Origin Story

In this episode of Study Hall, returning guest Joe Ostrander (of The Joeys fame) helps unpack the Killers of the Flower Moon. Does Scorsese still have the juice? When is the best time to pee during this movie? Should Joe be tried at the Hague for his current top ten 2023 movies list? These questions and so much more on the latest episode of Study Hall. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp Visit...

Jacob Geller is a YouTube video-essayist whose work grapples with video games, history, politics, empathy, and more. Recently his criticism has engaged with the politics of climate change and art in the pre-apocalypse as well as media preservation in the digital age. We talked with him about video essays as an art form and what it means that they are the most popular form of criticism.  Hosted by...

Christine Lai grew up in Canada and lived in England for six years during graduate studies. She holds a PhD in English Literature from University College London. Landscapes was shortlisted for the inaugural Novel Prize. Christine currently lives in Vancouver. We talk to Christine about Landscapes and our enduring relationship to art - even at the end of the world.  Hosted by Phillip Russell and Be...

Jamel Brinkley is the author of a new short story collection called Witness and previously published the short story collection  A Lucky Man which was a finalist for the National Book Award, the Story Prize, the John Leonard Prize, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award; and winner of a PEN Oakland Award and the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence.  His wri...

In this episode of Study Hall, returning guest Joe Ostrander (of The Joeys fame) helps unpack the Spiderverse. Can two lit majors finally make peace with the canon? Will Miles Morales be forced into a flesh-and-blood body? What was Pter Ptarker's canon event, anyway? Find the answers to these questions and more on the latest episode of Study Hall.    Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp   Visit...

Hannah Nicklin is the creative director at Die Gute Fabrik, an award-winning game studio based in Denmark. Their latest game, Salt Sea Chronicles, was recently announced to release later this year. Hannah previously worked on the narrative design, writing, and production of the game Mutazione. Outside of making games, Hannah is an artist and performer, her book Writing for Games: Theory & Practice...

Victor LaValle is the author of a short story collection, five novels, and is also the creator and writer of two comic books.  His novel, The Changeling, will soon be airing on Apple TV+ starring LaKeith Stanfield. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including the World Fantasy Award, British Fantasy Award, Bram Stoker Award, Whiting Writers' Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship,and many more....

Josh Sawyer is a studio design director for Obsidian Entertainment. He has worked as the director on Pentiment, Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2, and Fallout: New Vegas. His most recent title, Pentiment, has won numerous awards including the Nebula for best game writing and best narrative and game of the year at the Game Developers Choice Awards.  Pentiment  is a historical narrative-driven game focusi...

Austin Walker is the IP Director at the game studio Possibility Space. He has an extensive background in gaming journalism and criticism. He holds a Masters in Aesthetics and Politics from CalArts and also served as the Editor in Chief for Waypoint and Host of Waypoint Radio. Since 2014, Austin has hosted the popular tabletop roleplaying podcast Friends at the Table, and co-host the Star Wars podc...

In this episode of Study Hall, Ben and Phil talk about Resident Evil. Specifically, the new release of Resident Evil 4 Remake, how it holds up compared to the original and how Ben is getting a little scared while playing Resident Evil 2 Remake.   Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp   Visit our website: Originstory.show   Follow us on Twitter @originstory_   Do you have feedback or questions fo...

We're back to shoot the shit about what we're reading, playing, and watching. Why The Black Count by Tom Reiss rules and a long discussion of The End of the English Major. Come listen.   Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp   Visit our website: Originstory.show   Follow us on Twitter @originstory_   Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com   Cover art and w...

Natalie Watson is a producer at Half Mermaid Productions where she worked on Immortality. Previously she was a games critic for Vice’s games outlet Waypoint. She also co-owns the successful Star Wars podcast "A More Civilized Age” alongside former editor-in-chief Austin Walker, Rob Zacnay, and Ali Acampora. We talked to Natalie about her work on Immortality, the games journalist to game dev pipeli...

Xalavier Nelson Jr. is a writer and narrative designer who also founded the game studio Strange Scaffold. He is most well known for titles such as Hypnospace Outlaw, Can Androids Pray, An Airport For Aliens Currently Run By Dogs, and more. He’s currently working on titles such as Sunshine Shuffle, and the neo-noir shooter El Paso, Elsewhere. We talked to Xalavier about trying to create sustainabil...

It's a new year and Phil has a new job and a new lease on life. We give a general life update and see whether the new job offers any new insights into game dev. Plus a look back on some of our fave things of 2022 and one of the games we're both enjoying right now: Chained Echoes. Come listen.   Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp   Visit our website: Originstory.show   Follow us on Twitter @or...

Come one, come all to an episode where we introduce and announce the Joey awards. Named after special guest Joe Ostrander, who represents the entire voting body of the Joeys, we discuss his picks for best movies, performances, and directors of the year. It may *seem* a lot like the Oscars but no, it's absolutely not, it's the Joeys.   You can follow Joe Ostrander on Letterboxd @ostyghosty   Hosted...

"Study Hall," a series of short conversations between Ben, Phil, and people they admire about a particular work or what's fueling their creative lives right now.   Expect informal conversations with new and familiar names in the games, film, music, and writing world. Think of it like an audio newsletter, a taste of what we're up to off the air, now recorded.   This week we talk about a new Senegal...

Sam Barlow is the writer and director of Immortality, Telling Lies, and Her Story and the founder of the Half Mermaid production company. His most recent games are interactive fiction experiences that allow players to search through archives of footage such as police interrogations and video calls. Sam’s latest game, Immortality, asks players to comb through footage from three unreleased movies to...

Graham Parkes is the Writer and Creative Director of Before Your Eyes, a game about the fleeting nature of life that garnered attention because of its eye-tracking technology and the integration of blinks into the narrative of the gameplay. We talk to Graham about trying to capture the fleeting nature of life in a video game. We also discuss how Graham felt he and his friends working on the projec...

In the second episode of Study Hall, we're diving into the Xenoblade series with writer Autumn Wright. Autumn has written extensively about the Xenoblade games, including with their coverage of Xenoblade 3 for Polygon. We talk with Autumn about what drew them into the series, why you have to go all in on the games, and how to know if you're susceptible to Xenoblade brain worms.   Follow Autumn on...

Episode Description Gareth Damien Martin (They/Them) is an award-winning writer, designer and artist. Their first game, In Other Waters won the Jury Prix at IndieCade Europe. Most recently, they’ve released the critically acclaimed role playing game Citizen Sleeper which places players in the role of an escape worker on a lawless space station on the edge of interstellar society and explores theme...

Episode Description Neil Jones is a game artist currently working out of Detroit, MI. Jones is an artist and game designer who worked on indie titles like Clique and Aerial Knight’s Never Yield. Neil garnered a lot of attention after his game was featured as part of Nintendo's 2021 indie world showcase. We talk with him about creating new DLC for Never Yield through listening to fan feedback, and...

We present you our new side show "Study Hall," a series of short conversations between Ben, Phil, and people they admire about a particular work or what's fueling their creative lives right now. Expect informal conversations with new and familiar names in the games, film, music, and writing world. Think of it like an audio newsletter, a taste of what we're up to off the air, now recorded. Visit ou...

After years of working in the service industry, Eric Obenauf had an idea for an indie press that opened up space to publish bold, edgy, new voices he admired in the literature he loved. With the help of his wife Eliza the couple created Two Dollar Radio. Two Dollar Radio is an indie press founded in 2005 with the mission to reaffirm the cultural and artistic spirit of the publishing industry. With...

Devin McKnight is a musician and songwriter currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Previously hes played guitar in rock projects such as Speedy Ortiz, Grass is Green, and Philadelphia Collins. At the moment, his main focus is the rock band he fronts, Maneka(Monica), which fuses elements of jazz, improvisation, math rock and shoegaze. Under this project he’s released three records Is This You, Devin, and...

Abhi is a Game Designer and Programmer working on his new narrative cooking game, Venba. Together with his Sam Elkana, the Art Director for the game, the two head Visai Studios, based in Toronto-based. Venba is a narrative cooking game, where you play as an Indian immigrant mom, who immigrates to Canada with her family in the 1980s. Players will cook various dishes and restore lost recipes, hold b...