80-Bit Podsmash

Penguin & Termite do another genre deep dive. This week, we discuss Action Role Playing Games(ARPGs)! Walk with us through this ambiguous genre as we discuss the history, evolution and influence that the ARPG genre has brought to the video game industry. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ https:/...

Penguin & Termite discuss the current state of games journalism. We discuss the kinds of journalism present in the video game industry and how video games should be evaluated. Is there a political bias? We compare hard-hitting exposes vs technical writing as well. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/u...

Penguin & Termite talk about video game live streams. Essentially, a market dominated by Twitch. How has the introduction of this culture affected the video game industry? Are video now developed with streaming in mind? Is this what we want as consumers? We discuss! Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0...

Penguin & Termite "celebrate" Valentine's Day with a discussion around video game couples! We also ship a few of our own. We discuss what relationships bring to video game storytelling and celebrate our favorite couples over the years. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite start to scratch the surface of a huge crossover between video games and anime. We explore anime and video game adaptations, crossovers, and influences. Come join in on the conversation all about anime and video games. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Eric Skiff- Jumpshot https://ericskiff.com/music/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite kick off a new series where we take a deep dive in discussing specific video game consoles. We put the soul in console. This week, it's all about the Sega Genesis. We discuss the hardware, accessories, history, impact, and a definitive list of games for the console. The console wars were at their height in the 90s with the Nintendo SNES vs the Sega Genesis, come hear Penguin & Te...

Penguin & Termite reminisce about memory cards in video games. Join us in our discussion about these archaic, proprietary devices that were used for so many years. We explore where are they now, how far the industry has come, and what saving our game data looks like in the future? Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by...

Penguin & Termite close out the year with a discussion of all things 2019. We have so much to talk about, such as what the gaming industry did, what games we've played and how our podcast has changed. We also vote for our video game superlatives and top downloaded episodes. We finish with some future plans for 2020. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - Not My Ship http://ozzed.net ht...

Penguin & Termite's final entry in the series of topics analyzing the different decades in gaming history. We are celebrating a new decade by visiting the 2010s. We analyze the culture of the decade, how the industry has evolved, how business models have changed, and talk about notable games from the decade. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - No Fight But Cool http://ozzed.net http...

Penguin & Termite close the year out around the holiday celebrations by basking in the idea of religion. We run through some fictional religions in popular video game franchises and discuss why developers use them as a storytelling medium. Come join us at: Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - No Fight But Cool http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite discuss generosity and gift giving strategies around the Holidays. Our DLC will be a video game present exchange. Come see what we give each other. We also discuss how video game companies in the industry are generous and give back. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - 12 Days of ChristNES http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite's latest entry in our Developer Profile series of topics. This time we talk all about Obsidian Entertainment, the developers of the GoTY nominee, Outer Worlds! Did you know they got their footing with Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2? The founders used to work for Black Isle Studios making Icewind Dale and Fallout 2. Come join us as we explore Obsidian Entertainment. Disco...

Penguin & Termite tackle the question "Do I need to play all other games to enjoy the next one?" Why are long franchises intimidating to jump in on? Has this trend gotten worse? Come join us to find out. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - No Fight But Cool http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite answer the question: "Is it better to reward player skill or time investment in video games?" Which is better for players? Which is better for developers/publishers? Has this evolved over the years? Check it out! Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - No Fight But Cool http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

This Thanksgiving, Penguin & Termite discuss the very American tradition of Black Friday. Where did it originate? How has it affected the video game industry over the years? We answer these questions and more! Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - No Fight But Cool http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite's third entry in the series of topics analyzing the different decades in gaming history. This time we bring in a guest to visit the 1980s, the explosion of the video game industry bubble. We analyze the culture of the time, the very arcade heavy video game business during this era and talk about notable entries in the decade. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - No...

Penguin & Termite discuss video games going mainstream. Does appealing to the mainstream market compromise the art and vision of video games? What's been going on in the indie development space? Who should developers make video games for? We discuss all this and more! Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - No Fight But Cool http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/...

Penguin & Termite release a very important, follow-up episode, about the recent behaviors of Blizzard Entertainment through #BlizzCon2019 regarding the Hong Kong protests and their punishment of HearthStone Grandmaster winner, Blitzchung. We will catch you up on all of what has been going on as well as give you our responses on how Blizzard has handled their "apology." Should we indeed still #Boyc...

Penguin & Termite, inspired by the recent trend to patch a New Game Plus mode into video games, decided to discuss the feature. Where'd it come from? What has it looked like since? What will New Game Plus look like in the future. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - No Fight But Cool http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite are taken over once again by Halloween! We "celebrate" the holiday by kicking off a new series, focusing on monsters in video games. This year we tackle Vampires. How do video games represent Vampires? Are Vampires compelling archetypes in video games? Music: The Guillotine Factory - Assembly Line http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/   Discord: https://discord.gg/...

When is it appropriate for video game developers to innovate within a franchise? What about reboots and re-releases? When is it smart to stay the course and make a sequel that plays like the original? Penguin & Termite discuss! Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - No Fight But Cool http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

The very same day that the news of Blizzard firing Blitzchung debacle happened, some very important information came from Sony. Way more information about the PlayStation 5. So much info, that Penguin & Termite decided to have an entire episode about it! Come listen to us go through the information presented and our thoughts on the future of gaming. https://blog.us.playstation.com/2019/10/08/an-up...

Penguin & Termite release a very important, breaking news development, about the protests in Hong Kong and the recent behaviors of Blizzard Entertainment. We will catch you up on all of what's going on as well as give you our hot take on the issues at hand. Should we indeed #BoycottBlizzard ? Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - No Fight But Cool http://ozzed.net http://creativecommo...

Penguin & Termite do another genre deep dive. This week, we discuss real-time strategy games (RTS)! Walk with us through the history, evolution and influence that the RTS genre has brought to the video game industry. Playstation's State of Play: https://kotaku.com/everything-playstation-announced-in-todays-state-of-pla-1838415976 Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - No Fight But Cool...

Penguin & Termite discuss Portable Gaming! We look at how this is different from mobile gaming as well as the history of portable games, our favorite games and consoles, and its relevancy in the industry today. Nintendo has a hit on their hands with the Switch. Music: Ozzed - No Fight But Cool http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/   Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEg...