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Out of the Game

Out of the Game, Episode 18

by Jonathan Downin in Games, Misc, TV455 days ago

Another month, another Out of the Game. Shawn kicks things off with another adventure into the communities of older online games. Call of Duty 2 is the vehicle this time around, and he has a few stories to tell about the strange social cultures that have built up around this classic. Next up is The Walking Dead. The guys go in-depth on both the new TV series and the Comic, so if you want to avoid spoiler, you may want to skip on past this lengthy segment (spoilers – 19:04-58:25)– otherwise, the guys have a lot of insight into the depth...

Out of the Game

Out of the Game, Ep. 17

by Jonathan Downin in Games497 days ago

Out of the Game is back after an almost 10 month hiatus. The full crew is back, minus Luke Smith, who disappeared from the show some months before it went on break. After the initial pleasantries, the whole show is one big conversation about the approach to developing levels and experiences that walk the fine line between being too hard and too easy. Shawn and N’Gai in particular talk about how requiring the player to use learned game mechanics to feel a larger sense of accomplishment as difficulty increases. There are a lot of good stories...

Irrational Interviews

Introducing Irrational Interviews

by Jonathan Downin in Games589 days ago

Shawn Elliott and the Irrational crew are back with a new podcast series. Their other podcast, Irrational Behavior, is a monthly podcast, and this looks to be on a similar release schedule. This podcast will focus on interviews with game development luminaries. The inaugural episode features fellow Boston area developer, Todd Howard from Bethesda Softworks. Shawn, Ken and Todd spend the time talking about their history and approaches to game design. Ken and Todd have shared their game design ideas over the years and that history provides for some...

Irrational Behavior

Irrational Behavior Episode 6: Do Game Makers Game Different?

by Jonathan Downin in Games619 days ago

Another month, another Irrational Behavior. This episode focuses on multiplayer gaming and designer approach to playing games. Talk of successful audio and AI design in Dead Space and Condemned. The multiplayer segment focuses mainly on group dynamics and griefing shenanigans. The design talk has a few of the Irrational designer talking about how they play games and their tendencies to analyze games as they play them. They also touch on how regular game conventions are often lost on those who are not long-time gamers. Do game makers game different? ...

Irrational Behavior

Irrational Behavior Episode 5: What Are We Afraid Of

by Jonathan Downin in Games648 days ago

This episode is all about fear. The show kicks-off with members of the Irrational team listing some of their fear and then moves on to a segment with Shawn interviewing Professor Andrew Weaver of Indiana University regarding research he has done pertaining to fear and what scares people. The final segment focus on how the different designers approach creating scary scenarios and what they think makes scares a player. Sharks, spiders, the dark, and chemistry exams.  These are just a couple of the things that we are scared of.  In this episode of...

Irrational Behavior

Irrational Behavior Episode 4: Our Nerdiest Secrets

by Jonathan Downin in Games, Misc679 days ago

It’s another game-less episode, but these are proving to be among the best. The focus on this episode is all about the breadth of nerd-dome. The topics are varied, but they all share the same thread of indulgence of interests that fall outside “social norms.” From stories of larping and cosplaying to a teenage boy who played on girl’s sports team, skirt and all, the anecdotes here are entertaining. Whenever it is that Irrational’s next game comes out, remember, these are the people behind the game you are playing. Covered...

Irrational Behavior

Irrational Behavior Episode 3: How We Got Here

by Jonathan Downin in Games711 days ago

Episode 3 is a short one, but it is exactly the kind of episode that people like us want to hear. I focuses on the people of Irrational and their respective paths into game development. Get ready for a lot of stories about bad jobs. Hearing so many stories of transitions from game retail to game development shows how much things have changed in the past 10 years. Ken Levine has a strong presence on this one and it is cool to hear his experience. As apposed to previous episodes, this one is strait forward and not overladen with different segmented...

Irrational Behavior

Irrational Behavior Episode 2: The Way Things Were

by Jonathan Downin in Games739 days ago

Another month means another episode of Irrational Behavior. We still don’t get any new information about Irrational’s next game, but there is some fun to be had in hearing about the early days of some of the guys’ development experiences. The focus is much more on the development environment as opposed to specific game reminiscing as in the 1st episode, but Thief is brought up a few times. The discussion start off with how things were different in the earlier years of game design and the impact that GTA 3 had on approaches...

Irrational Behavior

Introducing Irrational Behavior

by Jonathan Downin in Games759 days ago

Aside from Out of the Game, we haven’t heard too much from Shawn Elliott since his move to 2K Boston/Irrational Games. Developers and publishers are just now realizing the importance of community involvement and podcast, and Irrational Behavior is a strong offering in this burgeoning space with Shawn at the helm. Irrational Behavior takes a cue from Robert Ashley’s A Life Well Wasted and delivers a focused show with an emphasis on production quality. This 1st episode is centered on failures in the development process. It takes a look...

Mobcast

Mobcast Episode 008

by Jonathan Downin in Games963 days ago

The theory continues to hold true; add Shawn Elliott to a podcast and it is destined to be good. With Shawn and Joe Fielder from 2K Boston on this week a lot of the topics are centered around the juxtaposition of the games press and game development sides of the industry.  There are some interesting insights into how things have changed on the press side and how being on the development side changes perspectives. There is also a great discussion about what makes you put aside a game that you have been playing regularly for a significant stretch...

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    Episode 092 - PTW ahoy!
    Games, tech, and the usual, for the last time. Hello Podcast Thing Weekly.

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