The Brainy Gamer

Brainy Gamer Podcast - Favorites of '09 pt.4

This edition of the Brainy Gamer Podcast features a holiday extravaganza of Gamers Confab goodness: a 4-volume confection featuring a gaggle of bloggers, journalists, and designers all discussing our favorite games of 2009.

This final segment includes Matthew Gallant from The Quixotic Engineer; Alex Raymond from The Border House; and Denis Farr from Gay Gamer and Vorpal Bunny Ranch. (Guests pictured on right.)

• Download the podcast directly here.


• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
• Subscribe to the podcast feed here.


• Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow "Listen Now" button on the right.

Show links:

• The Border House
• Alex Raymond's While !Finished
• Denis Farr's Vorpal Bunny Ranch
• Denis Farr at Gay Gamer
• Matthew Gallant's Quixotic Engineer
• Norwegian Wood (game)

Clicking on the links below will ruin the surprise, but if you feel you must...

• Alex's favorite game of '09
• Denis' favorite game of '09
• Matthew's favorite game of '09
• My favorite game of '09

Brainy Gamer Podcast - Favorites of '09 pt.3

This edition of the Brainy Gamer Podcast features a holiday extravaganza of Gamers Confab goodness: a 4-volume confection featuring a gaggle of bloggers, journalists, and designers all discussing our favorite games of 2009.

Part 3 includes writer Tom Bissell, whose work has appeared in Harper's Magazine and The New Yorker; Manveer Heir, lead designer at Raven Software and author of the Design Rampage blog; and Mitch Krpata, who reviews games for The Phoenix and Paste Magazine and writes the Insult Swordfighting blog. (Guests pictured on right.)

Segment 4 will arrive in a couple of days. I hope you enjoy!

• Download the podcast directly here.


• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
• Subscribe to the podcast feed here.


• Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow "Listen Now" button on the right.

Show links:

• Tom Bissell at Crispy Gamer
• Manveer Heir's Design Rampage
• Mitch Krpata's Insult Swordfighting

Clicking on the links below will ruin the surprise, but if you feel you must...

• Tom's favorite game of '09
• Manveer's favorite game of '09
• Mitch's favorite game of '09

Brainy Gamer Podcast - Favorites of '09 pt.2

This edition of the Brainy Gamer Podcast features a holiday extravaganza of Gamers Confab goodness: a 4-volume confection featuring a gaggle of bloggers, journalists, and designers all discussing our favorite games of 2009.

Part 2 includes Leigh Alexander, news director at Gamasutra; Corvus Elrod from Zakelro Studio; and Nels Anderson from Hothead Games and his blog Above 49. (Guests pictured on right.)

Segments 3 and 4 will arrive in the coming days. I hope you enjoy!

• Download the podcast directly here.

• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
• Subscribe to the podcast feed here.

• Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow"Listen Now" button on the right.

Show links:

• Leigh Alexander's Sexy Videogameland
  
• Corvus Elrod's Zakelro Studio
• Nels Anderson's Above 49
  
  
• Kazuo Ishiguro's "The Unconsoled"
• Deirdra Kiai Productions

• Clicking on the links below will ruin the surprise, but if you feel you must...

• Leigh's favorite game of '09
• Corvus' favorite game of '09
• Nels' favorite game of '09

Brainy Gamer Podcast - Favorites of '09

This edition of the Brainy Gamer Podcast features a holiday extravaganza of Gamers Confab goodness: a 4-volume confection featuring a gaggle of bloggers, journalists, and designers all discussing our favorite games of 2009.

Part 1 includes Steve Gaynor of 2K Marin and the Fullbright blog; Kirk Battle (aka L.B. Jeffries) of Banana Pepper Martinis and PopMatters; and Chris Dahlen of the Onion A.V. Club and Edge Online. (Guests pictured on right)

Segments 2-4 will arrive in the coming days. I hope you enjoy!

• Download the podcast directly here.

• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
• Subscribe to the podcast feed here.

• Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow"Listen Now" button on the right.

Show links:

• Steve Gaynor's Fullbright
  
• Kirk Battle's Banana Pepper Martinis
• Chris Dahlen at Edge Online

• Clicking on the links below will ruin the surprise, but if you feel you must...

• Steve's favorite game of '09
• Kirk's favorite game of '09
• Chris's favorite game of '09

Brainy Gamer Podcast - Episode 26

  

Had your fill of the "Are Games Art?" debate? This edition of the podcast, featuring an interview with veteran game designer Brenda Brathwaite and art historian John Sharp, takes the conversation in a different and, I hope, more useful direction. Focusing on Brenda's remarkably poignant game Train, we discuss the intersection of art and game design and consider how a designer's personal vision and game design skills dovetail in the conception and development of a new game.

We also discuss John's views on the coming Ludic Age, and both guests share their thoughts on educating young designers for careers in the game industry. These and a variety of other topics - including an exciting conference announcement - in this edition of the Brainy Gamer podcast.

Note: If you're unfamiliar with Train, I highly recommend reading Ian Bogost's thoughtful account of it at Gamasutra. I'm linking to the section of his article that deals directly with Train, but I hope you'll read the entire piece. C'mon, it's Bogost. You know it'll be interesting. :-)

• Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow "Listen Now" button on the right.

• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
• Subscribe to the podcast feed here.

• Download the podcast directly here.

Show links:

• The Art History of Games conference
• Brenda's Applied Game Design blog
• SCAD - Interactive Design and Game Development program

Summer of Confabs - vol. 5

   

The Summer of Confabs concludes with a conversation featuring Chris Dahlen of Edge Online and The Onion A.V. Club; and Manveer Heir of Raven Software and the Design Rampage blog.

We discuss ambiguity in games, why nobody's talking about Dragon Age, Nintendo on the margins, integrating social media the right and wrong way, and many other topics.

I hope you've enjoyed this series. It's been a pleasure bringing these shows to you, and I'm especially grateful to all my guests who made it possible. I hope you'll also check out segments 1, 2, 3, and 4.

• Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow "Listen Now" button on the right.

• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
• Subscribe to the podcast feed here.

• Download the podcast directly here.

Show links:

• Chris Dahlen's columns at Edge Online
• The Onion A.V. Club
• Design Rampage - Manveer Heir's blog

Summer of Confabs - vol. 4

   

I'm celebrating podcast episode 25 with five new installments of the Gamers Confab. I hope you'll also check out segments 1, 2 and 3.

The Summer of Confabs continues with a conversation featuring Ben Fritz, L.A. Times entertainment reporter; Kirk Battle (a.k.a. L.B. Jeffries) from PopMatters and Banana Pepper Martinis; and Nick LaLone from Before Game Design.

We discuss the Nintendo platform conundrum, left-behind gameplay, and the elusiveness of innovation, among other topics.

Stay tuned for the final confab in the series, arriving tomorrow. I hope you enjoy.

• Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow "Listen Now" button on the right.

• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
• Subscribe to the podcast feed here.

• Download the podcast directly here.

Show links:

• Recent L.A. Times articles by Ben Fritz
• Essays by L.B. Jeffries at PopMatters
• Banana Pepper Martinis - L.B. Jeffries' blog
• Before Game Design - Nick LaLone's blog
• For the Love of Anomie

Summer of Confabs - vol. 3

       

I'm celebrating podcast episode 25 with 5 (five!) new installments of the Gamers Confab. I hope you'll also check out segments 1 and 2.

The Summer of Confabs continues with a conversation featuring game writer and narrative designer Sande Chen (The Witcher); Justin Keverne from Groping the Elephant; and Roger Travis from Living Epic and the Video Games and Human Values Initiative.

We discuss the shifting sands of gameplay, game difficulty, and the "vernacular of games"; and we cast a quizzical glance at game pricing.

Stay tuned, as I'll be releasing 2 more Confabs in the days ahead. I hope you enjoy them.

• Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow "Listen Now" button on the right.

• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
• Subscribe to the podcast feed here.

• Download the podcast directly here.

Show links:

• Game Design Aspect of the Month - edited by Sande Chen
• Gamasutra article on Denis Dyack and gameplay
• Groping the Elephant - Justin Keverne's blog
• Living Epic - Roger Travis' blog
• Video Games and Human Values Initiative

Gamers Confab #2

    

I'm celebrating podcast episode 25 with 5 (five!) new installments of the Gamers Confab. You can find the first one here, featuring Steve Gaynor from 2K Marin (Bioshock 2), Nels Anderson from Hothead Games (DeathSpank), and Wes Erdelack (aka Iroquois Pliskin) from the Versus CluClu Land blog.

Gamers Confab #2 features a conversation with guests Deirdra Kiai from Deirdra Kiai Productions and Hothead Games, Corvus Elrod from Man Bytes Blog, and Matthew Gallant from The Quixotic Engineer.

We discuss two significant controversies that arose this year, and we consider the growing momentum enjoyed by indie games.

Stay tuned, as I'll be releasing 3 more Confabs in the days ahead. I hope you enjoy them.

• Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow "Listen Now" button on the right.

• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
• Subscribe to the podcast feed here.

• Download the podcast directly here.

Show links:

• Deirdra Kiai Productions - Deirdre Kiai's website
• The Little Girl Nobody Liked - a game by Deirdra Kiai
• Man Bytes Blog - Corvus Elrod's blog
• The Quixotic Engineer - Matthew Gallant's blog

Brainy Gamer Podcast - Episode 25

I'm celebrating my 25th episode with a flurry of Gamers Confabs. This edition of the podcast features a conversation with guests Steve Gaynor from 2K Marin (Bioshock 2), Nels Anderson from Hothead Games (DeathSpank), and Wes Erdelack (aka Iroquois Pliskin) from the Versus CluClu Land blog.

We discuss the year in games to this point and the issues, people and games that have made the biggest impact.

Keep your eye on this space, as I'll be releasing 4 more Confabs with a gaggle of terrific guests over the next week. I hope you enjoy them.

• Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow "Listen Now" button on the right.

• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
• Subscribe to the podcast feed here.

• Download the podcast directly here.

Show links:

• Fullbright - Steve Gaynor's blog
• Versus CluClu Land - Wes Erdelack's blog
• Above 49 - Nels Anderson's blog

Brainy Gamer Podcast - Episode 24

This edition of the Brainy Gamer Podcast features an interview with Clint Hocking, Creative Director at Ubisoft Montreal (Far Cry 2, Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory). In the second half of the show we're joined by Manveer Heir, Lead Designer at Raven Software and Borut Pfeifer, Lead AI Programmer at EALA.

• Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow "Listen Now" button on the right.

• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
• Subscribe to the podcast feed here.

• Download the podcast directly here.

Show links:

• Click Nothing - Clint Hocking's blog
• Design Rampage - Manveer Heir's blog
• The Plush Apocalypse - Borut Pfeifer's blog

Brainy Gamer Podcast - Episode 23

   

This edition of the Brainy Gamer Podcast focuses on games that can make a difference. It features interviews with two people in the vanguard of innovative game design for social change: Suzanne Seggerman (pictured left) president and co-founder of Games for Change; and Mary Flanagan (pictured right), founder of the Tiltfactor Lab and Values at Play initiative. We discuss a wide range of topics, and we gear up for the G4C Festival in New York City later this month.

• Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow "Listen Now" button on the right.

• Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes here.
• Subscribe to the podcast feed here.

• Download the podcast directly here.

Show links:

• Games for Change
• Tiltfactor Lab
• Values at Play
• Grow-A-Game cards
• PeaceMaker
• James Gee
• Games for Change listserv
• G4C Toolkit