Quick Play

priced out ••• Jake Martin and Mark talk about rising costs of keeping up with the latest and greatest games, where the audience is shifting in light of those rising costs, and if advertising will be ubiquitous in gaming. Let us know: What is the future of buying and consuming games? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickpla...

we <3 progression ••• Jake Martin and Mark talk about the dynamic of making progress being more compelling than the act of play within games, how that's changed over time from childhood to adulthood, and how games can uphold progress over fun. Let us know: What’s more fun: progress or goofing around? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @Quic...

failure is always an option ••• Skylar Hinnant (QA Tester at Bethesda and representative for The Bethesda Union) and Mark talk about the temperature in the games industry, the loss of a generation of developers, what scale looks like, and if there will even be anyone left to work in games. Let us know: what is the future of working in the games industry? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @...

life after layoffs ••• Skylar Hinnant (QA Tester at Bethesda and representative for The Bethesda Union) and Mark talk about Skylar's new day-to-day in a post (and still impending) layoff world at Bethesda, the union's role with those impacted by layoffs, and the long-term impacts of Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda. Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram:...

flavor blasted metroid ••• Parker Deal and Mark talk about the two recent Nintendo Directs, their highlights, the curse of expectations, and whether or not Ocarina of Time looks a little unreal. Let us know: What are your highlights from the Nintendo Directs? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social Threads:...

make it weird, make it new ••• Nate "SPyKe" Foote and Mark talk about the innovative gems out in the wild, what innovations the medium of games could see in the future, and what a truly "weird" game is. Let us know: what is the future of weird games? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.soci...

the dopamine hit vs. the really cool stuff ••• Nate "SPyKe" Foote and Mark talk about the lost art of unlockables in games, how paid DLC and dopamine hits have taken their place, and how we long for significant rewards in games and real life. Post Games episode referenced: " Games Can Save Us From the Hell of Silicon Valley Optimization " Let us know: What's your favorite u...

we built hypothetically perfect controllers ••• Trash Turkey and Mark talk about the best controllers out there and then describe their perfect franken-controllers. Let us know: What would your perfect franken-controller be? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social Threads: @QuickPlayPod Listen online: Quick...

discs: dead as disco? ••• Trash Turkey and Mark talk about current affairs in physical media, the place of physical games within the market, and what physical games look like in the future. Listen to the Bitesized Backlog Breakdown episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bite-sized-sonys-digital-disaster/id1403870501?i=1000777202959 Let us know: What is the future of physical games? Follow...

the good, the bad, and all of the above ••• Nate McKeever and Mark talk about the state of affairs in video game discourse, what the "middle ground" discourse could look like, and being a non-anxious presence. Let us know: What is the future of game discourse? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: ⁠@QuickPlayPod⁠ Instagram: ⁠@QuickPlayPod⁠ GG|: ⁠@QuickPlay⁠ Bluesky: ⁠@quickplaypod.bs...

ex-clusivity ••• Nate McKeever and Mark talk about the current state of exclusive games, their impact (or lack thereof) within the industry, and what exclusivity means for contentment overall. Let us know: Should console exclusive games exist? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social Threads: @QuickPlayPod L...

the quest for questions ••• Mark talks about the question-focused nature of the podcast, the benefits and differences between lateral and vertical questions, and how questions lead to better connections. Let us know: What are the best kind of questions about video games? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.soc...

bad news, good games ••• Mark receives a few transmissions from Trash Turkey, SPyKE, and Nate McKeever on the games they're playing this year, and how they feel about the industry at the halfway point of 2026. Let us know: How do you think 2026 is going? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social Threads:...

"the vibes are bad, but the games are good" ••• An assignment for you: how has 2026 been so far?  Send a link to your 2-3 min video or voice memo to quickplaypod@gmail.com .  To think about: “The vibes are bad, but the games are good?” Do you agree? Is the bad news overblown? Are you even paying attention to this news at all? Does the news impact how you enjoy playing games?  Are you eve...

the games that made it to my wishlist ••• Mark talks about the games from summer game fest and assorted showcases that piqued his interest, how some showcases hit, and a lil bit on console exclusivity. Let us know: What games from Summer Game Fest made it on your wishlist? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.s...

switch 2, year 2 ••• (Special early release for some cultural relevancy before the Nintendo Direct on June 9th!) Mark and Parker Deal talk about what’s ahead for the Switch 2, what could be coming, what Nintendo needs to change, and a few high hopes. They also check-in on their 2-year Switch 2 bingo cards. Corrections: Monster Hunter Wilds is confirmed to be in development for Switch 2. Call of Du...

switch 2 (year 1) in review ••• Mark and Parker Deal talk about the first year of the Switch 2, what's worked, what hasn't, and if the rumors of Weird Nintendo's death have been greatly exaggerated. Let us know: How has Switch 2's first year been? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social Thre...

a critical analysis ••• Mark and Landry Smith talk about what works and what doesn't in reviews lately, how the format has grown, and the place of reviews and critical analysis within the industry. Let us know: What is the future of game reviews? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social Threads: @QuickPl...

brand management! <3 ••• Mark and Landry Smith talk about how the games industry coverage is dominated by sales numbers and stats, how consumers take the role of shareholders, and the true meaning of content. Let us know: is games media too obsessed with numbers? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social T...

equal parts wonder and frustration ••• Mark and Nick Porch talk about the games their kids like, the frustrations of letting your kids play badly, and letting them play how they want. Let us know: How have you enjoyed video games with your kids? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social Threads: @QuickPlayPod...

the word/title association cohost challenge ••• Mark makes Josh Broccolo and Nate McKeever of The Backlog Breakdown read each other's minds and do a word/game title associate challenge, and talk a little about the common words found in game titles. Let us know: What word appears in too many game titles? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @Quic...

games of future past ••• Mark and Matthew Pilkington talk about the current emulation handheld market, the draw of retro games nowadays, and the ultimate role of emulation. Let us know: What is the future of emulation? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social Threads: @QuickPlayPod Listen online: Quick Play...

video games' greatest hits ••• Mark and Matthew Pilkington talk about the best fightin' in video games, how approaches to combat differ between genres, and the single greatest combat maneuver in video games. Let us know: What is the best combat system? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social Threads...

the biggest little games   •••   Mark talks about his highlights from the III Initiative Showcase, the varied backing behind indies, and the wild west of the indie scene. Let us know: What’s an indie game you’re looking forward to? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social Threads: @QuickPlayPod Listen online...

And other underappreciated mechanics in games ••• Mark and Parker Deal talk about an aspect of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom that may have been missed and misinterpreted, as well as other mechanics in games that go missed by the general populace. NOTE: This episode centers around a late-game spoiler for Tears of the Kingdom (post four regional phenomena). And also full spoilers for Journey. Let us k...