Studying Pixels

It is one of the biggest launches this year so far and at the same time one of the most contested one. In our review, we focus on the actual game and discuss how the magic of Hogwarts enthralled us just as much as the incessant repetition of the open world repulsed us.Visit studyingpixels.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every now and then, video game companies come up with the weirdest, most peculiar, and often entirely unusable gaming gadgets and accessories. Here are our favourites!ShownotesPlus 13. Heaven is a Halfpipe: The Story of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Studying Pixels)Title image by Marcin Wichary (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mwichary/45221968804/) under CC BY 2.0 license; cropped image for title fitting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rolling the credits usually marks the end of a game. But some titles effectively flip the script. The credits are just the beginning of another adventure. We discuss games that present us with surprising, memorable, or simply extensive post-game content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a replay episode, originally aired on November 28, 2021.We might nostalgically look back at the beauty of game boxes and fail to realize how strongly they are linked to the economization of games. With our guest, game studies scholar Claudius Clüver, we trace how games got into the box and how, with the advent of digital distribution, they made their way back out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gamification is one of the most extensively used buzzwords these days. And rightfully so, considering that the logic of play pervades just about all domains of daily life. We discuss Niklas Schrape’s critical reflection, based on the text Gamification and Governmentality.ShownotesSchrape, Niklas: Gamification and Governmentality. In: Mathias Fuchs, Sonia Fizek, Paolo Ruffino et al. (eds.): Rethinking Gamification. Lüneburg: meson press 2014, pp. 21–45. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, B, A – an abstract sequence of inputs that is deeply ingrained into cultural memory. We explore the history of the Konami Code, with lots of fun trivia and gimmicks to try yourself!Get Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Discord | Twitter | InstagramShownotesThe Story Of The Konami Code And Early Days Of NES Development (Aria)Nintendo Power Issue #1, July/August 1988 (Nintendo Power)What Is the Konami Code, and How Do You Use it? (Benj Edwards)Konami code explained: What is the code and which games still use it? (Joe Julians)Konami Code | Full Supported Konami Video Games List (Hanna Synetska)Konami Code (IGN)Kazuhisa Hashimoto, Creator Of Famous 'Konami Code' Gaming Cheat, Dies (Jordan Pascale)Konami posts Konami Code on Twitter to commemorate HashimotoEven the Bank of Canada can’t resist the Konami code (Megan Farokhmanesh) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh no, your family has been abducted and your village burnt to the ground! Better start a bloody vendetta…or so the story of many video games starts out. Our guest, Dr. Thomas Spies, argues in favour of more complex and differentiated trauma representations. Here’s our conversation about titles such as Max Payne, Distraint, The Last of Us, Hellblade, and Disco Elysium.ShownotesTrauma im Computerspiel. Mediale Repräsentationen mentaler Extremerfahrungen (Thomas Spies)“Making Sense in a Senseless World”: Disco Elysium’s Absurd Hero (Thomas Spies)gofundme campaign: Honorare Sammelband Kritische VideospielstudienGet Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII - Reunion has been out for some time now, and Dan has really sunk his teeth into a game he’s already pretty familiar with. Join him and Stefan as they talk about how the Remaster stacks up to the original, and what it means for the FFVII Franchise moving forward.Get Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Discord | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a replay episode, originally aired on January 9th, 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merry Christmas! As is tradition, we come together to evaluate our predictions from last year and put up a bunch of new ones for 2023. Will we be even remotely correct? – Join us to find out!Get Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Discord | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Great expectations were set for The Callisto Protocol. Is it going to bring back space horror in a major way? Well, it might not, because in our review we discuss how the game is impressive at first sight, but in itself conceptually torn.Get Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Discord | Twitter | InstagramShownotesPlus 6. The Rise and Fall of Visceral Games (Studying Pixels) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a replay episode, originally aired on October 31, 2021.“I am god here.” A strangely unsettling sentence, especially if uttered by a character in a game that might very well be cursed. For this Halloween we collect and retell our favorite gaming-related creepypastas and urban legends. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Game Awards have become a mainstay in the annual cycle of marketing and industry celebration. We go over our high- and lowlights of the show!Get Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Discord | Twitter | InstagramShownotesThe Game Awards 2022 Winners: The Full List (Logan Plant)The Game Awards 2022: Everything Announced (Adam Bankhurst)That Guy Who Interrupted the End of The Game Awards Has Been Arrested (John Friscia)Jason Schreier about his interview with Matan EvenGod of War Ragnarok is Being Review Bombed (Dalton Cooper) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ah, a new Pokemon game. Scarlet and Violet have quickly shown up on our Switches and have generated some controversy around it’s performance issues. Is all the vitriol really warranted? Kind of. But! It’s also one of the best Pokemon experiences to date. Join Stefan and Dan as they break down why that is!Get Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Discord | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seeing beyond what seems to be real, seeing a ‘truth’ obscured from others—there seems to be a proper fascination with this exclusive gaze. We explore the notion of true sight in video games such as The Cat Lady and Fran Bow with Dr. Sarah Stang, Assistant Professor of Game Studies at Brock University in Canada.ShownotesMadness as True Sight in The Cat Lady and Fran Bow (Sarah Stang)Maiden, Mother, and Crone: Abject Female Monstrosity in Roleplaying Games (Sarah Stang)This is Sarah’s website: https://smstang.comGet Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.