Two options for full show notes, including links to stories, games, and related topics!Subscribe to the Patreon at www.patreon.com/postgamesSubscribe to the free newsletter at www.post.gamesNext week: For the mailbag, send voice notes to postgamesmailbag (at) gmail. Please keep them under 90 seconds and include your name and pronouns.This week on Post GamesCountless video games depict death, but few ask us to contemplate our mortality. Thank goodness. Mario wouldn’t be nearly as fun if we had to attend every goomba’s funeral.And yet, as I approach 40 and my death anxieties find new ways to keep me awake, I wonder if video games could be uniquely equipped to help us emotionally grapple with the big question that has no answer: what comes next?So, I called an expert. Video game writer and narrative director Kaitlin Tremblay has written three games exploring the many sides of death: A Mortician’s Tale, Seasonala Cemetery, and the upcoming Ambrosia Sky.Don't let the topic fool you. This is an uplifting conversation. And hey, if you're listening to this episode, then I can guarantee one thing: you're alive.Act 1: A life of making games about deathAct 2: How death in games can help usPatreon Bonus: Why I keep playing this tiny game about dyingAct 3: News of the WeekFind episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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54:51
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54:51
The forgotten history of Donkey Kong
Get the full episode notes at www.post.gamesSubscribe to the Patreon for bonus content and early releases at www.patreon.com/postgamesGaming historian Jeremy Parish joins me for the entire episode to tell the story of gaming’s most famous primate.Act 1: How Donkey Kong saved NintendoAct 2: Donkey Kong’s long journey back to the topPatreon Bonus: The Top 5 Donkey Kong games – and the #1 strangestAct 3: The news of the weekFind episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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50:45
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50:45
How to make video games funny
Get the full episode notes with links at www.post.gamesSubscribe to the Patreon for early access, bonus segments, and a monthly video series at patreon.com/postgamesThis week on Post Game: Late-night comedy writer Mike Drucker and Tactical Breach Wizards director Tom Francis explain how they make video games funny and find the humor in loving video games.Patreon bonus prologue: What it's like to write jokes for NintendoAct 1: Adapting a life of video games into a comedic memoirAct 2: The cheats to make your video game funnyAct 3: The news of the weekBonus book excerpt: Good Game, No Rematch - "The StarCraft Conspiracy"Find episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:09:26
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1:09:26
The life, death, death, death, death, and rebirth of Atari
Get full show notes for free at https://postgame.substack.com/Get bonus segments, early and ad-free episodes, and a monthly video series at https://www.patreon.com/c/PostGamesThis week on Post Games, Atari CEO Wade Rosen joins me to discuss gaming’s ship of Theseus. While everyone remembers Atari at its height, most folks ignored the company's struggles following the games industry crash of 1983. Understandably! For forty years, Atari has been a brand in search of a purpose.Rosen is determined to change that, making Atari relevant for the first time in forty years. And he wants to do so while having a sense of humor and respect for the brand's long, long journey. Who doesn't love a comeback story?Patreon bonus prologue: A history of Atari and its lost decadesAct 1: Why Atari can’t die, an extended conversation with Atari CEO Wade RosenAct 2: What is a “modern” Atari gameAct 3: The news of the weekFind episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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49:54
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49:54
Why video games feel better and worse than ever before
Get full episode notes, links, and related materials for free at www.post.gamesGet extra-long episodes, bonus content, monthly videos, and more (plus, no ads!) at patreon.com/postgamesWelcome to Post Game’s first annual physical, in which a special guest joins me to assess the health and stability of gaming, from the creators to the players, the industry to the culture. I’ve invited one of the smartest, analytical, and forward-thinking minds in video – writer, developer, publisher, critic, analyst, and occasional voice actor Xalavier Nelson Jr. – to give video games a thorough workupBonus Patreon Prologue: The state of games 10, 20, and 30 years agoAct 1: The best of times - Why 2025 could be the golden age of video gamesAct 2: The worst of times - Why video games feel doomedBonus Patreon interview segment: Xalavier on gaming’s past, present, and futureAct 3: The news of the week, including the ghoulish mass layoffs at XboxToday's episode's act-interstitials feature music from the games of Strange Scaffold!Find episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Post Games is a listener-supported podcast about how and why we love video games. Each week, host Chris Plante reports on a new, overlooked, or underappreciated topic in gaming culture. Where did all the new porn games come from? What’s it like to be the AI that destroys the world? How has one award turned tiny indie game makers into big-name millionaires? With original interviews, writing, and a traditional audio-magazine structure, Plante keeps things entertaining, informative, and always under 90 minutes. Because Post Games is meant to be listened to, not buried in a backlog. Learn more at www.post.games. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Canada - english