Real stories, virtual worlds.

A narrative podcast about video games and the virtual worlds that power culture and community.

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Animal Crossing: New Harmonies

Animal Crossing is one of the most beloved Nintendo franchises. The social simulator game is all about living your best…

27 min read Nov 25, 2021

Podcast public

Golf Club: Wasteland

James Parkinson

Human life is wiped out. Earth is now a golf course for the ultra-rich. That’s the premise for Golf…

23 min read Nov 11, 2021

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Stealth Gaming

James Parkinson

If you were a high school student in the 90s or early 2000s, you were likely required to have a…

25 min read Oct 28, 2021

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The Gardens Between

James Parkinson

In 2018, Australian studio The Voxel Agents released their fifth title, The Gardens Between, an adventure-puzzle game about memories, friendship…

19 min read Sep 30, 2021

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Speedrun Science

James Parkinson

For over 30 years, people have been in pursuit of the perfect run in Super Mario Bros. That is, completing…

26 min read Sep 16, 2021

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Esports

James Parkinson

Competitive gaming tournaments have been around about as long as video games themselves. With the rise of professional esports in…

19 min read Sep 02, 2021

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Honk!

James Parkinson

It’s a lovely morning in the village, and you are a horrible goose. That’s the premise of the…

21 min read Aug 19, 2021

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Becoming Master Chief

James Parkinson

For 20 years, Steve Downes has portrayed Master Chief, appearing in each mainline game of the Halo series to date.…

21 min read Aug 05, 2021

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Final Symphony

James Parkinson

Music plays an important role in many games, and even in the early days, the best composers were able to…

17 min read Jul 22, 2021

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Chiptune

James Parkinson

How do you turn a Nintendo Game Boy into a musical instrument? 8-bit music is one of the most defining…

1 min read Jul 08, 2021

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Mind Games

James Parkinson

For all the negative coverage and misrepresentation that video games receive, the reality is very different. For most of us,…

28 min read Jun 24, 2021

Podcast public

Photo Mode

James Parkinson

Image credit: Megan Reims / Ubisoft Montréal ™ (Assassin's Creed: Valhalla) Do you ever have moments when you’re playing a game…

16 min read Jun 10, 2021

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