Gamers with Glasses Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

These are definitely times in which many of us could use...a break. Also, it's fall. So get that comfy sweater on and hear us debate the definition of video game coziness. Enjoy our wishful thinking about Tom Nook's lending practices, throwing apples at Pikachu, and those infamous Stardew Valley rabbit feet.

We recorded an episode on Elden Ring forever ago, and here it is! What’s the difference between Elden Ring and Dark Souls? Who is George R.R. Martin, and what has he done to Miyazaki? Did FromSoftware invent a new IP for narrative reasons, or is it just a marketing move? How approachable and how accessible is Elden Ring? Why shouldn’t a horse have a double jump? Is FromSoft the Arcade Fire of videogames? Is Arcade Fire the T.S. Eliot of music? Also, you get to hear Don’s best NPR voice - it’s very soothing! - and Nate rants about Sony’s multiplayer paywall (also known as PlayStation Plus).

(And Christian is wrong - the world didn’t collectively bounce off Elden Ring - Nate is right, and someone has to drink a bottle of ketchup.)

We interview game designer Jason Cordova, creator of the tabletop roleplaying games Brindlewood Bay and The Between, founder of The Gauntlet, and editor of the RPG magazine Codex. Jason’s games combine open-ended mysteries with horror and adventure. On the podcast, we discuss the difficulties of making a mystery-driven RPG, the Kickstarter for the print edition of Brindlewood Bay, fifth edition D & D and the indie RPG scene, The Gauntlet as a creative community, Codex as a great place to get started designing your own games, the publication of Trophy, and much more. Jason also drops some words of wisdom from Ru Paul!

Brindlewood Bay is currently on Kickstarter, funding its print edition. You can also find the zine edition at DriveThruRPG, which is currently pay what you want. The Between is also available on DriveThruRPG.

We interview game developer Johnnemann Nordhagen (Dim Bulb Games, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine) about his Museum of Mechanics, “a browsable, playable collection of lockpicking mechanics from various games.” He talks about the origin of the project in a conversation about fishing mini-games; how lockpicking mini-games compare to conversation and fishing mini-games; how games are like folktales; why games like to make us do things we don't normally do everyday (Johnnemann Nordhagen has picked a lock in real life); the function of these kinds of mini-games from a developer's standpoint; how this project differs from game preservation; and much more!

In Episode 19 of The Gamers with Glasses Show, we talk about how long we’re willing to grapple with puzzles, when we use walkthroughs/strategy guides, different kinds of open world games, and much more. Games covered include Death’s Gambit and its Afterlife expansion, Cozy Grove, Lost Judgment, Amnesia: Rebirth, Lake, and Inscryption. We also discuss the Snowpiercer franchise, Station Eleven, and The Wheel of Time.

We interview Noio (Thomas van den Berg) about his recent game Cloud Gardens, his history in game development, the success of Kingdom, and his next big project! Thomas tells us how Cloud Gardens emerged from his attempt to make an MMO. He describes his personal history in game development, from high school up to the present. He even tells us about his new project, a collaboration with a surprising indie developer! This is a great conversation that ranges from general philosophical questions like what it means to be an indie game developer to business matters like dealing with Steam and handling IP sales.

For more on Cloud Gardens, read Christian Haines’ “Growth Through Letting Go.”

On this episode, we discuss the cute soulslike energy of Death’s Door, the thrill of zombie parkour in Dying Light, how Unsighted reinvigorates the metroidvania with its strange world and countdown mechanics, dungeon crawlers like Dungeon Encounters and Ruined Kingdom, and much more. We also gush about the Foundation series (and Lee Pace - but not just Lee Pace)!

In this interview, we talk with Dang!, the developers of Boomerang X. We discuss the genesis of the game’s genesis from a student project and a game jam); boomer shooters; the difficulty of porting it to the Nintendo Switch; the influence of games like Devil Daggers and shows like Samurai Jack; what it’s like to be a small indie developer in today’s market; and much more!

If you haven’t already played it, Boomerang X is a brilliant shooter in which you not only hurl a boomerang at enemies but also launch yourself after the boomerang. It features fast-paced action, suggestive environmental storytelling, Lovecraftian enemies, and a challenging yet rewarding difficulty curve. Boomerang X is available on PC/Steam and Switch.

Library of Babble is our new sci-fi and fantasy book club! For the first episode, we discuss Frank Herbert’s 1965 classic Dune, as well as David Lynch and Denis Villeneuve’s film adaptations. We talk about the novel’s world-building, especially how it treats ecology (desert power!) and religion; the novel as both anti-imperialist and orientalist; its deconstruction of the white messiah; its roots in Herbert’s conservatism; and much more! As far as the films go, we debate the merits of Timothée Chalamee’s acting, marvel over Villeneuve’s landscapes (while wondering if he wouldn’t prefer to get rid of the characters altogether), and the impossible expectations set by the book for film adaptations.

Our next book for Library of Babble is Larissa Lai’s The Tiger Flu, which we will be discussing in late January!