Why video games feel better and worse than ever before
Get full episode notes, links, and related materials for free at www.post.gamesGet extra-long episodes, bonus content, monthly videos, and more (plus, no ads!) at patreon.com/postgamesWelcome to Post Game’s first annual physical, in which a special guest joins me to assess the health and stability of gaming, from the creators to the players, the industry to the culture. I’ve invited one of the smartest, analytical, and forward-thinking minds in video – writer, developer, publisher, critic, analyst, and occasional voice actor Xalavier Nelson Jr. – to give video games a thorough workupBonus Patreon Prologue: The state of games 10, 20, and 30 years agoAct 1: The best of times - Why 2025 could be the golden age of video gamesAct 2: The worst of times - Why video games feel doomedBonus Patreon interview segment: Xalavier on gaming’s past, present, and futureAct 3: The news of the week, including the ghoulish mass layoffs at XboxToday's episode's act-interstitials feature music from the games of Strange Scaffold!Find episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:08:26
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1:08:26
The case of Dunkey vs. Death Stranding
Get full episode notes at www.post.games and subscribe on Patreon at patreon.com/postgames.Before we get started...If you have a moment and don't mind, please leave a review of Post Games on Apple Podcasts. I know, it's silly, but it's also a humongous help in these early days.This week on Post GamesAct 1: Dunkey on his love/hate relationship with Death Stranding, life as YouTube game critic, and the power of changing your mindA bonus act for Patreon subscribers: Dunkey on video game critics and criticismAct 2: A "guide" to Death Stranding 2’s big, weird ideasAct 3: The news of the weekFind episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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49:43
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49:43
How to fight brilliant (and stupid) AI
Editor’s note: This week, I’m making all acts available to all listeners. The Patreon edition of the episode, however, is still early and ad-free. For context: My two guests participated on tight timelines and under special circumstances. And my essay was the conclusion of last week’s episode. As I finished the edit, I felt bad putting any of the acts behind the paywall. This won’t be the norm – frankly, I’ll need more paid subscribers before the end of the year if I want to keep this my full-time focus – but for this week, it felt like the right decision. For those who subscribe on Patreon, thank you so much for your support. I don’t take it for granted. Hope you enjoy this behemoth!This week on Post GamesAct 1: The five-year AI timeline that blew up my plans for the futureAct 2: What if AI is dumb, but we’re dumberBonus act: The year-long strike to protect video game voice actors from AIAn interview with Sarah Elmaleh, the chair of the SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating CommitteeAct 3: The news of the weekAnd another bonus act: An excerpt from the audiobook of Everything Must Go, Dorian Lynskey's non-fiction history of apocalyptic storytelling. The chapter: apocalyptic AI!Get full episode notes at www.post.gamesSubscribe to Post Games on Patreon. For $5, subscribers get bonus segments in every episode — and none of the ads! They also have access to a monthly video series, receive new episodes days before the ad-supported feed, and ensure the show stays alive! Now available: the first video in the Video Game Journalism 101 series!Find episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:21:37
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1:21:37
What we have in common with world-ending AI
This week on Post Games, “What we have in common with world-ending AI.”Act 1: Why every AI superfan and skeptic should play Universal Paperclips. A review conversation with AJ Fillari, co-host of dotzip and producer of Into the AetherFor Patreon subscribers, an intermission: 5 "clicker" games to play after Universal PaperclipsAct 2: An extended interview with Frank Lantz, the creator of Universal Paperclips about designing a game from the AI's POVAct 3: The news of the week, including cool game art for a good causeAlso for Patreon subscribers: a recording of Frank Lantz’s famous speech about the trouble with modern video gamesThis episode is part one of a two-part series on what we can learn about AI and ourselves through video games. Next week, we'll continue with "How I AI-proofed my career after imagining the apocalypse."(Image: Chris Plante via Team Asobi/SIE)FATHER’S DAY DEAL!!Click this link to try a free month of Post Games on Patreon. Offer expires Tuesday night!If you enjoy the free month, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or recommending the show to your favorite gaming Discord or other group chatsOr, if you want to support the show A.S.A.P. and keep the Post Games ship afloat….Subscribe to Post Games on Patreon. Subscribers get bonus segments in every episode — and none of the ads! They also have access to a monthly video series, receive new episodes days before the ad-supported feed, and ensure the show stays alive! Now available: the first video in the Video Game Journalism 101 series! Find episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:10:52
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1:10:52
Why the Switch 2 launch felt different
Get full episode notes, links, and bonus materials for free at www.Post.Games.This week on Post Games, “What is a video game console launch in 2025?”Act 1: What’s it like to run a video game shop when a console launches? An interview with Kelsey Lewin, the co-owner of Pink Gorilla GamesAct 2: Nintendo’s history of console launches. An interview with Chris Kohler, Editorial Director of Digital EclipseAct 3: The news of the week, including big announcements leading into Summer Game FestAnd for Patreon subscribers, a bonus act: What it was like to be parents scrambling for new consoles and games in the 1990s. An interview with my parents.Find episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Post Games is a listener-supported podcast about how and why we love video games. Each week, host Chris Plante reports on a new, overlooked, or underappreciated topic in gaming culture. Where did all the new porn games come from? What’s it like to be the AI that destroys the world? How has one award turned tiny indie game makers into big-name millionaires? With original interviews, writing, and a traditional audio-magazine structure, Plante keeps things entertaining, informative, and always under 90 minutes. Because Post Games is meant to be listened to, not buried in a backlog. Learn more at www.post.games. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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