Backstage Gaming

After a much longer than anticipated hiatus, we're BACK, baybee! We do a bit of recapping what we've been up to in the last couple months, and lay some groundwork for some future episodes! Thanks for your patience, we're back and ready to roll! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us on Patreon! (pa...

This week, we use Ghost of Tsushima as a jumping-off-point to talk about the difference between Diagetic and Non-Diagetic game design elements. How do games give us information? How do they balance between in-world and UI-based information? All that and more right here! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider sup...

Today, we talk about combinations that are greater than the sum of their parts. Whether it's aesthetic or mechanical combinations, games have a unique ability to mash together disparate ideas to make something more. 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...

This episode isn't *really* about "The Discourse," but it's also not not about "The Discourse," so... brace yourselves. Mostly, it's about the role of realism (or lack of realism) in how games work and how their stories are told. Come along, won't you? Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us on Patr...

Hot on the heels of breaking down the character of Link last week, now it's time for each of us to tackle our own characters. From an example of a character twist to the importance of tactic choices, we get in the weeds and walk you even further through some of the process. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider...

Today is part one in a two-part special on character analysis. We go over the character arc of Link from Ocarina of Time, breaking it down as we would a character we would perform. Don't believe Link can have a character arc as a silent protagonist? You're wrong, and we'll tell you why! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our s...

This week, we're talking about what happens in-between play. How games choose to bridge the gaps between setpieces or levels can have a surprising impact on the overall feel of the game, and we dive into why that is and some games that come to mind. Come along! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting u...

This week, we do something that it's honestly shocking that we haven't done yet: we talk about music's place in the storytelling toolbox of games. From particularly memorable musical moments to character leitmotifs and genres, this is more of an overview, but who knows? Maybe we'll come back to this again before too long. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hp...

This week is weird. On the one hand, we're much more on our classic, theatrical analysis game. On the other hand... well, you'll see. 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.com/adchoices

Well, we've hit the point in this quarantine saga where Chris decides to tick EVERYONE off. This week, we talk a little bit about some genres that we think might need to be handled differently in games, in general. Agree? Disagree? Let us know! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show? Consider supporting us on Patreon! (pa...

Today, inspired by some of our recent gaming activity, we talk about trying new genres. What have we been playing that's new to us? Why do we recommend pushing those boundaries? It's all here, in a bite-sized package for your ears! 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/bsg...

Buying new games? All the time? In THIS economy? This week, we talk about how to get the most bang for your buck by exploring all the ways that people have made games harder on themselves. Enjoy! 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 choice...

For our second minisode, we decided to take things easy. No grand academic theses, no tenuous connections, just us talking about a handful of games we love that are helpings us through this trying time. An extra "Thank You" to the podcast SuperGGRadio for inspiring this topic! Check out their Twitter for their own take on this idea! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast N...

Welcome to the first of our bi-weekly, give-us-something-extra-to-do-during-social-distancing minisodes! Today, we talk Kingdom Hearts in the context of Power Creep, which we discussed a couple of weeks ago. How does KH engage with its protagonists' growing strength? Through the Power of Friendship! (Honestly, kinda) Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpod...

This week, we chat about nostalgia, remakes, and references. What's the difference between a nostalgic property that adds something versus one that's just trying to cash in on the nostalgia dollar? What are our favorite and least-favorite current examples of this? Come along and find out! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our...

This week, inspired by the new Dragon Ball Z game and all of the narrative... choices made by Dragon Ball as a franchise, we talk about power creep. What is it, how does it affect gameplay, and what is the impact it has on the narrative of a game? Also, Chris gushes a little bit about Sekiro and we shill REAL hard. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodne...

This very goofy title is courtesy of Dylan, and this episode has nothing to do with Kingdom Hearts. Instead, we're wrapping up our two-part reverse Writer's Room bit by going back to our personal white whale, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie. We've both consumed this film with our human eyes, and now it's time for us to face the music of all the crap we shoveled onto every piece of marketing this movi...

This week, a Dragon Quest veteran and a Dragon Quest newbie sit down together to talk about the new Netflix-distributed Dragon Quest film, "Your Story." Is it a good movie? Is it a good adaptation? Is it fun? We'll find out! And use this as an opportunity to do our usual Writers' Room style shows, but in reverse! Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetw...

Oh, hello! I didn't see you there. We're just stepping into this vocal booth to do a little bit of cold-reading and directing of one another in this nice, intimate podcast space. Come along, won't you? Maybe you'll learn something, too! 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.co...

Hello! Happy late episode! This week, we keep it short and sweet and spend our time musing on the surprising number of parallels between learning how to play a fighting game and learning how to be an actor. If that sounds weird, well... I guess you'll just have to tune in and find out what we mean. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter)...

This week, we're taking a surprisingly topical bent and talking about the newest character added to the roster of Super Smash Bros. More specifically, we take close looks at how Smash Bros. goes about adapting so many disparate genres and designs into its unique fighting-game blend. Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network (@hpvgpodnetwork on Twitter) Enjoy our show?...

This week, we chat puzzles, but maybe not in the way you're thinking. Puzzles and mysteries draw us in, and some games use this to their benefit, even if they don't seem like "Puzzle Games" on the surface. 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...

This week, we decide to chat about how games start. First impressions are important, and the way a game kicks off can do wonders to help set up a player's immersion and expectations for the experience they're about to have. Also, Dylan talks about like 7 Final Fantasy games in a shockingly small amount of time. Also included: Tasteful Pizza Nudity, a Sip of Alucard, and Maintaining our Brand Backs...

This week, Dylan brings a delectable selection to the table; a variety of games from the late 90's and early 00's, early adopters of the wonderful world of 3D graphics. We look at reviews from when these games came out, are awed by some master wordsmiths, and see how much the intervening decades have impacted how we think about these games. Also included: Gamespot Time Capsule, Miyamoto Clones, KY...

With Dylan busy for the holiday, Chris goes rogue this week for a short, sweet, and slightly more produced episode. He talks about games with branching stories, the beauty of discovery, and how much he dislikes using the word "True" in reference to games. He even went nuts and created a basic beat to underscore the show! Find that at: https://soundcloud.com/user-985292243/bsg-groove Backstage Gami...