Episodes

  • "It's about trust." Save Systems; Keeping Secrets

    "It's about trust." Save Systems; Keeping Secrets
    Jun 19 2025
    Your nice hosts talk about saving both your position in a game and saving your secrets from being spread around. Also in this episode: Stephen's birthday is coming up, Lydia's been presenting in webinars for a while, and Mark's got a new game coming soon!Category Quest - ELB LearningWebinar | Let’s Play! Category Quest: ELB Learning’s Newest Game - ELB Learning, YouTubeWebinar | Escape Room Rx: Innovating Game-Based Clinical Education - ELB Learning, YouTubeEpisode we interviewed Lydia on before she became a host!Digital Escape RoomsBlippo+ - PanicBlippo+ on Steam - Panic, Steam0:09:50Save SystemsBuilding Cognitive Accessibility Into Your GamesGame Developers ConferenceYouTubePassword SaveTV Tropes0:33:20Keeping Secrets
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  • "I’m intrigued by big door." Emotional Effects of Music; A New Foe Has Appeared!

    "I’m intrigued by big door." Emotional Effects of Music; A New Foe Has Appeared!
    Jun 12 2025

    Mark rushes through the introduction to talk about his two rush projects, one of which, Blippo+, was announced on Sunday during the PC Gaming Show! You'll hear more about that next week, but until then, Lydia talks about feeling seen in Anime, Stephen laments that his filmmaking class has not only ruined movies for him, but also music, and Dale does a good job editing out Lydia’s coughs.

    • Blippo+, coming to PC and Switch this fall!
    • You Need To See FMV Cable TV Simulator Blippo+ - Wesley LeBlanc, Game Informer
    Emotional Effects of MusicA New Foe Has Appeared!
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  • Video Game History (with Adrian Sandoval)

    Video Game History (with Adrian Sandoval)
    Jun 5 2025
    This week in the club house Adrian Sandoval describes how video games are speed running art history. Your nice hosts have their minds blown many times and Steven discovers he might actually like history!? Stay tuned to find out where the 90 day return policy came from.Little Nemo and the Nightmare Fiends - Team NemoChris Totten, co-author of Adrian's book, has been on the showTeaching Gamedev to Young People, Again!Adrian SandovalGame DesignHardwareMarketingSpacewar! - WikipediaAdventure (Atari 2600) and its designer's easter egg - Atari OnlineAlex Smith, They Create Worlds - They Create WorldsEp. 22: Remembering Atari with Howard Scott Warshaw - Robin Kunimune, Video Game History HourTeach Me Something in 5 Minutes 2 - What Games Can Learn from Theatre w/ Adrian… - Adrian Sandoval, YouTubeConsole Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation - Blake J. Harris, GoodreadsAdrian SandovalGuestAdrian Sandoval is a professional game designer, historian, and educator with 15+ years of industry experience. He currently teaches game design, production and history at Drexel University. His book, "World Design for 2D Action-Adventures", co-authored with Christopher W. Totten, is available on the Routledge store.External linkhttps://www.adriansandoval.net/https://bsky.app/profile/adriansandoval.net
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  • "The things that create the geometry." What Happened With Future Club; Design Surface Area

    "The things that create the geometry." What Happened With Future Club; Design Surface Area
    May 29 2025
    Your nice hosts all secured a Switch 2 pre-order... from a certain point of view. Then, Stephen examines the body, Mark attempts a vocabulary, and Lydia has recommendations.Chants of Sennaar - WikipediaNintendo Switch 2 preorders were a total mess — at first - Jay Peters, The VergeMissed out on a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order? GameStop and Best Buy will have mo… - Demi Williams, TechRadar0:22:17What Happened With Future ClubPart-Time Hero Campaign EndingFuture ClubKickstarter0:48:57Design Surface AreaRubber duck debuggingWikipedia
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  • Mental Health and Discrimination (with Ashley Phipps)

    Mental Health and Discrimination (with Ashley Phipps)
    May 22 2025
    The clubhouse welcomes Ashley Phipps, producer for the game Clock Out at 2, to discuss the topic of mental health and discrimination.Mental Health and DiscriminationGame DesignGamingNarrativeClock Out at 2 Demo - Borderless Studios, SteamWhat to know about microaggressions - Anna Smith Haghighi, Medical News TodayQueerty Gamers - Queerty GamersSpooktober 2023 Clock Out at 2 Build - itch.ioDepression Quest - Zoe QuinnAdventures with Anxiety - Nicky CaseFight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn: How We Respond to Threats - "Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc", Simply PsychologyGood Reps for Mental Health depictionFinal Fantasy XIV - SquareEnixThe Cosmic Wheel SisterhoodTales of Arise - SteamAshley PhippsGuestProducer and Community Manager with 10+ years of experience in project management and leadership. Producer for the game Clock Out at 2.External linkWebsiteInstagramClock Out at 2
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  • "This is an impossible challenge" Friction by Design; Diversity in Scoring

    "This is an impossible challenge" Friction by Design; Diversity in Scoring
    May 15 2025

    In this episode the club house talks about the games that they have been playing. Mark attempts to define the terms good friction and bad friction, declares his distaste of rouge-likes, and talks about friction in his current projects. Lydia shows us how to make scoring sound way more academic.

    • Civilization VII
    • Age of Mythology Retold
    • Blue Prince
    0:18:21Friction by DesignMark tries to define some terms: Good Friction - something that was designed into the game, or that could be described as a bug, or only confuses a player Bad Friction - unintentional friction0:45:47Diversity in ScoringHuffington Post News Triva GameHuffington Post
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  • Video Game IP Law (with Haley MacLeon)

    Video Game IP Law (with Haley MacLeon)
    May 8 2025
    Your nice hosts get a crash course on video game IP law from lawyer and MinnMax cohort, Haley MacLeon. We learn about incorporating, publishing agreements, the difference between a lot of commonly used terms like "copyright", and the joys of contract templates. MinnMax - MinnMaxGame Informer Revival - Game InformerVideo Game IP LawMarketingMisc.ProductionThe $10 Million Lawsuit That Hinges On An Oxford Comma - Anna King, NPRVideo Game Publishing Agreement Market Report 2025 - Kellen Voyer & Haley MacLean, Voyer Law CorporationHaley MacLeonGuestHaley is a Canadian lawyer who advises clients on tech, corporate and intellectual property law. She previously worked as a journalist in the video game industry and continues her work with video game companies, now as a lawyer. In her free time, she appears on numerous gaming podcasts and video content.External link@haleyfax on TwitchVoyer Law Corporation
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  • "Our sense of epoch." Let's Plays; Responsive Game Design

    "Our sense of epoch." Let's Plays; Responsive Game Design
    May 1 2025

    A new Nintendo is on the way, and your nice hosts talk about both it and the world it's being born into. It kicks off a longer than usual episode where Lydia just wants a way to experience horror games, Mark has an unpopular opinion, and Stephen thinks players have too much agency already.

    0:31:57Let's PlaysEndoparasiticmizizizizitch.ioLet’s Plays: A Copyright ConundrumAlexandra ChampagneSlaw Why I am Hesitant to Declare Let's Plays as Fair UseAquasonReddit1:17:44Responsive Game DesignWhat Capcom Didn't Tell You About Resident Evil 4Game Maker's ToolkitYouTubeWe should talk.Carol Mertz
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