First Person Podcasts

This month Collin is joined by Aleks from our essays department as well as special guests Ruby (Codex Entry) and Spencer as they explore the very nature of art and entertainment as the concepts apply to the medium of video games. That is to say, do games need to be "fun" to be "good"? With a special focus on Ice Pick Lodge's cult classic Pathologic, the conversation juxtaposes the subject at hand against the mediums of theatre and visual art and explores the value of unpleasantness when a piece of art "pushes back" against its audience.

This month Collin, Sabrina and our two guests have a blast talking about the ins and outs of dating, virtual relationships, and human sociality in video games. A can't miss episode if there ever was one, tune in for an exploration of how games have (or haven't) succeeded in digitizing one of the most integral parts of the human condition. In fact, we had so much fun, we'll be streaming Dream Daddy over on the First Person Scholar with our guests from this month as an extension of discussion! Stay tuned for a link and more information in the days to follow.

The apocalypse is something we often perceive as a cataclysmic event or phenomena representing the harbinger of the end- the utter extinguishment of life as a society has come to know it. But, how true is this assumption? This month, we discuss the popularity of post-apocalyptic settings in video games, our biases and assumptions about them, and how, ultimately, they can often yield something greater than the sum of their parts.

This month Collin is joined by Sabrina Sgandurra and Dakota Pinheiro to discuss how we approach power in video games when we're given the uncanny ability to wield a God hand. Will we bless our flock? Or set the whole sand box ablaze- just for the fun of it? Tune in to hear our thoughts on how things seem to play out more often than not.

Welcome to the 58th episode of the First Person Podcast. This Halloween we will be looking at the horror game titles that were adapted into movies and vice versa. I am joined today by Dr. James Rendell from the University of South Wales and streamer and occasional cosplayer, Rosemarie Sarno, aka Rosie Stormborn. Together we will be analyzing the differing creative decisions used in movie and gaming media when it comes to some of our classic horror narratives.

Welcome to the 57th episode of the First Person Podcast. We are back with another academic semester and since we have been running with the theme of nostalgia lately, it's about time that we take a look at how far the video game narratives have come. We will be examining the story of some of my favourite titles: Gears of War, God of War, and Halo to see their progression from a generic hack and slash or war game to a more substantial impact on our gaming culture.

Welcome to the 56th episode of the First Person Podcast. This month will examine the relationship between capitalism and nostalgia. We'll be looking at ways the gaming market today appeals to our warm and fuzzy memories to move units, where we sit regarding gaming nostalgia, and whether this is a bad thing or totally fine. Joining us today are myself, Patrick Dolan, and fellow FPSers Aleks, and Dakota, who are all here in remembrance of the recently deceased, Intellivision Amico.

Hello, and welcome to the 55th episode of the First Person Podcast! I'm Alex Chalk, resident labour guy and editor for Commentaries, and today I'm filling in for Giuseppe Femia as moderator as I talk with Mariah E. Marsden and Kelley Paige Mason, authors of a fascinating chapter on the commodification of play in AP called “Consumable Play: A Performative Model of Actual Play Networks”.

Welcome to the 54th episode of the First Person Podcast. This month will be examining the social functions of roleplaying games: how the stories and characters we make in RPGs can have a positive and healing impact on ourselves and our community. We look at the benefits that have been acknowledged through roleplaying game studies and the real impacts that RPG media has had on the rhetoric surrounding disparaged communities. Joining us today we have special guests Adrianna Burton, Aaron Trammell, and Elise Vist, all of whom have done extensive work in this field.

Welcome to the 53rd episode of the First-Person Podcast! We are continuing our conversation from February by discussing video game preservation and the industry. So, if you haven't seen that one, please do check it out. We once again have special guest Alex Fleck to talk about why video game preservation matters in academia as well as its implications on gamer culture. Fresh from the game room, right to the study hall, please welcome our First-Person Scholars.

Welcome to the 52nd episode of the First-Person Podcast! This month, we are going to be talking about video game preservation and the industry. We have brought on special guest Alex Fleck to talk about his work in this relatively new academic realm. From archiving to modding to emulation, FPS will be exploring the intricacies of maintaining some of your favourite titles.

Welcome to the 51st episode of the First-Person Podcast and the annual Best Games episode of 2021! This year we wanted to take this opportunity to introduce the current FPS team, so you will hear some new and old voices. They are going to tell you about their favourite games of this past year and maybe a bit more in the realm of critique. So, without further ado, let's jump into it.

Welcome to the 50th episode of the First-Person Podcast and the last episode of the year 2021! As this is our 50th episode we wanted to take some time to look at the current state of academia and games studies. A lot has changed over the course of FPS's life and there have been some wild developments and stagnation in the field. We are joined by Emma Vossen who is as former EIC who works at the Games Institute as a Research Communications Writer and also teaches in the Game Design and Development program at Laurier. She will be helping us take an in-depth look of how things are and where we want to see our academic field headed.

Welcome to the 49th episode of the First-Person Podcast. After being off for a month we are coming back strong for the beginning of a new semester to look at what has been going down in the videogame industry since we've been away. Oh boy! We are joined by Daniel Joseph from Game Workers Unite to have a look into the Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft mess that has been taking the academic spheres by storm. However, many people have already broken down the events for us so we will be looking at the game workers side of things in the industry for a more “positive” approach?

Welcome to a very special 48th episode of the First-Person Podcast. The world is opening back up and gaming backlogs are clogging up with sweet savings from summer sales. With the regular crew on a well-deserved break, we have some fantastic guests from the FPS community to take over. This month, we'll be taking a return trip to Disco Elysium in light of it's recent Final Cut and we have a trio of DE-experts to a tour guide. But don't be frightened or intimidated, these are fun and friendly fellows, and I (Patrick Dolan, Managing editor of FPS) will be here with you the whole time. Ok so, let's let these gentlemen and scholars introduce themselves.

Welcome to the 47th episode of First-Person Podcast and Happy Pride Month everybody! This episode we are going to be looking at and talking about queer representation in gaming. Whether it be queer theming, queer performativity, or explicitly queer characters, we want to try and open up the conversation a bit more looking at the way gaming media frames queer values and narratives. Join us as we look into both mainstream and indie games and discuss our experience with them.

Dr. Kishonna Gray joins interviewer Pallavi Sodhi to discuss their life as a game studies scholar.

Welcome to the 46th episode of the First-Person Podcast. This month we aren’t going to be talking about the Ludonarrative Dissonance but focusing on the Player-Narrative Dissonance. How do we ourselves legitimize doing something in a video game world that we are morally opposed to in the meatspace?

Welcome to the 45th episode of First-Person Podcast. This is the final part of our three-part series that we are doing to examine how games are introduced to us and played with on YouTube. For part three, we are going to be looking at the Content videos that we see comic youtubers and casual gamers making for us. We can see what’s new on Twitch and where the YouTube community can go from here.

Welcome to the 44th episode of First-Person Podcast. This is part two of our three-part series that we are doing to examine how games are introduced to us and played with on YouTube. For part two, we are going to be looking at the Lore Analysis videos that get worked into the mainstream YouTube feed every so often. And, yes this was my way of working in a reason to talk about Dark Souls.

To commemorate our transition to YouTube, this is part one of a three-part series that we will be doing to examine how games are introduced to us and played with on YouTube. For part one, we are going to be looking at the Parasocial play involved with a lot of retro and modern YouTube content. From Walkthroughs to Let’s Plays, this is the foundation of our YouTube gaming experience.

After the grueling year that has been 2020, we invite you to join us in reminiscing the games that we played over these past 12 months. Come find out what we were busy playing and join us in welcoming our newest cast member, Alex Chalk.

We are ending this year on a more technical note by discussing the button mapping that we see in our modern games. Join Giuseppe, Sabrina, Lia, and Patrick as we discuss the intuitive design of the controls we’ve come to know and hate.

Architecture has an unspoken influence over how we navigate and interpret the games we play. So, we are going to talk about it. Today we are going to be taking a look at how the world of our favourite games has been constructed and how gaming architecture influences the game world, theming, and plot progression. On this episode you are joined by, Giuseppe Femia, the FPS Podcast Producer, Sabrina Sgandurra, our new Editor-in-Chief/Book Reviews Editor, Lia Black, our new Co-Managing Editor/Commentaries Editor, and Patrick Dolan, our other new Co-Managing Editor/Essays Editor.

First Person Podcast is getting ready for Halloween. On this episode you are joined by, Giuseppe Femia, the FPS Podcast Producer, Sabrina Sgandurra, our new Editor-in-Chief/Book Reviews Editor, Lia Black, our new Co-Managing Editor/Commentaries Editor, and Patrick Dolan, our other new Co-Managing Editor/Essays Editor. For the month of October, we will be looking at themes that are set up and explored through the game designer’s usage of monsters in the horror game genre. We will be giving our experience with how the monsters come off and what they signify while making sure that themes of mental health are handled respectfully.

Welcome back to First Person Podcast after our August hiatus. On this episode you are joined by, Giuseppe Femia, the FPS Podcast Producer, Sabrina Sgandurra, our new Editor-in-Chief/Book Reviews Editor, Lia Black, our new Co-Managing Editor/Commentaries Editor, and Patrick Dolan, our other new Co-Managing Editor/Essays Editor. In this episode, we’re going to be discussing the companions that venture forward with us into the night. Or, the ones that stand by us through the good and the bad. We will be examining and discussing the plot significance that the in-game companions have and what they undergo while keeping us company. Banner Source: http://retrowaretv.com/still-loading-the-lessons-of-gaming/

Indigenous Games by FirstPersonScholar.com

Happy Pride month from First Person Podcast! On this episode, we go back to a conversation that happened years ago to exhibit some queer games. Join Elise Vist, Rob Parker, Chris Persaud, and Matthew Perks as they delve into the discourse of queer game design. What is the main criticism of queer games? How did our guest experience Tusks and Dream Daddy? They will give you the relevant insight now.

This month on the First Person Podcast, we delve into Disco Elysium with Lindsay Meaning, Rob Parker, Sabrina Sgandurra, and Axel Hassen Taiari to discuss their experiences with the game. We are going to look at the different directions that they took in their gameplay and what outcomes were possible with this detective rpg. Where does it stand on the political spectrum? What does it have to say about leftist culture? Find out now!

This month on the First Person Podcast, you join Lia Black, Betsy Brey, Sarah Stang, Nicholas Hobin, and Sabrina Sgandurra to discuss their favourite pets in gaming history. We are going to be looking at the autonomy that has been allowed to animals in gaming ranging from the Final Fantasy Series to Pokémon. Through these games we will address themes like friendship, consent, and the proper pronunciation of the word Chocobo. So, tune in for a furreal experience.

This month on the First Person Podcast, you join Lia Black, Giuseppe Femia, Chris Lawrence, and Sabrina Sgandurra to look at the roles they have filled. What experience are they looking for in the characters they portray? How do they shape their own experiences? And what the heck is a QAF Character Generator? Listen in as we reveal all.

This month on the First Person Podcast, we sit down with Lia Black, and Sarah Stang for Valentine’s Day to discuss their hot takes on romance in gaming. What are their video game crushes? What makes for a good romance narrative? What should we be seeing more of in our romance titles? All these questions and more will be answered on this episode of the podcast. Banner Source: https://atlus.com/valentine2017/studentByDay/

Annnnd we're back at it again. After a short break, we're returning to share our thoughts and ideas about games and game studies. This month, we carry on our proud tradition of bad takes about games, our one true game of the year, and get to know new editors Lia Black and Patrick Dolan.

Welcome to a special edition of the First Person podcast. This week, we’re introducing a queer games and queer making special issue, edited by Jess Marcotte. We are joined by Jess Marcotte, Bonnie Bo Ruberg, and Kara Stone to talk about their experiences as queer game designers and queer games scholars! See firstpersonscholar.com for a transcript.

Welcome back to First Person Podcasts. It’s been some time and we are grateful to those of you who are coming back to us after a little hiatus. We’re back and raring to go with a totally original, out of nowhere, never before heard episode on...our Games of the Year. Don’t worry, we go all meta on the rhetorics of the term, and we talk about some games you might not have seen in a big GOTY list. Listen in for a discussion on what it means to call something a GOTY and what we want our own picks to mean at FPS.

Andrew Reinhard is as old as Pong. He is currently a third-year “mature” PhD student at the Department of Archaeology at the University of York (UK) where he is completing his thesis on archaeological tools and methods for investigating digital cultural heritage. Past video game archaeology projects include the excavation of the Atari Burial Ground, the No Man’s Sky Archaeological Survey and the Legacy Hub Archaeological Project, landscape archaeology in Skyrim VR, and the code archaeology of Colossal Cave Adventure. He is currently interested in understanding software as digital built environments, machine-created culture, and software as archaeological artifact, site, and manufactured landscape. His book, Archaeogaming: An Introduction to Archaeology in and of Video Games, was published by Berghahn Books in 2018. Reinhard is the Director of Publications for the American Numismatic Society. He is currently playing Diablo II (again).

In this month's podcast, the FPS crew reflect on their week-long, 10-person international game of Subterfuge, an online, real-time strategy mobile game. During the week, alliances were forged, rivalries formed and relationships were put to the test both in the game and beyond. Will FPS ever be the same?

In this month's podcast, Pierson, Rob, Betsy and Will discuss the trend towards “games as services” rather than one-off products. They also consider whether there is an increasing tendency towards specialized consumption of specific games. If we are playing a smaller number of games for longer periods of time, are these new developments in game consumption habits? How might changes in making, selling and distributing games be involved in the reasons we are playing specific games longer?

In this month's podcast, Betsy Brey, Pierson Browne and Chris Lawrence discussed pervasive cultural anxieties that manifest in games set in outer space. They discuss how games like No Man's Sky and Stellaris, with their imperatives to colonize, harvest and exploit, usually enjoin players to become despots. That said, there's no denying how fun it can be to command and conquer; to paint the map one's chosen colour, to revel in the revealed dimensions of one's burgeoning empire. This month, we talk about how recognizing these mechanics can offer ironic ways of engaging with and reading against them.

In this month's podcast, we discussed Dream Daddy, an interactive visual novel developed and published in 2017 by Game Grumps that describes itself on its Steam storefront page as “a game where you play as a Dad and your goal is to meet and romance other Hot Dads”. So far, so good. Given the dearth of games catering to explicitly queer players, the FPS staff were naturally thrilled to have such a game and were eager to sit down to discuss it. As a bunch of gay and queer-identifying scholars, some of whom conduct research on queer representations in media objects, we had much to discuss about this game. While praising the game's merits, including its diverse cast, focus on queer romance, and inclusion of a trans character, we consistently found ourselves undercutting that praise by noting the conspicuous absence of roles, opportunities and content in the game.

Another year, not another award show. In our January 2018 podcast, Betsy, Chris, Will and Justin discuss their picks for games of the year... with a twist: categories ranged from the social ("Fine, stop yelling I'll play it award") to the academic ("game that made me rethink my research"). Stick around for the end when the FPS crew each discuss their one true game of the year.

Book Reviews and Interviews section head Justin Carpenter sits down with Katja Rogers, a PhD student from the Institute of Media Informatics at Ulm University, Germany. They discuss the effects of audio on player experience in VR horror games.

Our Editor in Chief Betsy Brey and our Book Reviews/Interviews section head sit down with Shannon Sun-Higginson to talk about about GTFO, a film that investigates harassment, discrimination, and misogyny in the videogame industry.

The topic of this month's podcast was ostensibly about Arkane studios’ third installment in the Dishonored franchise: Death of the Outsider, and writer Hazel Monforton's contributions to the development of the game's narrative. However, it was in many ways a metadiscussion about the game and the worlds games inspire. The conversation grappled with the questions of how and why games move us.

This month, Betsy, Pierson, Will and Chris discuss third-person stealth games, what makes them unique, and how these mechanics afford different playstyles, the use of surveillance as a power fantasy and cinema as an immersive effect.

FPS Podcast Episode 22 The sense that the crest of VR's popularity may have already peaked was the idea behind this month's podcast, in which our participants Betsy Brey, Rob Parker and Justin Carpenter revisit the question with only a slight revision: was 2016 the year of VR? Our podcast participants perform a small dive into the VR industry, engaging in a critical interrogation of VR affordances and contemporary VR design while enjoining designers to do the same. They outline their concerns with VR technology, including their experiences with motion sickness and disorientation, raising questions about pleasurable and unpleasant immersion. Their discussion suggests that as a speculative design and technological affordance, VR has yet to reach mass market potential, limited by the lack of VR-intended titles. The solution they point to is less a need for a killer application and more a call to explore the unique affordances of this technology.

In FPS's September Podcast, Betsy Brey, Elise Vist, Chris Lawrence and Rob Parker sit down to discuss Love Nikki-Dress UP Queen, including its free-to-play mobile model, how it integrates with Facebook and social media platforms, game localization, metagaming, and raise concerns about cultural appropriation and cybertourism. Who knew playing a dress-up mobile phone game could be so fun and so contentious?

For the last podcast of the school year and also my final appearance on the First Person Podcast, I talk with Rob Parker and our web editor Rina Wehbe about Christine Love's Ladykiller in a Bind. Bringing together many of the discussions we've been having on the podcast this year, we discuss the representation of gender and the role of sex in the game. We also discuss the controversy of the removed sex scene during one of the final chapters and the continuing discussion of visual novels and their mechanics

This month on the first person podcast I talk Breath of the Wild with Chris and previous editor-in-chief Emma. We discuss our favourite quests and playstyles, the upcoming DLC as well as more in depth discussions about themes of sacrifice and Zelda's role in the narrative. We also rank Breath of the Wild against our favourite Zelda games. Is Breath of the Wild the best Zelda game yet? Listen to find out!

This month on the first person podcast I am joined by Betsy, Rob and Shawn to discuss Final Fantasy 15. We go in depth with our history of the series and what made us so excited for the latest installment. We also cover the representation of male friendship, the role of female characters in the game and the major updates to the story. -- We had a mic issue this month, apologies for the variable quality on Rob's mic. Sorry Rob!

Interview conducted March 16th, 2017.