Gay for Play: A Video Game Podcast

Theatre is on the brain this week here on this video game podcast that is rapidly becoming more and more of a theatre-podcast by each episode (listen... Gay for PLAY is a double entendre; walk with me...) Our main topic this week the stunning pro-shot of the West End production of Next to Normal: the 2009 Pulitzer-prize winning musical about a woman's mental health and its impact on her and her complicated family. It's a show we forgot how much we loved and we're thrilled to have this new version to chew over and analyze. Before that, we also get into the Patti LuPone drama that shook the theatre world this week, and Eric discusses his latest theme park adventures which you can follow along with on his new YOUTUBE channel! (Watch and Subscribe HERE!)On the video game front, this week we share some more thoughts on Blue Prince now that Eric has played a good deal more & Laurence as rolled credits. We also touch on LOK Digital, a lovely little word/puzzle game we've been playing on mobile. But mainly, we're focused on the video games of days past this week as we both have been having fun with some Emulators across our various devices! We discuss Chibi-Robo, Silent Hill 2, Golden Sun, Twilight Princess, and a host of other classics that we've been revisiting with the power of technology.What Else We're Gay For:ERIC - RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars 10LAURENCE - Vine: Six Seconds that Changed the World========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio) 

It doesn't take much to get us to talk about Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, but what a joy to have a legit reason to do so! Laurence recently saw Gaga's "Mayhem in the Desert" at Coachella, and Eric is fresh off of seeing night 1 of Bey's "Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit". We've gathered here, in a conclave of two, to discuss both! (Our own personal "Telephone Part 2", if you will). On top of that, we have a stellar video game to discuss this week! We share our first thoughts on BLUE PRINCE, a puzzle adventure game about a young boy exploring a shapeshifting manor in a quest to earn his inheritance. It's scratching our brains sooo good and is an early GOTY contender that we know we'll be talking about much more throughout the year.Also in What Else We're Gay For: Laurence is watching an anime (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End) and Eric is reading a book (Woodworking)! Woooo!! We hope you're ready to eat what we're serving. Order UP, Divas!========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio) MUSIC THIS WEEK: Stories of All Manor (Blue Prince) - by Trigg & Gusset

This past week, Nintendo lifted the veil and gave us our first in-depth look at their new console, the Nintendo Switch 2, beckoning the two of us back to the airwaves to ask the question: "Will I spend 450+ USD on this?" The answer? Well... we'll see. At this point it's unclear when we'll even be able to consider preordering one! (Girl, the tariffs...) For now though, a Nintendo Direct about what the Switch 2 will have to offer in its launch days has us with plenty of exciting things to talk about! Open world Mario Kart! Kirby Air RIDERS

The Nintendo Switch 2 got announced yesterday. However, we recorded this episode a day *before* that announcement. So instead we, as gay people, talked about a bad movie we are obsessed with. (Which is honestly the best thing one can do for themselves sometimes in times of crisis! It's been a rough week for us amidst the LA wildfires, the impending incoming presidential administration, etc.) The bad movie in question being Emilia Pérez, the controversial musical melodrama that beat out Wicked at the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. It's a movie that is not particularly good, and arguably downright offensive to both the Mexican and Trans community, but did leave us with plenty of worms in our brains to warrant hopping on the mic and making it our main discussion topic this week.Later in the episode, we share our predictions for the Switch 2 (topical!), our gaming resolutions for 2025, Eric's foray into VR gaming, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, RHOSLC, The Traitors S3, and more! A few links to help support the victims of the Palisades and Altadena Wildfires:United American Indian InvolvementAltadena GirlsGiveDirectly========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)

For our last episode of 2024, we share our thoughts on The Game Awards and then have a good ol' fashioned GOTY chat on our favorite games of 2024!Listen... if we're being real, we honestly didn't play *too* many games released this calendar year, but the ones we did play were bangers nevertheless! Including an undisputed choice for our joint Game of the Year. Join us as we give the girls their flowers and talk about what vibed with us the most.Thanks for sticking with us through another year of G4P! We'll be back in your ears in 2025!What Else We're Gay For this week:Eric: Hundreds of Beavers (dir. Mike Cheslik) Laurence: Doechii's Tiny Desk Concert, Gracie Abrams "That's So True", Kurt Vonnegut on Making Art ========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)MUSIC THIS WEEK:Final Fantasy VII Rebirth -  Salmon's Theme (Bow Wow Wow) by Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki I Am Astro Bot (ASTRO BOT Remix) by Kenneth C M Young

Laurence and Eric work in tandem as they are joined this week by their partners, Hector Barajas (first time guest!) and Gerry Tonella (returning from our Olympics episode) to hold space for the musical/cultural blockbuster event of the year –  WICKED (part one). Full spoilers ahead for the movie, the stage musical, the book kinda, the source material (The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz) and the source material's source material (another book) as we discuss all things swankified in the Oz, Shiz, and beyond. We *are* in queer media so, naturally we have an Emerald City's worth of thoughts to share about this formative musical and its superb film adaptation. Then later in the episode, we share tales of our respective recent couples' vacations: Eric and Gerry recount their trip to Walt Disney World, and Laurence and Hector about their trip to Mexico City.Put your pointy hats on and vogue on down to the Ozdust Ballroom & enjoy this episode!========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)

This week, on what is approximately our 4th(!) anniversary of the pod (we launched on Thanksgiving Day 2020), we gather to discuss the future of the pod, games we've been playing, the Game Awards nominations, theatre we've been holding space for, and ruminate on some of our favorite albums of the year as the year rapidly draws to a close!Games discussed: Pokémon TCG Pocket, Death Stranding: Director's Cut, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Mario Party Jamboree, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, Metaphor Re:Fantazio================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)

Bonsoir! Bienvenue à PARIS!This week we set aside video games in favor of OLYMPIC games, as we are joined by the lovely Gerry Tonella (Olympic gold medalist in the sport of "being Eric's cutie-patootie boyfriend") to discuss the games of the 33rd Summer Olympiad in Paris, France! Collectively we found it to be our favorite Olympic games of recent memory, with soooo much to discuss! From Gaga and Celine to the extinguishing of torch, we dive into a little bit of it all in this episode! We start with breaking down the breathtaking opening ceremony that took place along the Seine River, featuring Lady Gaga, a parade of athletes on boats, a dazzling display of French culture, a drag queen bacchanal, and a performance from the one and only CELINE DION (which is maybe *the* cultural moment of the year? decade even? We gagged over every second of it.)Then, sports gays rejoice, we get into our favorite sporting events of the games: talking gymnastics, skateboarding, tennis, artistic swimming, and a whole lot more. We highlight some of the achievements from the record 193 openly LGBTQ+ athletes that competed this year, and discuss some controversies around the Olympics this year, from the lighthearted (big d*ck pole vault man) to the not so fun (the transphobic misinformation campaign around cisgender female boxer [and 2024 GOLD medalist mind you] Imane Khelif of Algeria.)Lastly, with the Olympic flag now passed along to our neck of the woods in Los Angeles, California, we share our hopes and predictions for the 2028 games. (IOC/NBC Universal, hire us!) Plus, Gerry and Eric give us a little addendum to discuss thoughts on the Closing Ceremony!WHAT ELSE WE'RE GAY FORERIC: M. Night Shyamalan's Trap (2024) LAUR: The Boyfriend - Netflix Reality SeriesGERRY: The Wicked movie promo and LUSH collab, & the best summer floral ================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

Are we still a video game podcast? Well, sorta kinda! That, pop culture, and beyond as we say, (with an emphasis on the latter two lately...) But still, it's a question we find we are asking ourselves lately! tbh, We find it a little difficult to care as deeply about video games when we are so busy living through major current events and existing in the context of all in which we live (& what came before us, as you will see in this time capsule of an episode)... alas in this episode we endeavor to anyway! This week Eric and Laurence convene to the mics to discuss the remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, along with a good deal of other video games we've been spending time with us these past couple months. Then in the back half of the show, we share our feelings Charli XCX's brat as we unpack our own brat summers, and we yap at length about all of the other culture (music! live theatre! film! etc!) that we're gay for as of late! Strap in for this time capsule of an episode on Summa 2024~Games Discussed:Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Kingdom Hearts (now on Steam!), Animal Well, Baldur's Gate 3, Lil Gator Game, Zenless Zone Zero, Overwatch 2, Lego 2K DrivePop girlies discussed: Charli XCX, Tinashe (Stream "NASTY" on all platforms!!!), Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell RoanTheatre/Movies/TV Discussed:Fiddler on the Roof, Urinetown, The Acolyte, The People's Joker by Vera Drew, Big Boys by Corey Sherman, Twin Peaks, Pokémon Horizons================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

We've been Nasty girls for sitting on this episode for a couple weeks, but we are back! This week we discuss Luca Guadagnino's bisexual fever dream smash hit CHALLENGERS, as well as Another Crab's Treasure - a cute undersea Souls-like where you play as a hermit crab trying to get his shell back, the Met Gala (which we kinda dgaf about but discuss a bit anyway), the recent layoffs in the video game industry, Spy x Family: Code White, some theatre we've been digging into lately, the pop girlies' summer hits ("Nasty" by Tinashe & "Espresso" by Sabina Carpenter to name a few)  and more! Later, in What Else We're Gay For this week:ERIC: Baby ReindeerLAURENCE: The Blank Check Podcast's series on Satoshi Kon, and Suzume by Makoto Shinkai Plus at the very end, a surprise discussion on US Season 2 of TraitorsIf you're in LA, come see Eric in Hollywood Fringe Festival this June! Tickets here https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10356?tab=tickets ================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

Get in the robot, listener, it's time for another Gay for Play! This week we're joined by bestie of the pod and G4P alum, Sara Brown! We get deep and philosophical about the re-release (and first North American release) of The End of Evangelion in theaters and discuss why this film and its anime is still one of the most beloved and mind-boggling series ever made, as well as a show and film rich with queer under(and over)tones. We also get into the new Stardew Valley 1.6 update, chat all about the new features that continue being added to this modern perennial classic, and why we just can't stop returning to the farm. Before all that, we have to do a dive on the new Beyoncé album Cowboy Carter, as well as our stance on country as a genre and what comes next for Queen Bey and country music as a whole. All that plus more movies, games and culture on this week's episode! It's a real life boogie AND a real life hoedown, so join us, won't you?What Else We're Gay For:Eric: Quiet On Set and I'm Glad My Mom DiedSara: Baldur's Gate 3 Laurence: Problemista================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

It's all aces this week as Eric and Laurence chitchat about all the culture and games they've been playing this month. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, the hotly anticipated follow-up to 2020's FF7 Remake. Rebirth reunites us with our favorite PTSD-addled twink Cloud Strife, as he and his gang of gay friends and divas leave the city of Midgar and embark on an open world adventure on their hunt for Sephiroth: fighting monsters, going on endless side-adventures, and playing countless minigames along the way (including a truly fantastic card game called Queen's Blood)And speaking of cards, we've both been playing a ton of Balatro, a new poker-based deck-building roguelike that has us addicted like a couple of gamblers (sans any real gambling, thankfully) and has quickly made a name for itself as an early GOTY contender. We also discuss some thoughts on the Oscars and some our favorite films from the award season, Laurence talks about how sexy Barrett Wallace is, Eric discusses Persona 3 Reload and Portal 1&2,  plus we talk about Dune Part 2, the incoming albums from the pop girlies, and so much more! What Else We're Gay For:Laurence: Bottoms (2023) Eric: Mexico City! ================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

Time marches ever onward, and here we are, with our first episode of 2024!Back in January (sorry for the delay, it's been a busy start to the year for us) we sat down with one of our OG G4P guests and dear dear friend Leo Grierson to discuss digital theatre and storytelling, A.I. and our complex and evolving opinions on the technology, the joys of grad school, the best farming sims to enjoy whilst recovering from top surgery, and so many more games and movies we've been into lately Games discussed include Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town, Wylde Flowers, Coral Island, Hitman Freelancer, Cult of the Lamb, Strange HorticultureWhat Else We're Gay For:Laurence: Delicious In Dungeon & Scott Pilgrim Takes OffEric: BlueyLeo: Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods by Bailey Williams & Theatre of the Unimpressed by Jordan Tannahill================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

"The GOTYs, said to portend... untold slayage, and the end of the *year*~"2023 is over! And we find ourselves at the end of a truly landmark year for gaming. On this episode we discuss some of our favorite games of 2023. We each pick 5 games from our personal lists that we want to highlight, then culminate the show with 3 "joint slays": games that made both of our lists that we want to celebrate together, the last of which we are considering to be our official pick for 2023 Game of the Year. Join us as we celebrate these games, a whole lot of honorable (& dishonorable) mentions, games we didn't play but plan to in the future, and a whole lot more! What Else We're Gay For: Laurence: The Steam Deck OLEDEric: Tokyo Godfathers (2003) dir. Satoshi KonYouTube link mentioned in the show: MyHouse.WAD - Inside Doom's Most Terrifying Mod================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

We back y'all. This week Eric and Laurence hop back on the mics after a much needed break & discuss gaming ruts, our teacher-eras, the end of the actor's strike, AI, some light predictions for the Game Awards (we recorded this episode 2 days before the ceremony) and of course, gaaaaaames! Games discussed include: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (a slay), Alan Wake (the first one), Super Mario Wonder (wowie-zowie!), Overwatch 2 (fun and for the gays), Baldur's Gate 3 (which recently added ball-jiggle physics), Sea of Stars (also a slay!), and more.Later in the show we catch up on a couple movies and TV shows we've been watching including The Boy and the Heron, The Marvels, The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Jujutsu Kaisen S2. What Else We're Gay For This Week:LAURENCE: The Devil's Plan (Netflix) ERIC: When the makers of Pokémon Go and Sleep No More tried to reinvent theaterIt's been over 3 years since we first launched this show. Thanks so much to everyone who has stuck with us, we love y'all for listening and can't wait to bring you more in the future!

Autumn has officially begun, and with it, massive Role-Playing Games have arisen as some of hottest games of the season. We're leaning into this genre trend this week and discussing 4 games we've been playing! -First we have the stellar new RPG Baldur's Gate 3, a colossal Dungeons & Dragons-based adventure where dialog choices & character interactions massively impact the story (and also all your party members are super gay and horny for you), - A stellar new flop in Starfield from Bethesda, a space exploration RPG from the creators of Skyrim and Fallout that unfortunately feels dated and limiting in comparison to some of the other games in the spotlight right now. -A "Drag Race All-Stars"-level comeback from Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (the new DLC expansion and 2.0 update from CD Projekt RED's 2020 open-world action RPG that had a famously rocky launch), -And finally 2019's Disco Elysium, A gorgeously-written murder-mystery/noire RPG  that has been in our backlog for ages and kinda fits in perfectly in comparison to the other games on this list in different ways. We've had so many people recommend this game to us and this felt like a perfect time to dig into it, and oh are we so glad we did! What Else We're Gay For:LAURENCE: Sea of StarsERIC: Rotting in the Sun (now streaming exclusively on MUBI)================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

It's Virgo('s Groove) Season and we have been blessed by the queen! Beyoncé Knowles (female pop vocalist) Carter brought her record-breaking, epic, indelible Renaissance World Tour to Los Angeles, California earlier this month, and we were there to witness it! (well, 2/3rds of us were, but Eric has watched multiple YouTube recordings of the tour, so he was with us in spirit). Our friend Eriel Brown joins us to talk about why Beyoncé is, without question, our greatest living performer. We talk the Renaissance album, her birthday show, the tour as a whole and its myriad cultural inspirations, how it pays homage to Black queerness and Black femmes, our mixed feelings on the special guests/openers at the LA leg of the tour, Blue Ivy being an absolute star, and finally, we try to answer a question that has become a topic of HEATED debate that has been ALL UP IN OUR MINDs for months now, which is:"Brechtyoncé: Was the Renaissance Tour a piece of dialectical theatre akin to the works of 20th Century German playwright Bertolt Brecht?" (spoiler alert, our answer is: "well,,, sorta kinda!") So get COZY and enjoy the ENERGY we bring to this long-awaited episode dedicated entirely to Queen Bey!What Else We're Gay For:ERIEL: Reneé Rapp's debut album Snow AngelLAURENCE: Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue (1997)ERIC: Halloween Horror Nights 2023 @ Universal Studios Hollywood================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

You and your party stumble across a new episode of G4P! Go ahead and roll for initiative~Baldur's Gate 3 is currently the hottest new RPG in the gaming world right now. Only problem is, none of us have played it yet! So on this week's episode we're joined by Steven Christie, our oomfie from down under* (*Australia, not the Underdark) to discuss the game that inspired BG3 and countless other role playing games: DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS! D&D, the massively popular fantasy tabletop game, has become a household name in the years since its initial release in 1974, inspiring TV series like Stranger Things, multiple actual play podcasts like Critical Role and The Adventure Zone, and as of earlier this year, its own movie. We discuss our personal history with Dungeons and Dragons, its appeal to LGBTQ+ players across the globe, and how roleplaying creates a space for the queer imagination to flourish and run wild. Oh also, all 3 of us finally finished Tears of the Kingdom! We share a few mostly spoiler-free thoughts on the end of the game up top, and also take a moment to tip our red-M hats to Mr. Charles Martinet, who announced this week that he is retiring from his role as the voice of Mario.What Else We're Gay For this week:-The World Is Not Ending | Sophie From Mars-Hades -Disco Elysium: The Final Cut -All who can't hear must feel - by Jaboukie================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

This week, Eric and Laurence discuss the 1997 Studio Ghibli Classic, Princess Mononoke and discuss how it had so much more of an impact on the latest Zelda games than we had previously been aware of. We also get into some of our other favorite films from the beloved animation studio, Laurence converts Eric to a NewJeans stan, Eric extols the virtues of garlic confit, and so much more on this episode of Gay for Play! A note on audio: we lost the original recording of this episode and ended up using a backup of our recorded Discord call, apologies for the audio quality in the first half of the show!"Studio Ghibli's Apocalypse and the Atomic Age" by Hello Future Me on Youtube================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

This week we are joined by our friend Matthew Pezzulich (he/him) to discuss PIKMIN 4: the latest entry in the beloved Nintendo franchise about little guys doing silly little tasks at the end of the world (and in that sense, aren't we all Pikmin when you think about it?) We talk about the history of franchise, its themes of environmentalism, collaboration, and the strength of collective labor, and how Pikmin 4's design choices and quality of life improvements make this game the most successful and most accessible game in the series to date. Matthew also shares his experience of seeing Beyoncé live (including an important update on whether or not the Renaissance World Tour is, in fact, Brechtian), Eric recounts his experience at "Everybody Rise! A Sondheim Celebration" at the Hollywood Bowl. We also try to answer important questions like "Which type of Pikmin would be the best to eat?", have a rousing discussion on our favorite summer garden herb, and so much more!================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

This super special episode is a recording of our live show from this past June with SUPER DATING SIMULATOR @ the Alamo Drafthouse's Video Vortex in Downtown LA!!! It was such a blast to be a part of, and now that Hot Labor Summer (the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes) has led us to shift our release schedule around, we're so glad to finally share this episode with you, dear listener!At Super Dating Simulator's "Tiers of the Kingdom" show, we teamed up with Sara Brown and Sam Weller to make tier-lists to definitively rank different video game & anime characters across 4 slay categories: video game baddies (as in villains, but also, well you know), the different incarnations of Link (excluding any games where he is a child), androgynous/gender-queer anime characters (and the sexual awakenings spurned on in us by each), and female anime couples who are almost certainly girlfriends/wives/weirdly intense friends that never QUITE use the word "Lesbian" (but we all *know* what's really going on!!!)Thanks again to Super Dating Simulator for having us. Be sure to follow them on Instagram for updates on their future shows (every 3rd Thursday of the month at the Alamo Drafthouse in DTLA!). Thank you to everyone who was able to come see us at the show, and thank *you* for listening! ================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes & access to our Discord server on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

This week it's back to business after the incredible joy and success our first ever live show in LA last weekend! Eric and Laurence debrief on our show with Super Dating Simulator and the weekend at large before diving into our main topic: JUNE VIDEO GAME ANNOUNCEMENTS! E3 may be officially dead and gone, but the games are here to stay. We cover our favorite announcements from the June Nintendo Direct, Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest, the Xbox showcase, Wholesome Direct, and more. The sheer number of game announcements can be overwhelming, so we're here to tell you which games cut through the noise and piqued our interest the most. From big Triple-A games to indie titles that may have flown under your radar, we've got you covered with a little over 30 games in this episode!Then later in "What Else We're Gay For" we talk Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Disneyland's first ever Pride Nite.================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary,  Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish,

It's Pride month once again, and what better way to kick off the celebrations than by diving paraglider-first into a hearty discussion on one of the biggest and best games of the year. It's Zelda time!!! Our favorite androgynous femmeboy girltwink swordsman is back and this time? He has a sexy goat-man's arm grafted onto him.The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been one of our most anticipated games ever since it was first announced, and now that we finally have our hands on it we can safely say it did NOT disappoint! It manages to take everything we loved about its brilliant predecessor Breath of the Wild and iterate on it and improve it in every way. There's also a LOT of queer stuff in this game. From a side-quest about a drag queen fashion designer running for mayor of her conservative hometown, to a queer-coded fish prince who is head-over-heels in love with our protagonist Link, there are so many gay adventures in this massive open-world game, and it feels like we're just scratching the surface.Gizmodo Article - A Link Between Genders: Trans Joy and the Legend of Zelda by Linda Codega ================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

Hi divas! (May we call you divas?) It's an exciting week here at Gay For Play. We recorded this episode mere days before the release The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, an event bound to dominate gaming culture for the foreseeable future.  Plus we're joined by iconic oomfie and CenCal legend Bijou Bentley to help us catch up on as much culture as possible before Zelda consumes our lives!Bijou is an incredibly talented drag artist and visual artist based in the California Central Valley. She joins us to discuss Drag-Con, our final predictions and hopes for Tears of the Kingdom, video-game inspired drag shows, the eternal gay endeavor to finish Persona 5, Arkane Studio's disappointing new flop Redfall, the Hitman games, Jury Duty, Star Wars Visions S2, the WGA strike, and much more!  Follow our friend Bijou on Twitter and Instagram, and get your official Bijou Bentley merch here!================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

(*Well, Catholic-coded at least...)An episode a long time in the making in a galaxy right, right here: this week, we're finally discussing STAR WARS! Our friend Jake Carlin joins us to talk all about the supermassive media franchise born from a humble little space-fantasy flick in 1977, which still manages to capture our hearts and imaginations to this day. (thanks in part to some pretty great video games!) We discuss the 2019 video game STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order, some early impressions of its newly released sequel, STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor. We also dedicate some time to discussing the Disney+ series Andor (aka the BEST piece of Star Wars media in years & a must-watch for anyone). And, as always, we search our feelings and ponder on queer themes found in the galaxy far far away. Queer themes such as: armed organized resistance against fascist hegemons! Force-sensitivity as an allegory for queerness! And of course, how even though Disney and the official canon leave much to be desired in terms of queer representation, (we're forever pissed about Finn and Poe,) the series has a bevy of characters that are either queer-coded or lend themselves to queer readings (including Luke "Chanel Boots" Skywalker her damn self for one!)It's our biggest episode of G4P to date and we still barely manage to scratch the surface of Star Wars! Plus later in the show we talk about the breathtaking cinema screening of Spirited Away: Live on Stage, and so much more! ================Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

Mushroom Kingdom, heeere we come!Today we're joined by a bestie of the pod, our theme song composer Connor Marsh, to discuss the long-awaited Super Mario Bros. Movie! And speaking of long-awaited Nintendo things: mere hours before we recorded this episode, the final pre-release trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom dropped, so we get into that first! We were arguably more excited for that than the Mario movie which was, in our collective opinion, fine! A perfectly passable and fun kid's film chock full of easter eggs for longtime Mario fans that will make a sh*t-ton of money &  open up the door to endless possibilities of (hopefully more narratively-compelling) sequels and spin-offs. But the film had a few great moments and a couple of stellar performances, so we're giving out (fire) flowers where they're due.(Plus the made Bowser & Donkey Kong sooooo unbelievably hot, so we of course also have that to get into).Also! some brief thoughts on Final Fantasy XVI, then later in the show, we're gay for Resident Evil 4 Remake and Octopath Traveler 2!========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

"Joel is sooo babygirl-coded."This week we're joined by our friend Becca Rowland, who first guested on our original The Last of Us episode, to discuss the stellar HBO adaptation of Naughty Dog's beloved 2013 video game. We knew that we would probably want to discuss this season of television, compare it to our thoughts the game, and talk about how much we are head-over-heels, madly, deeply in love with Pedro Pascal & would trade the world for a journey with him across a post-apocalyptic America, but it wasn't until after episode 3 broke our hearts into tiny little pieces that we knew we absolutely HAD to get on the mics and discuss the breadth of queer content on this show. Now that season 1 is wrapped, we get into Bill and Frank, Ellie & Riley, and so much more from this season, as well as our thoughts on its (few) shortcomings, the beauty of queer joy in apocalypses, and speculation/hopes for the future seasons as the show begins to adapt Part 2.  We can't wait to see Bella Ramsey continue to slay (literally & metaphorically)========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

We're gathered here today to mourn & celebrate the life of a video game console, Nintendo's last handheld-only device, the small but mighty Nintendo 3DS.As of March 27th, 2023, the Nintendo eShop for the 3DS and Wii U will be officially shut down, meaning 866 Wii U games and 1547 3DS games will no longer be available to purchase. We've already dedicated an episode in the past to the Nintendo Wii U, so today we're taking a look back at our memories of the 3DS: our favorite games to grace the device, StreetPass & other quirky apps, its hit-&-miss use of its signature stereoscopic 3D gimmick, and some last-minute purchases we've recently downloaded & played in the eShop's twilight hours. Plus we wax poetic a bit about the death of digital media, the importance of video game preservation, and the ethics of p*racy & emulation (not that we know what tf we're talking about! we're just two gaymers with a podcast and opinions!) If you're listening to this before 3/27/23, we hope this episode provides a couple of last-minute game recommendations to download! Otherwise... we don't know what to tell ya, but thanks for listening anyways! Good luck finding a physical copy of some of these games on eBay I guess?  RIP to the 3DS. You had a good at it, thanks for your input

It's Awards Season, and you know what that means: it's time for us to once again honor the best and the gayest in gaming, pop culture, and beyond with the second annual VGPCBAs!Spanning 27 prestigious categories, Eric and Laurence present the awards and dish out legendary trophies for the best (and worst) people, games, and culture that the last year had to offer. Plus this year, extra special guest presenters join us to hand out some of the most coveted awards!It is truly THE most prestigious awards show of the season, we can't think of a bigger awards show happening today, March 12th, 2023! Wait, what's that? Our producer has just handed us a note... What the hell is an "Osc- ========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

We are back! After a quick hiatus, Eric & Laurence are back to chat all about their trip to Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood, which they visited back in January 2023 during its technical previews. Now, while this ep. may have been recorded a few weeks back, our takes are still hot n' fresh like a plate of Spicy Spaghetti from Toadstool Café! What did we think of the land's signature attraction, Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge? Is a visit to Bowser's Jr.'s Lair worth the $40 power-band upcharge? What about the rest of the interactive elements scattered throughout the land? And what does Princess Peach put in her hair to keep it so stiff and shiny while she meets n' greets with all us limp-wristed gamefaqs??  Hear all about this truly spectacular theme park experience and more, and keep and eye out for the video version of this episode coming very soon!Thank you listeners for your continued support of the show

~She's bulletproof, nothing to lose... Fire away, fire away~On this week's episode we discuss the film M3GAN! Returning guest Sara Brown (from our Persona 5 and Catherine: Full Body episodes) joins us to talk about the little murderous doll who has captivated audiences nationwide and immediately become a new gay horror icon.We talk about how she joins a lineage of haunted little dolls while also subverting the trope with a modern twist about our over-reliance on technology in child-care. Plus we ruminate on why she resonates so much with queer audiences. Is it because she's a represents some sort of metaphor for chosen family? Or is because she wears a c*nty little outfit and does a tiktok dance and slays? We certainly have our opinion on the matter! Later on the show, in What Else We're Gay For, we discuss Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water, Star Wars: Andor, and HBO's The Last of Us (note: we taped this episode before episode 3 of TLOU gagged us all, but TRUST we will be talking about it again in the near future).========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

There's a mystery afoot! And that mystery, dear listener, is the question: is Glass Onion a worthy follow up to its 2019 predecessor Knives Out? Is there more queer stuff here that warrants a whole episode-length discussion of one of the best new detective film series of the 21st century? How good at Among Us was Stephen Sondheim, actually?  Ok, so there's way more than just one mystery, but your sleuths Eric and Laurence are more than ready to take up the case in this first episode of our 2023 Filmuary series! We chat the yassification of Benoit Blanc, some stellar performances from our girlies Janelle Monáe and Kate Hudson, and the not-so-subtle social/political commentary of these very modern mystery epics. All that, plus Eric's hype for Super Nintendo World and Laurence being a literary, bookish diva in this week's What Else We're Gay For.Thanks for listening friends, we'll be back next week for even more wonderful, smart, so delicious and so fabulous and so absolutely stunning podcasting content right here on Gay for Play!========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

Brand new year, same fabulous us! Laurence and Eric welcome in 2023 with a fun little check-in ep. to start off an exciting year of queer games culture and more! We give an update on the highly anticipated and long awaited Video Games, Pop Culture, and Beyond Awards, Eric's work-related adventures with some Celebrity Gay Icons of NoteTM, how old Drag Race makes us feel, exciting new releases coming this year,  and the plethora of Star Wars media out right now and whether any of it is good (spoilers: Andor definitely is). Thank you for listening to Gay for Play in 2023, we are thankful to every listener out there. If you've been listening since the beginning or are just tuning in for the first time, we're so glad you're here

Another year in the books, another Game of the Year list to make! We, as gay people, love to craft our little lists at the end of every year, so this week we're having a good ol' fashioned Game of the Year episode as we each share our individual top 5 favorite games of 2022, alongside a pretty substantial list of our honorable mentions! Which games scored 10s across the board and snatched a coveted spot on our lists? Only time (particularly the next hour and forty-five minutes of this pod) will tell!Here's to a Happy New Year from us over here at G4P! We're excited to bring you more in 2023, including our delayed 2022 Video Game, Pop Culture, & Beyond Awards, where we'll be honoring even more from this past year of gaming and culture. Until then, wishing y'all peace, love, and good gaming in 2023!========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

In our last regular episode of the year, we're discussing two huge games from November that we've gotten into over the past month-- Sonic Frontiers and God of War: Ragnarok. One is one of the most narratively compelling games of the year and one is, well, some good honest fun let's just say that! Eric and Laurence also discuss their Spotify Wrappeds (Spotifies Wrapped?), End of the Year List Season, feelings on the Game Awards (which aired the day after we recorded this episode), and later in the episode discuss some thoughts on Star Wars: Andor, the Don't Hug Me I'm Scared miniseries, and more!Gayming Mag's article on the touching Queer sidequest from  God of War: Ragnarok========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

This week, our friend & fellow queer gaming podcaster Travis Ryans (they/he) from the Rainbow Road Podcast,  returns to the show to discuss Pokémon Scarlet & Violet! The 9th Generation of mainline Pokémon games recently released for Nintendo Switch. Since its launch, the game has gone viral for its myriad technical issues, bugs, and poor performance, but is there still a worthwhile Pokémon RPG to be found beneath all of the mess? Well, as they would say in the Paldea region, "es complicado!"We dive into all of our thoughts, critiques, letdowns and pleasant surprises about this new Pokémon entry. Then later in the show, we share some thoughts on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, God of War Ragnarök, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery!Enjoy the episode and hit us up if you wanna trade some 'mons! ========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

It's Halloween time once again, and we are celebrating with an iconically spooky game! Well, first we're doing our civil duty as gay podcasters & sharing our love for Carly Rae Jepsen's The Loneliest Time, as well as briefly going over all the drama surrounding Bayonetta 3  on the internet this past week, but after that we're talking ALL about THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA'S MASK-- the infamously dark sequel to Ocarina of Time released for the Nintendo 64 in the year 2000. For a 22 year old game, Majora's Mask was absurdly ahead of its time, having lots to say about death, grief, acceptance, climate change, heroism, small acts of kindness and more! Not to mention just how much there is to look at thru a queer lens. We also get into our theatre degree jush to talk about the history and cultural significance of masks and mask making. Also, this is the Zelda game that gave us the gay icon that is Tingle, so there's that. Later, in What Else We're Gay For: we talk Marvel Snap, House of the Dragon, and Chainsaw Man========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

This week, Eric and Laurence are joined by Brian Moreno (he/him), the president of the Los Angeles Gayming Society, to discuss Blizzard's mega-popular hero shooter OVERWATCH (2)! Initially released in 2016, Overwatch is a multiplayer competitive shooter featuring a roster over over 40 playable characters with unique abilities and diverse, international backgrounds. The game garnered massive popularity from it's super high-quality animated shorts, went on to become a massive e-sports venture, and garnered headlines for canonically confirming two of its mascot characters (Tracer and Soldier:76) as queer.Overwatch's servers shut down earlier this month with the release of its sequel Overwatch 2. Now that this sequel/glorified patch is out, we're diving into our histories with this franchise, it's non-diegetic approach to storytelling and character/world building, and its complicated legacy in regards to its queer representation and the company responsible for making the game (as we've discussed many a time on the pod before, Activision Blizzard has been embroiled in a slew of sexual harrassment, discrimination, and retaliation lawsuits over the past couple years.)Later in the show, we discuss our excitement for Carly Rae Jepsen's latest album, Laurence discusses Coral Island, a new Stardew-esque farming simulator, and Eric shares his yearly Halloween recommendations! The Los Angeles Gayming Society (LAGS for short) is a 501c3 non-profit with the goal of making the gaming industry more accessible to and tolerant of LGBTQ+ people,  building a local community of like-minded LGBTQ+ people that share thier passions and interests, and giving back to the local community. For more info on their work, check out their website, follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitch, and check out their monthly events at Akbar in Silver Lake for their monthly Gaymer Night events!========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

The boys are back from a nice little vacay to discuss their recent trips to the famous Disneyland Resort and Disney California Adventure theme parks! We went in the same week but on different days from each other, and we review our experiences, ruminate on whether Disney is in its flop era, talk about childhood joy, Disney adults, Star Wars slaying, Marvel's Flop Avengers Campus, and the overall state of the theme park experience in 2022. Later in the episode, to keep the Disney train rolling, we discuss DISNEY DREAMLIGHT VALLEY, Disney's foray into the life-sim genre hoping to capitalize off of the success of the Animal Crossings and Stardews of the gaming world. How does it hold up in comparison? Stay tuned and find out our thoughts mama!========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

This week, Laurence and Eric meet up for a more casual eppy to discuss this week's Nintendo Direct, Sony State of Play, Tokyo Game Show announcements, and more gaming news*! (*and by "more gaming news" we mean a long tangent about astrology and how 6 planets are in retrograde right now which is really harshing our vibe.) But hey! The sequel to The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild finally has a name/release date, Pikmin 4 is real, and God of War: Ragnarok looks good, so even though the stars are giving us grief rn, the future looks bright, for games at least!Later in the episode, we discuss ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area, a new indie visual novel/dating simulator releasing later this month, which thanks to the folks at Veritable Joy Studios for sending us a review copy, we got a chance to play early! ValiDate features a cast of 12 Black and Brown characters across a diverse set of ethnicities, nationalities, sexuality, and gender identities. We first heard about this game over a year ago and it piqued our interest as the kind of game that we really wanted to see from this genre, so we're so excited and honored to have a chance to check it out!Plus, Laurence shares his thoughts on Splatoon 3, the newest entry in Nintendo's team-based 3rd-person shooter series that is its most fun and gayest entry yet. It's a fresh episode all around, we hope you enjoy!========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

After a couple months of having lovely guests on the pod, this week Eric and Laurence sit down one-on-one for a classic catch up on the truly wild amount of culture that's been happening. From the "Don't Worry Darling" drama, to Lea Michele debuting in Funny Girl, to Queen Liz 2 kicking the bucket and reincarnating as Trisha Paytas's baby— there's a LOT to discuss. Plus, Video Games! We played a couple of great ones this week. Immortality is the latest FMV (Full-Motion Video) game by "Her Story"-creator Sam Barlow, in which you, the player, scrub through uncovered footage of 3 unreleased movies starring fictional actress Marissa Marcel, who has since gone missing. As you scrub though and interact with the camera footage, you uncover the mystery of what happened to her & the other actors in the film, as well as a darker, spookier, meta mystery that unfolds.On the total opposite end of the spectrum, we have Ooblets!! A charming new life-sim that blends the farming of Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley with the monster-collecting of Pokémon. We discuss its charms, strengths, and gripes, as well as some other life-sim games that we're playing/want to play soon.It's a big slay of an episode, we hope you enjoy it!========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

"Category: Pink Round Puff he's the BALL... Alien SUPAstar!" Today we are talking about beloved Nintendo icon Kirby!!! Created by then-19-year-old Masahiro Sakurai (who later went on to create the Super Smash Bros. series), Kirby first hit the scene in 1992 with Kirby's Dream Land for the Nintendo Game Boy.  Kirby was designed to be approachable to new and younger players unfamiliar with games, and since his inception Kirby has been known as a series with something to offer for everyone: beloved by newcomers and veteran players alike.   Kirby superfan and artist Alejandro Muñoz (@sequin.horchata on IG) joins us to talk about our connection to this loveable pink boy, our first and favorite Kirby games, (including Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and the criminally underrated Kirby Air Ride) and our thoughts on his latest escapade in the 2022 Switch game, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby's first true 3D platformer. We also discuss Kirby-creator Masahiro Sakurai's recently started YouTube Channel, where he discusses game development concepts as well as retrospectives on his past projects (including a video on Kirby's Dream Land, which he released the night before we recorded this episode!)Later in the show in "What else we're gay for" this week, we discuss Yakuza: Like a Dragon, HBO's Hacks, Pikmin Bloom, Tower of Fantasy, and more!========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

This week, we're joined by indie game developer, artist, founder of Sipsong Studios, and creator of the new mobile title THE KWANSTONE PROJECT, TinTin V! (he/him)We interview TinTin about his experience of becoming a self-taught game developer over the pandemic & how his Lao-heritage and queer identity/community inspired and shaped the creation of his game. We also take some tangents to discuss our thoughts on Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Mario Kart, Beyonce's Renaissance, and more! THE KWANSTONE PROJECT is available now on iOS and Android! Go download it now! (not a sponsorship, TinTin is just a swell dude with a great little game and we just love supporting indie LGBTQ+ devs here at G4P!) ========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

This week we are thrilled to be joined by our *EXTRA* special guest, Travis Ryans!! Travis (they/he) is one of the hosts Rainbow Road: A Gay Gaming Podcast, our fellow queer gaming podcast sibling to the north. They join us to discuss PREY, the 2017 FPS/immersive sim from Arkane Studios and Bethesda about a space station overrun by a hostile spooky alien force known as the Typhon. We dive into the game's themes of morality, empathy, queerness, and iconic moments that can only be experienced through the medium of games.  Then, in the second half of the show, we discuss a *new* post-apocalyptic video game that's taking the world by storm; STRAY, where you play as a lost cat making their way through an underground city of AI robots many many centuries after the disappearance of all humans from the cities walls. We share our early impressions on this haunting, but deeply soothing (and cute) video game. This has been a collab a long time in the making and we're beyond glad we finally had a chance to have Travis on. Make sure you give a listen to @RainbowRoadPod if you're craving more wonderful queer gaming podcasts in your life!========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner

With the recent tragic passing of "Yu-Gi-Oh!" series creator, Kazuki Takahashi,  this week we reflect on the legacy of his iconic franchise, from its manga origins to what is now one of the most popular trading card games & multimedia franchises on the planet."Yu-Gi-Oh!" tells the story of Yugi Motoh, a timid, kind, young gamer with an iconic spiky hairdo who becomes possessed by the vengeful spirit of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh, who becomes Yugi's alter ego as he battles his opponents in Duel Monsters, a card game that went on to inspire the real-life TCG we know as "Yu-Gi-Oh!" today. On this episode, we're joined by our friend, pro-duelist, and all-around YGO-aficionado Jake Carlin (@RubyQuartzVsr) to discuss the BREADTH of Yu-Gi-Oh!'s queer content. From it's queer origins & punk/leather aesthetic inspirations, to its themes of identity & self-acceptance, it's wide range of queer-coded characters, and just generally why it is soooo LGBTQ vibes to duel someone in a heated card game with giant holographic monsters (+ how Seto Kaiba advances the course of human technology by decades just because he is obsessed with dueling his Egyptian pharaoh bf.) Jake also tells us about the queer Yu-Gi-Oh! gaming community today; duelists around the world still bound together by the Heart of the Cards.========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish & Martha Turner

Well gamers, Pride month has officially ended, and with it, the first half of 2022! We'll be honest, given the current events unfolding on the national stage, Pride month was a little rough on us this year, and we weren't quite in the right headspace to record episodes throughout the month. But we have mustered our strength & gathered once again, coming to the mic as we are, to discuss what we've been playing lately & how our GOTY list is shaping up as we discuss our favorite games from the first half of the year!Tangents include our thoughts on the Final Fantasy VII: REBIRTH announcement (which we've yet to discuss on the pod), how the Nintendo Switch is sadly in its flop era lowkey, Pokemon GO memories, & games that are in the running for G4P's prestigious 2022 "Katy Perry Award for Making No Noise" (aka games that have kinda Flopped this year)We also get into upcoming 2022 games that we're looking forward to (many of which from the recent Nintendo Direct Mini), and of course as always, discuss what else we're Gay For this week!GAMES DISCUSSED THIS WEEKDark Souls II & IIILego Harry PotterPersona 5 RoyalThe Legend of Zelda: Majora's MaskPreyElden RingPoinpyRupaul's Drag Race Superstar Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth / Crisis CorePokemon Legends Arceus / Pokemon Scarlet & VioletNobody Saves the WorldKirby and the Forgotten LandNorcoThe Stanley Parable: Ultra DeluxeWORDLEDiablo ImmortalOverwatch 2Triangle StrategyMario Strikers: Battle LeagueNintendo Switch SportsHorizon Forbidden WestTunicLive A LivePac-Man World: Re-PacPotion PermitNeon WhiteHarvestellaSplatoon 3Fortnite========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish & Martha Turner

Welcome to Gay For Play! A podcast where we take a look at the world of gaming through a queer lens. This week, the CATEGORY IS: Summer Gaming Announcements! E3 may be six feet under girl, but in its wake we've still gotten a *lot* of cool announcements this month, with various publishers & gaming companies big & small holding virtual press conferences to show off new and upcoming games. We watched through most of them and picked over 40 video games to discuss in this episode! Below is a list of everything we discuss in this episode, including links to watch each presentation. If any of these games pique your interest, make sure to wishlist them on Steam! (especially for indie games, it's a great and easy way to support the developers!)SONY STATE OF PLAY (neat!)-Stray-Resident Evil 4: Remake-Season: A Letter to the FutureSUMMER GAME FEST (flop)-The Last of Us Part 1 (Remake)-The Callisto Protocol-Goat Simulator 3-Fort SolisWHOLESOME GAMES DIRECT (we loved!!)-Melatonin-Ooblets (1.0 Release)-Mika and The Witch's Mountain-Kaichu-Soulitaire-Fall of Porcupine-A Little to the Left-We Are OFK-Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To-Validate-The Wandering VillageFUTURE OF PLAY DIRECT (really gay and fun)-Boyfriend Dungeon DLC-Spells and Secrets-Kitori Academy-Love Shore-Psychroma-CartomancyDEVOLVER DIGITAL (essentially a weird sketch short film. one of our faves!)-Anger Foot-Cult of the Lamb-The Plucky Squire-Skate StoryDAY OF THE DEVS (dope!)-Choo-Choo Charles-Escape AcademyXBOX/BETHESDA CONFERENCE (banger)-Hollow Knight: Silksong-Overwatch 2-Diablo 4-Redfall-Persona 3, 4, 5-Ravenlok-Cocoon-Hideo Kojima is working on... something!-StarfieldCAPCOM (Ethan Winters serves face)-Resident Evil: Village DLCWHAT ELSE WE'RE GAY FOR-The 75th Tony Awards-Kirby and the Forgotten Land-DALL-E Mini (AI Generated Art)========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish & Martha Turner

HAPPY PRIDE 2022!We are back for an all new season of Gay For Play, and we're kicking it off by talking about Queer & Queer-*Coded* Villains in video games. Queer coding the bad guy is a trope seen in media for ages, dating back to old Hollywood censorship laws & really entering our generation's collective consciousness through the villains of the Disney Renaissance of the 1990s, right around the same time that the medium of video games started to come into their own. Eric and Laurence discuss how this trope came about and why this trope is harmful, but also why we sometimes have a soft-spot for a queer-coded baddie!  We get into our favorite examples of queer-coded villains, as well as some canonically LGBTQ villains in games.Links to articles/videos discussed this episode:-Is Ghirahim Gay or Just Coded That Way? | Queer Tropes in Video Games by Feminist Frequency (via Youtube)-"What Queer Coded Villains Teach Us" by Maddie Ray-"Video Game Baddies and the Power Behind Reclaiming Queer Villainy" by Taryn Urban for Gayming Mag-"Not Just Queer Coded, These Disney Villains Were Designed by a Gay Man" by Taylor Henderson for pride.comWhat Else We're Gay For This Week:-Pokémon Scarlet & Violet-"What's your gender?" by PurpleSloth on itch.io-Fortnite : Zero Build Mode-PlayStation's June 2022 State of Play========Get in touch with us!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish & Martha Turner

It's our season finale! We'll be off for the next month, but before we take a little slumber in our memory recovery pods, we're back for one more episode to take another look at one of our favorite video game franchises that we simply cannot stop talking about: KINGDOM HEARTS.The beloved Final Fantasy / Disney crossover JRPG series has been back on our minds lately. It celebrated its 20th Anniversary earlier this month, alongside the reveal of the next mainline entry in the series: Kingdom Hearts IV. And just recently, the iconic singer of the KH theme songs Utada Hikaru performed some of their hits on the Coachella mainstage. We've covered KH on the pod before* so this week we're taking a deeper "dive to the heart" of the series viewed through a queer lens: from its use of queer-adjacent shonen anime tropes, to the trans/nonbinary-coded Nobodies, its mindbending ideas of reality and multiverses, and how the game's relationship to its not-so-queer-friendly corporate benefactor Disney has affected how we and others view these games. We also speculate on what we expect/want out of Kingdom Hearts 4, especially now living in an era of "multiverse media" that Kingdom Hearts laid the groundwork for 20 years ago.We hope you enjoy this last episode of our season! We'll be back in June with more Gay For Play. *To hear our original episode on KH, go back through our archives and check out Episode 20! ("Kingdom Farts") where we discussed the origins of the series with our good friend and KH-historian, Casey Fox.  ========Be Our Friends!!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show on PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Nick Adams (@nickadams.art)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish & Martha Turner

This week, in honor of the new Sonic movie hitting theatres this weekend, we're doing a deep dive on the blue blur himself: the hog, the myth, the legend– Sonic the Hedgehog! It's Sonic! The cool blue hedgehog who runs fast and loves chili dogs! You know the guy! In this episode we discuss the loveable blue guy's origin, our first exposure to this gaming icon, and discuss his history as a gaming cultural figure over the years. Plus we get into how the Sonic fandom has made their own queer spaces around the character, from the creation of Sonic OCs (original characters) on DeviantArt to fan games that range from the bizarre (Sonic Dreams Collection) to total love-letters to the franchise (Sonic Mania). ========Be Our Friends!!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show on PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Nick Adams (@nickadams.art)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish & Martha Turner

This is a preview for our new bonus episode on Jane Campion's THE POWER OF THE DOG, available now on our Patreon page! (the bonus episode, not the movie. That's on Netflix!)In it we dive deep into the movie & discuss its themes of masculinity, longing, and queer cowboy culture. We also touch on the 2022 Oscar winners  (but worry not, we don't spend much time on *that* Discourse™)To listen to the full episode, head on over to patreon.com/gayforplaypod and become a patron at any tier! (starting @ only $1/month) We're switching to a bi-weekly release schedule for our main feed, but plan to release more bonus episodes on Patreon during our off-weeks. We super appreciate you listening and for considering becoming a patron. Enjoy this teaser!< 3========Be Our Friends!!EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.comFOLLOW G4P Twitter: @GayForPlayPodInstagram: @GayForPlayPodTwitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypodSupport the Show on PATREON========CREDITSIntro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)Show art by Nick Adams (@nickadams.art)Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal,  Trevor McTavish & Martha Turner