The Zone
The Left Page
We talk about The Zone in fiction. Inspired by we expand our understanding of Zones by also bringing in: The novel Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers The film Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky The Metro series of books by Dmitry Glukhovsky and its games And a touch of the S. T. A. L. K. E. R. games. There's a lot to the idea of Zones, so we establish a concept of what Zones are and how they can be successful ways of navigating and inventing fictional realities. And, of course, how certain Zones can succeed far more, and more interestingly, than others. Enjoy! If you can and...
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Mean Green Hermeneutic Machine w/ Jay
The Left Page
We take a dive into Arthuriana, adaptation, and more, as we talk about The Green Knight wit our good friend Jay! Considering how not only the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight connects with the Dev Patel film, but also exploring the themes involved and how they can be treated by a contemporary framing. And, of course, as we talk about adapting things, we go beyond just this pair, briefly going into Scorcese's The Last Temptation of Christ, but also interpretations of broader Arthuriana, and of course, how could we not go into Lord of the Rings? Lots to dive into and explore in history and...
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Let's Prattle #4 - The Poetics of Villainy
The Left Page
itinerary: 00:00:00 - 00:34:30 - Intro 00:34:30 - 01:44:40 - Villains! 01:44:40 - END - Book Club (Cat VII - Cat VIII) Given we're pretty close, we'll be going from the next chapter, Tyrion VII, all the way to the end!
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What's Next for Sci-Fi and it's Empires? w/ RevLeftRadio
The Left Page
We're back into Science Fiction, and with a great friend and comrade! As Breht from RevLeftRadio fame joins us to talk about the relationship of this genre and Empires. Talking the roots of imperial representation, how we can critique them, and how a lot goes back into colonialism, fascist projects and more. A wonderful dive into how this genre and this representation and structure connect, enjoy! Check out RevLeftRadio! If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! Also! If you're not there already, feel free to...
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Lets Prattle # 3 - Help! I am Being Pathologized!
The Left Page
This time we go into how we think about Pathology in media and videogames, while still talking about gaming news and the Left Page Book Club, enjoy! itinerary: 00:00:00-01:03:21 - Intro + Summer Games Fest + Minute AI rambling 01:03:21-01:55:05: - The Broader Pathology of Media 01:55:05-END - The Left Page Book Club Our next set of chapters is from Catelyn VII to Catelyn VIII! (Another 16 chapters!) Article mentioned: If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! Also! If you're not there already, feel free to...
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Let's Prattle #2 - Fantasies of Power
The Left Page
We continue our travails this time with disecting the discourses around power fantasies and an interesting track through one of videogames largest franchises. Itinerary: 00:00:00 - 00:15:52 Intro (What are we up to) 00:15:52 - 01:03:28 Power Fantasies 01:03:28 - 01:40:00 AI in Music 01:40:00 - 02:16:50 AC 02:16:50 - END Book Club aGoT Jon II - Eddard V Essay mentioned:
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"Concerning" Men: The Patriarchy & Weaponized Media Illiteracy
The Left Page
We're talking about men this time. Using different media like Star Wars, American Psycho, and Blade Runner 2049, we develop some theory on this idea of "media illiteracy", on masculinity and its toxicity. Fundamentally considering what we mean when we talk about Patriarchy, how it exists and is historically defined, and what does it mean to consider and confront it today. Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon! Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord! Outro Music: Don't Leave!...
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Let's Prattle #1 - AI in Video Games
The Left Page
A new kind of episode! Lighter and more current, as we talk about what we've been playing, some things we've been thinking about, and the new Left Page Book Club! Time stamps 00:00:00 - 00:40:40 Intro + What are we watching, reading, playing 00:40:40 - 01:27:45 AI In Video Games 01:27:45 - 02: 23:45 Left Page Book Club The article we talked about: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/new-research-shows-over-90-of-gamers-find-playing-with-ai-powered-npcs-to-be-enjoyable-and-rewarding
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What Escapism Has Sown
The Left Page
We deploy Critical Harvest Theory in this episode, when we ask: What happens when we don't look critically at escapist fantasies? We then try to answer this question by looking at two video games: Stardew Valley (2015) and Citizen Sleeper (2022 & 2025) Going into the ways of how these games create their realities and end up surviving in or attempting to sideline capitalism, which will surely go well, right? Right? That, and more, in this episode about capital, land, time and space! Enjoy! If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more,...
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Wolfenstein: How to Kill Fascism? W/ TheLitCritGuy
The Left Page
Wolfenstein is a fascinating series of games, so let’s talk about the recent Machine Games’ iterations. Asking the fundamental question of how to properly kill fascism and how this game is presenting it, or not. Enjoy! Check out Jon’s stuff: & Morris Rosenfeld’s poem from 1914 Intro song: Machine, Machine. Nits. 2019, Werf & V2 Records Outro song: Nazi raus. Marti Fischer. 2024, ContentView GmbH
info_outlineThis time we go into how we think about Pathology in media and videogames, while still talking about gaming news and the Left Page Book Club, enjoy!
itinerary:
00:00:00-01:03:21 - Intro + Summer Games Fest + Minute AI rambling
01:03:21-01:55:05: - The Broader Pathology of Media
01:55:05-END - The Left Page Book Club
Our next set of chapters is from Catelyn VII to Catelyn VIII! (Another 16 chapters!)
Article mentioned:
https://thehaunt.blog/2026/03/29/on-moral-repugnance/
If you can and are interested in early episodes and our bonus content, soon to be plenty more, check out our Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/leftpage
Also! If you're not there already, feel free to join our Discord!
https://discord.gg/J2wgG3yrPN
Outro Music: Don't Leave! · El-Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe. From the Album: Zareef ℗ 2006 El-Funoun