The Insert Credit Show

Writer and narrative designer Stella Sacco joins Brandon and Esper to cover pandering in games, T4T energy, and dokidokidecahedrons. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Brandon Sheffield, Esper Quinn, and Stella Sacco. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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SHOW NOTES:

1: What’s the difference between catering to an audience and pandering to an audience? (03:59)

2: What are some things video game writers have to do that most people don’t think about? (09:19)

3: Are there any examples of studio notes improving a game? (14:42)

4: Which video game romance has the most T4T energy? (21:51)

ONLINE MULTIPLAYER: Gen Z/Gen Alpha Only! What was your first video game? (27:16)

5: Gaagaagiins asks, why is Mario’s mustache black, but his hair is brown? (35:16)

6: In video games with dialogue, is it always preferable to have voice acting? (42:11)

7: What is the Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) of video games? (52:57)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Name Design - Giallo Films (58:40)

Recommendations and Outro (01:11:43):

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The panel covers game cancellations, Gen Z’s first games, and consummating a game.

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: What game do you think was the first game for the highest percentage of Gen Z gamers? (03:14)

2: What was the longest you have been stuck on a video game? (08:52)

3: What’s the hardest you’ve ever been hit by a video game cancellation? (15:32)

4: If you could replace the words “Press Start” on video game start up screens with any other phrase, what would it be? (21:50)

5: Propelleher asks, what video game character would you trust to house sit for you while you’re away? (26:44)

6: What do you predict will be the final non-Nintendo game released on a disc? (32:49)

7: What is the Chubby Checker’s “Let’s Twist Again” of video games? (36:05)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Micro Maker (41:25)

Recommendations and Outro (52:12):

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

Gen Z/Gen Alpha listeners ONLY! Send a one minute or less .mp3 or .wav of yourself sharing your first video game, the games you remember your older siblings playing, or what you think the final Prima Strategy Guide was to [email protected] and maybe we’ll play it on air in a future episode!

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Legendary podcaster and founder of Maximum Fun Jesse Thorn joins Ash and Brandon for summer speedruns, a Def Jam: Vendetta update, and the besta Bethesda. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Ash Parrish, Brandon Sheffield, and Jesse Thorn. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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SHOW NOTES:

1: What’s going on with speedrunning lately? (04:30)

2: How are old bad games bad differently from how new bad games are bad? (11:32)

3: Design a new Def Jam fighting game for 2026 (17:11)

4: Are video games artsy? (25:27)

5: LeFish asks, would you rather live one year of your life with big head mode, loudly speak like a Mario, or only be able to walk like you’re tank controlled? (34:07)

6: What’s the best-a Bethesda? (43:27)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Equip This On (56:33)

Recommendations and Outro (01:21:18):

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Our illustrious panel covers the end of games on discs, Marathon Steve, and how much money Ash has spent on Love and Deepspace. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: Can we address Sony? (06:20)

2: What’s the longest you’ve played a game before realizing you were playing it the wrong way? (12:50)

3: What are the most inventive ways the camera has been used in a video game? (17:56)

4: What should Jaffe do about the fan response to his popular romance game? (24:21)

5: spencergifs asks, how long should it take to make a game? (34:15)

6: On which non-video game subjects does most or all of your knowledge on them come from video games? (40:35)

7: What is The Godfather Part III (1990) of video games? (46:07)

LIGHTNING ROUND: The Price is Sprite (52:04)

Recommendations and Outro (01:04:59):

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Frank, Ash, and Brandon answer questions about episodic games, the ever-changing “average gamer,” and full-frontal Mario.

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: When should a game be released in chapters as opposed to all at once? (04:28)

2: How old should a game be before it gets a remake? (09:54)

3: What would you consider the worst timed video game releases in history? (15:18)

4: What is an uncle game? (20:06)

5: Room Check! (29:39)

6: SuperDQP asks, which game franchise should get a “the movie the game” treatment? (38:45)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Pride or Die (46:12)

Recommendations and Outro (57:50):

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

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The panel you know and love discusses the video game industry crash, Grand Theft Auto VI expectations, and the human body’s fun port. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: Are we in a video game industry crash? (06:47)

2: Is there any scenario where Grand Theft Auto VI is a flop? (11:18)

3: What are the biggest tells that a once ambitious game developer is beginning to rest on their laurels? (15:22)

4: What QA notes do you have for the developers of reality? (21:33)

5: Dillson asks years ago, who will the next developer or publisher or voice actor to announce an NFT project? (27:35)

6: On a personal level, what video games most engage your imagiation? (34:16)

7: What are the best games to have on your phone when kids ask if you have games on your phone? (39:47)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Game Namers (44:20)

Recommendations and Outro (01:04:48):

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

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Your Insert Credit panel covers the rest of the news from Summer Game Fest, where games come from, and Mortal Kombat fetishism.

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: Anything interesting at the other summer game events we didn’t cover last time? (05:36)

2: What are we going to do when every triple-A new game has AI? (19:37)

3: What other Final Fantasy characters should be distributed to fighting games? (21:14)

ONLINE MULTIPLAYER: What do YOU think the John Waters’ Pink Flamingos (1972) of video games is? (29:48)

4: Connrr asks, where do video games come from? (32:28)

5: If you were programming a video game orchestral concert, what obscure track would you drop in there? (38:45)

6: What is the One Piece of video games? (45:15)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Name Design - AFI’s Top 100 Film Quotes (50:47)

Recommendations and Outro (01:07:12):

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

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Our heroes confront Summer Game Fest, questions of manners when talking to swords, and another trip to the Omegaverse.

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: What did you think of the PlayStation State of Play? (05:19)

2: Why do we do these and who are they for? (16:47)

3: If you could insert one sentence into Geoff Keighley’s teleprompter at Summer Game Fest this year, what would it be? (21:10)

4: CaptainNAC asks, which game would you pick as the secret handle to open a hidden passageway behind a false wall? (26:45)

5: What would you guess are the first five mods a community typically makes for a video game? (35:27)

6: What is the John Waters’ Pink Flamingos (1972) of video games? (40:03)

Send a one minute or less .mp3 or .wav of yourself explaining your choice for the John Waters’ Pink Flamingos of Video Games (or why The Godfather Part II might have been advertised using a pink flamingo) to [email protected] and maybe we’ll play it on air in a future episode!

LIGHTNING ROUND: Omegaversus (44:42)

Recommendations and Outro (01:11:34):

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

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Podcaster and Summer Games Fest host Lucy James joins the panel to cover Hideo Kojima’s AI use, playing as a cat in games, and GamemasterAnthony’s pride parade.

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, Brandon Sheffield, and Lucy James. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: What’s the most ludicrous video game press release you’ve ever seen? (05:28)

2: How is AI viewed in Japanese development? (11:27)

3: What’s your favorite thing to be in a video game? (14:25)

4: How would you explain Minecraft to Zohran Mamdani? (20:41)

5: Catherine asks, which video game characters would you expect to show up at Pride? (28:10)

6: What lines from or aspects of video games have permeated your real life? (34:39)

7: What is The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026) of video games? (43:43)

LIGHTNING ROUND: OC Remix (49:09)

Recommendations and Outro (01:07:17):

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

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Editor and media critic Esper Quinn joins Ash and Brandon in answering more questions from the insert credit forum.

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Ash Parrish, Brandon Sheffield, and Esper Quinn. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: marurun asks, who is the most pointlessly bland fighting game character? Moreso than “guy in a karate gi”. (03:17)

2: ana asks, what’s the most common hidden gem? (05:55)

3: yeso asks, has anyone ever cried at one of the Leisure Suit Larry death scenes? (07:48)

4: SteveWithaB asks, is it time to retire the term “gamer”? (11:06)

5: Tradegood asks, if Xbox is Mountain Dew and Doritos, and Nintendo is Coca-Cola and Pringles, what is Sony? (13:40)

6: Death_Strandicoot asks, who should be the first recipient of the Nobel Prize for Video Games? (16:16)

7: Mnemogenic asks, how would you adapt a 10 yen game into a big budget AAA video game? (18:24)

8: Taliesin_Merlin asks, design an Amy Rose video game based on one of the following novel premises. (20:41)

9: Tom asks, what are the seven basic game genres? (23:33)

10: mtvcribs asks, what happened to thong-era final fantasy (26:19)

11: mack41 asks, is Google Maps cop warning alert a strand game? (29:07)

12: beets asks, if you were going to make a table from videogame hardware, what would you use? (30:53)

13: rootfifthoctave asks, is sega the company that gets the most “[not-sega game] feels like a [sega] game” comments spoken about it? (32:24)

14: KingTubb asks, how often do the following characters change their bed sheets: (35:11)

15: PassionQuotient asks, what’s the video game equivalent of reading all of Shakespeare? What about James Joyce? (38:26)

16: Kiki asks, what’s Jollibee? (41:07)

17: YellerDog asks, what game is the most fun with the worst graphics? What game is the least fun with the best graphics? (42:58)

18: adashtra asks, What is the “telling your puppy to stop biting your feet, but he’s so dang cute you don’t wanna yell at him” of video games? (45:20)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Arcade of Our Own (48:58)

Recommendations and Outro (01:05:42):

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

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