Backstage Gaming

We're here to do our legally obligated Baldur's Gate 3 episode, but don't worry about spoilers. We're much more interested in why this game has exploded in the way that it has, and what its surge in popularity (and other games' like it) can tell us about how we engage with games as a community. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Lea...

This week, we work a little differently and talk through an episode we recorded for a different show! We recorded a Patreon-exclusive episode for the Unexplored Places in which we played Together Among the Stars by Takuma Okada, and we had such a good time that we needed to break down what made this game so special. Check out the Unexplored Places at unexploredcast.llibsyn.com, and take a look at...

This week, we're back to run out the second half of 2023 strong! Dylan and Chris get into the weeds of why it can be Really Fun to engage with games in suboptimal ways, and the surprising discoveries that can come out of that. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us on Patreon! (patreon.com/bsgpod)...

This one is Very Short, but we wanted you all to know that we are alive and that the podcast has not been fully abandoned. We'll be back in force soon, with some new ideas and some new projects in the tank! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we're more on our artsy bull than ever! We set out to talk about additions to remakes and re-releases of games that leave something to be desired, before RAPIDLY shifting into a discussion of the value of limitation, the interesting choices that come out of necessity, and how it feels to leave those things behind when they're no longer necessary. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of th...

This week, we dive into an even-more-naval-gazey-than-usual discussion of bygone genres of games. Or, perhaps, ways games ask us to engage with them less often these days. Or maybe... it gets a little rambly, but we promise it's a good time! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us on Patreon! (patre...

This week, we delivery a slightly smaller episode on a slightly smaller topic: games with compact worlds that you spend a lot of time in. From RPGs to Adventure Games to menu systems, we talk about how much of an impact a small, intimate space can have on a game's presentation! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Cons...

We return to the topic from a couple episodes ago, but from Chris's point-of-view this time. We go over the games and realizations that made Chris into the consumer of games that he is today, and wax a little poetic along the way! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us on Patreon! (patreon.com/bsgp...

Here we come, screaming back into the foreground to promise to do better about uploading regularly! For real this time! As we get back into the swing of things, we're naval gazey as ever, discussing how to best judge games as "finished products" in an era of patches, DLC, and continual games-as-service models, and we look at a few examples of games that purposefully don't follow those new ways. Ba...

This week, we kick off a two-week series and a new broad conversation starter: the games that made Dylan. We take a walk through games that had an impact on Dylan, his relationship with games, and the perspective he brings to the show. Come give a listen! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us on P...

This week, we tackle another big-picture topic with a couple of narrow dives: crossovers in games, how they relate to aesthetic and vibe, and how designing them well looks. To help us out, we do a couple of deep looks into Kingdom Hearts and Magic the Gathering. Come along! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider...

This week (or, more accurately, a few weeks ago, oops) we take a look at how games use puzzles of varying difficulties to draw us in, make us think, and tell their stories. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us on Patreon! (patreon.com/bsgpod) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...

This week, we return to proper, naval-gazey form for a rambling look at what makes us return to games over and over. From mechanics to vibes, we go over some of our favorite replays and what keeps us coming back. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us on Patreon! (patreon.com/bsgpod) Learn more abo...

This week, we're oddly topical once again as we dive into an overview of Tunic, a new isometric, Zelda-inspired adventure game with a LOT going on under the hood. From the game's presentation to avant-garde gaming in general, turns out there's a lot to break down in this little indie darling. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy...

This week, for the second time in a row, our topic is weirdly topical (at first). We chat about Elden Ring, its strange blending of genres, and why it feels so darn good to just explore, then veer off the rails into discussions of other strange instances of open-world game design. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? C...

This week, for something a little different, we talk about a couple new games that have dropped that are very much in our wheelhouses: King of Fighters 15 and Sifu. We talk engagement, aesthetic, presentation, and generally just chat about some new cool stuff. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us...

This week, Chris & Dylan take it easy and do a little talking about the recent Bidoof's Big Stand Pokemon short. Why does it work, what does it say, and what does it point towards? Find out today! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us on Patreon! (patreon.com/bsgpod) Learn more about your ad choic...

As long-time listeners may remember, we spent our first (and so far only, thanks pandemic) live show talking about weird and wild game advertisement campaigns from back in the day. Today, with a similarly wild energy but without a crowd laughing and eating up time, we go back to the topic to look at how ads have changed over time. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Net...

This week, we use one of Chris' growing passions to do a thorough overview of how principles of fight choreography and stunt design influence the kinds of games we play. From over the top to highly grounded, the way that games present their violence to the player does a lot of heavy lifting. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy...

This week, we take a long look at two related genres that we've been dabbling in recently: Metroid-vanias and Souls-likes. We get in deep about pacing, exploration, navigation, and how all of that comes together to influence how a story is told. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us on Patreon! (p...

This week, Dylan and Chris dive into a discussion of McGuffins; what they are, how they're used, and how adding them to game stories can be a little more complicated than it first seems! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us on Patreon! (patreon.com/bsgpod) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Happy Day After Halloween! For this week's festivities, we return to our old favorite of "Spot The Dud," where it's up to Dylan to guess the numerical ranking of a number of game reviews (and he does SHOCKINGLY well). Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us on Patreon! (patreon.com/bsgpod) Learn mor...

This week, we return from a long hiatus to chat about attract modes: those splashy trailers and snippets of gameplay that pop on when you've let a game idle on the title screen for too long. We talk about their arcade origins and the different ways they can impact how we think about the games we play. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitt...

This week, we're thrilled to once again have our friend Dakota Curry on to talk about concept art, illustration, and all the ways that artists put their minds to creating the games we love. Also, Chris enters a fugue state trying to succinctly summarize the rules of Magic the Gathering. Enjoy! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjo...

This week, we kick off a two part special looking at the visual design aspect of games. Today, we take a look at some fighting games near and dear to our hearts to figure out all the little ways that the designs of their characters make a difference to the feel of the game. And next time? Well... you'll just have to tune in and see! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast N...