warren via Kill Screen

- Music provided by Brad Sucks

This week's podcast is brought to you by...you! We solicited questions from readers and listeners and received a great batch of topics. We touch upon a huge variety of issues, including region locking, games with historical settings, and the different approaches to games criticism. This was a fun show to record and we'd like to do it again, so keep those questions coming via email, twitter, or singing telegram. Thanks for your questions and thanks for listening!To listen to the podcast:- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.Show notes:- Run time: 39 min 50 sec- Krystian Majewski on Mass Effect and Batman: Arkham Asylum- Music provided by Brad Sucks

We may say we are all part of a large gaming community, but some groups of players may be living in a walled off city, isolated from the popular discussion of games. World of Warcraft may have millions of players, but is the WoW community excluded now more than ever? Katie Williams thinks so in her article that inspired this week's podcast discussion. Who built these walls? What are we losing by isolating ourselves? And most importantly, how do we tear these walls down? Join Scott and I this week while we try to answer these questions and many more. As always, we encourage you to read Katie's original piece which you can find in the show notes below. We also encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments section.Discuss starters:- How relevant is WoW today?- Are MMOs unique enough such that they inherently exist in a walled off city?- What role do developers, and community managers in particular, play in fomenting conversation between games.

To listen to the podcast:

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.

- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.

- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

Show notes:

- Run time: 29 min 05 sec

- "The Walled City of Gaming: World of Warcraft," by Katie Williams via Gameranx- "Bow Nigger," by Always Black- "Alice and Kev: The Story of Being Homeless in Sims 3," by Robin Burkinshaw

- Music provided by Brad Sucks

We have consulted the Mayan calendar, had a chat with John Cusack, and returned with our prediction on games, habits, and hardware for the coming year. This time we take a scatter shot approach, going down a long list of topics and releases in hopes of sharing out quick thoughts on almost every 2012 issue on the horizon. Naturally we missed out on something you are eagerly awaiting. Let us know what that is in the comments section below. Again, happy new year and we look forward to discovering what the future actually holds.

To listen to the podcast:

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.

- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.

- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

Show notes:

- Run time: 34 min 45 sec

- Music provided by Brad Sucks

It's that time of the year again, folks: time to pick our game of the year! Jorge and I could never pick just one (or could we...?), so we each pick three of our favorite games from 2011 and talk about what makes them great. It was a great year, if I do say so myself, and our lists reflect the many diverse and memorable titles released over the past year. Of course, we don't come close to discussing all the great games of 2011, so we're looking forward to hearing your favorites in the comments! Happy New Year and thanks for listening!To listen to the podcast:- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.Show notes:SPOILER WARNING: Our picks are included belowJorge's Games of the Year:SkyrimBastionPortal 2Scott's Games of the Year:don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your storyLesbian Spider-Queens of MarsPortal 2- Run time: 34 min 53 sec- Music provided by Brad Sucks

Normally I try to think about high school as little as possible. But recently Kirk Hamilton of Kotaku asked us all to revisit our bygone days and think about high school as an interesting setting for videogames. This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I put on our school colors and discuss our experiences with media set in high school and the trials and tribulations of our collective youths that might make us turn on our console to visit, of all places, our own school experiences. We encourage you to read Kirk's original piece, which you can find in the show notes below. We also want you to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Discussion starters:

- What games set in high school have interested you and why?- What high school experiences lend themselves well to gaming?

Show notes:

- Run time: 31 min 10 sec

- "High School Sucked, Can We Please Have More Games About It?," by Kirk Hamilton via Kotaku

- Music provided by Brad Sucks

Long before the advent of Achievement Points, players have chased after goals. But are all tasks created equal, or are some more important than others? This week, inspired by Wired's two articles on mandatory missions every well-informed gamer should undertake, we discuss some of the game experiences that give us common ground. As always, feel free to jump into the comments and share your thoughts. Thanks for listening!Discussion starters:- What do you consider to be mandatory missions?- Is the idea of a set of canonical video game experiences useful or realistic?- How has time and technology affected what we would consider to be defining video game moments?To listen to the podcast:- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.Show notes:- Run time: 34 min 07 sec- "9 Mandatory Missions All Gaming Geeks Must Master," via Wired- "Readers’ Picks of 9 Mandatory Gaming Moments," via Wired- An interesting interpretation of Portal: "Still Live? She's Free?" by Steve Bowler via Game-ism- Music provided by Brad Sucks

No matter how many hours Scott and I spend playing, analyzing, and writing about games, there are still so many sub-cultures to which we remain largely ignorant. Competitive gaming, particular around the fighting game genre, continues relatively under the radar of both gamers and the public. I Got Next, a recently released documentary by first-time film maker Ian Cofino seeks to shine some light on the relationships players have with Street Fighter and its competitive gaming community. This week on the podcast, Scott and I discuss the movie, competitive gaming at large, and the fascinating community of Street Fighter players, friends, and rivals. As always, we encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments section below. If you would like to watch the film before listening to the podcast, you can find a direct link to the Hulu source in the show notes.

Discussion starters:- What are your experiences with competitive gaming?- How might the competitive scene change if it were taken more seriously by the public? Is there something about gaming culture impeding its progress?- What are your thoughts on the film?

To listen to the podcast:

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.

- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.

- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

Show notes:

- Run time: 36 min 47 sec

- Music provided by Brad Sucks

Admit it: You didn't think we would do it, did you? You thought all our talk of investigating Facebook games was brought on by too much turkey and an overabundance of holiday spirit. Today, Jorge and I are happy to present to you a conversation about our initial experiences with a handful of Facebook games. In addition to the games themselves, we discuss the nature of social games, monetization, and ethical design. As always, we look forward to hearing your thoughts and we invite you to join our experiment by befriending us on Facebook. Thanks for listening!Here are our dedicated Experience Points Facebook accounts: Jorge's account Scott's accountDiscussion starters:- What are some of your favorite Facebook games?- For those of you who play them, how do the social aspects of Facebook games influence your behavior while playing?- What game genres are still underrepresented on Facebook? To listen to the podcast:- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.Show notes:- Run time: 40 min 34 sec- Games discussed - Ravenwood Fair - The Sims Social - Hero Generations - Dragon Age Legends - PixelJunk Monsters- Music provided by Brad Sucks