Post Games

Editor's Note: Hey Post Games listeners. To give myself a lighter load this holiday, I’m posting one of the monthly Patreon-exclusive episodes. The patrons selected the origin story of Pokémon. They think you’ll enjoy it, and I do, too!If you like this episode and want access to a backlog of bonus episodes and future bonuses, subscribe to Patreon.com/PostGames for $5. Next Monday, I’ll be posting the latest exclusive, “1996: The Most Important Year in Games,” featuring the co-hosts of My Life in Gaming!Get full show notes for free at www.post.gamesBefore Game Freak created Pokémon, it was a hand-stapled video game zine written by a crew of arcade-loving teenagers.Welcome to the debut episode of Past Games, the new Patreon-exclusive series dedicated to revisiting the stories behind classic games and gaming moments. Over the next few months, we’ll be flipping through dusty periodicals and dog-eared history books to learn more about 2026’s big gaming anniversaries.For this episode, I invited my buddy Brendon Bigley (Wavelengths, Into the Aether) to talk pocket monsters. I share the history of the biggest children’s entertainment icon since Mickey Mouse, and Brendon shares his experience of growing up alongside the rise of Pokémania.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get weekly bonus segments, video episodes, monthly exclusive episodes, and more at patreon.com/postgames for only $5Want full show notes? Visit www.post.gamesThis week on Post Games: the final listener mailbag of 2025!Act 1: Questions about video gamesAct 2: Questions about the industry and the culturePatreon bonus: Questions about the nitty-gritty of gamingAct 3: The news of the weekThis week, I emptied the Post Games mailbag and tried to answer as many questions as I could muster. The result is one of the longest episodes to date, with the AMA spanning three acts and over 60 minutes!Plus, a very special extended news of the week: I chatted with Phil Salvador from the Video Game History Foundation. The VGHF has preserved the Sega Channel, the 1990s predecessor to PlayStation Now and Xbox Game Pass. How the hell do archivists preserve such a thing? Listen to find out!Now, I’d say this is the final episode of 2025, but that’s not entirely true. Next week, I’ll be sharing a special Patreon-exclusive mini-episode, reflecting on my personal favorite games of the year, along with a few small surprises. But I’m getting ahead of myself!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Visit patreon.com/postgames to get bonus segments, early access, and exclusive monthly episodes like "The birth of Pokémon: 30 years ago, a young game critic imagined the biggest franchise on the planet" for $5Visit post.games to get full episodes for free, including links to all games and stories referenced in today's showThis week on Post Games: How video games and anime took over pop culture together.Act 1: Anime in your video gamesAct 2: Video games in your animePatreon bonus: The anime every gamer should watchAct 3: News of the WeekLast year, I helped oversee the first major national survey of anime consumption in the United States. Before the survey, I knew anime had achieved pop culture status, with characters from Dragon Ball appearing in Fortnite and musicians like Megan Thee Stallion wearing over a dozen anime cosplays. Even still, the numbers surprised me.Nearly half of Gen Z watches anime once a week. And a quarter of millennials. 44% of anime viewers have had a crush on an anime character. And 65% of anime viewers find the form more emotionally compelling than other forms of media. Anime fans claimed to watch for escape and comfort. But also for strength, a tool to prepare them for a big test or a challenging day at work.We ran this survey at Polygon, a site broadly focused on video games, because while games and anime are two different mediums, they have for decades influenced and elevated one another. And the line between the two is blurrier and blurrier, with shows inspiring games that inspire more shows.How did we get here?To find out, I reached out to Geoff Thew, the founder and host of the hit anime YouTube channel, Mother’s Basement.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Visit patreon.com/postgames to get bonus segments, early access, and exclusive monthly episodes like "The birth of Pokémon: 30 years ago, a young game critic imagined the biggest franchise on the planet" for $5Visit post.games to get full episodes for free, including links to all games and stories referenced in today's showUPDATESBefore we get to this week’s episode, I have two important updates!Post Games mailbag returns: I’m collecting listener voice notes for my final mailbag episode of 2025. I’d love questions reflecting on 2025 or looking forward to 2026. But you’re welcome to ask anything related to games! Here’s how to email me audio using a smartphone and any voice notes app.The First Official Post Games Movie Screening: This Friday, I’ll be hosting a screening of Mortal Kombat (1995) at The Frida in Santa Ana, CA. I’ll have some rare Post Games shirts and hats on sale. I’d love to see you there, so if you come, please say hello!THIS WEEK ON POST GAMESThe Game Awards isn’t the Oscars. It’s not the Tonys. If we’re being generous, it shares the same pop cultural status as the modern MTV Music Video Awards. But even if the show is a bit embarrassing and largely serves as an advertisement for future games, it matters.It matters to big game publishers and tiny developers alike. All nominees stand to not only get a healthy dose of public praise, but a burst of press and a spike in sales. Especially if they win.With more games released in 2025 than in any other year, awareness is invaluable. The Game Awards claimed a 2024 audience of 154 million streams, which would mean more people watched it than the Super Bowl. Even if the audience is actually half that number, then The Game Awards remains one of the most widely seen annual broadcasts in the world.So this week on Post Games, we take The Game Awards seriously. My guest is the only year-round Game Awards beat reporter and analyst, Polyon’s Oli Welsh.Act 1: The history of The Game AwardsAct 2: How The Game Awards actually workPatreon bonus: What The Game Awards got right… and very wrongAct 3: The news of the weekSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get video versions of every episode, bonus segments, and monthly exclusives for $5 at patreon.com/postgamesGet free show notes at post.gamesThis week on Post Games, “Life Before and After Releasing Blue Prince”:Act 1: The Days Before Blue PrincePatreon bonus: The Magic site that made Blue Prince possibleAct 2: The Days Before The Game AwardsPatreon bonus: Blue Prince: The Movie? Blue Prince 2?Act 3: News of the WeekSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get full show notes for free at post.gamesGet bonus and video episodes, extra segments, and more for $5 at patreon.com/postgamesWelcome to The Inaugural Post Games Thanksgiving Special!I’ve invited 19 people from across video games to share what they’re thankful for. They could celebrate a game, a person, a place, a trend, an idea, or whatever else inspires them. Our guests come from across the entertainment and media industries, including award-winning indie game designers, a former executive from a AAA publisher, brilliant text-based critics, beloved audio-only hosts, a contract-securing union leader, and a good ol' fashioned movie star. Here's the party's guest list!Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. GordonKirk HamiltonChristian DonlanJenny Jiao-HsiaLucy JamesAustin WalkerChris NovakTina Sanchez O’HaraBlessing Adeoye Jr. Sarah ElmahlehGiovanni ColantonioNajay GreenidgeChris BrattNina FreemanFrank LantzKitty Calis and Jan Willem NijmanEvan NarcisseBecause this episode is a holiday special, and because we have so many guests, there are no acts and no news of the week. Instead, what follows are nearly twenty notes of gratitude from our brilliant guests. And Patreon subscribers get an extra-long personal note from me, in which I talk about what I’m grateful for this year: the games, the movies, the books, the music, the people, and most importantly, the opportunity to do this show.We have so many delicious dishes to plop on your plate, so let’s work our way around the buffet!This week on Post Games: The Thanksgiving Special19 guests share what part of video game culture they’re thankful forWhy I’m grateful for change and how you can create your ownOn the Patreon - Only $5!!!Bonus segment: Why I’m thankful for change (and how you can create your own)Plus, the films, movies, books, ideas, and other things I’m thankful forEarly access to ad-free episodesVideo versions of new episodes!Five hour-long episodes of Video Game Journalism 101, including the new episode on storytellingFree game of the weekThis week in video game linksWhat else I’m enjoyingAll of that and more for only $5 a month!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get extra segments, video episodes, bonus episodes, and early access at patreon.com/postgamesGet full episode notes for free at post.gamesI was stunned when I first saw Cave Crave, a VR game in which the player squeezes through dark tunnels, the gaps so tight that the character must hold their breath, causing red light to pulse. As your virtual lungs empty, you see the blood vessels in your eyesTo my surprise, the dark, suffocating caves of Cave Crave were just the beginning of both its terror and its depth.This week on Post Games: A trip into a real cave that became a tombAct 1: The game that traps you in a dark, tight holeAct 2: Recreating the infamous Nutty Putty CavePatreon Bonus: A history of the Steam Machine and the “living room” PCAct 3: News of the weekSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Post Games for $1!! - The Early Bird, Not-Quite-Black Friday SaleRather than compete with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I’m running my holiday deal early. Subscribe to the Patreon before 11/14 and get your first month for $1. Yes, you read that right. A buck gets you...Video episodes!Weekly bonus segments!5 deep dives on storytelling, reviews, and media!1 oral history of Street Fighter: The Movie!25 incredible interviews with the most fascinating people in video games!Expanded newsletters:Free game of the weekThe best video game stories of the weekWhat else I’m enjoyingAccess to community group chats!This episode is a bit unusual. I’m chatting with a talented game developer who also happens to be a friend. I’ve known Joel Burgess for many years, dating back to his time helping to design open-world RPGs for AAA studios.He currently serves as the Studio Head of the indie studio Soft Rains, which has been busy preparing the debut of its first game. Ambrosia Sky is a sci-fi immersive sim in which you play as a death cleaner. Picture Powerwash Simulator spliced with BioShock, and then add the NYTimes obituaries, and you’re not far off. This week, Ambrosia Sky: Act 1 hits Steam.What does it feel like to launch a video game, particularly as the head of a studio, responsible for not just the success of the game but the business? The stress. The joy. The mixed sense of finishing one race, and in the current age of DLC, updates, and additional acts, starting another marathon.This week on Post Games: what it’s actually like to release a video game in 2025.Act 1: The chaos of making a video game in the 2020sAct 2: The moments before pressing publishPatreon bonus: How Joel’s dog inspired the look and soul of Dogmeat in Fallout 4Act 3: News of the weekSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get extra segments, video episodes, bonus episodes, and early access at patreon.com/postgamesGet full episode notes for free at post.gamesSure, spooky season is over. But listeners, the scary season has just begun at Post Games. To prepare you, I have invited one of my favorite horror critics, Ashley Bardhan, to explain the appeal of playing horror games – and how they might make your life less scary.This is one of my favorite (and most surprising) conversations yet!Act 1: The case for playing more horror gamesAct 2: Horror as therapyPatreon bonus: 5 horror games for the holiday seasonAct 3: The news of the weekSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get video episodes, extra segments, bonus episodes, and early access at www.patreon.com/postgamesGet full show notes free at post.gamesFew video games achieve mainstream cultural relevance. Fewer still get labeled as "art." And only a handful of games that get through the culling manage to retain their relevance across decades. Shadow of the Colossus is the exception to the rules of video games.What makes it so unique? How has its place in gaming culture evolved? And why does it play a special part in the life of today's guest, video essayist and author Jacob Geller?Act 1: Why Shadow of the Colossus never lost its relevanceAct 2: How Shadow of the Colossus launched a critic’s careerPatreon bonus: The future of video essays about video gamesAct 3: News of the WeekArt by James BarehamTheme by Mark SparlingSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get weekly bonus segments, Patreon exclusive episodes, and early access at patreon.com/postgamesGet the full show notes for free at www.post.gamesLast week, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier explained how the too many games problem came to be. This week, we hear how game creators are adapting to make sure the best games reach you – rather than get lost at the bottom of an ever-growing pile. Today’s guest, Simon Carless, is an expert in helping game creators strike this balance between the artist’s vision and the audience's interests. Carless is a pioneer in the exponentially important research of “game discoverability."Act 1: The art of Game DiscoveryAct 2: Do endless sales help or hurt gaming?Patreon bonus: The strangest tricks and “hacks” to get a game seen Act 3: The news of the weekArt by James Bareham - Happicamp.comTheme by Mark SparlingSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get bonus segments and episodes, plus early access, at Patreon.com/postgamesGet full show notes for free at www.post.gamesAt an unknowable point in the past five years, gamers were granted three wishes:I want more games to play than I could ever have time for.I want them to be cheap, if not free.And I want to be able to play them whenever and however I want.The result has been great for fans of the hobby, but a radiating headache for game creators. Over the next two episodes, we’ll learn why we’re suddenly drowning in video games (more than we could play in a lifetime) and what both players and game creators are doing to adapt.Today, we'll focus on how "too many games" became gaming's unusual dilemma. Bloomberg reporter and Triple Click host Jason Schreier joins me to explain how the video game business is battling with its own abundance.Act 1: Heaven for gamersAct 2: Hell for game makersPatreon bonus: A big chat about mainstream media and gamingAct 3: News of the weekSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get video episodes, weekly bonus content, and early access at Patreon.com/postgamesGet the full episode notes for free at www.post.gamesThis week, you get two podcasts for the price of one.First: the Nintendo mailbag. Listeners sent in a U-Haul's worth of questions about Nintendo. What's up with the unusually "usual" approach to the Switch 2 release? Why can the publisher do whatever it likes without the fandom going into revolt?Second: I complete our NSFW video game interviews. In previous episodes, we spoke with an NSFW game designer and an NSFW game academic. Today, you’ll meet Annie, the host of Sex Positive Gaming, an NSFW gaming YouTube channel. How does a YouTube channel dedicated to games that break the YouTube terms of service exist? You’ll get the answer to that question and many more!This week on Post Games, a double-episode I'm dubbing "Mario's Nipples."Act 1: Making sense of modern NintendoPatreon bonus: Why Nintendo ignores some of its biggest franchisesAct 2: Life as an NSFW game YouTuberAct 3: News of the WeekSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Subscribe to the Patreon for bonus content at patreon.com/postgamesSubscribe to the free newsletter for full show notes at www.post.gamesA few months ago, NSFW games appeared to be thriving. Then came the censorship campaign. To help us understand what shifted in the culture over the summer, and where NSFW games go from here, I needed an expert on media censorship, video games, pornography, feminism, and the history of sex labor activism.Today’s guest is that unicorn. Jean Ketterling is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Studies – Women’s and Gender Studies Program at the University of Saskatchewan.Act 1: The summer sexy games got bannedAct 2: The future fight against game censorshipPatreon Bonus: The gooner contingency and NSFW game recsAct 3: News of the weekPatreon Bonus: What I saw at SEGASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get bonus segments and episodes for $5 at Patreon.com/postgamesGet full show notes in the free newsletter at post.gamesThis week on Post Games: How did Xbox get here?Former VP of Xbox Game Studios Shannon Loftis takes us on a guided tour of Microsoft's gaming ambitions, from the days before Windows 95 to Xbox's ambitious bet on the future of entertainment.Patreon bonus prologue: The case for having funAct 1: Microsoft’s first tiny team of game makersAct 2: Xbox before the acquisitionsAct 3: News of the weekArt by James BarehamTheme by Mark SparlingSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get bonus content in every episode at patreon.com/postgamesGet full show notes in the free newsletter at www.post.gamesWhat's it like to pursue a degree in video games? And what's life like as a video game professor?This week, my guest is Aaron Trammell, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, who teaches undergraduate and graduate students about games, ranging from video games to tabletop games, the craft of design to the critique of play. Act 1: Life as a video game student Act 2: Life as a video game professor Patreon bonus: 5 new video game books to read this fall Act 3: The news of the week (Audio note: There's a little bit of audio level imbalance with my guest's recording in this episode. I was able to fix most of the issues, but it sounds just a little strange, that's why. This should be a one-off issue. Thanks for your patience!)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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get full episode notes at post.gamesGet bonus segments and episodes for $5 at patreon.com/postgamesThis week on Post Games: Act 1: The story of a video game studio in 2025 Act 2: Behind-the-scenes of A Life Well Wasted Patreon Bonus: Games and perverts Act 3: The news of the Week 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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Listen to the full audiobook at patreon.com/postgames.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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Subscribe for $5 to get bonus segments and episodes at Patreon.com/postgamesGet the newsletter with full show notes and links for free at www.post.gamesThis September, following a successful run on the experimental gaming handheld Playdate, Blippo+ will release on Nintendo Switch and Steam. The game, created in collaboration with an iconic indie band, attempts to reproduce the feeling of channel surfing in the early days of cable television.Its graphics aren’t graphics at all, but full-motion video. Actors bounced around shows that resemble episodes of Pee-wee Herman, the concerts of Klaus Nomi, and the “I can’t believe they made this for kids” programming of early Nickelodeon and MTV.As I played Blippo+, flipping through the channels, I felt a deep nostalgia for something I'd nearly forgotten. And then I wondered: what inspires artists to try to recreate not just a show or a TV channel’s slate, but the entire TV experience. To find out, I spoke with rockstar, journalist, and Blippo+ writer Claire Evans!This week on Post Games: Act 1: From Rockstar to Game Maker Act 2: The Birth of Blippo Patreon Bonus: A Guide to Metal Gear Solid: Delta Act 3: News of the Week 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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get full episode notes at www.patreon.com/postgames and www.post.gamesVideo game adaptations threaten to replace superhero movies as Hollywood's favorite fad. How did Mario and friends evolve from box office poison into some of the most valuable IPS in movie history? Today on Post Games: an extended interview with filmmaker and video essayist Patrick H. Willems, in which we make sense of 30 years and five distinct eras of video game adaptations. Act 1: The Doomed Decades Act 2: The Hollywood Hits A Patreon bonus: The Future of Video Game Movies. Patrick sticks around to speculate on the future of video game adaptations – including no fewer than 46 movies in active development Act 3: The News of the Week You can now watch Post Games shorts on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Like the show? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.