Podcast | Polygamer

Polygamer #108: Dr. Rachel Kowert of Psychgeist

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Ken Gagne

Dr. Rachel Kowert is the host of Psychgeist, a YouTube series that examines the psychology of video games. In her videos, Dr. Kowert examines such concepts as escapism, flow, esports, and Animal Crossing. She is also the research director for Take This, a non-profit that seeks to destigmatize mental health issues in the gaming industry; and she is the author of Pragmatic Princess, a children’s book about empowerment and self-reliance.

In this interview, Dr. Kowert and I talk about the role of MMORPGs during a pandemic, and what the long-term effects will be on our social skills; why the moral panic over video games has seemingly lasted longer than previous ones; how escapism can be a way not just to get lost, but also to be found; whether escaping into books are subjected to the same judgment as escaping into a video game; how Take This has adapted its AFK Rooms to online events; and what the best Final Fantasy is (and why it’s VI).

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from iTunes, 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: 1:05:12 — 38.2MB) | Embed

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Polygamer #107: Kelsey Lewin of Video Game History Foundation & Pink Gorilla Games

Posted on November 11, 2020 by Ken Gagne

Kelsey Lewin is the co-director of the Video Game History Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and teaching the history of video games. When not collecting, digitizing, and archiving game history, Kelsey is co-owner of Pink Gorilla Games, a chain of two video game retail stores in Seattle, Washington.

In this podcast, Kelsey and I talk about the recently announced Video Game Source Project, a new initiative to collect the raw materials used in a game’s production. What are the challenges to obtaining and preserving a game’s source? How does copyright come into play? And what can modern developers do to ensure their code is preserved? We also chat about the VGHF’s recent collaboration with Ron Gilbert of Monkey Island fame, as well as the VHGF’s recent launch of their own podcast, the Video Game History Hour. Finally, we pivot to chat about the state of retail in a digital age and in the midst of a pandemic.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:02:29 — 36.7MB) | Embed

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Polygamer #106: Courtney Garcia of Screen Therapy

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Ken Gagne

Courtney Garcia is the host of Screen Therapy, a blog and YouTube channel about how movies and games can be used to promote mental and emotional well-being. Whether they are putting us in a good mood or fulfilling unconscious emotional needs, video games can be used to help us develop our empathy and emotional intelligence

In this podcast interview, I ask Courtney about the unique role of video games in a pandemic; whether all games fall on a scale of hedonic to eudaimonic; if violence in video games necessarily detracts from its ability to develop empathy; if a game being difficult comes down to gameplay, or if emotional challenges also play a role; the role-playing of Old Man’s Journey; if a degree of emotional development is needed to appreciate Gorogoa or Florence; why some people might enjoy Undertale and Night in the Woods and others might not; and whether emotional intelligence is the sole purview of indie games, or whether mainstream titles such as The Last Of Us Part II.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, 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: 58:42 — 34.6MB) | Embed

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Polygamer #105: T.L. Taylor on Twitch streaming

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Ken Gagne

Dr. T.L. Taylor is a professor at M.I.T. and the author of several books, including Watch Me Play – Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming. Her ethnographic research into esports and online game streaming have led her to co-found AnyKey, an advocacy organization that supports diversity, inclusion, and equity in competitive gaming; and to be one of the founding members of Twitch’s Safety Advisory Council.

In this episode, I ask T.L. how esports led to Twitch and vice versa; how an external advisory council can sway an organization as large as Twitch; how one can write a book about a medium that is so quickly evolving; the AnyKey pledge that over 750,000 million streamers have taken; whether esports could survive without Twitch, or vice versa; what gaming can tell us about the future of our country’s culture and politics; and about her current research into amusement parks as commercialized play spaces.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 57:07 — 27.0MB) | Embed

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Polygamer #104: Creatrix Tiara

Posted on August 19, 2020 by Ken Gagne

Creatrix Tiara is a shenaniganist — one who performs in a variety of media and activities, from spoken word to interactive storytelling to sleight of hand to event organizing. Tiara performs as Queer Lady Magician, has been a writer for such games as Here’s Your Fuckin’ Papers and What The $!#&@! Do They Need Now?, and uses their art to address themes such as immigration, intersectionality, and liminality.

In this podcast interview, I ask Tiara how they elevate stage magic to address social issues; the xenophobia inherent in immigration policies; why video games can produce a more visceral reaction than other media; the interrelation of multiple media that makes them inseparable; and how one gets up to shenanigans in the midst of a pandemic.

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

Podcast: Download (Duration: 57:51 — 27.3MB) | Embed

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Polygamer #103: Jordan Jones-Brewster of We should talk.

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Ken Gagne

Jordan Jones-Brewster is the narrative designer of We should talk., a short-form narrative game available for Steam and consoles. During a single night at a local bar, players will interact with several characters while maintaining a conversation with their girlfriend via text message. Using an innovative “sentence spinner”, players can choose from dozens of responses to each prompt, leading to one of nine possible endings.

In this interview, I ask Jordan how We should talk. challenges traditional transactional romance in games; how We should talk. represents gender identity and sexual orientation; what constitutes the “good ending”, both in video games and in relationships; how the pandemic affected the game’s development and Kickstarter; what their role is in the annual PixelPop Festival, this year being held online; and what we should expect from their script, Saving the Day.

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

Full disclosure: I backed this game’s Kickstarter at the $7 level.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:00:40 — 28.8MB) | Embed

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