CastRoller

This edition of the show features an interview with Tom Bissell, author of the new book Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. We discuss why Tom wrote the book; why Mirror's Edge is a better game than you think; why we ought to cut game designers some slack; and many other topics.  I hope you enjoy the show.

After a Shakespeare-induced hiatus, the Brainy Gamer podcast is back! This edition of the show features two interesting conversations. In Segment 1 I chat with Jamin Brophy-Warren and Chris Dahlen, co-creators of Kill Screen. We discuss their new magazine, writing about games, Roger Ebert's 4-star review of The Phantom Menace, and many other topics. In Segment 2 I talk with indie designer Jason Rohrer (Sleep is Death, Passage) about his work, his involvement in the art game movement, and the importance of simplicity.

This edition of the Brainy Gamer Podcast features a holiday extravaganza of Gamers Confab goodness: a 4-volume confection featuring a gaggle of bloggers, journalists, and designers all discussing our favorite games of 2009. This final segment includes Matthew Gallant from The Quixotic Engineer; Alex Raymond from The Border House; and Denis Farr from Gay Gamer and Vorpal Bunny Ranch.

Part 3 of my "Favorites of '09" series includes writer Tom Bissell, whose work has appeared in Harper's Magazine and The New Yorker; Manveer Heir, lead designer at Raven Software and author of the Design Rampage blog; and Mitch Krpata, who reviews games for The Phoenix and Paste Magazine and writes the Insult Swordfighting blog.

Part 2 of my Favorites of '09 series of podcasts features Leigh Alexander, news director at Gamasutra; Corvus Elrod from Zakelro Studio; and Nels Anderson from Hothead Games and his blog Above 49. Segments 3 and 4 will arrive in the coming days. I hope you enjoy!

This edition of the Brainy Gamer Podcast features a holiday extravaganza of Gamers Confab goodness: a 4-volume confection featuring a gaggle of bloggers, journalists, and designers all discussing our favorite games of 2009. Part 1 includes Steve Gaynor of 2K Marin and the Fullbright blog; Kirk Battle (aka L.B. Jeffries) of Banana Pepper Martinis and PopMatters; and Chris Dahlen of the Onion A.V. Club and Edge Online. Watch for segments 2-4 to arrive in the coming days.

Had your fill of the "Are Games Art?" debate? This edition of the podcast, featuring an interview with veteran game designer Brenda Brathwaite and art historian John Sharp, takes the conversation in a different and, I hope, more useful direction. Focusing on Brenda's remarkably poignant game Train, we discuss the intersection of art and game design and consider how a designer's personal vision and game design skills dovetail in the conception and development of a new game. We also discuss...

The Summer of Confabs concludes with a conversation featuring Chris Dahlen of Edge Online and The Onion A.V. Club; and Manveer Heir of Raven Software and the Design Rampage blog. We discuss ambiguity in games, why nobody's talking about Dragon Age, Nintendo on the margins, integrating social media the right and wrong way, and many other topics. I hope you've enjoyed this series. It's been a pleasure bringing these shows to you, and I'm especially grateful to all my guests who made it possible...

The Summer of Confabs continues with a conversation featuring Ben Fritz, L.A. Times entertainment reporter; Kirk Battle (AKA L.B. Jeffries) from PopMatters and Banana Pepper Martinis; and Nick LaLone from Before Game Design. We discuss the Nintendo platform conundrum, left-behind gameplay, and the elusiveness of innovation, among other topics. Stay tuned for the last confab I hope you enjoy them. Listen to any episode of the podcast directly from this page by clicking the yellow "Listen...

I'm celebrating podcast episode 25 with 5 (five!) new installments of the Gamers Confab. I hope you'll also check out segments 1 and 2. The Summer of Confabs continues with a conversation featuring game writer and narrative designer Sande Chen (The Witcher); Justin Keverne from Groping the Elephant; and Roger Travis from Living Epic and the Video Games and Human Values Initiative. We discuss the shifting sands of gameplay, game difficulty, and the "vernacular of games"; and we cast a...