Aftermath Hours
The flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Woke 2: Good, Switch 2: ???
01/17/2025
Woke 2: Good, Switch 2: ???
This week Nathan, Chris, and Luke break down Nintendo’s long-awaited reveal of the Switch 2 – although we use the term “reveal” loosely. After months of speculation, we now know… what it will look like. And it looks like a Nintendo Switch! Some people, Chris included, are disappointed by this. Nintendo used to swing for the fences with its hardware ideas, but now it’s navigating a world of its own creation – one filled with Steam Decks and Asus Rog Allies. Can its Apple-like iteration strategy keep it at the head of the handheld pack, or is it already falling behind simply by conforming? Then we discuss the impending TikTok ban, which thanks to interventions from both outgoing president Joe Biden and incoming president Donald Trump, we don’t think is actually going to happen, but which has produced the funniest possible outcome in a bunch of people migrating to a comparable Chinese app. After that, we turn Luke’s brain to mush by discussing Elon Musk’s gamer beef with a Twitch streamer. Finally, we wrap up by designing our own Switch 2. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, and Luke Plunket - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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The Gaming Angle (With Chris Bratt)
01/10/2025
The Gaming Angle (With Chris Bratt)
This week Nathan and Gita are joined by Chris Bratt of People Make Games – one of the best investigative outlets in all of video games – to discuss his new video about workplace abuse at outsourcing studios in southeast Asia. We try to get to the bottom of why big video game companies turn a blind eye to these sorts of incidents, which in this case include a manager convincing a subordinate to slap herself in the face 100 times as an act of penance. Yeah, it’s bad! Then we talk about how the wildfires currently raging in California – which are displacing video game studios, among many, many other things – are happening right next door to CES in Las Vegas, where tech titans are trumpeting the latest environmentally destructive fad, generative AI. After that, we move on to slightly more lighthearted fare in our predictions for the year in gaming. Only one of us predicts a major industry-related crash, so that’s gotta count for something. Also, Half-Life 3 is getting announced this year. Mark my words. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, and Riley MacLeod - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Deck The Halls With Balatros Of Holly
12/20/2024
Deck The Halls With Balatros Of Holly
This week Nathan, Chris, and Riley convene just before the holidays for the final show of the year. We discuss a little of everything: Our favorite Game Awards reveals (Onimusha, an orb game exemplar, is back, and so is Okami!) as well as some that have us less thrilled (more Neil Druckmann nihilism in Intergalactic: The Heretic, Borderlands 4’s continuation of the series’ quiet identity crisis). Then we talk about SAG-AFTRA voice actors demonstrating outside the show and the potential impacts of a Trump presidency on their future prospects. After that, we briefly touch on cameras in games, which absolutely nobody has Opinions about, and then Chris fills us in on the love of his life: Slitterhead. Lastly, we hand out our own awards for the best and worst games media moments of the year. Oh, and we discuss Riley’s holiday gaming dilemmas, all of which would be solved if he just bought a Steam Deck. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, and Riley MacLeod - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Is Indiana Jones Good Or Not?
12/13/2024
Is Indiana Jones Good Or Not?
This week it’s just Chris and Riley as Nathan has flown off to LA for The Game Awards. We discuss the continued state of the Ziff Davis empire, the United Healthcare shooting suspect's gaming history and what that says about him (mainly nothing) and the mostly positive but sometimes polarizing reaction to Indiana Jones and The Great Circle. We also briefly talk about other news, answer reader questions, and more! Credits - Hosts: Riley MacLeod, Chris Person - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Video Game History Hour(s) (With Frank Cifaldi)
12/06/2024
Video Game History Hour(s) (With Frank Cifaldi)
This week, Nathan, Chris, and Luke are joined by Frank Cifaldi of the Video Game History Foundation, but not until near the end of the episode, because Frank had multiple other podcasts to be on that day (he’s very important). We discuss the unique needs of a video game archive – for example, remote access to games, something the US Copyright Office recently refused to grant after a three-year effort on the part of the Video Game History Foundation and the Software Preservation Network – and what the Foundation has been able to accomplish this year despite a government and industry that often fail to recognize the importance of its work. Also on this episode: The gang (minus Frank) talks about Ubisoft’s decision to pull the plug on XDefiant, OpenAI’s increasingly money-hungry forays into subscriptions (and maybe ads), and our various hyperfixations in Candy Cabs and Star Wars Outlaws. Oh, and speaking of hyperfixations, Chris says that New Year's resolutions are just an amateur hour version of a real project, so take that, me and everybody else. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Luke Plunkett, & special guest Frank Cifaldi - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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The Sky Is Bluer On The Other Side (With Ryan Broderick)
11/22/2024
The Sky Is Bluer On The Other Side (With Ryan Broderick)
This week, Nathan and Gita are joined by Ryan Broderick of the fantastic Garbage Day newsletter to discuss all the latest trends in the world of Online. We begin by talking about Bluesky and the potentially fatal blow Twitter has sustained at its hands. Or, well, more accurately, at Elon Musk’s hands, but Bluesky has far and away been the main beneficiary of Trump’s wannabe baby boy’s bumblings. Can the good times last, though? Or will Bluesky eventually become a massive crock of shit, just like every other social media platform? After that, we dig into the myth of The Liberal Joe Rogan and how actual left-leaning and leftist political influencers are adapting in the wake of an election that decidedly did not go their way. Lastly, we speculate about which specific Fortnite skins a fraudster recently purchased with Nathan’s credit card. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Gita Jackson, and special guest Ryan Broderick - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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One Year Down, One Million More To Go
11/15/2024
One Year Down, One Million More To Go
This week, Nathan, Luke, and Chris are, despite the state of the world, in a celebratory mood, because Aftermath just turned one! When we launched this site a year ago, we had no idea how it’d go – we thought it’d either crash and burn or succeed beyond our wildest dreams, neither of which have happened – but we’re exceedingly pleased with where we’ve ended up. We discuss lessons we’ve learned and our favorite moments from the past year, as well as some news – specifically, our own feature about how freelancers are propping up games journalism (and getting paid dogshit for it) and Zenimax workers’ recent strike against Microsoft’s restrictive return-to-office policies. Finally, to sate noted beacon of positivity Luke Plunkett, we talk about some games we’ve been playing recently and, for the most part, enjoying. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Luke Plunkett, and Chris Person - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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The Horse Is Back In The Hospital (With Mel Buer)
11/08/2024
The Horse Is Back In The Hospital (With Mel Buer)
This week, Nathan and Riley are joined by special guest Mel Buer of The Real News Network, a very good nonprofit newsroom, to discuss what we, as normal people, can do in the wake of Trump’s reelection and the rise of fascism in the United States. The short version? Organize! Not just your workplace, but also your local community. Meet your neighbors. Start a community garden. Put together a game night. The government isn’t going to save us, so we’ve got to. We also touch on the recent New York Times Tech Guild strike and the callous cynicism that led bosses to refuse reasonable demands even with a massively consequential election bearing down on their news organization. Oh, and we talk about eating our feelings, which all of us coincidentally did recently, for some reason. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, and special guest Mel Buer - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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More Like Fan-Dumb [Loud Incorrect Buzzer Sound]
11/01/2024
More Like Fan-Dumb [Loud Incorrect Buzzer Sound]
This week, Nathan, Luke, and Riley lament the untimely end of Firewalk, the studio that made Concord to Sony’s specifications and then promptly got dumpstered for it. Once again, creatives are suffering for executives’ poor decision making, and everybody’s worse off for it. Will the industry actually learn from this? We can only hope. Then we move on to yet more media layoffs, this time at Fandom, which owns GameSpot, among other sometimes-baffling properties (TV’s Guide’s website? OK, sure, I guess). We then discuss this week’s largely idiotic Dragon Age review conspiracy theory and, more broadly, where discourse around games happens now and how that impacts people’s perception of the medium. Lastly, we solve the hell out of what would seem to be an impossible puzzle: How does a worm drive a little apple car? Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Luke Plunkett, and Riley MacLeod - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Interview With The (Person Making A) Vampire (Video Game)
10/25/2024
Interview With The (Person Making A) Vampire (Video Game)
This week, Nathan and Gita are joined by special guest LB Hunktears, formerly of Fanbyte and Blaseball fame, who is now working on a reality show queer romance horror comedy game called Fledgling Manor. We discuss the reality TV shows that inspired it, as well as the strange lack of games about reality TV, given just how game-y those shows’ structures tend to be. We also rank every season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, a show that has aged like a fine wine if the bottle contained a tiny man named Joss Whedon who you kept learning new terrible things about, and who you had to nudge aside every time you wanted to take a sip. Then we talk about Twitch’s recent string of gaffes involving Israel, including its “inadvertent” failure to re-enable sign ups in Israel and Palestine for a whole year, as well as its very advertent decision to ban several Arab streamers for a month following spurious claims of antisemitism. Lastly, we discuss the best fall flavors and conclude that apple beats the shit out of pumpkin spice. Sorry, but it’s not even close. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Gita Jackson, and special guest LB Hunktears - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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All That Glitters Is Not Asmongold (With Nico Deyo)
10/18/2024
All That Glitters Is Not Asmongold (With Nico Deyo)
This week, Nathan and Riley are joined by a very special guest, the Aftermath Discord’s own head moderator Nico “Apple Cider” Deyo (who is also a longtime freelance games journalist), to discuss the trials and tribulations of Asmongold, a Twitch star who found himself in hot water this week when years of escalating reactionary rhetoric culminated in an ill-advised racist rant about Palestinians. This got him suspended from Twitch. Unlike many others who’ve found themselves in similar situations, Asmongold proceeded to post a seemingly sincere apology video and vowed to change. Can he stick with it, though? And is it possible to truly repair the kind of damage he did before he had his midweek epiphany? Then we move on to the weird zombie version of Waypoint, a beloved video game site, that Vice recently dredged up. It’s bad! Lastly, we learn about a new thing Riley hates (Photo modes? For some reason?). Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, and special guest Nico Deyo - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Metaphor Out Of Five Refantazio
10/11/2024
Metaphor Out Of Five Refantazio
This week, Nathan, Chris, and Riley convene to increase their social links by discussing the latest basically-Persona game, Metaphor: Refantazio, which is – at least, so far – Metaphor Re(ally)fantastic. It’s Persona in a Shakespearean fantasy setting with a lot of irritating friction removed. Then we talk about an issue near and dear to Riley’s heart: Netflix canceling shows after a single season and basically foisting responsibility for their success or failure onto viewers like you. After that, we grapple with platforms’ viewership-at-all-costs model and how it has incentivized content creators to cling to their homes – instead of evacuating – during a potentially-deadly hurricane. Lastly, we brainstorm potential video game cameos for our mascot: the Aftermath Aftermug™. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, and Riley MacLeod - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Starfield And Friends
10/04/2024
Starfield And Friends
This week, Nathan, Luke, and Riley do their best impression of that one meme where Jonathan Frakes asks you things: What’s going on with Starfield’s new, poorly-received DLC? Why is Star Citizen – a crowdfunded testament to one man’s hubris that’s been in development for more than a decade – forcing developers to crunch in the year 2024? In light of the upcoming TV show and yet another spinoff game, is the Yakuza series spreading itself too thin? And when is an early access game done, really? Then we answer questions about the psychic damage we sustain while trying to play games with branching paths and which power Kirby would gain if he swallowed us (anxiety). Luke definitely does not regret the way he phrased his response to the latter question at all. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Luke Plunkett, and Riley MacLeod - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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What’s Wrong With The French (With Jacob Geller)
09/27/2024
What’s Wrong With The French (With Jacob Geller)
This week, Nathan and Gita are joined by games and culture video essayist Jacob Geller ahead of his 24-hour stream to raise money for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. We discuss video game criticism in the age of drive-by culture wars on social media and conclude that – despite how bleak things might seem – there’s still a hunger for truly substantial, meaningful criticism, one that is not decreasing. We also learn about the ins and outs of creating heady essays on YouTube, specifically: Why do they keep getting longer? How do you write for a specific audience without becoming somebody who pre-reacts to every bad faith YouTube comment? Then we move on to this week’s big news: Ubisoft is delaying the new Assassin’s Creed following weaker-than-expected sales of its Star Wars game. Amid all that, as well as an ongoing campaign against Assassin’s Creed for featuring a Black samurai, Ubisoft also decided to issue a statement about how its goal is “not to push any specific agenda.” Grimacing emoji. Lastly, Christmas comes early for Nathan and Nathan alone, because the mailbag is chock full of questions about Goku and karaoke. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Gita Jackson, and special guest Jacob Geller - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Grand Theft Audible Sigh (With Tom Walker)
09/20/2024
Grand Theft Audible Sigh (With Tom Walker)
This week, Nathan, Chris, and Luke are joined by comedian and streamer Tom Walker to discuss the latter’s self-made nightmare: an ongoing Grand Theft Auto IV playthrough in which traffic speed is cranked up to max. We talk about how livestreaming comedy differs from traditional forms of comedy like standup and how Twitch chat facilitates a unique sort of chaos that might involve, among other things, a naked person announcing that they’ve spilled wedding cake on their dick. Also, we get two separate Peter Griffin impressions, so you know this is a good one. Then we move on to the big news story of the week: Nintendo suing Palworld, the Pokemon-alike with guns that got big earlier this year. Nintendo might be the purveyor of family-friendly faces like Mario, Link, and Kirby, but its legal team is about as black-hearted as they come. Why, then, do people give Nintendo more grace in these sorts of situations than they do other companies? Finally, we talk about an obscure Australian holiday that has resulted in, as one chatter put it, “mass horse death.” Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Luke Plunkett, and special guest Tom Walker - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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The Back To School Week Special (With Emanuel Maiberg)
09/13/2024
The Back To School Week Special (With Emanuel Maiberg)
This week, Nathan, Gita, and Riley are joined by Emanuel Maiberg of 404 Media – another fantastic worker-owned website – for a special episode tied in with the Back To School theme week we’ve been running on the site, which focuses on changes, nostalgia, and learning new things. First, we talk to Emanuel about 404’s first year of existence and all the highs, lows, and scoops that entailed. Then we discuss Back To School week more broadly, with a special focus on Luke’s piece about game developers who – faced with unprecedented layoffs and grim future prospects – are leaving the industry entirely and learning how to do something, anything else. Then we briefly touch on the news of the week: PS5 Pro? Looks bad! More Microsoft layoffs? Also bad! Then we extol the virtues of sleeping on the floor. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Gita Jackson, Riley MacLeod, and special guest Emanuel Maiberg - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Concord’s Bad Fur Day
09/06/2024
Concord’s Bad Fur Day
This week, Nathan, Chris, and Riley marvel at the speed with which Sony pulled the plug on its latest live service offering, Concord, a game so focused-grouped for everyone that it ended up being for no one. Are live service games as a whole doomed? Probably not. But the way triple-A publishers approach them – toiling away for years and then releasing something that feels dated on day one – likely is. Then we reflect on the great Twitch vs YouTube livestreaming war, which seems to be ending with a whimper rather than a bang as big-name streamers YouTube signed to multi-million-dollar exclusivity contracts are returning to Twitch now that those contracts are up. With Twitch allowing creators to stream to multiple platforms and YouTube seemingly uninterested in significantly improving its streaming product, why not? In the end, nobody really won The Streaming Wars. Instead, they got distracted trying to copy TikTok. Lastly, we discuss NaNoWriMo’s weird stance on AI, which – as with most supposed defenses of AI as a creative tool – just doesn’t really make much sense. Oh, and Nathan absolutely knocks it out of the park with his segment transitions this week. Do not believe anyone who tells you otherwise! Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, and Riley MacLeod - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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[To The Tune Of “Vindicated” By Dashboard Confessional] Defenestrated
08/30/2024
[To The Tune Of “Vindicated” By Dashboard Confessional] Defenestrated
This week, Nathan, Gita, and Luke discuss the first big game of the “fall” video game season: Star Wars Outlaws. Despite an enormous budget and a four-year development cycle, reviewers were given just a week to play the gargantuan game before embargo. Not ideal! We discuss how that impacts the way reviewers play and perceive games. Then we move on to Concord, Sony’s new team-based hero shooter that generated more buzz by flopping than by existing in the first place. Why are people so gleeful about tallying up its commercial failings, though? What about the modern internet has broken our brains in this specific way? Lastly, on a happier note, we discuss Tactical Breach Wizards, the brilliant not-quite-XCOM-alike that recently rocketed to the top of our game of the year lists. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Gita Jackson, and Luke Plunkett - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Did You Myth Me (With Makena Kelly)
08/23/2024
Did You Myth Me (With Makena Kelly)
This week, Nathan and Chris are joined by Wired’s Makena Kelly to discuss content creators at the Democratic National Convention. Was it a savvy move on Democrats’ part to give them press access? Did they do a better job of shining light on protesters and their causes than traditional press? And what was the deal with all the rumblings of conflict between creators and journalists? Then we move on to Black Myth: Wukong, a Chinese action-RPG that’s taken Steam by storm, but not without its fair share of controversy. After much ado about sexist undercurrents at the studio that made it and streaming restrictions that asked content creators not to talk about “feminist propaganda,” the game is, like so many others at the heart of endless culture wars… fine. Then we wrap up by figuring out popular video game characters’ political affiliations (Sonic is an anarchist, Mario is center-right, and Zelda has probably overseen at least a handful of drone bombings). Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Luke Plunkett, and special guest Makena Kelly - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Deadlock On Arrival
08/16/2024
Deadlock On Arrival
This week, Nathan, Chris, and Riley examine the aftermath (lol) of the drama surrounding Deadlock, Valve’s new hero shooter that hasn’t been officially announced yet, and one brave (read: normal) reporter’s decision to, well, report on it. Why, in an industry where regularly unreliable leakers amass hundreds of thousands of followers, did so many people object to a journalist writing about a game to which they obtained legitimate access and which they did not break any NDAs to write about? Then we talk about the live service death spiral that Helldivers 2 now finds itself in a mere six months after receiving near-universal praise upon launch. At what point does live service, as a model, become destructive? Are games – and gamers – worse because of it? Lastly, we discuss some cool games we’ve been playing, like Crush House, in which players must please reality TV-addled masses, and Doom, which might catch on someday. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, and Riley MacLeod - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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RIP Game Informer
08/09/2024
RIP Game Informer
This week, Nathan, Gita, and Riley gather to reflect on the legacy of Game Informer, a magazine whose 33-year run unexpectedly came to an end late last week when GameStop unceremoniously laid off its entire staff and took down its website’s archive. Then we discuss the parasocial pivots of both the Trump and Harris campaigns, with the former appearing on the broadcast of sycophantic Kick streamer Adin Ross and the latter embracing Brat Summer, a social media phenomenon born of resurgent popstar Charli XCX. After that, we welcome Borderlands into the pantheon of bafflingly bad video game movies by talking about all the other ones, of which there have been approximately one million. Paradoxically, though, there has been one good Borderlands movie: Tales from the Borderlands, a cinematic narrative game that came out years ago. Go watch/play that instead. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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You Don’t Need That Many Cars, Man
08/02/2024
You Don’t Need That Many Cars, Man
This week, Luke, Riley, and Chris talk news, sports, sports games, non-sports games, and geography. We start by discussing Wednesday’s layoffs at Destiny developer Bungie, which saw 220 people lose their jobs and other people and teams shuffled into parent company Sony. But throughout all this upheaval, Bungie CEO Pete Parsons has managed to hang on to his classic car collection. Then, we talk about how, instead of getting a new Sonic & Mario Olympics game, we got a crummy mobile game with an NFT attached. This leads us to reflect on the Olympics games of our youths, and how bad the battery life on the Game Gear was. Next, Luke raves about Cataclismo, Riley raves about Thank Goodness You’re Here, and everyone rants about why so many English town names get repeated across the world. Chris and Riley talk about their ice cream makers (ice cream showdown to come!). Last, we answer some reader questions, discussing what game genre we’d like to resurrect, how both we and our pets would do in the Olympics, fake cubes, a horrible new AI device we can’t believe is real, and what the Rashomon of games would be. Credits - Hosts: Luke Plunkett, Riley MacLeod, and Chris Person - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Hot Labor Summer: Video Games Edition
07/26/2024
Hot Labor Summer: Video Games Edition
This week, Nathan, Riley, and Chris tackle a very eventful week, beginning with news that broke mere minutes before we started recording: video game voice actors and mocap performers are going on strike. Major companies – including EA, Epic, and Activision – aren’t guaranteeing them necessary AI-related protections, so they’re taking to the picket line. We reflect on how things reached this boiling point and consider what might happen next. After that, we discuss Humble Games, which laid off its entire staff – replacing them with a third-party company – and had the gall to call it a “restructuring.” Then we talk about two big wins that might protect other game workers against similar ravages: Hundreds of game developers at both Blizzard and Bethesda unionized, giving them leverage previously unheard of among rank-and-file employees at massive, multinational video game companies. Next we discuss Ubisoft’s decision to try to appease bad-faith arguments against the next Assassin’s Creed, and then finally, Chris tells us about Kunitsu-Gami, a game that just sounds neat. Also, we decide which animal – aside from apes – would be the best gamer. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, and Chris Person - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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You’ll Kick Yourself If You Miss This One
07/19/2024
You’ll Kick Yourself If You Miss This One
Nathan, Luke, and Chris gather to discuss a week that feels like it’s lasted ten years, largely due to an assassination attempt against Donald Trump, the aftershocks of which have rattled every corner of the internet, including the world of video games. Almost immediately after it all went down, players of games like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft began digitally recreating the scene. Companies, in turn, have moderated some instances of this and washed their hands of others. We reflect on what it all means. We also dig into some significantly more lighthearted topics, including the best kicks in video games – all games should have a kick button, and if Nathan gets his way, they will – and Chris’ espresso-centric mad science projects. Then we, three people who are not licensed therapists, offer some extremely good mental health advice: log off. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Luke Plunkett, and Chris Person - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Rotten To The Xbox Game Pass Core
07/12/2024
Rotten To The Xbox Game Pass Core
This week, Nathan, Luke, and Riley reconvene after a holiday weekend to discuss everybody’s favorite, inescapably pervasive topic: enshittification, defined by writer Cory Doctorow as the process by which "the services that matter to us, that we rely on, are turning into giant piles of shit.” This week alone, it happened to both Xbox’s Game Pass service and Apex Legends’ battle pass, all in service of making numbers go up on a balance sheet somewhere. Then we talk about the sudden death of Kotaku AU, a site which – contrary to popular belief – Luke does not and never has worked for. After that, we discuss some TV shows, one of which, The Boys, has really fallen off, and the other of which, The Acolyte, never really got going to begin with. Lastly: Cubes. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Luke Plunkett, and Riley MacLeod - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Ain’t No Party Like A LAN Party Because LAN Parties Don’t Happen Anymore (With Merritt K)
07/05/2024
Ain’t No Party Like A LAN Party Because LAN Parties Don’t Happen Anymore (With Merritt K)
This week, everybody’s on break because of the Fourth of July, but we don’t intend on leaving you high and dry. A couple months ago, we hosted our first live event at Wonderville in Brooklyn alongside Merritt K, author of “LAN Party: Inside the Multiplayer Revolution.” We spent our time on stage discussing the golden age of LAN parties and why they (sadly) went away. Also Bawls soda, because you can’t have a discussion of LAN parties and the early 2000s without Bawls. Here is the never-before-released recording of… all of that. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Gita Jackson, Chris Person, & special guest Merritt K - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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And He’s Not Even A Real Doctor (With Ash Parrish)
06/28/2024
And He’s Not Even A Real Doctor (With Ash Parrish)
On this week’s episode, Nathan and Riley are joined by Ash Parrish of The Verge to discuss the reason behind Dr Disrespect’s Twitch ban and how it finally came to light after all these years. We answer one of the major questions the recent torrent of information has produced: Why did it take journalists – some of whom had known the reason for years beforehand – so long to finally make it public? Why now? We also talk about the process of reporting out sensitive stories involving victims and what we think will happen next. Afterward, we move on to a discussion of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, an expansion so divisive that it summons Chris Person from The Land of Shadow to share his misgivings. Lastly, we come up with a killer game idea based on the TV show Severance (call us, Apple). Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, & special guest Ash Parrish - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Link’s Awokening (With John Warren)
06/20/2024
Link’s Awokening (With John Warren)
On this week’s episode, Nathan and Riley are joined by John Warren, formerly of Fanbyte and now of the just-launched VGBees. First we discuss John’s new reader and listener-supported website, which aims to provide a home to good writing about video games. The more the merrier, we say. Then we hop on the endless merry-go-round that is the question of what a game review should be, as inspired by discourse around Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. If said discourse makes you want to tear your hair out, don’t worry: You’re not alone! After that we talk about this week’s Nintendo Direct, in which the company clearly did not get the memo that the Switch is supposed to be crawling across the finish line right now; instead it announced another year of heavy hitters like Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Metroid Prime 4. Finally, we move on to Paradox’s baffling decision making around its supposed Sims killer, the now-canceled Life By You. Then we wrap things up by talking about what it’d be like to party with the loathsome Dung Eater from Elden Ring. I, for one, think it’d be a great time. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Riley MacLeod, & special guest John Warren - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Summer Game Feast Or Famine
06/14/2024
Summer Game Feast Or Famine
On this week’s episode, Nathan and Luke are joined by some guy they know named Ethan Gach to discuss the aftermath (lol) of Summer Game Fest. Ethan was on the ground at the show in LA, so he fields questions about the Geoff Keighley-powered husk that E3 left behind. We ultimately arrive at the same question people do after every single one of these things: Is an event like Summer Game Fest needed in a digital age where video game companies can spin up showcases whenever they want? Then we move on to our favorite games of the show, which consist of Killer Bean, Doom, and probably even a third thing. We also discuss a general feeling of malaise that hung over this year’s show. On one hand, Geoff and associated companies debuted some cool games, but it all felt so… expected. Where once the original Fable pioneered wild new ideas about what a game could be, the trailer for the latest installment in the now long-running series is just a bunch of callbacks. In pursuit of surefire profit, are triple-A games stuck in a rut? Finally, we end on a conversation about sending cats back in time, so you’ll definitely want to stick around for that. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Luke Plunkett, & special guest Ethan Gach - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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Keigh-3: Day 0
06/07/2024
Keigh-3: Day 0
On this week’s episode, Nathan, Chris, and Riley gather on the eve of Summer Game Fest – aka Keigh-3 – to discuss pre-show announcements and an investigation into the show itself. Turns out, it costs $250,000 to buy one minute of trailer time during Geoff Keighley’s summer advertisement extravaganza. And that’s just the beginning, with pricing tiers that go all the way up to $550,000 for 2.5 minutes. Is it worth it? Especially when SGF has historically underdelivered compared to E3’s attention-grabbing golden age? Then we talk about SGF-adjacent announcements like Dragon Age’s puzzling name change and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s long-awaited gameplay reveal. After that, we move on to a discussion of Bloomberg’s report on Suicide Squad’s fraught development, which culminates in the birth of a new segment: These Guys Should Not Be In Charge. Speaking of, we then segue elegantly into a conversation about Variety’s pivot (back) into games coverage, which mirrors Rolling Stone’s recent games renaissance – albeit with less Saudi money involved. Finally, we talk about Valve’s continued mishandling of Team Fortress 2’s bot crisis, a story that resurfaces about once per year because, well, Valve still hasn’t solved the problem! And if that’s not enough for you, we close out by getting mad about trains. Credits - Hosts: Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, & Riley MacLeod - Podcast Production & Ads: - Subscribe to ! About The Show Aftermath Hours is the flagship podcast of Aftermath, a worker-owned, subscription-based website covering video games, the internet, and everything that comes after from journalists who previously worked at Kotaku, Vice, and The Washington Post. Each week, games journalism veterans Luke Plunkett, Nathan Grayson, Chris Person, Riley MacLeod, and Gita Jackson – though not always all at once, because that’s too many people for a podcast – break down video game news, Remember Some Games, and learn about Chris’ frankly incredible number of special interests. Sometimes we even bring on guests from both inside and outside the video game industry! I don’t know what else to tell you; it’s a great time. Simply by reading this description, you’re already wasting time that you could be spending listening to the show. Head to aftermath.site for more info.
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