We talk about blind runs of Alex Kidd, Tony Hawks Pro Skater as teenage therapy, why death wouldn't stand a chance against my Science Genius Girl, why I always skip the cutscenes, how far I was willing to go to get a Gamecube and why DDR is still one of the greatest games ever made.

We also of course talk about Checkpoints, how my own experiences form the structure of the show, trends and tropes I've discovered from interviewing so many people, and of course the poetic reasons for it's conclusion.

Thanks so much for listening!

Declan x

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE - SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

The same is true for Checkpoints. Episode 128 is the final episode.

This isn't bad news. There will be a special Epilogue episode coming in a week or two where I’ll talk about the reason for the finishing the podcast in much more detail, suffice to say this isn't a sad ending. I'm just sticking the landing.

Appropriately enough my final guest is the creator of the much loved and missed video game podcast A Life Well Wasted, Robert Ashley. Robert was one of the very first people I ever contacted about coming on the show, and I'm delighted that he decided to temporarily come out of video game podcast retirement to talk. As well as A Life Well Wasted, Robert is one half of the amazing I Come to Shanghai, a former video game journalist and of course a GFW radio alum.

We talk about his formative video game experiences in Texan dive bars, how the internet ruined the mysteries and rumours of the arcade, how he invented new ways to play Super Mario Bros, his ultimately fruitless efforts to enjoy Final Fantasy, how an arcade called Einstein’s led to him dropping out of college, and why live events are often the best place to enjoy indie games.

We also talk on his work as a journalist, the time he got into a brawl over Goldeneye, why he’d play Samba di Amigo with death, how Psychonauts still doesn’t get the credit it deserves and of course the history and future (!) of A Life Well Wasted.

Thanks so much to everyone for listening and supporting the show. I have had the best time.

Declan x

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE - SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

As well as reminiscing about the UK magazine scene of the eighties and nineties, we talk about growing up in Aberystwyth and the arcade scene that forged his love of games, his time winning the 1983 computer game championship at Club Xenon in London, his move to America and his tumultuous time working for Virgin Interactive, his role in the nascent IGN, and how through it all his love of games has never faltered.

We also hit on why Defender is still so good, he origins of JAZ as a moniker, the soothing charms of Hearthstone and Destiny, how games like Rescue on Fractulus made him realise games could be something truly extraordinary and why his twelve year old self likely wouldn't believe him if he explained a game like World of Warcraft existed.

"Pick any game you want. I'm good at all of 'em. I've got 97 of 'em. "

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

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Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

As well as being an incredible designer Chris is also filled with stories. We talk growing up in Boston playing games in the Pala, that time he kicked a TV off the wall emulating the Power Rangers, joining a Jewish Fraternity in University (the token Catholic) and giving video game presentations to his fraternity brothers, his time as a professional Counter Strike player and the incredible saga of Leaping Lizzie rare spawns in Final Fantasy 11.

We also hit on him being headhunted by EA, the Edith Finch pitch that led to him becoming the lead designer, how navigating a Japanese fish market gave him the inspiration for his first game, the joy of coming to a game with no prior knowledge, and the time he spent living at Will Wright’s house.

"I think he'd already made up his mind. That's what I want to remember about my brother. The day he made up his mind to fly... and he did. "

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE - SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

We each chat quite openly about our own experiences of loss and the intoxicating cocktail of emotions that can throw up, including the loss of her mum during the development of the Mortician’s Tale and how that impacted the game, and also how games have a unique way of letting us explore loss and grief and death in powerful and unusual ways.

We also hit on nightmare fuel Windows 95 game Night Lite, why Majora's Mask made her want to make video games, how she became a ghost in the Sims 2 (and how it's actually the best Sims game), how fun the management sim of actual management can be, Left 4 Dead marathons in university, what makes a great achievement, and how she was so good at Crossy Road the developers thought she was a bot.

"You all say that. But I grant no reprieves."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

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Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

We talk spelling games in Colarado on an Apple IIe, learning to program in DOS, losing years in Discworld MUDs, how soothing Burnout Paradise can be and the genius of Kentucky Route Zero.

We also hit on the highs and lows of making games in the 21st century, the bold step of leaving QA to found Fullbright and make Gone Home with Steve Gaynor & Karla Zimonja, the even bolder step to forge a path on his own, how he got Sting to be in his video game and that time he played Serious Sam with some Russians on the Trans Siberian Express.

"Where am I? I'm in Boise, Idaho. No, no, no, wait a minute, I'm in Anchorage, Alaska. No, no, wait, I'm in Casper, Wyoming. I'm in the lobby of a Howard Johnson's and I'm wearing a pink carnation."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

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Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

We talk about how geek culture has become canonised, the importance of external influences in the early history of video games, how aspects of the grimy arcade experience of the 80s are being replicated online today, how the mediums of the 20th century have suffocated the potential for games ability to communicate ideas, that time he made a video game for a presidential candidate. and why slippers are a universal interest.

"Play isn’t doing what we want, but doing what we can with the materials we find along the way."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

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Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

We talk about their diverse paths to game development, from childhood where Ben assumed videogames had been around forever and was taught gamemaker in primary school (!) and Sugar's knock off Dreamcast bought from a roadside stall in Nairobi, and playing  co-op Doom in school (one person aiming, one person moving)

We hit on how Age of Empires and Prince of Persia Sands of Time blew their respective minds. Why Ben played the intro of Final Fantasy X over and over again, why GTA was the only game Sugar needed and ultimately to  how they came to form Nyamakop in a rom-com worthy meet cute.

There is a clear pride they both take in the burgeoning African video game scene, and they talk about how that came to be, how one of the companies founding principles is YOLO, how they keep themselves inspired when the work becomes a struggle, and how they won’t stop until they get that gold hot tub. This episode is a good time

"Diplomatic immunity!"

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

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Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

We talk about the unique life of a professional streamer and how it never really meant to happen, we hit on the latest Hearthstone expansion and deck building, his early love for Sega and his heartbreak at the demise of the  Dreamcast.

We also hit on his early taste of professional gaming as a Guild Wars player, why Quake is his chicken soup game (that rail gun feels so good) how grueling streaming was while he  worked a full time job, and why bad British broadband was the main reason he first decided to stream Hearthstone.

"I think you should wash it, yeah. Then shave it off, nail it to a frisbee, and fling it over a rainbow."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

We talk about the video game scene in Iran, how his puzzle game enthusiast mother is still a tough critic, his dad teaching him to program, moving to Holland to study game design and programming, how vastly different his cultural touchstones are to most people who work in games (he's never seen Star Wars and is fine with that), the ridiculous number of hoops he had to jump through to get to GDC, how bittersweet his first taste of video game success was, the huge popularity of FIFA in Iran, and the universal language of video games.

"To be international, you have to first be local."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

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Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

As that breif intro suggests, Mark is not someone who does things by halves, and we delve deep into all of his various interests and areas of expertise, from the similarities between poker and rogue likes, why Command & Conquer changed everything, why speed running never appealed to him despite his clear skills, why professional streaming is more of a job than you think it is, and the big loss that led him to leave poker behind.

"Listen, here's the thing. If you can't spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker.."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

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Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

As one of the only second generation astronauts in the world, he's also travelled into space.

We talk about luck and timing,  how his interests and passions coalesced with the rise of technology, and how he has been able to ride the crest of that wave. We talk about magic tricks and his collection of automatons.  We hit on how he plays more games now than he ever has, the importance of Command & Conquer, how he had to learn to program before he could learn to play, how important the crest of a hill is in a video game world. We also talk about his life long journey to travel into space, what it felt like to finally achieve it, and whether or not a game can ever recreate that sensation.

"Don't tell me what I can't do."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

Games discussed: Hunt the Wumpus, Pong, Ultima, Escape, Dungeons & Dragons, Myst, Warcraft, Command & Conquer, Medal of Honor, Monument Valley, World of Warcraft, The Creeps, King's Quest, Wing Commander,

Paul is one of the co-founders of mode7 games - creators of Frozen Synapse and the upcoming Forzen Synapse 2 - and while music is his specialty, he has a hand in all aspects of design. In a wonderfully meandering chat we hit on some timely networking tips in the run up to GDC, how mash ups are the internet's first musical genre, sword fighting games for the Novint Falcon, the satisfaction of games that linger in your brain when you're not playing them, how much of a gamer his mum was growing up, the excellent music of Nintendo World Cup, why Half Life 2 maybe isn't as good as you think it is and Noel, the mysterious employee at a Canadian Electronics Boutique. 

"March the 12th be with you."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

Games discussed: Contraption, Chuckie Egg, Tetris, Nintendo World Cup, Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage 2, Into the Breach, Monster Hunter World, Day of the Tentacle, Prison Architect, Tap Titans, Rocket League, Wing Commander Privateer, Hitman Blood Money, Hotline Miami, X-Com, Half Life 2, SWAT,

Part of the former Yugoslavia, Serbia has had a tumultuos half century. During Milosevic's reign in the 1990s, the country was sanctioned by the UN meaning imports like video games would not be allowed through by any legal means.

The ways in which games did find their way into the country, and how people like Andrej were first exposed to them and grew to love them is a unique and fascinating story and one that I had never heard before.

We talk about Sega Clubs, a nationwide solution to the problem of having no access to games,  pop up PC stores ran by grandparents from their flats, discovering a love of English through blackmarket imports of PC Zone and PC Gamer, playing games while your city is bombed, and how the first legitimate video game he was able to buy was World of Warcraft in 2005.

Andrej is a passionate and engaging guide through all of this and so much more. A unique and fascinating take on the games that shaped many of our lives. A genuine treat, and something I’m thruked to share.

"We've got a wave in the air, radar love."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by

We talk about the surprising amount of instinct and chance that goes into designing a Zachtronics game, his love of play sets and miniatures but oddly his hatred of board games, the influence of the TV series How it's Made?, why Solitaire is such a great chicken soup game, the unique struggles of making educational software and how his love of video games has slowly withered while his love of making them has flourished.

“Bertha, lovely Bertha. You're such a lovely machine!”

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Duke Nuken, Team Fortress 2, Heroes of the Storm, Construction Simulator, Megaman Battle Arena 3, Opus Magnum, SpaceChem, infiniminer, infinifactory

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

As well as possibly my favourite rage quit story of the show so far, we talk about the inner monologue of a Goomba, the profound impression that Link to the Past continues to have on him (and how apt that title is), why he could only be doing what he’s doing at UC Santa Cruz, how he discovered a whole other universe in Madden 2000, the slapstick violence of GTA3, how learning to code completely changed his life, and why Façade is like the first Velvet Underground album.

“From downtown!”

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Pitfall, Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past, NFL Blitz, Madden 2000, NBA JAM TE, Façade, Grand Theft Auto 3, The Sims, Sim City, Dwarf Fortress, Tecmo Super Bowl, Football Manager, Little Computer People, Driver

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

We talk about how games were a forbidden fruit for a chunk of her childhood, and how getting a PC changed everything. Her deep love for the Curse of Monkey Island and the subsequent radio play adaptation she made in college, how the Tango is a great example of emergent game play, the healing power of getting snowed in with Dragon Age: Inquisition, why The Mortician's Tale resonated with her so much,  and how she got into games when she didn't know anyone in games (pro tip: meet Rich Lemarchand).

"I don't think my father would approve of me dating the undead, and you're probably too nice a zombie-pirate for me anyway. Let's just be friends instead. "

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Everquest, The Sims, KOTOR, Curse of Monkey Island, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, Gone Home, Final Fantasy 8, Super Hexagon, The Last of Us, Uncharted, Super Meat Boy, Dragon Age: Inquisition, A Mortician's Tale, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine, Night in the Woods

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

In an incredibly broad and meandering chat we hit on how his parents desire for him to never have a computer back fired spectacularly, how he quickly learned to play games at arms length through tool assisted runs of Diablo, his intense love of role playing within Eve Online, his compulsion to play through games like Quake, X-Com and Civilsation 5 endlessly, how much fun an interactive gravestone would be, why everyone should make things and how sometimes how you approach a game can say a lot about how you approach life.

"If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, you'll come to understand that you're connected with everything.."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

For more details about All Your Bass festival and the live Checkpoints episode, visit the NVA

Games discussed: Ultima Online, Diablo, Quake 3, Eve Online, Civ 5, Nuclear Throne, Rainbow 6, Riven, Myst, What Remains of Edith Finch, Tokyo Extreme Racer, Mount Your Friends, X-Com, Age of Empires

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's episode is Jim Rossignol. Jim spent many years working at PC Gamer, founded Rock, Paper, Shotgun and has since set up his own video game studio, Big Robot, and made the games Sir, You Are Being Hunted and The Signal from Tölva.

We talk his early memories of Amstrad CPC and Amiga gaming, why philosophy is important, how  S.T.A.L.K.E.R represents the open world we were promised, the genesis and risks of Rock, Paper, Shotgun, whether or not he misses video game journalism, and why he's the best at Speedball 2.

"This is my Boom Stick."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

For more details about All Your Bass festival and the live Checkpoints episode, visit the NVA

Games discussed: Chuckie Egg, Elite, Speedball 2, Lemmings, Stunt Car Racer, Quake, Goldeneye, Hidden & Dangerous, Eve Online, S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Mad Max, Prey, Dishonoured, Teleglitch, Sunless Sea, The Long Dark, Diaries of a Space Port Janitor

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Lisy Kane. Lisy is a speaker, curator and videogame producer currently at League of Geeks. She's also the co founder of Girl Geek Academy and the only Austrailian on this year's Forbes 30 Under 30.

We talk Commander Keen on paternal laptops, playing Driver by the rules, a fierce love of demo discs, finding friends in Age of Empires, why my quick fire questions remind her of a high school band and how deals get done in DOTA 2.

"It was the last hero left and I never played it before."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Mass Effect, Gone Home, Commander Keen, Dr. Mario, Super Mario Land, Catz, Age of Empires 2, Battle Toads, DOTA, Stardew Valley, Destiny 2, Jack Box Party Pack, Thumper, Rock Band, Home Alone, Driver

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Erica Lahaie, a designer, illustrator and concept artist based out of Montreal. I'm a particular fan of the incredible work on Shrouded Isle but all of her art is amazing. Also she has the best URLs.

We go deep on our mutual love of the Tony Hawks Pro Skater series, talk about the mythical PS2 modem and her SOCOM 2 adventures, how she got her first break posting in the Giant Bomb forums and why we both think that rhythm action is probably the best video game genre.

"Gleam the cube buddy, yeah!"

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Zillion, Crash Team Racing, Tony Hawks Pro Skater Series, SOCOM 2, Amplitude, Rez, Modern Warfare 2, Need for Speed Underground, World of Warcraft, DOTA2, Bloodborne, Mass Effect, Gone Home, Parasite Eve

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Clint 'halfcoordinated' Lexa. Despite being born with a condition known as hemiparesis which limits the use of one side of his body, Clint has become a beloved and incredible speedrunner, with his one handed runs of intense action games like Vanquish and Nier being among the highlights of GamesDoneQuick these past few years. His experience in overcoming accessibility issues has also led to him becoming an advocate for better accessibility in games. He is also just the best guy.

We talk about how god modes in games meant he was never put off, how he got hooked on the frenzied brilliance of Gunstar Heroes, playing competitive Smash Bros, the thrill of mastering a video game, how he develops his speed run strategies, whether or not you write a script for a marathon, his Matrix like understanding of the AI in Castle Crashers, and why he'll never speed run Mario Odyssey.

"I'm not going to say anyone can do anything, but i will say your limits are way further out than you think they are."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Gunstar Heroes, Super Mario, Super Smash Brothers, RAGE, Duke Nukem, Commander Keen, Jackal, Ninja Gaiden, Castle Crashers, Super Mario Odyssey, Mad World, Momodora 4, Vanquish, Robotic Alchemic Drive,

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Jennifer Scheurle, the game design lead at Opaque Space currently working in collaboration with NASA on the VR game Earthlight. The team recently won studio of the year and game of the year at the Austrailian Game Developer Awards.

We talk about how cool it is to work with NASA, her childhood playing games in Germany and why PCs rule, how a particularly harrowing experience with a bear in the original Tomb Raider turned her off games for years, how she might need an intervention to save her from Love Nicky why she moved to Austrailia to make games, and her deep love for Shadow of the Colossus.  

"You think you're scared now? Wait till your parents get the bill for breaking Daedalus."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Tomb Raider, The Clue, 7 Days to Die, Counter Strike, Shovel Knight, The Secret of Monkey Island, Love Nicky, World of Warcraft, To the Moon, The Beginners Guide, Shadow of the Colosuss, Portal

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is that rarest of unicorns, a video game designer who moonlights as a drag queen. Richard Franke first got into games through his comic book art, and after spending many years working on a variety of titles - most notably the Burnout series - he left to found Magic Notion and create Kitty Powers Matchmaker, whose titular character is based on Richard's own drag queen persona.

We talk about his older brother passing on video game wisdom, his fear of 3D Monster Maze, recreating arcade games on the play ground, how he inadvertently created an Animal Crossing community, the design iteration that goes into making the perfect Burnout crash, and the wonderful sight of the designer of a game appearing on a youtube stream of their game as the main character of the game they created.

“We all came into this world naked. The rest is all drag.”

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Kitty Powers Matchmaker, Pong, Donkey Kong, 3D Monster Maze, Worms, Jet Set Willy, Burnout, Animal Crossing, Zelda, Final Fantasy 11, World of Warcraft, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, Witcher 3, Mario Kart, MUDs, The Sims, Splatoon, Fallout 3, Dungeons and Dragons

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

We talk about how the PC Zone vs. PC Gamer rivalry is no joke, whether growing up on a farm puts you off farming sims for life, how it felt to be a Betamax kid in a VHS world, and how working in the bowels of Canary Wharf made him feel like he was living in Half Life.

We also hit on Drop 7 addiction, the challenges of working on a game like No Man's Sky, the exotic allure of Flashback, how much we miss middle tier games and the carnal thrills of games like Max Payne, Duke Nukem and Bulletstorm.

"Damn, those alien bastards are gonna pay for shooting up my ride."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Zool, Imogen, Repton, Championship Manager, Half Life, Doom, Duke Nukem, Bulletstorm, Flashback, Drop 7, Elite, Carmageddon, the Fallout series, Deus Ex, Powerstone, Ready to Rumble, Abzu, Goldeneye,  Far Cry, Uncharted 4, SWAT 4, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Timeshift, Psy Ops, Stanglehold, Alien Isolation, No Man's Sky

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

Hello! So good to be back. My guest on today's episode is the amazing Mike Cook
 Mike is an AI researcher, the founder of #procjam (this year's even has just started so you should check it out.) and the creator of ANGELINA an AI system that makes video games.

As you can imagine, this is a mind blowing and fascinating talk. It honestly completely reshaped the way I think about and understand AI. There's also a ton of great video game stories like the surprise LAN party he had for his 10th birthday, how Command & Conquer cracked open his mind, his mum keeping the secrets of Monkey Island to herself, his 1000s of hours with DOTA 2 and how the AI he created to create games reflects the games he creates himself.

"He's smart, nice, liked by all. Why is he targeted for destruction?"

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Zool, Comman & Conquer: Red Alert, DOTA, N++, Final Fantasy 8, Broken Sword, Spelunky, Metal Gear Solid, Desert Golfing, PUBG, Fortnite, Black and White, Rogue Process, Invisible Inc. Secret of Monkey Island, Facade. 

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's episode is the Jolie Menzel. Jolie is a game designer and developer who started her career at Telltale games and currently works at Ubisoft as the Narrative Desiger for the upcoming South Park - The Fractured But Whole.

We talk arcade games on the Jersey Shore, the pride and shame in Dance Dance Revolution, how her science teacher taught evolution via Pokemon, her love of the Sonic Fandom, and how she maybe got a little too into Minecraft.

We also hit on her time in Japan, a side quest into Fashion, why Dave Mirra BMX holds such fond memories, her teenage foray into sprite comics, working on South Park, and how she rage quit out of her very first date.

"You can just hang around outside in the sun all day, tossing a ball around, or you can sit at your computer and do something that matters!"

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Ms. Pac Man, Pokemon Stadium, Smash Bros, Galaga, Sonic Adventure, Marvel vs Capcom, Final Fantasy V, Dance Dance Revolution, Kirby, Secret of Mana, Animal Crossing, Katamari Damacy, Minecraft, Niddhogg, Fables,

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's episode is the features editor of Eurogamer, co-host of the Eurogamer podcast and one of my favourite writers, Christian Donlan.

As anyone familiar with Christian or the Eurogamer podcast will expect, this episode goes off on a lot of tangents, but we always end up back at videogames - some highlights include how Uncharted might just be a magic trick, how great writing can give you that same Aha! moment the best games can, and how failing at Spelunky helped him cope with his MS diagnosis.

In a packed show we also hit on the hilarity of Spy vs. Spy, the genius of the original Ghostbusters game, the profound impact of Animal Crossing, how important video game magazines were, his friend Stu who brought him back to games, the potential of AI crafted experiences, and how you should never play Cluedo with him and his sister.

"Nice day for the race."

"What race is that?"

"The human race. Kids growing up, so on. Hope for the future."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Impossible Mission, Spy vs. Spy, Ghostbusters, Titanfall 2, Spelunky, Animal Crossing, PNO3, Tomb Raider, Civilization, Pikmin 3, Jet Set Radio Future, Uncharted, Blitz, Wonder Boy 3, Bonanza Bros, Ghost House, Advance Wars, Burnout 3, Clash Royale, Drop 7, The Saboteur, Fidel Dungeon Rescue, Spelunky, Nex Machina

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's episode is Arthur Gies. Arthur is a veteran video game journalist, former reviews editor for Polygon and long time host of Rebel FM.

We talk about his recent decision to leave Polygon and go back to grad school to study fine art before digging back through his video game milestones including: early memories of Atari 2600, video game sense memories, the power of sequels, how SEGA broke his heart, how Halo made him fall in love with games again, the impact of Bioshock, the thrill of meeting your heroes, the highs and lows of DOTA 2, and why Falllout is his favourite place to escape to.

"We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us. "

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: ET, Q*Bert, Super Mario Bros 2, Goonies 2, Castlevania 2, Megaman 3, Halo, Nights into Dreams, Soul Caliber, God of War 3, Fighting Vipers, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Virtua Fighter, Bioshock, Fallout, Mass Effect, Geometry Wars, Pacman CE DX, Nidhogg 2, DOTA 2, Psychonauts.

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

Checkpoints 100! Massive thanks to everyone that listens to and subscribes to the show, and of course to all of my previous guests, without whom the show literally wouldn't exist. 

A milestone show requires a milestone guest, so today I'm joined by the creator of several iconic games including Full Throttle, Grim Fandango and Psychonauts and the founder and CEO of Double Fine, Tim Schafer.

We hit on a bunch of topics as we meander through Tim's life in games including computer clubs, summer camps, building kit PCs with his dad, how pirating a game almost cost him his job at Lucasarts, playing Pictionary with Death, the highs and lows of running your own studio and how Animal Crossing made him want to lead a better life.

"Whenever I smell asphalt, I think of Maureen."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Herzog Zwei, Adventure, Animal Crossing, Grim Fandango, Full Throttle, Psychonauts, Super Mario 64, Street Fighter 2, Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, Katamari Damacy, Portal, Civilisation, Loot Rascals, Little Nightmares, Pictionary, Zork, Space Ace, Tetris

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's show is Teddy Dief. As well as having an incredibly enjoyable name to say out loud, Teddy is also a writer, game designer, Squarebowl founder and the creative director of Square Enix Montreal.

We talk about high stakes Duck Hunt battles, being all in on Nintendo, getting an early introduction to game design via Nintendo Power VHS tapes, whether or not fitness is a gameand, much to my personal delight, his time as a member of the acapella group The Clef Hangers.

We also hit on the scratch and sniff cards of Earthbound, how he learned responsibility from the Sony Playstation, the impact of Final Fantasy 7, how Battlestar Galactica made him want to make games, the development of Hyper Light Drifter and why he cherishes the magic of Squarebowl.

"There's a world where I can go and tell my secrets to."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Super Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, Donkey Kong Country, Earthbound, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy 7, 8, 12, 13 and 15, Xenogears, Hyper Light Drifter, Rock Band, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Star Wars Galaxies, Quadrilateral Cowboy, Time Splitters 2, Everything, Night in the Woods, Virgina, Nier: Automata, Catherine, Edith Finch

Theme song by Samuel Baker

Art work by Craig Stevenson

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is a writer, designer, creator of Lady Killer in a Bind and the namesake of Love Conquers All Games,  Christine Love.

In a wild and divergent talk we hit on how 18th Century twitter would be angry about how novels weren't real writing, the connection between Link's Awakening and Twin Peaks, why Pokemon feels like folk lore, and the thrill of meeting strangers on the internet. 

We also talk about the impact of Ace Attorney, her coaching sessions in Street Fighter 3rd Strike, playing Final Fantasy 6 to get over a break up, a showdown in a Japanese arcade and why she's thrilled that games have embraced romance. 

"Well, my story, surely, would furnish out a surprising kind of novel, if it were to be well told."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Ace Attorney, Planetarium, Link's Awakening, Pokemon, Street Fighter 2, Splatoon, Street Fighter 3rd Strike, Farenheit, Counter Strike, World of Warcraft, City of Heroes, Disgaea, Final Fantasy 6, Metal Gear Solid, Mass Effect

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guests on today's show are the creators of the amazing FTL and the upcoming Into the Breach, Justin Ma & Matt Davis AKA Subset Games.

We talk about how they both moved to China to get their first job in games, working at 2K in Shanghai, and how they got to know each other as desk mates and eventually, inspired by weekly board game sessions, decided to try and make a game together. That chance meeting led to one of my favourite games of the past ten years, FTL.

This episode is packed. We talk about both of their early video game loves like Full Throttle and X-Wing, what it was like for Justin growing up with a dad who worked at Activision, how Matthew rediscovered boardgaming in college which ultimately, set him on a path to China and back again.

We also talk a lot about their creative relationship, the upcoming Into the Breach, and a whole bunch about the development of FTL including the boardgame influences, the impact of the kickstarter and how they wanted to make players feel like Jean Luc Picard.

"Engage."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: X-Wing, Mech Warrior, Mortal Kombat, Legend of Zelda, Mario 64, Rez, Full Throttle, Fallout, Planescape, X-Com, System Shock 2, Spelunky, Papers Please, Portal, Prey, PUBG, Advance Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Game of Thrones

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's episode is Ben Andac. Ben does a whole bunch of stuff: writer, producer, designer, business developer. He's recently gone freelance after spending many years working at larger companies like Sega and Sony, problem solving, fostering new talent and ensuring the games being released on the platform are as good as they can possibly be. 

We talk about his early love of the Master System, how his early experience of games was an attempt to wean him off reading, his competitive Virtua Fighter skills and how Rez convinced him to quit his job and get into games. 

Also; the thrill of discovering new designers and how to foster relationships, how movies are interactive, his founding role in a games media giant and how a love of Joe Danger led to No Man's Sky.

"Fear is the mind killer."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Alex Kidd, Phantasy Star, Wonder Boy 3, Shinobi, Virtua Racing, Sega Rally, Aladdin, Flash Back, Street Fighter 2, Virtua Fighter, Dance Dance Revolution, Rez, Ico, The Last Guardian, Call of Duty Modern Warfare,  World of Warcraft, Pro Evolution Soccer, Journey, Gone Home, Night in the Woods, Crush, Joe Danger, No Man's Sky

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's episode is Walt Williams. Walt is the writer of Spec Ops - The Line and the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront 2. He'll also be releasing a book next month called Significant Zero which is a behind the scenes look at modern AAA development which, if you're a fan of this show, you're very likely to enjoy.

We talk about his early love of Adventure on the 2600, video game branded breakfast cereal, the impact of Final Fantasy 6, why Red Dead Redemption is maybe the best game, and how much he loves video games with endings.

We also talk about how he almost became a preacher, why Batman is really just an enabler for the Riddler, why video game nostalgia can be so much more powerful than other mediums and how he almost didn't take the gig writing Star Wars Battlefront 2 until a tweet from John Boyega pushed him over the edge.

"What happened here was out of my control..."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Adventure, Super Mario Bros, Zelda, Marble Madness, Final Fantasy 6, Jak and Daxter, World of Warcraft, Arkham Asylum, Spec Ops the Line, Gone Home, Civilisation, Star Wars Battlefront 2, Guitar Hero, Dark Souls, Night in the Woods, Portal 2, Red Dead Redemption, The Last of Us

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's episode is Brendan Keogh, a Brisbane-based critic, journalist, and academic. He's written a book about Spec Ops - The Line, tons of amazing articles for places like Edge, Polygon, The New Statesman, Ars Technica and as of this year has started making some games for fun.

Brendan Keogh wrote a thesis about Grand Theft Auto 4 and a book about Spec Ops - The Line so you know the type of episode this is going to be. There are two fine beards either end of a Skype call and they will be stroked. Also bonus cameo from Brendan's dog.

PLUS - how he wore out a controller playing Geometry Wars 2, why he loves the weight of GTA 4, the evergreen pleasures of Doom, why Binary Domain is an overloooked classic, why Alien Isolation works so well and, in a term I'm definitely going to steal, why Far Cry 2 is his chicken soup game.

"Let's go to bowling!"

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Grand Theft Auto 4, Spec Ops The Line, Catacombs of Solaris, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Alien Isolation, Call of Duty, Minecraft, Far Cry 2, Zelda BOTW, Nuclear Throne, Tiny Tower, Geometry Wars 2, Final Fantasy 7, Just Cause 2, Flightmare, Time Crisis, Doom, Kong, Striker

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's episode is Rod Humble. Rod has an incredible CV - CEO of Linden Labs, head of the EA Play label responsible for the Sims, game artist in residence at the San Francisco MOMA and current Jam City GM - but at heart he is a guy who loves and is fascinated by playing, making, and talking about games. 

Here are some highlights of a particularly packed episode: We talk about being moved by scale, an early love of the precise lines of Atom Invaders and the wonder of the seaside arcade, how his early love of design was encouraged by code pages in magazines, and how an early teacher once told him you have two paths ahead of you, computers or crime.

There's also the profound impact of Elite,  why Tetris resonates so much with so many, Will Wright stories, how he originally turned his nose up when he was given the Sims to look after, but quickly realised how wrong he was, and how his whole life has been a golden age for videogames.

"We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Atom Invaders, Star Wars, Missile Command, The Marriage, The Humans, Elite, Tetris, Brutal Paws of Fury, Everquest, The Sims, Cults and Daggers, School Daze, Bounty Bob, Hearthstone, Second Life, Blocks World

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that have forged connections & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's episode is Anthony Gallegos - currently working as a game designer on Marvel Heroes, Anthony previously spent years working in the enthusiast press for sites like 1up and IGN, and has been everyone's favourite on a whole host of podcasts including GFW Radio, The Gamespy Debriefings, The Comedy Button and of course Rebel FM.

We talk growing up on a naval base, the ubiquity of the NES in America, how multiplayer games were the bedrock of his early gaming life, his zoology aspirations,  his time in Scotland, how a looming deadline helps beat imposter syndrome and how meeting Arthur Gies while they both worked at a Tower Records changed the course of his life.

We also talk about a whole bunch of games - the never ending allure of PUBG, mainlining Everquest in college, why Gone Home was such an inspiration when he started working in design and why a little jank in a game can make all the difference.

"Mind what you have learned. Save you it can."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Super Mario Bros, Fester's Quest, Rust, PUBG, Everquest, World of Warcraft, Gone Home, Tony Hawks Pro Skater, Bushido Blade, Mortal Kombat, The Terminator, Counter Strike, Oblivion, The Walking Dead, Gone Home, Company of Heroes, Jack Box Party Pack, Tribes, God of War 2

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Daniel Cook, chief creative officer at SpryFox, creators of Triple Town, Alphabear, Road Not Taken and many more. Previous to Spryfox Daniel worked at the brand new Epic Mega Games (later simply Epic games) before spending a few years at Microsoft. He has also maintained his incredible design blog Lostgarden for over a decade.

We talk about how much he loved the Amiga, Bitmap Brothers in particular, growing up in rural Maine, his work in the demo scene in the mid nineties, his deep love of deluxe paint and how he got his start in games thanks to an unsolicited portfolio sent by his friend.

He also shares some incredible insight into the business of making games, how much he loved MUDs, the frustration he felt at Microsoft and why flash portals convinced him to get back into game design.

"We're not going to open a newspaper one day and read about you being eaten by a bear, are we?"

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Triple Town, Steambirds, Zaxxon, Donkey Kong, Faerie Tale Adventure, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, StarGlider 2, Tyrion, Quake, Animal Crossing, Pikmin, Tetris, Counter Strike, Star Fox Adventures, Thimbleweed Park, Peggle, 1 vs 100, Realm of the Mad God, Hidden Kingdom, Journey

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Ed Key, game designer, creator of the incredible Proteus and founder of Twisted Tree games.

We talk Kendall Mint Cake, why the Spectrum game Oh Mummy! had such a profound impact on his younger self, why Stellaris ticks so many boxes, how his dad would gamify their family walks,  why Brian Eno and Ultima 7 are forever linked in his brain, and how Proteus almost came with a fold out cloth map.

"Stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Oh Mummy! Proteus, Ultima 7, Chaos Engine, Stellaris, Civilisation II, FTL, Kentucky Route Zero, Forest of Sleep, Batallion Wars, Counter Strike, Mount and Blade, Joust, Tekken 3, Pikmin, Captain Blood,  Sensible Soccer

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Jon McKellan, one of the founders of NoCode studios, creators of Stories Untold and Super Arc Light. Previous to setting up his own studio, Jon spent many years in a band, before getting working in AAA game development on games like Alien Isolation and the now infamous APB.

We talk about his work at these studios, including being there when Realtime Worlds folded, and the human as well as financial impact this can have. We also hit on the job of a lifetime working on the Alien franchise,   and why he ended up leaving a job at Rockstar Games to form his own studio.

Wetalk about early loves on the Amiga and Atari 2600, why Dead Rising doesn't get the credit it deserves, the demands of being a mayor in Star Wars Galaxies, the muscle memory of Wipeout, why all open world games should let you turn off the collectibles and the heart breaking truth behind Super Mario Kart path finding.

" I admire its purity. A survivor... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Super Arc Light, Alien Isolation, Dead Rising, Half Life 2, Doom, Wipeout, Inside, Horizon Zero Dawn, Star Wars Galaxies, Stories Untold, Alien Isolation, APB, Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario Kart, Bloodborne, Crackdown, Trials HD, Bioshock

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Brandon Sheffield, founder of Nercrosoft games, former editor of Game Developer Magazine & Gamasutra, ad creator of Insertcredit.com and No Girlfriend Comics.

We talk about why all of Brandon's early videogame memories are blurry or in the third person, his deep level of discovery and delving into the forgotten history of games, university rivalries with the Maryland Puyo Puyo champion, his incredibly esoteric CV, and how the discovery of a video game in a store in Torrance, California changed his life.

"Sorta, yeah. But no idealized shit. No phony bullshit. The real thing, y'know? Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff. "

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Fantasy Zone, Beam Rider, Advanced D&D, The Smurfs, Gunstar Heroes, Freak Out, Puyo Puyo, Land Maker, Asuka 120% Burning Fist, Shadow Hearts, Star Cruiser, Princess Pyjama, Clash Royale, Nier, Ribbit King, Valkyria Chronicles, Gears of War, Jeanne d'Arc, Bullet Witch, SOS, Pup Breeder, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom,

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Brie Code, speaker, writer, AI programmer, and the CEO and creative director of Tru Luv Media, a video game studio making games with people who don't like games.

We talk about playing Snake on a mainframe, the importance of Roberta Williams, how she reinterpreted Warcraft & Starcraft to suit her game playing needs, how AI programming is the sweet spot between psychology and computer science and how and how her non game playing friend's relationship with a character in Skyrim completely shifted her perspective of video games.

We also hit on her time working at Relic on Company of Heroes and at Ubisoft on Child of Light and Assassin's Creed 2 & 3, what inspired her to start her own studio, how much the diversity of game makers around the world continually inspires her, and how being completely honest transformed her as a public speaker.

"Sonny, true love is the greatest thing in the world. But that's not what he said! He distinctly said "to blave." And, as we all know, "to blave" means "to bluff," huh? So you're probably playing cards, and he cheated—"

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Snake, Zack McCracken, The Colonel's Bequest, Skyrim, King's Quest, Warcraft 3, Starcraft, Drop7, Company of Heroes, Assassin's Creed, Child of Light, Destiny, Kim Kardashian Hollywood, Maniac Mansion

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Mathew Kumar, a video game designer, a writer, a zine creator and a podcast host. This is a very game heavy episode and Mathew's lifelong enthusiasm and passion for video games is incredibly infectious.

We also hit on growing up playing games in Scotland, the forgotten treasures of the home computer scene, why he always wanted to be a videogame journalist, why he always has a Saturn ready to play, and the physical wonder of the joystick on a Neo Geo Pocket Colour,

"What I do is I just try to take my hat and I turn it around, and it's like a switch that goes on."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Asuka 120% Burning Fist Limited, Star Wars Arcade, SNK vs. Capcom, Bikini Zombie Slayers, Deadly Premonition, Garouden Breakblow: Fist or Twist, Netrunner, Bangai-O, Loot Rascals, Video Ball, Spy Party, Uncharted 4, N++, Animal Crossing New Leaf, NHL 94, Goldeneye, Roland on the Ropes, Civilisation, Castlevania 2, Bill & Ted's Excellent Game Boy Adventure: A Bogus Journey!, Tiny Toon Adventures, Polybius

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Violet Berlin, a writer, educator, producer and presenter, perhaps best known to listeners as the presenter of the video game TV series Bad Influence.

We talk calculator games, Space Museums, Game & Watch, the hidden adventure within Zelda, a deep love for Castlevania, how Eternal Darkness tricked her a little too hard and bonding with her children through video games.

We also talk about how she never owned a TV until she worked on TV, her unlikely route to becoming a TV presenter, working for the biggest museum project in the world, the thrill of meeting curators, gunge recipes, being passionate about your interests and how she ended up as a playable character in Micro Machines 2.

BONUS GUEST! In a particularly bumper episode I also speak to Dr. Jennifer Hazel about her non profit company Checkpoint (good name!) which acts at the intersection of mental health and video games. We have a fascinating chat about the clinical use of video games in treating mental health issues, and about their Kickstarter campaign to create a web series about these issues. If you're curious and you'd like to support it, there are still a few days left to back it - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/checkpoint/the-checkpoint-series

"Remember to set your video recorders for the datablast!"

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: The Legend of Zelda, The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild, Eternal Darkness, Papers Please, Castlevania 2, Sam and Max, The Lawnmower Man, Mega Man, Space Invaders, Micro Machines 2, Stories Untold, Amplitude, Space Channel 5

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Omar Cornut, founder of Lizardcube and creator of the recent, and excellent, remake of Wonder Boy : The Dragon's Trap.

We talk growing up in Paris and Egypt, the SEGA Computer 3000 (!), how he traded up from a home made Inidiana Jones board game to a Game & Watch, his founding of a video game course while still a student, and why Psycho Fox is burned into his brain.

We also hit on Omar's role in the emulation scene of the late nineties when he created MEKA, one of the best Master System emulators, his time at Media Molecule, the complicated IP history of Wonder Boy, and how his quest to seek out every secret in The Dragon's Trap led to the founding of a company and the creation of a game.

"What was that? An exhibition? I said emotional content, not anger. Now try again!"

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Wonder Boy 3, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Alex Kidd in Shinobi World, River Raid, Aztec Adventure, Ice Climber, Tetris, Evil Twin, Psycho Fox, Soul Bubbles, Kid Chameleon, Super Hexagon, GNOG, Super Mario Kart.

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Dominique Ferland AKA Dom2D an illustrator and game designer who most recently designed the excellent Finthook for Tribute Games.

We talk about the lack of games in small town Quebec, the incredible music of Pictionary on the NES, early graph paper game designs and the inspirations behind Flinthook.

We also talk through his strange journey to game design via advertising, how Spelunky took over his life, the joy of playing games with a guide and how Proteus taught him to stop worrying and love video games.

"Death is the only adventure I have left, Smee."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Pictionary, Flinthook, Fez, Proteus, Spelunky, Guitar Hero, Slender Man, Gladiator School, Resident Evil 7, Dune, Towerfall, Jaipur, Worms, Bionic Commando, Wario Ware, The Legend of Zelda

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Margaret Roberston, former editor of Edge magazine, now game director at PlayDots and industry liaison for the New York Game Centre.

We talk about forgotten classics of the Atari ST & Amiga era like Captive and Midwinter, the absurdist joy of Ranarama, the Playstation homebrew scene and how she fought through the pain for the love of Guitar Hero.

We also reminisce about the genuine magic of early internet forums, how she got the job on Edge in the bar after the interview, why Final Fantasy 12 is conclusively the best and how designing brilliant games can be the way to someone's heart.

"My, Earth really is full of things! ."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Ranarama, Harrier Attack, Captive, Midwinter, Super Mario Kart, WipeOut, PN03, Katamari Damacy, Manhunt, Guitar Hero, Final Fantasy 12, Half Life 2, Amped 3, Uplink, World of Warcraft, Drop 7, Horizon Zero Dawn, Home Free, Kileak the Blood,

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Hannah Nicklin an award winning game designer, writer, academic, theatre maker, bike rider and talk giver. As the myriad of adjectives suggest, she's a brilliant guest.

We talk about weird Comic Relief tie in game Sleepwalker, how Tony Hawk Pro Skater introduced her to punk rock, why controller literacy is such a forgotten problem,  that time she bought 100 CDs and a Gamecube on a camping trip and how theatre is a game so old we've forgotten it's a game.

We also hit on street games, her work at Hide & Seek, zines about grandpas, her passion for cycling, how Kentucky Route Zero is one of the greatest games ever made and why Jazz really makes her laugh.

"Hey man, Jaws was never my scene and I don't like Star Wars."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Sleepwalker, The Lion King, Deus Ex Machina, Loot Rascals, Kentucky Route Zero, Proteus, Cribbage with Grandpas, A Good Snowman is Hard to Build, Mario Kart, Burly Men at Sea, Portal, Tony Hawks Pro Skater, Discworld Noir, Command and Conquer Red Alert

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is the studio director and co founder of Media Molecule,  Siobhan Reddy. We talk about the founding of the studio, the development of Little Big Planet and their upcoming title Dreams.

We also meander through Siobhan's video game history, from her early love of the Game & Watch, how Resident Evil really shifted her understanding of games and awakened a life long love of horror games, why Bioware games are like a warm blanket, how working on punk fanzines influenced her career and how you never really learn how to make games, you just learn how to make that one.

"In my dreams I can walk. My legs are strong. In my dreams I am the Wizard Master."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Game & Watch, Soma, Resident Evil, Flame and the Flood, SSX, Burnout, Little Big Planet, Dreams, Dragon Age, Dead Space, Monkey Island, Hitman, DIscworld Noir, D & D,

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Harrison G. Pink, a world designer who currently works on Mafia 3 at Hangar 13and has previously worked on the Walking Dead and Tales from the Borderlands at Telltale.

We talk about growing up in Bermuda, solving Kings Quest puzzles while playing in the sea, how shareware trading and PC helped him through boarding school, how Myst changed his life and why The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker seemed like a game made just for him.

We also hit on the storytelling potential of games, how endless hours of Unreal helped him hone his early game design chops, how Megaman made him bite his controller and why Bastion is perfect.

"What do they call it when everything intersects?" "The Bermuda Triangle."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Mafia 3, The Walking Dead, Dark Castle, Myst, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Math Blaster, Doom, King's Quest, Command & Conquer, Zork, Starcraft, Unreal, Smash Brothers, Geometry Wars, Megaman 2, Bastion, Giants: Citizen Kabuto, Another World

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Robert Yang, a game developer and a teacher at the NYU Game Center. Robert's games are most known for their explorations and interpretations of gay sex, from spanking in Hurt Me Plenty to dick pics in Cobra Club, and we talk on what compelled him to focus in on these themes, and how something as seemingly juvenile as a dick pic simulator is actually a scathing critique of our surveillance culture.

We talk about his bad first impressions of video games, how Final Fantasy changed his mind, his introduction to modding through StarCraft and Half Life, that one time he interviewed for Valve and how best to approach a spanking game in VR. 

We also hit on our favourite Golden Axe characters, Super Smash Bros. hipsters, how tough it is to do intimacy well in a video game, why twitch won't let people stream his games and how pop songs are some of his strongest influences.

"Every Final Fantasy game is basically about growing up, going through a goth phase and then killing God."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Ladykiller in a Bind, Sonic, Golden Axe, Command & Conquer, Starcraft 2, Overwatch, Halo, Super Smash Bros, Oikospiel, Fatale, A good snowman is hard to build, Counter Strike, Half Life,

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guests today are the creators of the incredible local multiplayer game Overcooked, Phil Duncan and Oli Devine AKA Ghost Town Games.

We talk about both of their early experiences with home computers and the divergent interests they inspired in them, why Sonic was so fun to draw, why Tails is the worst, the thrill of local multiplayer, the best version of Tony Hawks and how you're never ready to start a studio so why not just do it now?

"Anyone can cook but only the fearless can be great."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Dizzy, New Zealand Story, Tony Hawks Pro Skater, Sonic 2, Streets of Rage, Bomberman, Kinectimals, Lost Winds, Bioshock, Wrecked, Storage Inc, The Old Republic, Overwatch, Event 0, Dead Space,

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is the senior reporter for Waypoint, Patrick Klepek. We talk about how we can't quit Weezer despite their best efforts, how he pitched a Playstation to his little brother to ensure they got it as a shared christmas gift, his incredibly young start in video games and the lack of romance that defined his early video game journalism career. 

We also hit on his speakeasy style Halo 2 multiplayer set up in college, his mammoth battle of wits with Dan Rykert during the Mario Maker Mornings, the profound effect of Papá y Yo, and how he learned to stop worrying and love Dark Souls. 

"The redhead said you shred the cello, and I’m Jell-O."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Tecmo Bowl, Pong, Twisted Metal, Final Fantasy X, Resident Evil, Halo 2, Super Mario Maker, Spelunky, Nioh, Papa Y Yo, Dark Souls, Night in the Woods, Yakuza Zero, Mega Man 2

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Ken Levine, creative director and co-founder of Irrational and now Ghost Story Games, and the creative force behind some of the most iconic titles in video game history including System Shock 2, Thief and the Bioshock Series.

We talk about the physical thrill of early mechanical games, his bad news bears-esque teenage deliquency - bumming smokes and playing arcades - his bumpy path into video game design via Hollywood and how the theatre prepared him for running a video game studio.

We talk about why the original Castle Wolfenstein was so stressful,  how obscure gem Herzog Zwei should get way more credit, why Rocksmith is one of the best games he's ever played and how the Legend of Zelda ruined a relationship.

"We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Adventure, Asteroids, Pac Man, The Legend of Zelda, Dark Castle, Road Rash, Herzog Zwei, Yie Ar Kung Fu, Ikari Warriors, Castle Wolfenstein, Star Control, World of Warcraft, Portal, Inside, Thief, Shadow of Mordor, Her Story, X-Com, Invisible Inc, Rocksmith

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Will Luton, the product manager for Angry Birds 2 by Rovio and author of the book Free to Play or how to make money by giving away your games.

Unsurprisingly we talk a whole bunch about free to play, we lament on the passing of the Dreamcast, we talk about Will's Magic the Gathering training regiment and his passion for playing and restoring old pinball machines.

In an expansive and meandering chat we also manage to get into Alex Kidd speedruns, the merits of the Super Mario Bros movie, DARK BASIC, Pogz: the text adventure and how games can be the perfect therapy.

"Ever since I was a young boy, I've played the silver ball."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Hearthstone, Game of War, Rez, The Last Guardian, Resident Evil 7, Magic the Gathering, Alex Kidd, Pong, Space Siege, Skies of Arcadia, Samba di Amigo, Shenmue, Streetfighter, GTAV, Angry Birds 2, New Star Soccer, Game Dev Story

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is David McCarthy who you'll probably recognise from the radio. He has worn many hats in the video game industry, from staff writer at Edge, to Rockstar Games and ultimtely to Japan, where he's worked for a number of video game companies over the past 6 or 7 years.

There's a bunch of serious video game chat including the allure of Sonic, why Halo was so important, the majesty of Bangai O, the underappreciated brilliance of Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball and how the latest iteration of Fire Emblem stamps on the glory of the original titles.

We also hit on the magic of pen and paper role playing, his unlikely switch from investment banking to video game journalist, dealing with the Hot Coffee incident while working at Rockstar, the burgeoning Japanese Indie Game scene and that time he was blown up on the tube.

"May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Gauntlet, Sonic the Hedgehog, Magic the Gathering, Puyo Puyo, Goldeneye, Bangai O, Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball, Halo, Mortal Kombat, Fire Emblem, Mutant League Football, Hearthstone, Shadowverse, Snooker, John Madden, Super Monkey Ball, AKB48 - the game.

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guests today are Mare Sheppard and Raigan Burns, the founders of Metanet Software and the creators of N++.

We talk about the promise of early programming, the impact of Sonic the Hedgehog, how they met and bonded over freeware games, the design lessons of Wip3out, an NHL 2001 tournament that has spanned over a decade, why a broad education is perfect for video games and, in perhaps the most controversial statement on the show thus far, how Crash Team Racing is better than Mario Kart.

As well as chatting enthusiastically about a whole bunch of video games, we also hit on the development of N, how it felt to lead the charge for indie games on Xbox Live Arcade, the fear of selling out, and the positives and negatives of being a perfectionist.

"Lyrics, fill in the gap. Drop that bass and get the Ninja Rap"

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: N++, Lode Runner, Bionic Commando, Chime, Ascii Arcade, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tetris Attack, Aero the Acrobat, Day of the Tentacle, Space War, Dark Castle, Aladdin, Doom, Commander Keen, Super Mario World, Lumines, NHL 2001, Doom the Rogue Like, Kutar, Gish, Nuzomou, Hyper Light Drifter, Spelunky, Dream quest, Braid, Jumper, Cave Story, Jump and Bump, Dark Souls, Animal Crossing, Crash Team Racing

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Michael Brough, the singular designer of a whole bunch of truly brilliant video games including 868-Hack, Imbroglio and Corrypt.

We talk about how it feels playing New Zealand story as a kid in New Zealand, how quickly he fell in love with exploring computers through command lines, the exotic promise of video game shops, his experimental StarCraft mods, what keeps him making games, and how sometimes you can have too much faith in shareware.

"Hold Z to feel emotions."

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Pac Man, Flightmare, New Zealand Story, Castle of the Wind, StarCraft, Captain Comic 2, Commander Keen, Myst, Race for the Galaxy, Rogue, DOTA

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

Today's guest is Jim Crawford, creator of Frog Fractions 1 and Frog Fractions 2 and co-host of the video games hot dog podcast. 

We talk about his very early love of programming, why he would tell his young self to just rip people off better, how Frog Fractions was born out of insecurity and the key to funny video games.

We also talk about World of Warcraft may have got him fired, working in the early PC demo scene, tracker music, reading Dungeons and Dragons rule books for fun, the ahead of it's time Terminator game by Bethesda, and that time Star Wars made him kick a Gamecube.

This is definitely nothing to do with an ARG.

"Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers and me."

FROG FRACTIONS - http://twinbeard.com/frog-fractions/

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Frog Fractions, Frog Fractions 2, World of Warcraft, Terminator, Gunhouse, QWOP, Psychonauts, Pheonix, Super Mario 64, Grand Theft Auto 4, Space Station Silicon Valley, Pharoah's Tomb, Nethack, Pickaxe Pete.

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Rob Dubbin. Rob spent over a decade working with Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report and The Late Show, but has always had a strong love for games and game development.

We talk about childhood hurricanes, Computer Camp, the thrill of learning ZZT, why he is always revisiting Star Control 2, his Samurai Gunn skills, a brief dalliance with hacking and how a chance encounter with an old friend reignited his love for making videogames.

"Okay, if you guys are really us, what number are we thinking of?"

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Samurai Gunn, Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, Undertale, Pharoah's Tomb, Super Smash Brothers, ZZT, Star Control 2, Duck Game, Brooklyn Trash King, Final Fantasy 7, Sword & Sworcery, Rocket League

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's episode is the wonderful Nina Freeman, currently working on Tacoma at The Fullbright Company, Nina's previous games include Cibele and the IGF and Indiecade finalist How Do You Do It?

We talk her life long love of Final Fantasy X-2, the absurdity of playing Sims with no context, how cities make scenes, the Fullbright videogame mixtape, poetry vs. coding, how to quit Final Fantasy Online for real this time and why video games (mostly) suck at sex.

"You have to use your hands? That's like a baby's toy."

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: The Sims, Final Fantasy, Catherine, Cobra Club, Myst, Xenosaga, Smash Brothers, Dark Souls, Soul Caliber 2, Pokemon Blue, Ladykiller in a Bind, Ute, Mystic Messenger, The Stanley Parable,

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Rich Vreeland AKA Disasterpeace, the sound artist and composer for games including Fez, Reigns, Mini Metro, Hyper Light Drifter and the movie It Follows.

As you can imagine there is a lot of music nerd chat, from esoteric composition techniques to how to define the Chiptune genre. In a broad and meandering chat we also hit on his evergreen love of Ice Hockey games, how he was exposed to Zelda in utero, how much he was inspired by Cave Story and his unlikely early musical steps creating entrance music for electronic wrestlers.

"You just worked yourself into a shoot, brother!" 

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Super Mario 3, Fez, Cave Story, Halo, Super Pole Riders, World of Warcraft, NHL '94, Super Smash Bros, Super Mario Kart, Pokemon, Samorost 3, Kentucky Route Zero, Inside.

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Susan Arendt, the executive editor of Gamesradar+, co-founder of TakeThis and a veteran vidoegame journlaist and editor.

We talk about mastering Maze Craze on the VCS, why Psychonauts is a flawed masterpiece, how she worked two jobs to fund her love of videogames, why the puns in Dragon Quest are the best, the impact of Phantasy Star Online and why playing Missile Command with her dad is such an important memory.

"Rise and shine, guardian!" 

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Morrowind, Buffy, Missile Command, Pong, Maze Craze, Phantasy Star Online, Psychonauts, Destiny, The Witness, Soul Caliber, Overwatch, The Witcher, Device 6, Fable 3

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

Happy New Year!

My first guest of 2017 is the wonderful Aleks Krotoski. Best known to many as one of the presenters of the late 90s videogame show Bits, Aleks is also a renowned broadcaster, academic and journalist in the fields of psychology and technology, and currently hosts Digital Human on BBC Radio 4.

We join Aleks on a stroll through LA and talk about playing Frogger in a laundromat, the unique appeal of Glasgow, working on Bits, Hot Coffee, Virtual Reality, the correct way to play Singstar and why she hasn't played a videogame since 2009.

"Beware, coward." 

Digital Human - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b081ldd8

Vidoegame are Boring by Brie Code - http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-11-07-video-games-are-boring

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Frogger, Super Mario Bros, Grim Fandango, Second Life, Grand Theft Auto, Fantavision, Sonic, Pitfall, Volleyball, Sim City, 1942, Singstar,

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

Closing out the year and completing my quartet of guests who made some of my favourite games of 2016, my guest today is the creator of Really Bad Chess, Zach Gage.

Zach is self described conceptual artist who explores systems. He has an incredible breadth of work but including board games, visual arts, installations andof course videogames like Spelltower, Tharsis and the wonderful Lose/Lose - a space invaders clone that wipes a random file on your computer every time you kill an alien.

We talk through his early love of games and his equally early start creating them, I introduce him to the wonders of Top Trumps, we talk about why he sees himself as an artist before a game designer, the impact Prince of Persia and Lemmings had, and why he thinks poker is the best game ever.

This is a great talk, and a fine end to an otherwise tumultuous year. Thanks for listening, here's to the future!

"Last night I stayed up late playing poker with Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died." 

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Super Mario Bros, Lemmings, Prince of Persia, Mario Paint, Tetris, Really Bad Chess, Poker, Top Trumps, Unreal Tournament, Rocket League, Knights of the Old Republic, Final Fantasy 12, Undertale, Pokemon, Lose/Lose, Spelltower, Go, Imbroglio.

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

All of my guests in December have created some of my favourite games of the year, and this week I welcome the creator of Hyper Light Drifter and co-founder of Heart Machine, Alex Preston. We talk about the creation of Hyper Light Drifter, the global community of Indie Game Developers, why you have to be a crazy person to make videogames and how a VHS tape about the making of Donkey Kong Country changed his life. 

We also hit on his deep love of Zelda and Super Metroid, the magic of Phantasy Star Online, the elegant thrills of DoDonPachi, why Overwatch is one of of our favourite games of the year and why Destiny is the perfect warm blanket.

I also personally want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Thanks as always for listening to the show, and I hope you all have a wonderful festive season. You deserve it.

"Come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs..." 

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Godzila, Super Mario Bros. 3, Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Phantasy Star Online, Diablo 2, Destiny, Hyper Light Drifter, Cave Story, Overwatch, Donkey Kong Country, Final Fantasy 6 and 12, Samurai Gun, DoDonPachi, Ikaruga and Donkey Kong Country.

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

Continuing the December theme of speaking with devs who made some of my favourite games of 2016, I'm joined this week by Jonathan Burroughs, one of the creators of Virgina and co-founder of Variable State. The team have recently been nominated for Writer's Guild of Great Britain award for the writing in the game too, so huge congratulations to them for that.

In addition to his almost accidental career path - which took him from QA on Burnout 3 to starting his own game company via Battlefield and writing House of the Dead - Overkill - we talk about his Spectrum in a briefcase, an early love of Cannon Fodder and Wing Commander, designing levels for Marathon, the story of Virgina, how Lumines can be a cure for anxiety and how Gamedev Story can mend a broken heart. 

"There was a fish in the percolator!" 

The drawing game I couldn't remember the name of is Drawception, and it's still absolutely amazing https://drawception.com/

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Mini Metro, Persona 4 Golden, Virginia, Battalion Wars, Burnout 3, Earthworm Jim, Monkey Island 2, Wing Commander, Cannon Fodder, Draw Something, Lumines, Gamedev Story, Asterisk, Kentucky Route Zero, Passage, Golden Axe, Dictator, Giddy Game Show. 

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is AP Thomson, creator of Beglitched, the recently released iOS puzzler Swap Sword and many, many more.  (My personal favourite is Tony Hawks Pro Dater.) He also teaches game design at NYU and has a masters degree from MIT. No big deal.

We talk through the strange fear videogames instilled in him as a kid, and how Kirby's Block Ball helped him through to the other side. Why Cave Story made him want to be a game designer and how Pokemon will likely be here forever.

We hit on his perennial love of hand helds, how he became one of the greatest Super Hexagon players in the world, why sometimes the most illegal games are the most exciting to make and, in a genuinely thrilling exchange, he offers a new reading on the themes of Ocarina of Time which completely blew my mind. Great talk.

"Did you KNOW: fewer people have landed kickflips than have found LOVE." 

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: 

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Paul Rose aka Mr. Biffo. A hugely influential videogame writer during his run at Digitiser, a teletext service on Channel 4, Paul is also a novelist, screenwriter, and has just successfully kickstarted Found Footage. an online sketch show.

We meander through Biffo's life in games, from the Binatone Thundercolt to PSVR, via late night Alex Kidd sessions, the amazing single player of Titanfall 2, the forgotten classic Unirally and the impossible excitement of Star Wars Dark Forces.

We also chat about his time programming the scoreboard at Wembley Stadium, how he almost became an artist for 2000AD, how he stumbled into his job at Digister, the subsequent battles with the bosses at Teletext and how gaming when writing can be a blessing and curse.

"You're a real pal, Biffo." 

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed:  Titanfall 2, Pong, Unirally, Star Wars Dark Forces, Half Life 2, Jet Set Willy, Seiddab Attack, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Zoo Keeper, Super Star Wars, Uncharted 2, Leisure Suit Larry.

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about video games, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Edmund McMillen, the creator of Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac, Gish and many, many more. He was also one of the developers profiled in the excellent Indie Game The Movie.

We talk about a lot of videogames as we meander through Edmund's life in games. A deep love of early Nintendo, the hilarity of Katamari and Conkers Bad Fur Day, the genius of Overwatch, the wonders of Shareware, and the urban legend generator that is Mortal Kombat 2. 

We also talk about his career in games.  How he got started making flash games just to freak out his college teacher, how he got hooked on the instant gratification of publishing games online, his involvement in the early indie scene in California, his awkward encounter with the Melvins, why Indie Game the Movie was a success and why every developer should make their own version of the Legend of Zelda.

THE BATHROOM WE OPEN THE SHOW TALKING ABOUT - http://twitter.com/edmundmcmillen/status/791717019896860672

"You can't keep the artist down, the art just happens."

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Goonies 2, Snake Rattle & Roll, Milon's Secret Castle, XCOM, Doom, Descent, Fallout, Gish, Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac, The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, WoW, Katamari, Envirobear, Overwatch, The Witness, Warhammer, Magic The Gathering. 

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about video games, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Alexander O. Smith, a veteran translator who has worked on an incredible array of video games including Vagrant Story, Phoenix Wright, Vanquish and one of the greatest games ever made, Final Fantasy 12.

Being a huge fan of the game, I ask a lot of questions about Final Fantasy 12 and Alex gives a lot of great answers, (like how important Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic was to the crew of the Rabanastre.)  We talk a lot about where his love of language first arose, and the art and science of a good translation. 

We also take the customary stroll through Alex's personal video game history including an early love of Vector arcade games, making his own MUDs,  becoming the GenCon Tetris champion in 1989 and how one of the greatest gaming moments of his life took place one night in Wales.

"Incidentally, what is the going rate for rescuing Princesses these days? Food would be a good start -- the good stuff, mind you."

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: FF12, Phoenix Wright, Brick Out, Game & Watch, Asteroids, Dungeons & Dragons, Tetris, Zork, Portal 2, Battlezone, Civilisation, Magic, Bard's Tale, Rock Band

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about video games, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Tim Constant, founder of Panic Barn and creator of the Tiki Taka Soccer series of video games. Me and Tim chat about his rich history and love of games, including an obsession with Champ Manager, a homemade Out Run cabinet and the struggles of being the only gamer in the village.

We also talk about the struggles of maintaining and independent studio, how a live quiz game he worked on almost took down Channel 5, and that time he had to choose between his Everquest guild or his girlfriend.

"The ball is round, the game lasts 90 minutes, everything else is pure theory."

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Tiki Taka Soccer, Championship Manager, PES, Bonk, NBA JAM, Out Run, Worms, E-SWAT, Mr. Heli, Everquest, The Witcher 3, New Star Soccer, Altered Beast, Bamboozle.

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about video games, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Tom Bramwell, former editor of Eurogamer, former Head of Writing at Riot Games and all around good guy. We talk about Tom's ridiculously early start in videogame journalism fuelled by a passion for videogame magazines, his deep love of FIFA and how Destiny has provided some of his finest gaming memories.

In a relaxed and meandering chat, we also touch on a love of collecting, the life lessons of The West Wing, playing Rock Band in the penthouse of a Vegas casino, why he never got on with Yoshi's Island and the endless hilarity of FIFA's Impact Engine.

"Welcome to the NFL."

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: FIFA, Dark Souls, Hearthstone, Destiny, Space Invaders, Trials HD, Deus Ex, Quake, Doom, League of Legends, Rock Band, Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Nomad Soul, MDK, California Games, Sonic the Hedgehog, Wriggler, Yoshi's Island, Mario Kart.

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about video games, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is JP LeBreton. Having worked on a variety of games including Bioshock 1 & 2 and The Cave for Irrational Games and Double Fine respectively, JP has since gone solo and is currently working on Autobiographical Architecture as well as various other small projects.

We meander through the games that shaped JP's life. As well as a life long fascination and love of Doom, we hit on the mystery and promise of his first experience with a Commodore 64, how places in videogames can be as evocative and powerful as real world locations , why he was jealous of the UK home computer scene of the 80s, and how N++ caused him an injury. 

He also talks quite frankly about how challenging the video game industry can sometimes be, but how games themselves can often be a salve to this negativity, and remind you why you loved them all over again.

'Something magical is happening that I don’t understand and it’s coming from the machine.'

Best outro music ever! courtesy of With Ether

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Doom, Mr. Robot, Biosock, Forbidden Forest, Syndicate, Quake, Racing Construction Set, Wolfenstein, System Shock, Metroid Prime 2, N++

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about video games, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Simon Byron, formerly a videogame journalist and PR person, now a co-host of videogame radio show One Life Left, Publishing Director at Curve Digital and creator of hit mobile games Bang Man and Up Down Left Right. He is also the reigning Sensible Soccer World Champion.

We talk about growing up around arcades in Bournemouth, how anarchic early video game journalism was, the highs and lows of video game PR - from playing in front of thousands at the Isle of Wight festival to sending bags of offal in the post.

We also chat about his shift into publishing and some of the difficulties of the modern video game market (spoilers: there's too much and it's all great), his brief stint as a commentator on GamesMaster and that time he tried to desecrate the grave of Jimi Hendrix.

'Why you gotta play that song so loud?
(Because we want to, because we want to)'

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Ikari Warriors, Guitar Hero, 10 Second Ninja, Human Fall Flat, Defender, Dragon's Lair, Sensible Soccer, Doom 2, Aladdin, Star Wars Battlefront, GTA, JFK: Reloaded, Skyrim

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Rami Ismail, a Dutch/Egyptian video game developer, creator of presskit() and one half of one of the most prolific and successful independent video game studios of the past few years,  Vlambeer. 

We talk about his very early fascination with how games worked and pulling apart code in QBasic, why the Polystation was a blessing in disguise, questionable tactics in Starsiege: Tribes,  why he enjoys giving talks so much, the runway train that is Vlambeer and the mystery of it's logo, 

"I do what I do for many reasons, and those reasons are life and influence and impact and death and responsibility and legacy and also videogames."

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Gorillas.bas, Destiny, Nuclear Throne, Starsiege: Tribes, Transport Tycoon, Uncharted 4, Golden Sun, Tiltbrush, Job Simulator, Split/second, Blue Dragon, Metal Gear Solid, Deus Ex, Killer Loop, Contra, Doom, Starcraft.

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Ori Takemura. Originally from Russia, Ori is an award winning UX and product designer, a video game designer and the founder of qixen-p design. This is perhaps the most international episode yet. I spoke to Ori about growing up in Russia, winning design awards in Germany, being inspired by Japan and living in Singapore.

This is a hell of a chat. We talk about growing up with games in Russia (the 16 bit console wars were televised!), what it's like playing Command & Conquer Red Alert as a Russian teenager, how a Bang & Olufsen CD player changed his life, how Braid changed his life again, how the UX design of twitter is like a video game and how many downloads you can get for your game when you're hit by a truck.

"I'm sorry, but the princess is in another castle."

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Braid, Space Invaders, Tetris, Carmageddon, Quake, Snake Bird, Ending, Shapist, Tallnum, Bro Force, Command & Conquer, GTA, Scorched Earth, Monument Valley, Thomas was Alone, Deus Ex.

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Alexis Kennedy, the founder of Failbetter Games, creator of Fallen London, creative director of Sunless Sea, and as of just a few days ago, the first ever guest writer for BioWare.

We talk about how his love of narrative games was awakened playing Colossal Cave on the mainframe at the Oxford University Atmospheric Physics department, the wonder of table top gaming and how Dungeons & Dragons can become a full time job, whether or not the lore in Dark Souls was made up on the fly, the bold decision to leave his job in financial tech and found Failbetter games, and the perhaps even bolder decision to leave that in order to explore his creative process.

There's also a bonus segment at the end we recorded just a few days ago about his relationship with BioWare, and how he landed the job as their first ever guest writer.

'Press X to write sonnets, press Y to write odes.'

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Colossal Cave, Adventure, Space Invaders, Sunless Sea, Baldurs Gate, Spelunky, Darkest Dungeon, The Thick of It game, Quake, Civilisation, Crackdown, Starcraft, Elite, Dark Souls

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Bennett Foddy, the creator of QWOP, GIRP and Multibowl and a professor at the NYU Game Center.

We talk about Bennett's extraordinary journey to game design via philosophy, ring tone advertisements and a brief stint as the bassist for the band Cut Copy. We talk about a whole heap of different games, and get into why Australia is a country of pirates, why philosophers don't play videogames, why he values breadth over depth and why the remix should be a new form of game design.

'To pretend, I actually do the thing: I have therefore only pretended to pretend.'

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: QWOP, Multibowl, Demons Souls, Dark Souls, Joust, Stephen Sausage Roll, 720, Off the Wall, Rampage, Gauntlet 2, Rastan Saga, Elite, Legend of Zelda - Skyward Sword, ROM CHECK FAIL, Commander Keen, Command and Conquer, Way of the Exploding Fist, Ikari Warriors, Alien 8

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Steve McNeil, one of the creators and team captains of Go 8 Bit, a videogame comedy show that started life as a fringe experiment and has now been turned into a real life TV show! It starts tonight in the UK at 10pm on Dave.

We talk through Steve's life in games, from Pong through to the very latest in virtual reality. We touch on his love for the early British videogame pioneers like Jeff Minter and the Oliver Twins, university sessions of Brian Lara Cricket, his deep love of Split/Second Velocity and the potentially friend-ending joy of Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes.

We also touch on Steve's comedy career, how he got his start as a plant in a Brendon Burns fringe show, the origins of Go 8 Bit and the challenge of adapting it for TV, the crazy tech of Wifi Wars and how much Bob Mortimer loves first person shooters.

'Drink the brine!'

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Pong, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Chuckie Egg, Dizzy, Split/Second, GTA 4, Brian Lara Cricket, Ico, Assassin's Creed 2, Track and Field, Gang Beats, South Park and the Stick of Truth

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Tony Coles, a freelance videogame writer and former videogame PR.  The length of the episode gives you some idea of how passionate and excited Tony is by videogames. This episode runs on the rocket fuel of enthusiasm and nostalgia.

We talk about Tony's first experience of Space Invaders on a German Military Base and how that continued to be the defining game of his youth, early video game hacks involving shoot em up simulators and Maria Whittaker, some horror stories of play testing, why video game PR was not for him, and how he was the first writer to ever get a named credit in Edge.

We also chat about the wonders of the SID chip, how Jet Set Willy instilled a love of exploration, how much we miss the Aki wrestling games, why Ikaruga is the most powerful example of games as art and why more games should have a shout button.

'My Ninja brings all the boys to the yard.'

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Manic Miner, Jet Set Willy, Mercenary, Space Invaders, Defender, Ikaruga, Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate, SWAT 3, Super Shinobi, Fingers Malone, Oblivion, Ultima 3, X-Com, Thunderforce, Golden Axe, Barbarian, Doom, Aliens vs. Predator, Tron 2.0, International Soccer, Uncharted 4.

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Ellie Gibson, one half of the Scummy Mummies Podcast/comedy team,  an award winning videogame journalist and coming to TVs near you as the videogame expert in Dara O'Briain's Go 8 Bit.  

We talk about the dual impact of Jet Set Willy and Band Aid's Feed The World, the bizarre interview process for her first gaming job, an unforgettable press trip for the videogame Black which involved James Bond's stunt double and a ring of fire, why it really should be about ethics in Vietnamese Journalism, the history of Eurogamer, Dave 'The Animal' Perry, and why you shouldn't say the word Joypad on TV.

'Simon, sidestep to your left!'

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

RSS HERE

Fruit Mystery http://taxiderby.tumblr.com/mystery

Games discussed: Jet Set Willy, Fruit Mystery, Tomb Raider, Super Mario Kart, GTA, Candy Crush, New Zealand Story, WipeOut, Rockstar Ate My Hamster, The Suffering, Sky Odyssey, Pokemon Go

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Dr. Jo Twist OBE. As the CEO of UKIE, the UK videogames trade body, Jo works tirelessly to ensure that the UK is a place where videogame creators, developers & publishers can thrive. 

We talk about moving from Hong Kong to Scotland, how she was prescribed her first videogame by an optician, the ubiquity and charm of Game & Watch, the wonders of online communities, her work with Special Effect and why vidoegames can create such powerful social connections.

Other Buggers Efforts.

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

RSS HERE

Games discussed: SSX Tricky, Gran Turismo, Pong, Second Life, Street Fighter 2, Game & Watch and a whole bunch of IF and MUDs.

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Chris Remo. Chris is designer and a composer at the videogame studio Campo Santo and the producer and host of Idle Thumbs. After spending a number of years as a videogame journalist Chris moved into development, working on games like Gone Home, The Cave, Thirty Flights of Loving and most recently, Firewatch.

We talk early obsessions with Civilization, first discovering Star Wars via the PC X-Wing games, college dorm Starcraft battles, playing through the videogame canon in a matter of months, and why his love of Lucasarts adventure games have played such a pivotal role in his life.

Videogames.

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

RSS HERE

Games discussed: Gorilla.bas, Starcraft, Civilsation, X-Wing, Imbroglio, The New York Times Crossword, Halo, Grim Fandango, Full Throttle, The Legend of Zelda, Quake, Spelunky, Super Metroid, Firewatch, Sim City

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Chris Totten. An author, architect, founder of the Smithsonian Art Museum Indie Arcade and the Game Artist in Residence at American University. Some CV right? We talk about the relationship between architecture and level design, why Super Mario 3 was such a life changing game, the ubiquity of Madden, how single player games can be communal and a unique teaching experience which replicated the mechanics of Pokemon.

"Be a Charizard."

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

RSS HERE

Games discussed: Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Metroid, Madden, Netrunner, Monkey Island, Pokemon Go, Towerfall, X-Wing, NBA Jam.

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Eskil Steenberg. A high school dropout who went on to become a researcher at an academic institute just a few years later, Eskil is an incredibly bright and passionate creator of videogames and tools. His game, Love, is bold, imaginative and unlike almost any other game out there. This is a long old episode but Eskil has a lot to talk about including what a game actually is and how he's attempting to re-engineer the internet.

We talk about how Zelda was the first game that truly impacted him. How him and his friends used to sneak into a local state building to play networked Doom. The benefits of Hardcore Casual versus Casual Hardcore, why blue shells are bullshit and how he's fallen in love with Love all over again. 

"Eravamo in pausa!"

Get Love - http://www.quelsolaar.com/love/index.html

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

RSS HERE

Games discussed: Doom, Zelda, Quake, Auto Destruct, Wip3out, Virtua Fighter, Love, Left 4 Dead, Star Craft, Gang Beasts, Student Life, Ridge Racer

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Dan Croucher, a videogame producer currently working on [redacted]. Dan started in QA many years ago with Babel, and has gone on to produce games for large developers like Relentless as well as in the indie trenches on Scram Kitty for Dakko Dakko.

We talk about what a videogame producer actually does, creating videogame fanzines,  the psychology of nostalgia, how box art used to be so much better than the game and how a trip around the world made him love videogames more than ever.

"I'm cold, and I'm wet, and I'm still hysterical."

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

RSS HERE

Games discussed: Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Super Mario, Vandal Hearts, Scram Kitty, Buzz, One in a Million, Infiltrator, Gang Beats, Final Fantasy 12 (obv.)

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guests today are Andrew Seklir and Tim Kinzy, the directors and producers of the newly released videogame documentary Man vs. Snake.

We talk about their videogame history of course, from Sears Pong machines and the excitement of New York Bodegas through to virtual reality via side stories into Top Cat style arcade hacking and their worst rage quits.

We talk a lot about the movie too, from it's inception during a high score battle in the editing suite of Battlerstar Galactica through the recent wave of interest it's spawned in the long forgotten Nibbler.

What the fuck is Nibbler?

Watch the movie: www.manvssnake.com

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

RSS HERE

Games discussed: Nibbler, Donkey Kong, Pong, Moon Patrol, Robotron, Zork, Q*bert and the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Chris Suellentrop. Chris is writer on national affairs & digital culture and his work has appeared in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Kotaku, Slate and Wired. Chris has been involved in political writing since 2000, but over the past few years he has become more and more focussed on videogames. He also hosts the excellent podcast Shall We Play a Game? which was recently featured on NPR.

We talk about how the Atari crash afforded Chris a rich library of games as a kid, if presidential candidates play games,  why a university paper on Myst changed how he viewed games forever, and how in college a dormitory wide Madden tournament reignited his love of games and forged some of his fondest videogame memories.

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

RSS HERE

Games discussed: Hearthstone, Clash Royale, Madden, Tecmo Bowl, Myst, Uncharted, Zelda, Combat, Meteoroid, Portal, Bioshock and RC Pro Am.

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is John Davison. John is currently the general manager of Glixel, a new gaming website by the publisher of Rolling Stone, but is perhaps best known to most as the VP of 1up and one of the original hosts of 1up Yours.

We talk through John's incredible career in the games press, from his early work in the UK games press on PC Player and PC Zone, the cover disk wars of the mid nineties, becoming an editor aged just 21, his move to America, the impact of 1up Yours and what inspired him to create What They Play.

We of course hit on a bunch of games too. How Skyrim and Oblivion ruled his life, why Archer MacLean's Dropzone gave him his first taste of videogame press, the generational impact of Doom and how games are a form of expression, not just in what you make, but in how you play. This was a treat.

I don't want to go to work today. I want to stay home and play. On my videogames.

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

RSS HERE

Games discussed: Dropzone, Doom, Xenogears, Zelda, Skyrim, Oblivion, The Witcher 3, Agar.io, GTA 3, Mincraft, Star Raiders, Pole Position.

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Adriel Wallick a programmer, developer and creator of the Train Jam, an annual game jam that, unsurprisingly, takes place on a train as it travels across the US toward GDC. 

We talk about juggling work and creativity, living in the Netherlands, making a game a week for a whole year, the origins of Train Jam, transitioning from working on satellites to the videogame industry and why 1997 was such a vintage year.

We hit on a ton of games too, the endless exploration of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, why Thomas was Alone was the perfect game at the perfect time and the gut wrenching laughter of QWOP - The Opera. We also light a candle for the tireless footsoldiers of GameFAQs.

What is a man? (flings his wine glass aside) A miserable little pile of secrets! But enough talk... Have at you!

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Games discussed: Super Mario Bros, Final Fantasy 9, Unirally, Destiny, Halo, Chrono Cross, Thomas was Alone, Rock Band, Jackbox Party, Diablo 3, Castlevania - SOTN.

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

Today's guest on the show is Marc Flury. Marc worked at Harmonix before leaving to form his own company, Drool. Alongside his partner and Lightning Bolt alum Brian Gibson, they've spent the last few years working on the upcoming rhythm violence game, THUMPER. The all caps are mine, but entirely necessary.  

As an American who now lives in Seoul, Marc has a unique perspective on the game dev scene in the country, and the type of games people love to make and play. Spoilers:  it's not just Starcraft. We talk about the development of Thumper, the pain of programming and the highs and lows of working in such a small team.

We also hit on his time working on Beatles Rock Band, meeting Yoko Ono, being bullied away from arcade machines in an Italian resort, the beautiful systems of Pikmin and his spiritual and psychedelic awakening as the host of The Space Show. 

Space is not only high, it's low. It's a bottomless pit.

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Games discussed: Super Mario Bros, Beatles Rock Band, Thumper, Actraiser, Monkey Island, Spaceteam, Pikmin, Gitaroo Man, Braid, House of the Dead, X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter.

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others and games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

Today's guest on the show is Shailesh Prabhu, creative director of Yellow Monkey Studios and owner of one of the finest beards I know of.

We talk about the videogame scene in India, the Nintendo Samurai (!), how the credits sequence at the start of Day of the Tentacle completely shifted how he understood games, and the agony and ecstasy that comes with starting your own videogame studio. 

We also hit on the joys of rhythm games, how having limited access to lots of games can make you an absolute pro in the ones you have, cricket, Counter Strike and the joy of making things.

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Games discussed: Road Fighters, Mortal Kombat 2, Day of the Tentacle, Black, Socioball, Huebrix, Super Mario, Crypt of the Necrodancer, Device 6, Thief, Arkham Asylum and Counter Strike.

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others and games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

Today's guest on the show is Jeff Green. Jeff has spent a the past few years working for Popcap and EA, but is perhaps best known for his long tenure on GFW/CGW magazine, and as the host of GFW Radio, one of the very first videogame podcasts and certainly one of my favourites. He is also the nicest guy, and an excellent guest.

We talk about Jeff's delinquent youth in a pinball gang, how to balance marriage and Hearthstone, bonding with his daughter in WoW, how awful it is to have to write about modems and how amazing it is to write about games. 

We wax lyrical about Half Life and Doom, wonder whether stories in games matter, think about the impact of podcasting and share thoughts on the latest Hearthstone expansion. This was a treat.

You're not the Lord of the Rings!

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Games discussed: Doom (1993), Quake, Half Life, WoW, Everquest, Bioshock, Hearthstone, Zork, Destiny, Marathon, Dark Souls 3.

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others and games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's show is William Pugh, one of the co-creators of the Stanley Parable and now director of a new studio, Crows Crows Crows.

William is really young and that's totally fine because games have been a huge part of his life since literally the moment he was born. He is very funny and very charming and this was a lot of fun to record.

We talk gaming as performance, why SNAPs never got the recognition it deserved, making VR games with Justin Roiland, the weirdly sexual characters in Cushion Cats, Harmontown, the magic of practical jokes, actual magic, Slavery! and how Super Mario made him a monster.

Places, please!

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

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This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others and games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's show is the games editor for the Guardian, Keith Stuart. One of the recurring themes of Keith's life in games is family. From his earliest memories of he and his dad as co-conspirators in the notion that a home computer would be 'good for homework', through to his own life as a father, and how he and his son's relationship has been completely transformed by Minecraft. A story which is soon to be fictionalised in his book, A Boy Made of Blocks. Keith's life in games is a heartwarming one.

We talk about writing videogame manuals, the magic of Phantasy Star Online, the forgotten Mario and Zelda games on the CDi, chasing the football dragon in Champ Manager, the role of a games journalist in the world of the streamer and the fascinating relationship between acting and playing videogames.

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. CHOOSE YOUR CLASS.

Games diccussed - Life is Strange, Portal 2, WoW, Heavy Rain, Quantum Break, The Last of Us, Minecraft, Jumpgate, Pilotwings 64, Sega Rally, Leaderboard, Civilization, Championship Manager and Uncharted.

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

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This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others and games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

Mel Croucher is a living legend. You may not have heard of him and might be thinking, 'Declan, that's a bit strong.' and I'd say, 'Listen to the episode first.' 

Mel started the first ever videogame company in the UK, Automata. They made games as statements, from profane jabs at the royalty to psychedelic drinking games starring the Pi-man. This all culminated in 1984 with the release of his most ambitious game yet, Devs Ex Machina. It was vastly ahead of it's time. This wasvideogame as concept album. An exploration of life and death with a full celebrity voice cast and a complete musical score. It also proved his undoing.

Mel is packed with extraordinary stories, we talk Sooty Xylophones, designing the first skyscrapers in Duba, broadcasting games across the radio, offering a golden sundial as a videogame prize, working with Christopher Lee and the incredible tale of how piracy caused his downfall and how one of those pirates, 25 years later, brought him back to videogames. This was a treat to record, I hope you enjoy it.

Oh, and remember kids! There's no blood in our games, it's Automata sauce.

Mel Croucher - http://www.melcroucher.net

Checkpoints #6 - http://declandineen.com/checkpoints/ppostid-5

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

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This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others and games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest on today's show is Shahid Ahmad. For many people, Shahid is best known as the Playstation Indie Champion. He was part of a team that changed the landscape at Sony, and made Playstation a home for indie developers, developing the rich ecosystem we see today. But before that, Shahid had already had a rich and varied history with videogames.

Starting as a bedroom coder in his teenage years, Shahid has gone on to work in almost every facet of the industry - development, production, publishing, composing - as well as playing in bands and starting his own business. He's won it all, lost it all, and won it all back. His life in games is an extraordinary story.

We talk about getting RSI playing Speedball, sibling rivalry in Street Fighter, why Space Invaders is like the monolith in 2001, and the formula for knowing when a game should be greenlit. (Spoiler, there isn't one.)

Games discussed - Star Raiders, Speedball 2, Jet Set Willy, Gauntlet, Call of Duty, Olli Olli, Velocity 2X, CoD: Modern Warfare, Knight Lore and Mario Kart.

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

SUBSCRIBE HERE

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This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others and games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

Today's guest is John Robertson. John is a stand up comedian, the host of Videogame Nation on Challenge TV and the creator of the world's only live-action videogame, The Dark Room.

We talk about his introduction to Nazi Germany via Wolfenstein 3D and an eccentric grandfather, why all Australians pronounce SEGA incorrectly,why Deadlock is the greatest turn based strategy ever made and how brutalising Buff Bagwell in WCW/NWO Revenge bonded him with a friend for life.

We also hear some harrowing tales of school camps, how a love of gaming and anime gave his early stand up career a boost and the incredible origin story of The Dark Room.

Games discussed: New Zealand Story, Wolfenstein, Sonic, Columns, Altered Beast, GODS, Red Alert 3, Deadlock, XCOM 2, Goldeneye and Castlevania 64.

You can play the Dark room yourself here

Good luck, Darren!

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

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