Overthinking Games

A very horny episode overthinkinggamespodcast@gmail.com Find us on: Youtube Apple Podcasts Spotify Tik Tok/Instagram Bluesky Theme music is copyright free and from: https://www.youtube.com/@Pixverses

Loneliness Join us as our loneliness diminishes because Brett, of Lore’d to Death, joins the whole gang for a regular episode of Overthinking Games! We discuss loneliness in videogames; dissect isolation vs. solitude; repeatedly talk over each other as we learn to be a 4-person band; and everyone wishes they could just play Silksong instead of being adults with jobs. Also, check out our YouTube! W...

Its Silksong Day!!!  overthinkinggamespodcast@gmail.com Find us on: Youtube Apple Podcasts Spotify Tik Tok/Instagram Bluesky Theme music is copyright free and from: https://www.youtube.com/@Pixverses

We finally talk about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Check out Ran's Tik Tok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@ranran.words?_t=ZT-8zXGsP3jqY3&_r=1

This week, Katie picked yet another topic she didn’t really understand well, and maybe we all will understand it a smidgeon better by the end. Maybe… Teleological thinking is “means to an end” kind of thinking, and non-teleological thinking is more like “the journey, not the destination” thinking. We discuss the way these two kinds of thinking can influence the games we play and how we play them,...

This week, Dempsey and Katie play shoulder advocates on either side of Seth’s quandary: should he get a Nintendo Switch 2? This existential question leads us into the question of “value,” and what it takes for something to be “worth it.” Katie continues to be alarmingly anti-Nintendo, Dempsey wants to watch the world burn, and Seth is not helped much by either one. Are you getting a Switch 2? Why...

This week, Dempsey’s real-life action adventure game called “being a documentarian” leads us into dark, claustrophobic caves, wide open worlds, environmental story-telling, and the power of setting in video games. Send us an email with your favorite video game setting, or a place you’d love to see a game set; we’d love to hear from you! overthinkinggamespodcast@gmail.com Find us on: Apple Podcasts...

What do Celeste, The Binding of Isaac and Hellblade have in common? Interesting approaches to talking about mental health, of course! This week we get into the weeds about mental health in games, the relationship between player mental health and games, and society’s portrayal of and broader conversation about mental health. Games also discussed: Elden Ring: Nightreign, Balatro, Crush House, Arcade...

Waiting sucks! Except for when it…doesn’t. Why can waiting for an upcoming, scheduled release feel like Advent (thank Seth for that one), but waiting for Silksong incites insanity among its fanbase? Is there a difference between delayed gratification, and gratification delayed(that one was Katie’s fault…)? How does player agency tie into all this? Join us as we discuss waiting and video games, as...

In this special episode, we miss Seth, and Dempsey and Katie are joined by Nicholas Crawford, philosopher and author of the upcoming book, "Where We've Made it Dark," a literary apocalypse novel available at Barnes and Noble on October 21st, 2025. Nicholas has been making excellent content on Tik-Tok about The Last of Us season 2, and we take the opportunity to go into a deep dive w...

Games and Gender This week, we circle back round to a topic that continues to be a font of curiosity and conversation: games and gender! Are games gendered? (Dempsey repeatedly says “girl games”, much to Katie’s chagrin) How does a person’s identified gender impact their relationship or interaction with games? We don’t know, but we had a good time talking about it! We also share a listener email f...

We need Katie back :(

Katie usually does this. 

Like games but on the side. 

Nintendo Direct Welcome to Overthinking Games, a…current events podcast??? Nah, not really, but this week, we give it a shot because we needed to discuss the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct! (Including a 2 second shot of Silksong…we feel that maybe Nintendo didn’t understand the impact that was going to have on their audience) Also discussed: Dempsey has played a lot of games in the past few weeks, and t...

This week's topic was suggested by Seth's girlfriend, thanks for your great idea! This week, we discuss character creation- do aesthetics matter? (hint: yep, they sure do...sometimes) Who do we want to be in games - idealized versions, accurate representations, outlandish others? What kind of representation makes us more engaged in a game?  Also discussed: Cat Needs, Black Ops Zombies, M...

A new episode. Kind of a filler episode bth. 

Bigger Number, Better Person This week, we discuss our tried and true mantra of "bigger number, better person," its role in video games, and how it ties into real life, from support roles in Marvel Rivals, racking up kills on Warzone, merit-based pay, and good grades in school.  Also discussed: Bokura, Magic the Gathering, and "The Case for Mars"  If you have ideas for a topic...

The One Where We Forgot the Topic Was Procedural Generation Welcome to this week’s episode, where Katie brings a topic she doesn’t know much about, and everyone argues about definitions! No, really, this week we try to talk about procedural generation vs. curated design, and end up embroiled in roguelikes, as one does.  Also mentioned: Final Fantasy 7, Marvel Rivals, and games that are boring but...

Katie wasn't here and show notes are hard.  Theme music is copyright free and from: https://www.youtube.com/@Pixverses

This week, we are joined by special guest Rob Jonas, a vocational rehabilitation counselor, the original 3rd member of Overthinking Games and rehabilitation therapist, to talk about accessibility and gaming!  Games discussed: Assassin's Creed, Star Wars Outlaw, Astrobot, Warzone (of course), Runescape (of course), Fromsoft Games, and a myriad other titles!  Send us an email and tell us about...

Record Dec 6th, 2024 Simulation  This week, we discuss simulation in games; when is it fun, when is it tiresome? Why do we love to simulate eating and petting dogs? Is it the avaricious dragon of resource hoarding that lives within us all? In our Honorable Mention, we get unexpectedly into current events, and Dempsey is thinking about starting a cult. Let us know your thoughts on simulation  Send...

 It's our favorite time of year when we recap the greatest (and a few of the least great) games we played this year! Our GOTY list runs the gamut from new releases (Astrobot, anybody?) to golden oldies (The Long Dark came out HOW long ago?!), and everything in between. Join us as we gush over our favorite games, then send us an email with your favorite games or gaming experiences in 2024, and...

This week, we discuss gaming with nongamers; the joys, the pitfalls, and perhaps a system of progression to help nongamers join our ranks…One of us! One of us!  Big shout out to Katie’s good friend, Ro, who embarked on her first video game adventure with Little Nightmares and made the experience all the richer for her unique perspective and enthusiasm! What’s the best game to introduce to nongamer...

This episode, we discuss what makes for a game you can’t quit playing. Whether it’s Warzone, RuneScape, or Slay the Spire, there are games we’ve put hundreds (thousands?) of hours into. What makes a thousand hour game? What is the pull that keeps us coming back, and why don’t these games tend to actually be our favorites? Join us as we dig into these questions and more. What game can you pour hour...