The Experience Points Podcast

Every now and then Scott and I like to take a break from our usual schedule and actually chat about - you guessed it - video games. This may be hard to believe, but we actually do play a decent amount of games ourselves. This week on the EXP podcast, Scott and I discuss what we've been playing. We touch on  The Walking Dead ,  Metroid: The Other M ,  Magic the Gathering: 2013 ,  Demon Souls  and a...

Is the goal of photorealistic graphics and the prevalence of gritty shooters at odds with the role of imagination in video games? In a recent column, Steven Boone wonders if the influence of realistic, violent games limits their creative potential. We use the piece as a starting point to talk about how aesthetic style impacts the experience of playing a game. Do today's high resolution, violent, a...

Scott recently paid a visit to our fine nation's capital. Besides having tea with the Obama family, he visited a the cornucopia of stellar Smithsonian museums, including the American Art Museum that currently houses the first ever "Art of Video Games" exhibit. The collection highlights a treasure trove of material, albeit still a small segment of the industry as a whole. Scott and I discussed thei...

Supergiant Games  released  Bastion  on XBLA back in 2011, but many players, including Scott, only recently had a chance to play the award-winning game when it joined other stellar works in the  Humble Indie Bundle . This week on the podcast, Scott and I revisit one of my favorite games of 2011. Join us while we discuss what makes the game so special and the best way to bring the story to a powerf...

As you may know, Scott and I are avid thatgamecompany fans,  particularly of Journey , their latest masterpiece. It was such a rewarding and almost mystical experience we did not want it to end. Steven Poole, however, thought it should have ended just a tad sooner. This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I discuss Poole's claim that Journey's ending is a "cop out" and, more importantly, examine th...

This week, Jorge and I take a trip to the theater and discuss the recently-released  Indie Game: The Movie . It's a documentary featuring the creative folks behind three of the most well-known independent games of the past few years:  Braid ,  Super Meat Boy , and  Fez . The movie offers a glimpse of the extremely personal journey of making a video game and explores the personal and professional c...

We made the drive back up to Northern California, but left pieces of ourselves back in the Los Angeles the convention center - mostly the tired and exhausted parts. This week on the show, Scott and I revisit our experience at E3 and chat about our general thoughts on the show, the weird experience such an industry show creates, and some of our video game favorites and let downs. Surely you watched...

E3 is over! Right now a giant Sonic the Hedgehog statue sits in the dark, international developers are flying over the Atlantic ocean, and thousands of swag collectors are rummaging through their treasures like a child on Halloween night. While the show came to a close, Scott and I still had plenty of games to check out, some exciting and original works and other supreme disappointments. Thanks ag...

It's the second day of E3!  Jorge and I spent a lot of time with the big publishers today.  We saw high profile titles like Black Ops 2 and Dishonored, but we also carved out space for more niche games like Papa & Yo and Dust 514.  We hope you enjoy the recap and we're looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the show in the comments! To listen to the podcast: - Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via...

The E3 2012 show floor doors burst open today, letting industry professional tossing out business cards like they were beads on Mardi Gras, media reps carrying enough stress to kill an elephant, a horde of ravenous fans hungry for glorious swag. Scott and I sauntered in at some point too, a tad confused and more than a little curious. We took Day 1 of the show relatively slow, but we still have pl...

California is big and brown and has very little 3G/4G wireless coverage in its middle. Regardless, Jorge and I have made it safely down to Los Angeles for E3 2012 while still managing to catch the all-important press conferences for Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, and Sony. Join us while we discuss each conferences larger themes and our first impressions about what E3 has to offer. If you caught the strea...

The same gaming lull is here, but out gaming habits are as vibrant as ever. Believe or not, but Scott and I do find time in our busy schedule to actually play games. This week we take a break to chat about the games we have been playing recently, from everyone's favorite Blizzard release to an unexpectedly enjoyable side-scrolling MOBA. Let us know what you have been enjoying lately in the comment...

We all know there's no such thing as ghosts (right...?), but what about virtual ghosts?  This week, inspired by Jason Johnson's piece on Red Dead Redemption's haunted mansion , we discuss the myths, urban legends, and tall tales that crop up around games.  We talk about the ways games facilitate far out theories and why mysteries are so alluring to players.  Of course, you can't have conspiracies...

There are some truly stunning game players out there, people who can shoot, soar, jump, and score through the most difficult gaming challenges around. They show a true mastery over game systems. But does this make them good critics? How good at games do we have to be to contribute the most valuable video game discussions? This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I tackle an excellent article by Kyl...

We try to stretch, maybe do some breathing exercises, and envision that "happy place" in our mind's eye, but even the best of us experience game-related grumpiness.  This week, thanks to Mitch Krpata's recent and refreshingly honest appraisal of his video game raging, we talk about games that make us mad.  We touch on everything from specific games to the ways frustration manifests itself, while t...

I may be a low-down dirty cheat, but I am not alone. In fact, plenty of people glitch against walls, harvest the brilliant internet hive-mind for puzzle solutions, or ask the twitterverse how to build the sweetest weapons and armor. Are we losing something or gaining something by cheating? And why do we cheat in the first place? Join Scott and I while we discuss these questions, our own cheating h...

Jorge and I are always going on about why games are valuable, but we're usually talking about their artistic, social, and cultural value.  This week, we focus more on the bottom line.  Inspired by Chris Kohler's fantastic article about game pricing and the effects of the used market, we talk about the monetary factors that influence the games we play and how we perceive the industry.  It's huge to...

As we mentioned over the last few podcasts, this week on the show, Scott and I discuss Ready Player One, a young-adult sci-fi novel that marries Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with every 80s pop-culture reference in existence. I highly recommend you give the book a read. If you have not yet picked it up, feel free to listen to the podcast anyway. Like always, we remain spoiler-free until ne...

We've all played some clunkers in our time, but what what are the roots of a bad game's troubles?  Could it be the person at the end of the controller?  Could we be doing it wrong?  Today, Jorge and I talk about the line between a bad game and a bad player.  Inspired by Sean Sands' thoughts about getting a new perspective on games he hasn't liked, we discuss the search for a clear vision.  We touc...

The  Mass Effect 3  fervor remains in full swing, and while many are already growing tired of the backlash against Bioware, it would be a missed opportunity to not discuss ramifications of player-driven protestations. Of course this is a grand subject, so we could not handle it alone. Kris Ligman of Critical Distance and Dire Critic joins us this week to discuss player entitlement, authorial inten...

How do video games handle religion and spirituality?  It's a question that's been inspiring a fair amount of buzz. It's a big topic, so we decided to add a third seat on this week's show. Jorge and I are excited to welcome Richard Clark to the podcast.  Richard's a prolific writer who regularly tackles issues of religion and morality in video games.  As an added bonus, he's also an all around nice...

At long last, the much awaited Journey from thatgamecompany is available on PSN. Jenova Chen's discussion of his own creations always seem so lofty, can his team deliver what Scott and I have so eagerly desired since its announcement? Join us while we discuss our personal experiences, how  Journey  is more "gamey" than we imagined, and how the game tells a story. We go quite long in this one, so w...

The yearly Game Developers Conference has come and gone, and while Scott and I sadly missed the event proper, we did keep our hear to the ground. This week on the podcast, we discuss some highlights that caught our attention. Join us as we touch upon Valve's approach to  Portal 2 , mobile pricing models, the problem with DRM, and the "mind your own business" mentality. Show notes: - Run time: 38 m...

Turn down the lights and turn up the Marvin Gaye: this week, it's all about sex.  Inspired by Rich Stanton's recent article on the subject of sex in video games, we take a look at the more amorous side of medium we love.  We talk about everything from Wii waggling to polyamory in this episode, so there's bound to be something to arouse your interest.  As always, we're all about free love around he...

We finally did it: we played Gears of War: The Board Game!"  Last year, Jorge and I discussed the game in a podcast about the general relationship between board games and video games.  Being fans of Gears and games in general, we decided (for better or worse!) we would play it once it was released.  We finally did so and now we've regrouped to offer our thoughts on the game and its relationship to...