indie | Polygamer

Polygamer #55: Twitch streamer SeriouslyClara

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Ken Gagne

SeriouslyClara is a Twitch content creator who focuses on indie games. After being "tricked" into streaming by a friend, she came to love the community and the support they offered her in response to her honesty and authenticity. She now streams to her channel’s 22,000 subscribers several times a week, where she plays indie titles and promotes mental health awareness and body positivity. She recently spoke on the PAX West 2016 panel " So You Think Twitch Isn’t For You? Guess Again" and attended the second-ever TwitchCon.

This week, Clara and Ken talk about their mutual love for Owlboy and Skies of Arcadia; the tradeoff of playing triple-A games for a large audience instead of playing indie games for a more intimate crowd; the differences in performing for a live audience on Twitch vs. a delayed audience on YouTube; the challenges of being an introvert in the gaming community; and the societal expectations thwarted by living a childfree lifestyle.

Stream the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, 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.

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:02:20 — 29.4MB) | Embed

Polygamer #29: Kara Stone on sex, mental health & ableism

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Ken Gagne

Kara Stone is a independent game developer whose works blend interactive art, self-care, mental health, and feminism. Her non-traditional approach to gaming invites users to contemplate the necessity of agency, the nature of diagnosis, and the definition of a game. Her work is available for multiple platforms, including iOS, SMS, and Web; some, such as Medication Meditation, were developed through Dames Making Games and published by Golden Gear, both in her native Toronto.

In this episode of Polygamer, Kara and Ken discuss the portrayal of mental health in games such as Life Is Strange; how porting her interactive fiction game Sext Adventure from SMS to desktop changed its experience; the objectification and feminism of female protagonists in the films Her and Ex Machina; whether it’s important for gamers to know the gender of a game’s developers; and the value of being aware of and sensitive to ableist language.

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:07:13 — 31.6MB) | Embed

Polygamer #21: Sabriel Mastin, indie game reviewer & Let’s Player

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Ken Gagne

Sabriel Mastin is a prolific game reviewer and YouTube personality, having produced content for such sites as Indie Haven and Indie Gamer Chick. She has attended both PAX East and PAX South and is a regular guest at events in the Minneapolis area, only a short drive from her native Fargo. And, if all that weren’t enough, Sabriel is also a former roller-derby athlete, having torn up the local circuit with her unique brand of hell on wheels.

In this episode, Sabriel and Ken talk about how to break into games writing and whether it’s fair to expect a volunteer to write for free; what equipment goes into an amateur audio/video studio; strategies for Twitter networking and hashtagging; the moral objections to attending Penny Arcade Expo; the local gaming scene in Fargo, North Dakota; and teaching yourself HTML and CSS.

Download the audio edition of this interview below or from Apple Podcasts, 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.

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:04:24 — 30.3MB) | Embed

Polygamer #03: Shawn Allen of NuChallenger

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Ken Gagne

Shawn Allen of NuChallenger is developing Treachery in Beatdown City, a Bad Dudes-style beat-em-up with turn-based tactical elements and a diverse cast of characters. Do games that stray from the typical “grizzled white male” protagonist risk their commercial viability? What concerns did Allen have before deciding to feature black and female heroes? Ultimately, all games provide social commentary, and Allen’s is one that reflects his New York City.

In this interview, he discusses why he left Rockstar Games, what he learned from Treachery in Beatdown City’s two Kickstarter campaigns, why minorities are underrepresented in the indie development scene despite increased access to tools and crowdfunding, his experience attending GaymerX, and how GDC and PAX East 2015 being the same weekend is bad news for anyone attending even one of the shows.

This interview is available as video on YouTube and as audio in Apple Podcasts.

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Polygamer explores issues of equality and diversity in the gaming industry. New episodes air every other Wednesday on YouTube and in Apple Podcasts.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:18:04 — 41.3MB) | Embed