Author Archives: Ken Gagne

Polygamer #120: Sabriel Mastin, D&D editor & Overwatch player

Posted on by

After years as a Dungeons & Dragons player, Sabriel Mastin stepped behind the DM screen to run her own campaign. She immediately loved it, creating her own adventures in the world of Eberron. With that experience under her belt, she realized she could help other DMs with their own creations as well. She now offers her services as a D&D editor, offering developmental, line, and copyediting on modules and supplements. By day, Sabriel is a the head of social media and support for Overbuff, a stats-tracking website for Overwatch, the popular first-person shooter from Activision Blizzard.

In this podcast, Sabriel and I talk about the transition from player to DM; how easy it is to switch between editions of D&D; Sabriel’s sources of inspiration for her campaigns; how her group has adapted to gaming in a pandemic; the benefits of hiring an editor, and the cost of doing so; and how the Overwatch community has responded to the lawsuits and scandals around Activision Blizzard.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for a transcript and links to resources mentioned in this episode.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:01:50 — 71.7MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS | More

Continue reading →

Polygamer #119: Bonnie Gordon of Star Trek & Con Artist

Posted on by

Bonnie Gordon is an actor, voice actor, and musician extraordinaire. Having previously been a Starfleet ensign at Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas, she now voices the ship’s computer on the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy. And as part of the Library Bards musical comedy duo, she sings pop culture songs rewritten with nerdy lyrics, from Spider-Man to the Princess Bride. Now she’s back on Kickstarter to crowdfund a solo jazz album, Con Artist, which will blend cover songs with her own original compositions.

In this interview, Bonnie and I talk about what it’s like to be inducted into the annals of Star Trek canon and to continue the legacy of Majel Barrett-Roddenberry; her brief stint reading for Kate Mulgrew’s character of Captain Kathryn Janeway; her creative method for writing parody songs; what motivated her to pursue a solo album, and musicians she’ll be collaborating with; and the defining moments in her life that she hopes to capture in song with Con Artist.

This episode is a collaboration with the Transporter Lock podcast, where it can also be found as episode #84.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for a transcript and links to resources mentioned in this episode.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:16:20 — 88.3MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS | More

Continue reading →

Polygamer #118: Freelance composer & sound designer Chel Wong

Posted on by

Chel Wong is a Boston-based video game composter and sound designer. As a freelancer, she has worked on such titles as the music puzzler Kine, the Starfox-inspired Whisker Squadron, and the surreal adventure RPG She Dreams Elsewhere. Not only has she also helped run the Game Audio Boston group, but as a freelancer, she invests 12 hours a week into networking — everyone in Boston knows Chel!

In this podcast interview, Chel and I discuss the challenges in writing Kine’s modular soundtrack; where to find freelance work; how to establish oneself as an authority, and the value in giving away free advice; how to avoid burnout as a volunteer, and knowing when to step down; and her favorite genres to work in.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for a transcript and links to resources mentioned in this episode.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:23 — 58.6MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS | More

Continue reading →

Polygamer #117: GamerDoc esports physician Dr. Lindsey Migliore

Posted on by

Dr. Lindsey Migliore, also known as GamerDoc, is a licensed esports physician. While hiking the Appalachian Trail, she realized that only by abandoning her original goal of becoming an NFL team doctor could she combine her passions for medicine and video games. She now works with esports athletes to maintain and improve their health; and, as founder of Queer Women of Esports, she tackles the harassment and lack of sponsorship faced by female LGBTQIA+ esport athletes.

In this podcast, Dr. Migliore and I discuss the injuries that esports athletes experience, and the preventive measures they can take; the lack of educational materials for esport doctors; the challenges esport physicians must overcome to be accepted by both athletes and other healthcare professionals; why esports can be even more toxic than gaming in general; the difference between mentorship and sponsorship; and the roles of telehealth and VR in medicine.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for a transcript and links to resources mentioned in this episode.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 59:30 — 35.0MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS | More

Continue reading →

Polygamer #116: Beth Daggert of Lode Runner, Star Wars & Nox Archaist

Posted on by

Beth Daggert has been a game designer, software engineer, lead programmer, director of engineering, and vice president of engineering, within and without the gaming industry. Having worked on such historic franchises as Lode Runner and Star Wars, she recently accomplished a bucket-list item of contributing to the development of an Ultima-inspired role-playing game — for the Apple II computer, where her passion for digital storytelling started decades ago.

In this podcast, Beth and I talk about the early encounters with Richard Garriott and Tim Sweeney that led her to pursue a career in the games industry; how leading a team of engineers is no different from being a Dungeons & Dragons DM; the long hours and burnout that’s been endemic of the games industry, from her time there in the 1990s through today; whether and how to encourage women to pursue careers in tech; and what it was like to return to her roots and contribute to 6502 Workshop’s Nox Archaist.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for a transcript and links to resources mentioned in this episode.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:11:49 — 42.1MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS | More

Continue reading →

Polygamer #115: Brianna Dym on fanworks

Posted on by

Brianna Dym is a Ph.D student in the University of Colorado Boulder’s information science department under Dr. Casey Fiesler. Brianna’s field of study is fanworks: the original creations, derivations, and reimaginings of existing brands and media, from movies to video games. LGBTQIA+ authors engage in this creative component of fandom to produce original stories and games that better represent marginalized groups.

In this podcast, Brianna and I discuss what makes for good source material, and why there’s more fanfic of Dragon Age and Mass Effect than of Call of Duty or Super Meat Boy; whether fandom is necessarily participatory; why Nintendo should be more supportive of derivative works; how fanworks can develop skills in groups historically excluded from STEM fields; and how communities migrate from platform to platform, and why LiveJournal and Tumblr may serve their needs better than a CMS like WordPress.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Overcast, Pandora, Pocket Casts, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, RadioPublic, or the Internet Archive. Click past the jump for a transcript and links to resources mentioned in this episode.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:07:50 — 39.7MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS | More

Continue reading →