The Curious Gamer

What do you turn to when you’re undergoing a devastating hardship in your life? During my senior year of college my Dad was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer. For two and a half years my family and I battled with the illness, which proved to be the most challenging and emotionally draining experience I’ve faced. During this time, a video game called Journey was released. It’s a short game that’s not only beautiful to look at and listen to, but allows you to lose yourself in its world so thoroughly. You might find yourself visualizing your own experiences, joys, and hardships in its abstract narrative. In this episode, I explore Journey’s design and examine how it’s artistic merits allow people to deeply connect with the game in positive ways. SUBSCRIBE You can keep up with The Curious Gamer by subscribing to the YouTube Channel or by subscribing to the Podcast on iTunes. https://www.youtube.com/user/devinpolaski?sub_confirmation=1 https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curious-gamer/id715667998?mt=2MUSIC Most of the music in this episode was used from Austin Wintory’s brilliant soundtrack for Journey, but the original music was composed by me. You can check out some of my music by following me on SoundCloud or by checking out my music store. https://austinwintory.bandcamp.com/album/journey https://soundcloud.com/devin-polaski http://devinpolaski.bandcamp.com/ NEWSLETTER & TWITTER I’m starting up an email newsletter so that, for anyone interested, I can make recommendations for interesting games to play, discuss game culture, and other fun topics in games. Also, you can follow me on Twitter @devinpolaski and Tweet me your gaming stories and thoughts; I’d love to hear them, and maybe even feature them in an episode! http://tinyletter.com/thecuriousgamer https://twitter.com/devinpolaski MY DAD Many people have found stories of my Dad’s courage in battling his cancer to be very inspiring. I’ve written several pieces about this, but here is one of them. https://medium.com/@devinpolaski/life-after-dad-2-years-later-8e2b17efca19#.yvv9hlucu DOWNLOAD MP3 You can download the audio file to this episode at the link below. http://ia801206.us.archive.org/3/items/The_Curious_Gamer_Episode_3_Your_Life_Your_Hardship_Your_Journey/The%20Curious%20Gamer%20Episode%203%20-%20Your%20Life,%20Your%20Hardship,%20Your%20Journey.xml_mixdown.mp3 CREDITS This episode was written, recorded, and produced by me. I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips from games and interviews used in this episode. These audio clips are utilized under the “Fair Use” doctrine, which stipulates that you may use copyrighted material without permission from the creators, provided that it is used for fact-based and research-oriented purposes, which is a format that The Curious Gamer abides by. You can purchase Journey from the Playstation Store. Buying the game allows you to play it on both a Playstation 3 and a Playstation 4, but note the PS4 version of the game features superior visuals. https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/journey/cid=UP9000-NPUA80275_00-JOURNEYYYPRIVATE?utm_medium=ps&utm_campaign=Titles&utm_source=Google&utm_term=ps-ga-5-85880&utm_content=Brand&emcid=ps-ga-5-85880 All footage from Journey was gathered from the Playstation 4 version of the game using an Elgato HD60 capture card. Here are the games featured in the additional clips towards the end of the episode. These clips were captured from their official marketing trailers: 11:27 - Monument Valley 11:30 - Gone Home 11:33 - Firewatch 11:40 - Grand Theft Auto 5 11:43 - Madden 2016 11:45 - God of War (E3 Demo, 2016) 11:48 - Doom (2016) Reach out to me if you would like to know more about Journey, the other games I featured, or any other game recommendations. Thanks again for listening, and please share with your fellow gamer and non-gamer friends alike!

Learn more about this episode, other episodes, and the rest of the show atwww.TheCuriousGamer.org Today we’re tackling a charming little platformer called Never Alone. This episode asks this question: can video games ever be documents of culture? Most video games considered to represent “good games” tend to be very satisfying on a technical level. The mechanics and design are deep and interesting, the graphics and production values are high and, overall, everything just feels good and polished. But can games go beyond being technically great, and be satisfying on a more human level? Today, I’d like to shine the spotlight on a game that places most of its focus on infusing culture into its design. In this episode, we explore the video game Never Alone, and how it demonstrates video games as a fantastic way to showcase cultural stories, documents, and other artifacts through interactive multimedia. Thanks for sticking with the show, and apologies for the year+ hiatus. Dig deeper into this episode with credits, downloads, and more at the links below!CREDITS This episode was written, recorded, and produced by me. I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips from games and interviews used in this episode. These audio clips are utilized under the “Fair Use” doctrine, which stipulates that you may use copyrighted material without permission from the creators, provided that it is used for fact-based and research-oriented purposes, which is a format that The Curious Gamer abides by.SUBSCRIBE — YOUTUBE, ITUNES, MEDIUM All episodes of The Curious Gamer are posted on YouTube, as an audio podcast, or collected with a script here on Medium. To make sure you never miss an episode, you can subscribe to the YouTube Channel, subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes (or wherever you download podcasts) or follow me on Medium. https://www.youtube.com/user/devinpolaski?sub_confirmation=1 https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curious-gamer/id715667998?mt=2 medium.com/@devinpolaskiTWITTER & FACEBOOK Also, you can follow the show on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @devinpolaski and Tweet me your gaming stories and thoughts; I’d love to hear them, and maybe even feature them in an episode! https://www.facebook.com/TheCuriousGamer/ https://twitter.com/devinpolaski MUSIC Most of the music in this episode was used from the soundtrack of Never Alone, but the original music was composed by me. You can check out some of my music by following me on SoundCloud or by checking out my music store. soundcloud.com/devin-polaski devinpolaski.bandcamp.comNEWLETTER I’m starting up an email newsletter so that, for anyone interested, I can make recommendations for interesting games to play, discuss game culture, and other fun topics in games.  tinyletter.com/thecuriousgamerDOWNLOAD MP3 You can download this full episode as an mp3. http://ia601300.us.archive.org/10/items/TheCuriousGamerEpisode2AppreciatingCultureInNeverAlone/The%20Curious%20Gamer%20Episode%202%20-%20Appreciating%20Culture%20in%20Never%20Alone.xml_mixdown.mp3 SOURCES This episode was written, recorded, and produced by me. I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips from games and interviews used in this episode. These audio clips are utilized under the “Fair Use” doctrine, which stipulates that you may use copyrighted material without permission from the creators, provided that it is used for fact-based and research-oriented purposes, which is a format that The Curious Gamer abides by. Almost all the footage found in this episode features gameplay and trailer footage from Never Alone, and this was gathered from a press release package available from the game’s official website, which you can visit here: http://neveralonegame.com/ Additional clips of Never Alone were recorded from screen captures of the PS4 version of the game. Other games featured in this episode are detailed below: 0:09 - Gameplay demo footage from Uncharted 4, by Naughty Dog, that was featured at E3, 2015. 0:12 - Trailer f

The Curious Gamer is finally back in action, and today we’re tackling a charming little platformer called Never Alone. This episode asks this question: can video games ever be documents of culture? Most video games considered to represent “good games” tend to be very satisfying on a technical level. The mechanics and design are deep and interesting, the graphics and production values are high and, overall, everything just feels good and polished. But can games go beyond being technically great, and be satisfying on a more human level? Today, I’d like to shine the spotlight on a game that places most of its focus on infusing culture into its design. In this episode, we explore the video game Never Alone, and how it demonstrates video games as a fantastic way to showcase cultural stories, documents, and other artifacts through interactive multimedia. Thanks for sticking with the show, and apologies for the year+ hiatus. Dig deeper into this episode with credits, downloads, and more at the links below! - TWITTER Follow me on Twitter @DevinPolaski and Tweet me your gaming stories and thoughts; I’d love to hear them, and maybe even feature them in an episode! - SUBSCRIBE You can keep up with The Curious Gamer by subscribing to the Podcast on iTunes here, or by following me on SoundCloud here. - DOWNLOAD You can download this full episode as an mp3 here. - MUSIC I composed all of the music in this episode (aside from the clips I used of video games). Much of this music can be downloaded from my music store here. - CREDITS This episode was written, recorded, and produced by me. I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips from games and interviews used in this episode. These audio clips are utilized under the “Fair Use” doctrine, which stipulates that you may use copyrighted material without permission from the creators, provided that it is used for fact-based and research-oriented purposes, which is a format that The Curious Gamer abides by. See below for credits of what audio clips I used, and where they came from: Almost all the footage found in this episode features gameplay and trailer footage from Never Alone, and this was gathered from a press release package available from the game’s official website, which you can visit here: http://neveralonegame.com/ Additional clips of Never Alone were recorded from screen captures of the PS4 version of the game. Other games featured in this episode are detailed below: 0:09 - Gameplay demo footage from Uncharted 4, by Naughty Dog, that was featured at E3, 2015. 0:12 - Trailer footage from Super Mario Maker, by Nintendo. 0:14 - Trailer footage from Star Wars: Battlefront, by EA. 0:16 - Gameplay footage from Portal 2, by Valve. 0:18 - Gameplay footage from Hyrule Warriors, by Nintendo. 0:24 - Gameplay footage from The Stanley Parable, by Galactic Cafe. 0:29 - Trailer footage from Grim Fandango Remastered Edition, by Double Fine. 0:31 - Gameplay footage from Transistor, by Supergiant Games. 0:39 - Gameplay footage from Kentucky Route Zero, by Cardboard Computer. 1:14 - Trailer footage from Super Mario 3D World, by Nintendo. 1:15 - Gameplay footage from Sonic Generations, by Sega. 4:09 - Gameplay footage from Super Mario Galaxy 2, by Nintendo. 4:12 - Gameplay footage from Mega Man Legacy Collection, by Capcom. 4:14 - Gameplay footage from Super Meat Boy, by Team Meat. 5:39 - A video from YouTube originally uploaded by Carter Grebbien, featuring an adorable corgi dog named Meatball. You should honestly just stop everything you’re doing and go watch it right now, and then re-watch variations people have uploaded with music. I can gaurantee it will improve your day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvqzubPZjHE Thanks again for watching. Please share with your fellow gamer and NON-gamer friends alike! Happy listening, and game on.

Learn more about this episode, other episodes, and the rest of the show atwww.TheCuriousGamer.org Today we’re tackling a charming little platformer called Never Alone. This episode asks this question: can video games ever be documents of culture? Most video games considered to represent “good games” tend to be very satisfying on a technical level. The mechanics and design are deep and interesting, the graphics and production values are high and, overall, everything just feels good and polished. But can games go beyond being technically great, and be satisfying on a more human level? Today, I’d like to shine the spotlight on a game that places most of its focus on infusing culture into its design. In this episode, we explore the video game Never Alone, and how it demonstrates video games as a fantastic way to showcase cultural stories, documents, and other artifacts through interactive multimedia. Thanks for sticking with the show, and apologies for the year+ hiatus. Dig deeper into this episode with credits, downloads, and more at the links below!CREDITS This episode was written, recorded, and produced by me. I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips from games and interviews used in this episode. These audio clips are utilized under the “Fair Use” doctrine, which stipulates that you may use copyrighted material without permission from the creators, provided that it is used for fact-based and research-oriented purposes, which is a format that The Curious Gamer abides by.SUBSCRIBE — YOUTUBE, ITUNES, MEDIUM All episodes of The Curious Gamer are posted on YouTube, as an audio podcast, or collected with a script here on Medium. To make sure you never miss an episode, you can subscribe to the YouTube Channel, subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes (or wherever you download podcasts) or follow me on Medium. https://www.youtube.com/user/devinpolaski?sub_confirmation=1 https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curious-gamer/id715667998?mt=2 medium.com/@devinpolaskiTWITTER & FACEBOOK Also, you can follow the show on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @devinpolaski and Tweet me your gaming stories and thoughts; I’d love to hear them, and maybe even feature them in an episode! https://www.facebook.com/TheCuriousGamer/ https://twitter.com/devinpolaski MUSIC Most of the music in this episode was used from the soundtrack of Never Alone, but the original music was composed by me. You can check out some of my music by following me on SoundCloud or by checking out my music store. soundcloud.com/devin-polaski devinpolaski.bandcamp.comNEWLETTER I’m starting up an email newsletter so that, for anyone interested, I can make recommendations for interesting games to play, discuss game culture, and other fun topics in games.  tinyletter.com/thecuriousgamerDOWNLOAD MP3 You can download this full episode as an mp3. http://ia601300.us.archive.org/10/items/TheCuriousGamerEpisode2AppreciatingCultureInNeverAlone/The%20Curious%20Gamer%20Episode%202%20-%20Appreciating%20Culture%20in%20Never%20Alone.xml_mixdown.mp3 SOURCES This episode was written, recorded, and produced by me. I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips from games and interviews used in this episode. These audio clips are utilized under the “Fair Use” doctrine, which stipulates that you may use copyrighted material without permission from the creators, provided that it is used for fact-based and research-oriented purposes, which is a format that The Curious Gamer abides by. Almost all the footage found in this episode features gameplay and trailer footage from Never Alone, and this was gathered from a press release package available from the game’s official website, which you can visit here: http://neveralonegame.com/ Additional clips of Never Alone were recorded from screen captures of the PS4 version of the game. Other games featured in this episode are detailed below: 0:09 - Gameplay demo footage from Uncharted 4, by Naughty Dog, that was featured at E3, 2015. 0:12 - Trailer f

Learn more about this episode, other episodes, and the rest of the show at www.TheCuriousGamer.org Why do we play video games (or why don’t we)? Are they unique, enriching experiences, or simply a waste of time? Are they simply a form of entertainment, or can they be used to build relationships, learn new skills, or simply experience a new form of joy?  That’s what I seek to discover and articulate with this show. Join me in my journey through The Curious Gamer, and we’ll unpack the culture, design, and joys of video games, whether you already enjoy games, or have yet to give them a chance.CREDITS This episode was written, recorded, and produced by me. I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips from games and interviews used in this episode. These audio clips are utilized under the “Fair Use” doctrine, which stipulates that you may use copyrighted material without permission from the creators, provided that it is used for fact-based and research-oriented purposes, which is a format that The Curious Gamer abides by.SUBSCRIBE — YOUTUBE, ITUNES, MEDIUM All episodes of The Curious Gamer are posted on YouTube, as an audio podcast, or collected with a script here on Medium. To make sure you never miss an episode, you can subscribe to the YouTube Channel, subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes (or wherever you download podcasts) or follow me on Medium. https://www.youtube.com/user/devinpolaski?sub_confirmation=1 https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curious-gamer/id715667998?mt=2 medium.com/@devinpolaskiTWITTER & FACEBOOK Also, you can follow the show on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @devinpolaski and Tweet me your gaming stories and thoughts; I’d love to hear them, and maybe even feature them in an episode! https://www.facebook.com/TheCuriousGamer/ https://twitter.com/devinpolaski MUSIC Most of the music in this episode was used from the soundtrack of Never Alone, but the original music was composed by me. You can check out some of my music by following me on SoundCloud or by checking out my music store. soundcloud.com/devin-polaski devinpolaski.bandcamp.comNEWLETTER I’m starting up an email newsletter so that, for anyone interested, I can make recommendations for interesting games to play, discuss game culture, and other fun topics in games. tinyletter.com/thecuriousgamerDOWNLOAD MP3 You can download this full episode as an mp3. http://ia802706.us.archive.org/17/items/TheCuriousGamerEpisode1WhyPlayVideoGames/The%20Curious%20Gamer%20Episode%201%20-%20Why%20Play%20Video%20Games.mp3 SOURCES This episode was written, recorded, and produced by me. I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips from games and interviews used in this episode. These audio clips are utilized under the “Fair Use” doctrine, which stipulates that you may use copyrighted material without permission from the creators, provided that it is used for fact-based and research-oriented purposes, which is a format that The Curious Gamer abides by. See below for credits of what audio clips I used, and where they came from: 0:19 - Game footage from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, by Sega. 0:21 - Game footage from Minecraft, by Mojang - specifically, footage from a video series I created with some friends called “A Minecraft Creation.” 0:23 - Game footage from Team Fortress 2, by Valve. 0:32 - Game footage from Hearthstone, by Blizzard. 0:36 - Game footage from FlappyBird, by GEARS Studio. 0:39 - Original motion graphics that visualize data from a 2014 study by the ESA, who conduct semi-annual surveys on people who play video games. 0:48 - Game footage from The Walking Dead, Season 1, by Telltale Games. 0:36 - Footage from the documentary Free to Play, created by Valve to document and promote their massively popular game DOTA 2, and an annual international tournament they hold for the top players of the game called “The International,” where winners can receive tens of millions of dollars in prize money. 1:03 - Game footage from Beyond: Two S

Learn more about this episode, other episodes, and the rest of the show at www.TheCuriousGamer.org Why do we play video games (or why don’t we)? Are they unique, enriching experiences, or simply a waste of time? Are they simply a form of entertainment, or can they be used to build relationships, learn new skills, or simply experience a new form of joy?  That’s what I seek to discover and articulate with this show. Join me in my journey through The Curious Gamer, and we’ll unpack the culture, design, and joys of video games, whether you already enjoy games, or have yet to give them a chance.CREDITS This episode was written, recorded, and produced by me. I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips from games and interviews used in this episode. These audio clips are utilized under the “Fair Use” doctrine, which stipulates that you may use copyrighted material without permission from the creators, provided that it is used for fact-based and research-oriented purposes, which is a format that The Curious Gamer abides by.SUBSCRIBE — YOUTUBE, ITUNES, MEDIUM All episodes of The Curious Gamer are posted on YouTube, as an audio podcast, or collected with a script here on Medium. To make sure you never miss an episode, you can subscribe to the YouTube Channel, subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes (or wherever you download podcasts) or follow me on Medium. https://www.youtube.com/user/devinpolaski?sub_confirmation=1 https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curious-gamer/id715667998?mt=2 medium.com/@devinpolaskiTWITTER & FACEBOOK Also, you can follow the show on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @devinpolaski and Tweet me your gaming stories and thoughts; I’d love to hear them, and maybe even feature them in an episode! https://www.facebook.com/TheCuriousGamer/ https://twitter.com/devinpolaski MUSIC Most of the music in this episode was used from the soundtrack of Never Alone, but the original music was composed by me. You can check out some of my music by following me on SoundCloud or by checking out my music store. soundcloud.com/devin-polaski devinpolaski.bandcamp.comNEWLETTER I’m starting up an email newsletter so that, for anyone interested, I can make recommendations for interesting games to play, discuss game culture, and other fun topics in games. tinyletter.com/thecuriousgamerDOWNLOAD MP3 You can download this full episode as an mp3. http://ia802706.us.archive.org/17/items/TheCuriousGamerEpisode1WhyPlayVideoGames/The%20Curious%20Gamer%20Episode%201%20-%20Why%20Play%20Video%20Games.mp3 SOURCES This episode was written, recorded, and produced by me. I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips from games and interviews used in this episode. These audio clips are utilized under the “Fair Use” doctrine, which stipulates that you may use copyrighted material without permission from the creators, provided that it is used for fact-based and research-oriented purposes, which is a format that The Curious Gamer abides by. See below for credits of what audio clips I used, and where they came from: 0:19 - Game footage from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, by Sega. 0:21 - Game footage from Minecraft, by Mojang - specifically, footage from a video series I created with some friends called “A Minecraft Creation.” 0:23 - Game footage from Team Fortress 2, by Valve. 0:32 - Game footage from Hearthstone, by Blizzard. 0:36 - Game footage from FlappyBird, by GEARS Studio. 0:39 - Original motion graphics that visualize data from a 2014 study by the ESA, who conduct semi-annual surveys on people who play video games. 0:48 - Game footage from The Walking Dead, Season 1, by Telltale Games. 0:36 - Footage from the documentary Free to Play, created by Valve to document and promote their massively popular game DOTA 2, and an annual international tournament they hold for the top players of the game called “The International,” where winners can receive tens of millions of dollars in prize money. 1:03 - Game footage from Beyond: Two S

The Curious Gamer has evolved from audio-only to a full-on video show! I have completely redone Episode 1 of The Curious Gamer with live-action footage and accompanying video clips, which is a creative direction I will continue for the rest of the series. Let me know what you think of the new show, and hit me up with topics you’d like to see explored in future episodes! Thanks for watching, and dig deeper into the show at the links below. TWITTER Follow me on Twitter @DevinPolaski and Tweet me your gaming stories! - SUBSCRIBE You can keep up with The Curious Gamer by subscribing to the Podcast on iTunes here, or by following me on SoundCloud here. - DOWNLOAD You can download this full episode as an mp3 here. - MUSIC I composed all of the music in this episode (aside from the clips I used of video games). Much of this music can be downloaded from my music store here. - CREDITS This episode was written, recorded, and produced by me. I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips from games and interviews used in this episode. These audio clips are utilized under the “Fair Use” doctrine, which stipulates that you may use copyrighted material without permission from the creators, provided that it is used for fact-based and research-oriented purposes, which is a format that The Curious Gamer abides by. See below for credits of what audio clips I used, and where they came from: 0:19 - Game footage from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, by Sega. 0:21 - Game footage from Minecraft, by Mojang - specifically, footage from a video series I created with some friends called “A Minecraft Creation.” 0:23 - Game footage from Team Fortress 2, by Valve. 0:32 - Game footage from Hearthstone, by Blizzard. 0:36 - Game footage from FlappyBird, by GEARS Studio. 0:39 - Original motion graphics that visualize data from a 2014 study by the ESA, who conduct semi-annual surveys on people who play video games. 0:48 - Game footage from The Walking Dead, Season 1, by Telltale Games. 0:36 - Footage from the documentary Free to Play, created by Valve to document and promote their massively popular game DOTA 2, and an annual international tournament they hold for the top players of the game called “The International,” where winners can receive tens of millions of dollars in prize money. 1:03 - Game footage from Beyond: Two Souls, by Quantic Dream. 1:03 - Game footage from Final Fantasy XV, by Square Enix (specifically, an E3 2014 promotional trailer of the game). 1:03 - Game footage from Beyond: Two Souls, by Quantic Dream. 1:33 - Footage from an episode of the TV series House of Cards. 1:47 - Footage from an episode of the american version of the TV series The Office. 1:58-2:36 - A series of clips from various films that depict characters interacting with video games. These clips and more were complied into a larger, single YouTube video created by the YouTube channel Slacktory, but I handpicked a few shots for it for the purposes of this episode. 2:37 - Footage from an episode of the TV series What Not to Wear. 3:44-6:46- I use a variety of footage in this section that features the game designer and author Jane McGonigal. First, I used clips from a video piece she appeared in on a YouTube channel called BigThink. Next, I used footage from the promotional video she created of her game called SuperBetter. Finally, I used excerpts of footage from her appearance on The Colbert Report. 7:48 - A series of clips from various movies created by Pixar. 7:54 - Footage from a scene in the film The Godfather. 7:57 - Footage from a scene in the film Hot Fuzz. 8:22 - Footage from a scene in the film The Matrix. 8:42 - Footage from a scene in the film Citizen Kane. 8:58 - Footage from a scene in the film Wall-E. 9:19 - Footage from a scene in the film Star Wars Episode II - Attack of the Clones. 10:01 - Footage from a scene in the film Man of Steel. 10:03 - Footage from a scene in the film World War Z. 10:06 - Footage from a scene in the film Godzilla

*****The Curious Gamer used to be an audio-only show, but has since been updated to be a full-video show. As such, this version of episode 2 has been replaced with another video, which also focuses on a completely different topic. Check that out here: http://thecuriousgamer.org/post/132477054350/episode-2-appreciating-culture-in-never-alone - but if you’d like to hear the old episode, it’s not too bad, either! And maybe I’ll remake this into video someday.***** The wait is over! Episode 2 of The Curious Gamer is finally here. If someone were to ask you to “define what a videogame is,” what would you say? It’s a difficult question, much like being asked to define music or art. If we can define games, we might be able to better understand and discuss them, and to recognize how much they have evolved over the years. - TWITTER Follow me on Twitter @CuriousGamerSho and Tweet me your gaming stories! - SUBSCRIBE You can keep up with The Curious Gamer by subscribing to the Podcast on iTunes here, or by following me on SoundCloud here. - DOWNLOAD You can download this full episode as an mp3 here. You can also download it as a Podcast from iTunes. - MUSIC I composed all of the music in this episode (aside from the clips I used of video games). Much of this music can be downloaded from my music store here. - TRANSCRIPT Read a full transcript of this episode here. - CREDITS This episode was written, recorded, and produced by me. I do not own the rights to any of the audio clips from games and interviews used in this episode. These audio clips are utilized under the “Fair Use” doctrine, which stipulates that you may use copyrighted material without permission from the creators, provided that it is used for fact-based and research-oriented purposes, which is a format that The Curious Gamer abides by. See below for credits of what audio clips I used, and where they came from: 0:02 - This montage of sound combines various video game console startup noises. In this order, the sounds come from: • Nintendo Gameboy • Sega Genesis (Sonic the Hedgehog game startup) • Nintendo Gamecube • Sony Playstation 2 • Nintendo Gameboy Advance • Sega Dreamcast • Sony Playstation 3 • Microsoft Xbox 360 0:39 - An excerpt from the YouTube hit show, Game Grumps, where two friends play all kinds of video games for laughs. 0:43 - A brief run during the extremely popular yet short-lived mobile game, Flappy Bird. 1:52 - A series of interviewees named Zander, Amanda, Shawn, Mike, Jake, and Joe. 3:19 - Audio from Wii Sports Bowling. 3:37 - Audio from the Gameboy version of Tetris. 3:53 - A quote from the late, great film critic, Roger Ebert. He made some controversial statements about games, claiming they are not art. This quote specifically focuses on his point of games being “meant to be won.” 5:40 - The first of many sounds and songs in this episode from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, by the game company Bethesda. This sound effect occurs when your character “levels up.” 5:45 - The first of several sounds from the game Words With Friends by the game company Zynga. This sound is actually from a TV commercial for the board version of the game. 6:36 - Words With Friends: The “bubble-pop” sound effects when you pick up and place your letter squares. 6:45 - The first song in the episode that I did not compose. This song is from Skyrim, all of which was composed by the great Jeremy Soule. The title of this particular song is called “Masser.” 7:20 - Skyrim: The voice of one of Greybeards, as he welcomes your character to their domain. 7:37 - Skyrim: “A Winter’s Tale” - Jeremy Soule 8:29 - Skyrim: “A Winter’s Tale” - Jeremy Soule 8:56 - Skyrim: Audio of a jarl asking you to kill the first dragon you encounter in the game. 9:06 - Skyrim: Audio of Red Guard visitors to the town of Whiterun, asking you for information someone they’re hunting down. 10:28 -