Studying Pixels

With its plague themed setting and its sprinkles of role-play mechanics, Thymesia attempts to employ the strengths of Soulsborne games and run with them. But does it manage to stand out enough? Here’s our review!Get Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Technically, JRPG simply stands for Japanese Role-Playing Game. Yet, it seems like the genre ascription has taken on a life of its own. Is every RPG made in Japan automatically a JRPG? And what differentiates them from Western RPGs? Here’s our take on the matter!ShownotesJapanische Rollenspiele: Was macht ein Spiel zum JRPG? – Podcast E054 (Behind the Screens)Get Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Each year a new, mainline Pokémon game comes and goes. This time, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet promise a continuation of the series’ tradition while also integrating the innovations of recent titles. We discuss what we know so far.ShownotesOur Pokémon Legends: Arceus reviewEverything we know about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (Nicole Carpenter)Pokémon Presents Showcase August 2022 (The Pokémon Company)Get Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some games are designed to be played over and over again. And others, we just return to every once and while for comfort, insight, or even self-reflection. We discuss how we replay games and how our approaches have changed over time.ShownotesWe mentioned that Dan was a guest on last week’s episode of The Pike Horror Show to talk about a whole range of horror movies. Here’s the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Episode image by BugWarp, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.Get Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some games deliberately hide certain mechanics to make player actions feel more satisfying—such as barely escaping death—or secretly track player actions to determine the ending they are going to see. In this episode we are opening some black boxes for a sneak peak!ShownotesGames aren’t always fair, the magic lies in making you think they are (Jennifer Scheurle)The genius of Silent Hill 2's endings (MegaBearsFan)Get Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Video games have repeatedly intersected with fake news. Whether it is the absurd claim that Hideo Kojima assassinated the former prime minister Shinzo Abe, the deliberate use footage from Arma 3 by Russian media, or the mishaps of CNN and BBC who included video game footage in news reporting. We discuss these cases and many more in order to discern why it keeps happening and what the detrimental consequences might be.ShownotesLegal action threatened as Hideo Kojima falsely linked to Shinzo Abe assassination (Andy Robinson)Video game misrepresented as footage of Ukraine invasion (Josh Kelety)Some Of The Most Popular 'Ukraine Footage' Is Actually A Video Game (Luke Plunkett)Russian News Accidentally Airs Video Game Clip During Segment On Syrian War (Cecilia D’Anastasio)CNN Shows Fallout Computer Terminal In A Video About Russian Hacking (Ethan Gach)News Station Uses Metal Gear Solid V Pic For Report On Child Soldiers (Gergo Vas)Russian Military Uses Video Game Screenshot To Allege US Support For ISIS (Ethan Gach)Russian State TV Airs Video Game Clip as Real War Footage (Matt Novak)Russian 'Proof' That the US Is Helping ISIS Is Actually From a Video Game (Matt Novak)Russia Just Tweeted a Video Game Screenshot to Show Chemical Weapons Trucks (Matt Novak)Get Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever played a game and just thought to yourself: “wow, I would really love to take a vacation in that world”? – Well, we certainly have! Here are our top picks, ten game worlds that would make for a splendid getaway.Website | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most of us have done it at some point, possibly without any awareness of the harm it might cause. After all, piracy has for a long time been an integral part of video game culture. To discuss whether there is any moral angel from which piracy can be justified, we collaborate with Shlomo Sher, Philosophy professor at California State University Fullerton, and Andy Ashcraft, veteran game designer and lecturer in Game Design and Screenwriting at the New York Film Academy, from the Ethics and Video Games podcast.ShownotesPC piracy survey results: 35 percent of PC gamers pirate (Wes Fenlon)How Serious is Piracy in the Videogame Industry? (Nobuya Fukugawa)Twitter | Instagram | Reddit Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Men must be strong, show little emotion, and speak with violence—that is an exceedingly common trope in video games, referred to as hypermasculinity. We explore the concept of hypermasculinity to then focus on games that subvert or deconstruct it.ShownotesMeasuring a macho personality constellation (Donald L. Mosher and Mark Sirkin)Walking, Talking and Playing with Masculinities in Firewatch (Melissa Kagen)Studying Pixels Plus 2. How Yakuza worksWebsite | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After it’s surprise hit Until Dawn, Supermassive Games has rather consistently underwhelmed fans of cinematic, decision-based horror games. The Quarry is its attempt to return to form. With a couple of teenagers on the last night at summer camp, does this spiritual sequel stick the landing? Here’s our spoiler-free review!Get Studying Pixels PlusWebsite | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since E3 is taking an extended vacation, Geoff Keighley has taken it upon himself to fill the summer lull with a major showcase. But does it live up to expectations? We go over the high- and lowlights of Summer Game Fest 2022.ShownotesSummer Game Fest 2022 Full Presentation (GameSpot)Summer Game Fest Showcase 2022: Everything Announced Including The Last of Us Remake for PS5 (Adam Bankhurst)Website | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do we have a moral obligation towards virtual characters? Or do games threaten to corrupt our understanding of virtue? Time to continue our conversation about violence in video games; this time with Markus Schulzke’s Defending the Morality of Violent Video Games.In our side quests, we then talk about France trying to maintain the purity of its language, Elon Musk trying to get away not crediting people, and the endless journey that is Elden Ring.Shownotes00:07:52 Reading Schulzke’s Defending the Morality of Violent Video Games (2010)Studying Pixels 33. Reading Waddington’s Locating the Wrongness in Ultra-Violent Video Games01:00:04 France bans English gaming tech jargon in push to preserve language purity (The Guardian)01:06:09 Elon Musk Gets into Embarrassing Fight with Video Game Site, Loses (Ashley Bardhan)01:11:42 Elden RingWebsite | Discord | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How about we advertise a new game by paying off people’s speeding tickets for one day? Or, even better, how about we showcase a dead goat for some extra PR? Or maybe we plaster the inner city with racist billboards? – Sometimes it is truly impressive what publishers come up with to draw attention to their games. We go through 10 of the arguably most terrible marketing choices ever made.In our side quests, we refresh our minds on the beauty of Xenoblade Chronicles and ponder some special quirks in the way we play Elden Ring.Shownotes00:02:36 Terrible Marketing Choices00:57:31 Xenoblade Chronicles01:03:41 Elden RingWebsite | Discord | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The list of controversies revolving around violence in video games is long. But is there anything morally wrong with explicit violence in games? And moreover, where does our the apprehension towards violence in games come from? Join us for a reading of David I. Waddington’s Locating the Wrongness in Ultra-Violent Video Games.In our side quests, we discuss Microsoft’s DRM policy, the rumours circulating around a new Silent Hill game, and the indirect return of Fortnite to the App Store.Shownotes00:09:04 Reading David I. Waddington’s Locating the Wrongness in Ultra-Violent Video GamesStudying Pixels Plus 2. How the ESRB works01:06:52 Microsoft's dodgy DRM comes into the limelight, and no-one's smiling (Martin Robinson)01:13:13 Konami just "confirmed" the rumors of a new Silent Hill game (Ray Ampoloquio)01:19:30 After a 2-year absence, 'Fortnite' is back on iPhones — but not the App Store (Ben Gilbert)Website | Discord | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars games thrived under the LucasArts label. Spanning genre and platform alike, there was no shortage of interesting and compelling video game stories told in the broader Star Wars universe. But what happened after Disney bought out Lucasfilm? This week, we explore two very different eras of Star Wars games and look ahead to what’s in store for their future!In our side quests, we discuss Square Enix selling IPs like Tomb Raider and Deus Ex to Embracer Group, the addition of Ocarina of Time into the Video Game Hall of Fame, playing Elden Ring without a helmet, and N64 as well as Sega Genesis games on the Nintendo Switch.Shownotes00:05:08 Star Wars Video Games: A Fraught History00:41:34 Embracer Group purchases several Square Enix studios and IPsEmbracer Group enters into an agreement to acquire Eidos, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montréal amongst other assets (Embracer PR Release)Execution of Share Transfer Agreement with Change to Subsidiaries (Square Enix Press Release)Here’s why Deus Ex and Tomb Raider could thrive under Embracer (Christopher Dring)00:55:26 Ocarina of Time headlines Video Game Hall of Fame class of 2022 (Ryan Gilliam)00:57:40 Elden Ring01:01:00 Playing N64 and Sega Genesis Games on the SwitchWebsite | Discord | Twitter | Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.