No Cartridge Audio

We welcome Donald Borenstein (@Boringstein) to talk about licensed games, cash-ins from the early 90s to today that attempt to live up to a film or TV series and fail. Not always, however, in uninteresting ways!  Music this week is from the NES Dirty Harry game and the NES Blues Brothers game. Find more from Donald by subscribing to patreon.com/hegelbon . Thank you

We welcome Kotaku's Chris Person (@papapishu) to the show to talk about game length, narrative structure, and the joy of the 25 hour RPG! Check out more from Chris on Kotaku and on patreon.com/hegelbon and thanks so much for listening! Music this week is "Last Surprise" from the Persona 5 OST, composed by Shoji Meguro and performed by Lyn Inaizumi.

We welcome Andrew Dunn (@AnndraADunn) on the podcast to discuss historical representation in video games and the ways in which mechanical, structural, and even logical choices in these representations determine how we understand and interpret history as such. A perfect bookend for our impromptu Paradox Games week with Josh Boerman! Music this week is "Death of Prince Albert" from the Victoria 2 OST and the theme from the Steel Division: Normandy 44 OST. For more with Andrew, check out patreon.com/hegelbon, and feel free to tip for myself or for further production at paypal.me/hegelbon. The podcast is also available here, on itunes, google play, and stitcher radio. Listen and rate and subscribe and et al. Thank you!

We are lucky to have Josh Boerman on the show to talk about theater, narrative, video game direction, and more. How much does the player add to the narrative tension and how much the writing? Can 4X strategy be traditionally "narrative"? We'll unpack this and more this episode! Music this episode is from the Europa Universalis IV OST and the Gurren Lagann OST. For more, please subscribe to patreon.com/hegelbon and tips are always appreciated for myself and Kevin @duyarvish, my producer, at paypal.me/hegelbon

We welcome Kamel Altamimi (@kamel_altamimi) on to discuss gaming, politics, and the possibility of utopian thought as a response to Matt cushbomb Christman's appearance on Episode 23. Not only aesthetic accounts, but personal and incisive analysis of Middle Eastern culture and political potential -- definitely give it a listen! Music this week is the theme song from the Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker OST by Koji Kondo and "Life is Sweet" by Farid al-Atrash. Donate at patreon.com/hegelbon to hear bonus episodes and more!

We invite Brock Wilbur (@brockwilbur) onto the podcast to talk about religion in gaming and the equally ecstatic violence of revenge fantasies in games. As a warning, this one starts off with the execrable Hatred, so that's either a blessing or a curse depending on your fancy. Thanks to Brock for our most rollicking episode yet, for sure! Music this week is from the trailer to Hatred as well as "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows" by Lesley Gore. Donate for more material at patreon.com/hegelbon

Meant to be the cold open before I remembered that I don't actually have a cold open! Included uncut and raw simply because I cannot deny anyone this level of insight. Enjoy!

Jonathan Bernhardt (@jonbernhardt) comes on to talk Prey, Bethesda and Arkane's 2017 hit, as well as the nature of philosophical problems in video games and what the trolley problem can tell us about ethics in our current (and future?) moments. Music this week is "Everything is Going to Be Okay" from the Prey OST and "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult. Consider donating at patreon.com/hegelbon for even more content with Jonathan and others!

We're lucky enough to have Hazel Monforton (@HazelMonforton) on to talk about her role writing for the hotly anticipated Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, from Arkane Studios. Hazel talks about the game, what it was like writing for such an exciting major video game project, and the intricacies of being a fan and a creator. Tune in for a unique perspective on what it is to take on the artistry of writing in a video game, a position that we hear far too little about. Thanks to Arkane Studios for allowing Hazel to talk to us, and of course to Hazel for coming on. Music this week is the Theme from Dishonored and the Theme from Dishonored 2. Consider donating at www.patreon.com/hegelbon for more Q&A material from Hazel, and pre-order Dishonored: Death of the Outsider now, as it's set to be released on September 15, 2017!

Dave Mangels (@southern_philly) of SBNation's Bleeding Green Nation joins us to talk video games instead of Eagles football. We talk about No Man's Sky, and contrast the disappointment and expectation of the game with the rhetoric and reality of Donald Trump's campaign and election as President. We also touch on politics at large, participation, and individualistic choices. And hell, there's some laughs too; always. Music this week is the track "Supermoon" from the No Man's Sky OST. For more from Dave this week, donate just five dollars to the patreon to hear a bonus question and answer period, at www.patreon.com/hegelbon. 

We finish up our interview with Scott Benson (@bombsfall) as we discuss Kentucky Route Zero in depth, along with some more on Night in the Woods, punk, video game aesthetics, and more. A culmination of aesthesis and attitude you won't want to miss. Music this week comes from the soundtracks of Diary of a Spaceport Janitor and Cart Life, both of which are available on bandcamp. Both games are also available, on steam and direct download respectively.

We're lucky enough to have Scott Benson, one third of Infinite Fall, the studio that brought us Night in the Woods, back to No Cartridge Audio! Scott comes on to argue for the emancipatory vision of video game aesthetics in a 2 part conversation. In this episode, we talk punk rock, permission, theories of representation, and the brilliant Kentucky Route Zero. Part two will post Monday or Tuesday, but if you don't want to wait, the whole talk will be available at patreon.com/hegelbon for patrons by tonight. Thanks! Audio this week is "Long Journey Home" from the Kentucky Route Zero OST and "A Night in the Woods" by The World Inferno Friendship Society.

Kara (@QaraKoyunlu) joins us to talk baseball simulation, scoresheets, sabermetrics, and the particular appeal and danger of trusting the process. And we even get to video games too! As always, more from Kara at patreon.com/hegelbon for subscribers! Music this week is from Ken Griffey, Jr Presents Major League Baseball and "1 2 3 4 5 Sixers."

Matt "cushbomb" Christman is our guest to talk about the dangers of gaming, the identity of gamers, and the horizons of art. Do I defend the honor of gaming? Well, it's complicated and frankly you should just listen to find out you piker. Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry. Music this week is by Lagwagon -- "The Kids Are All Wrong / May 16" -- and Billy Bragg -- "Waiting for the Great Leap Forward". As always, head over to patreon.com/hegelbon for bonus material from Matt and all of our other guests!  

We're lucky enough to have Paul (@fender_splendor) on to talk about VR development, specifically his experiences working at a studio focused on developing games for this nascent medium. We also talk about the current realities of AAA development companies, the future of VR, and the conceptual realities behind video games and their future. For more with Paul, check the patreon at patreon.com/hegelbon. Music this week is "Republique" from the Republique Episode 1 OST composed by Zinc LeMone.