The Two Vague Podcast

Ceramicist and former fashion industry designer Jackie joins Ben this week to talk about a topic that impacts our physical AND digital lives.  Jackie has a great deal of experience and interest in design, but now she is shifting her focus to digital.  Ben shares his 90s / early 2000s fashion and Rory Gilmore’s boyfriend choices before getting to the definition.  Other topics discussed include: fas...

To get you all excited for April 15th, Andrew joins Ben for a game review!  They were under the impression that math was fun… until they tried this game.  From relatively unknown game developer Intuit Inc. comes TurboTax!  Andrew and Ben are playing different versions of the game, so they share their varied experiences with each other and YOU!  Spoiler alert… as a game TurboTax is a dud, but as ta...

This week Andrew brings a very interesting word to the show!  Ben is up for the challenge, but first he has a review of Trombone Champ!  Then the hosts dive right into the discussion starting with literature… Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, and Star Wars by George Lucas.  Coincidentally, Ben gets to talk about his biggest “Jedi: Fallen Order,” pet peeves, but then they ch...

We have a special episode this week hosted by Ben and Norah!  After dispensing with the formalities, Ben has a great interview with journalist Lukas Eggen from the Las Vegas Review-Journal to share.  Lukas has a new Kickstarter project that he is working on that will hopefully reinvigorate games journalism by going back to a traditional investigative reporting philosophy… “Game On!”  Ben’s intervi...

Dance teacher Star joins Ben this week to discuss rhythm!  After Ben wishes everyone happy VD, Star talks about the festival where she is performing in a few weeks.  This is not a show about laser tag, so after a brief LARP-er diversion, they drop some sick beats and start the definition portion of the program.  Star tells stories about her vast dancing, choreography, teaching, and art school expe...

Ever since Ben applied for a job as a Narrative Lead at a game company he’s been contemplating the differences between narrative and story, so he’s invited his good friend Andrew from partlyrobot.com to help him navigate toward a satisfactory conclusion… and hilarity ensues.  Other topics visited in this episode: Cult of the Lamb’s new DLC, crispy Japanese snacks, Instagram trends and scammers, de...

Ben is flying solo this week, but he still has lots to talk about (and one cat to apologize for).  After letting us know what he’s up to, he moves on to his experiences with the “Quilts and Cats of Calico” online multi-player beta test!  A big thank you goes out to Monster Couch for inviting us to beta test!  You had us at cats!    00:00:21 - ”That which does not kill you…” and why is South Korean...

This week Ben is dealing with some critic’s remorse, but Andrew is here to help him process his thoughts and improve his video game assessment method.  After talking about what’s new for each of them, they get right into the definition.  From unwanted Instagram solicitations to well-known Chicagoan movie reviewers… the conversation goes to some strange destinations before settling down upon the ta...

Ben and Norah are on deck for the first show of 2024!  Ben does something a little different to start out this year… a game review!  The game is… <drumroll>… Outerloop Games’ sophomore release “Thirsty Suitors,” and in an effort to quench, Ben has a big bucket of opinions he’s going to dump on us.  He starts by explaining his assessment method (which will be discussed in more detail on a for...

Andrew is in his studio this week… joining Ben via satellite to talk about what is arguably his favorite artistic medium.  But first, some encouraging news about Andrew narrowly avoiding the robot / AI takeover, and how his new daughter is keeping him positively occupied during a period of union drama.  Then Ben shares his experiences with what he has been playing lately: Thirsty Suitors by OuterL...

Andrew joins Ben to discuss a word that is the sliver of overlap in the Venn diagram of the previous two episodes: animate and robot.  Ben brings up a (very) minor controversy for Geoff Keighley’s “The Game Awards” independent game nominees this year involving Mint Rocket’s “Dave the Diver.”  Andrew goes on an exotic adventure with a Pringles flavor all the way from Japan!  After a very quick defi...

Ben is joined by Andrew (insert mechanical transformation sound) to form this week’s hosting duo!  What’s new with them?  Ben’s still playing “Dave the Diver,” but is having trouble getting through the grind.  Andrew is adjusting to a “new baby schedule,” and working toward the completion of his second novel set in the “Larry-verse.”  After the obligatory definition proceedings, Andrew shares the...

Martin from Soupmasters, the lead designer of Big Boy Boxing joins Ben this week to talk about game development as it relates to this week’s word!  First the hosts talk about what they are up to.  Martin is moving offices, coding facial expressions, and not playing recently purchased games (but maybe next week).  Ben… he is trying to contain his excitement about his recent pre-order for a game ins...

Ben is joined this week by Star★Vaders developer Eddie for their chosen, dare we say, philosophical word!  Ben gets right down to business asking Eddie questions about the recent kerfuffle surrounding the game engine Unity.  After dispensing with that subject, the hosts move on to nature.  Ben talks about an argument (which to a scientist, is actually a question), and Eddie shares some of the thei...

Andrew joins Ben this week for a spork-tacular show (in cover art only); and here is your Halloween surprise… a no candy, prank-less, normally dressed, scare-free episode… that is the PREMISE!  After voicing his focused excitement about a forthcoming child and how it has impacted his short term view of his job, Andrew tries Hot Honey flavored Pringles.  Ben talks about the many games he has been p...

This week Ben and Andrew are channeling their inner Vulcans and to a lesser extent androids.  Andrew kicks the show off with a sensory adventure... "French Fries and Ketchup" flavored Pringles!  After the (kids) definition of the word logic, they move on to their very different first thoughts.  For Andrew it’s Star Trek, and for Ben it’s a joke Norm Macdonald told on Late Night with Conan O’Brien...

Get your snacks and buckle up for a “beefy” program this week; it’s time for another show composed of cutting room floor trimmings!  Don’t let that keep you away; it’s all great conversational content featuring previous cohosts: Amaya, Andrew, Ben, Cheyenne, Madison, Melody, and Norah.  We start with Andrew’s Sensory Adventures (not yet sponsored by Pringles), and then dive into the deep end… of C...

PAX West 2023 part 3 of 3... it is the bow on the present, the cherry on top of the sundae, the other bookend, the roof on the… I digress.  On day 3 Ben met Azusa, Creason, Eddie (Axolotl), Ludvig, Martin, and Bartosz.   Games he played and other video game related items he saw include: “TrinityS,” “Sky the Scraper,” “Never Awake,” “Extremely Powerful Capybaras,” “StarVaders,” “Big Boy Boxing,” “T...

This week… no time for pleasantries (Kyle)… Ben gets right into it!  On day two he met Hollie, Johnson, Daniel, Cory, Sawyer, Andrew, Natalie, Chris G., Chris R., and Chris S…. all of whom he hopes will consider being a guest on 2VP in the future.  Games he played, demos he experienced, and other video game related items he saw include: “PixelJunk Eden 2,” “PixelJunk Scrappers Deluxe,” “A Corgi’s...

Ben is back from Seattle and incredibly excited to talk about it!  On day one he met Becky, Ty, David, Haylee, Rob, and Brandon… all of whom he hope will consider being a guest on 2VP in the future.  Games he played or saw demos of include: “Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown,” “Wild Country,” “Cuisineer,” “Sail Forth,” “World of Horror,” and “Demonschool.” Of course it wouldn’t be Two Vague without...

It may not seem like it at first, but Andrew and Ben are absolutely in this week’s word.  They start out with what Andrew has been doing, and then Ben is a voyeur on Andrew’s flavored crisps adventure.  First thoughts on the word include a life lesson, a pop singer’s breakout album, a trilogy of books by Jeff VanderMeer, and controlling the weather.  On the subject of video games, the hosts discus...

Madison and Ben are excited to get philosophical with this week’s word which has a simple definition but a uniquely nuanced meaning, but first… what’s new with the hosts?  Madison is reading American Dirt and Ben is playing Tango Gameworks’ “Ghostwire: Tokyo.”  They take turns reflecting on what they are grateful for: experiences, trips, connections, books, and more.  Before closing out the show,...

Continuing the conversation about Italy… sort of… Andrew and Ben discuss Pringles flavors from around the world .  Ben adds a little bit of trivia about their brand mascot before the conversation switches to video games.  Street Fighter 6 has introduced a new character from Italy named Marisa (secretly Ben’s new waifu)!   As promised in the airplane episode, Ben reluctantly played Assassin’s Creed...

Andrew from Partly Robot Industries ( https://partlyrobot.com/ ) joins Ben this week to share his vacationing experiences with his family in Italy!   After Ben delivers the obligatory definition along with a side of geographic facts, they dive right in to the storytelling festivities.  Andrew talks about the interesting history of Vatican City, his experience driving a Fiat 500L, staying at a farm...

This week Ben and Norah contemplate the questions “are you… or have you ever been…,”  but first they talk about what they have been up to.  Surprising nobody, Norah has been watching plays and Ben has been (GASP!) playing his PS5.  After the definition ceremonies they discover that they each have very different first thoughts, but they both agree that experience can be vastly different for an indi...