010: Thomassons, Part 3: Timers and Jumping
A Thoughtful Gaming Podcast
First we discuss timers in videogames. From their arcade origins to more modern takes of having time as a resource.
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009: Thomassons, Part 2: Score and Difficulty
A Thoughtful Gaming Podcast
Part two of our series on thomassons, the vestiges of the arcade.
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008: Thomassons, the Vestiges of the Arcade, Part 1: Game Length and Lives
A Thoughtful Gaming Podcast
The term Thomasson comes from Japan and describes a feature of architecture that no longer serves any purpose: a staircase to nowhere, a gate without a fence, a pole supporting nothing. These things arise as cities and buildings evolve naturally over time. The same concept can be applied to videogames.
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007: Titanfall of Duty, Part 2
A Thoughtful Gaming Podcast
These episodes cover the entire Call of Duty franchise, plus Titanfall.
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006: Titanfall of Duty, Part 1
A Thoughtful Gaming Podcast
These episodes cover the entire Call of Duty franchise, plus Titanfall.
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005: What We Can Learn From Twitch Plays
A Thoughtful Gaming Podcast
Sorry about the noise! Somewhat fittingly, this is the fan noise from the computer I'm hosting Twitch Plays Zelda from.
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004: Game Preservation
A Thoughtful Gaming Podcast
If you want to play the games of today fifty years from now, will you be able to? I try and answer this question as broadly as possible, discussing topics including hardware, emulation, what developers are doing about, and what we can do about it.
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003: Project M and Evo Moment 37
A Thoughtful Gaming Podcast
First I discuss what makes fighting games good, through an analysis of Evo Moment 37. The remainder of the episode is about the Super Smash Bros. Series, why I'm so excited about Project M, and why you should be too.
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002: 2013 Was Terrible
A Thoughtful Gaming Podcast
For a variety of reasons, I found my favorite games of 2013 all made me feel bad. First I discuss storytelling in gaming more broadly, why it's so hard to do well, and some examples of how it has been done well in the past. I then discuss the games of this year. ...
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001: Don't Reward Me for Making Your Game Look Bad
A Thoughtful Gaming Podcast
Sometimes every element of a game works together to form a greater whole. Sometimes they clash, dragging the game down to less than the sum of its parts. Here I explore both the good and the bad, with a focus on the level of detail given to a game's environment.
info_outlineSorry about the noise! Somewhat fittingly, this is the fan noise from the computer I'm hosting Twitch Plays Zelda from.
We start with the first novel use of Twitch, Salty Bet. This is followed by an analysis of why Twitch Plays Pokemon works so well, mostly by contrasting it with all the hoops I had to jump through to make Twitch Plays Zelda work. I then describe some highlights from Twitch Plays Pokemon, for the uninformed/for future reference. Finally we end with an analysis of what makes TPP unique and appealing, and how it can apply to more conventional games.