On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Tim Clark about the state of microtransactions in our games. When did they get so much less micro and how much have we each shamefully spent on our in-game gear? Now that we've lived through the era of horse armour, loot boxes, and season passes, what's going to be the next trend for games to squeeze cash out of us?

On This week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie round up some of 2024's hidden gems in PC gaming so far. We're a good chunk of the way through the year and you don't want to have missed some of our favorite things we've played so far this year. We've got surprisingly good platformers, at least one Disco Elysium-inspired RPG, and a co-op crafting game that even Lauren forgot to try. Cryptmaster (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1885110/Cryptmaster/) The Garden Path (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638500/The_Garden_Path/) Anger Foot (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1978590/Anger_Foot/) Sovereign Syndicate (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1674920/Sovereign_Syndicate/) Ultros (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2386310/Ultros/) Capes (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2081080/Capes/) Penny's Big Breakaway (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1955230/Pennys_Big_Breakaway/) Steamworld Heist 2 (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2396240/SteamWorld_Heist_II/) Pepper Grinder (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2076580/Pepper_Grinder/) Fallen Aces (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1411910/Fallen_Aces/) Crow Country (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1996010/Crow_Country/?curator_clanid=32686107) Portal: Revolution (https://store.steampowered.com/app/601360/Portal_Revolution/) Solium Infernum (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1893810/Solium_Infernum/) Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2238040/Tiny_Terrys_Turbo_Trip/) Aska (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1898300/ASKA/) Life Eater (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2632930/Life_Eater/) Norland (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1857090/Norland/) Go Mecha Ball (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2008510/Go_Mecha_Ball/) Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2011780/Yellow_Taxi_Goes_Vroom/) Hauntii (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2060790/Hauntii/) Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2637990/Duck_Detective_The_Secret_Salami/)

In this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk about their early experiences of childhood gaming and all the other eras of online gaming firsts. We may have gotten in during the second wave of MMOs and online chat rooms, but what about the adults who played MUDs or the kids who grew up entirely on Minecraft?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie call in Harvey Randall to talk about all the many summer gaming showcases we watched this month. Along with our own PC Gaming Show there was the Xbox Games Showcase, a State of Play, and the Summer Game Fest too. What were we most excited to see and which games were no-shows this year?

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren called upon Robin Valentine to talk about the evolution of gaming slang. We've pulled together a new guide to all the gaming terms and trends you need to know, but where did some of these words even come from? And how did "instagib" become a thing anyway?

On this week's Chat Log podcast, Lauren and Mollie talk with Tyler Colp about the weird world of brand tie-ins and crossovers in gaming. Why is it always high fashion or energy drinks that get put into games and what even makes a decent brand tie-in event?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Ted Litchfield about the upcoming week of summer showcases in June. The early June period which was once E3 is now unnamed, but that hasn't stopped Summer Game Fest, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and other publishers from pulling together a big online video presentation in the style of ye olde E3 press conferences. What are we expecting to see revealed this year? Who's going to no show?

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Morgan Park about the live service game fatigue we've been feeling. Why does every game need a battle pass and seasonal updates and limited time events? We used to really enjoy those things but now it's starting to feel like homework, isn't it?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Robin Valentine about games that seems stuck in "development hell." Which games have we been anticipating the longest without any concrete update? Which ones may come out the other side and which have fallen flat when the finally show up?

For our third and final roundtable from GDC 2024, we gathered together a special group of developers who each have more than 30 years of experience making PC games. Our guests:

• Jordan Mechner - Karateka, Prince of Persia, The Last Express
• Warren Spector - Ultima Underworld, System Shock, Deus Ex
• Charles Cecil - Broken Sword, Beneath a Steel Sky
• Khris Brown - Voice director & editor for LucasArts, Double Fine, Ubisoft

Our veteran panel discuss how they got into games (and how unlikely their paths could be replicated today), the challenges of making games with the technology of the '80s and '90s, run-ins with celebrity voice actors like Mark Hamill, and—of course—the history of the Knights Templar.

PC Gamer's RPG roundtable returns with a powerful panel of RPG experts to talk lovable and hateable companions, romance (and thirst), how you make a great intro to a massive game, and much more. Joining our panel this year:

• Swen Vincke, founder and director at Larian (Baldur's Gate 3)
• Carrie Patel, game director and senior narrative designer at Obsidian (Avowed)
• Sarah Gruemmer, acting lead quest designer at CD Projekt Red (Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty)
• Adrienne Bazir, founder and sole developer at insertdisc5 (In Stars and Time)
• Ted Peterson, co-founder Once Lost Games and former writer and designer at Bethesda (The Elder Scrolls 1-4)

Our developers each talk about their current or recent games, as well as other RPGs that have inspired them, from Nier to Disco Elysium. If you'd like more insightful conversation about RPGs, check out last year's roundtable from April 21, 2023.

Global-editor-in-chief Evan Lahti leads the developers behind some of PC gaming's biggest hits in a discussion on the state of our hobby and the biggest trends, risks and opportunities in PC gaming today. Joining us: 

• Michael Douse - Director of Publishing, Larian (Baldur's Gate 3)
• Rebecca Ford - Creative Director, Warframe
• Eyrún Jónsdóttir - VP of Publishing at CCP (EVE Online)
• Casey Yano - Co-founder, Mega Crit (Slay the Spire)

In this 80 minute conversation, our guests talk about making "hyper-engaging" games that defy the traditional advice of appealing to as broad an audience of players as possible; the innovation in game development only happening on PC; Steam as a "democratic" platform; industry layoffs and the emerging use of AI in development; and what we should take away from the standout successes of 2024, like Helldivers 2 and Balatro.

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren put together their theoretical PC gaming time capsule. Which one game would we squirrel away to represent PC gaming? What about a gaming trend or PC peripheral? And what would you put into your time capsule?

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Fallout-enjoyer Chris Livingston about the first season of Amazon's Fallout TV show. Was it rad? Did it succeed at adapting the vaults of the wasteland and selling us on new characters?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Tyler Colp about the games they should really get kicked out of their favorite genres for not playing yet. Which classic RPGs are the biggest holes in our back catalog and which lengthy story campaigns are just never getting completed? Shame aside though, maybe there are some games that aren't actually the must-plays people say.

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk about the PC games they remember from their childhood. Mollie hailed from the Learning Land while Lauren was an enjoyer of Humongus Entertainment, but did any of those favorite genres stick with us as adults? And did anyone ever discover The Sims any way other than a friend showing it to them?

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Fraser Brown about Dragon's Dogma 2 and all of our time with it so far. Fraser's already clocked over 100 hours adventuring with his pawn, Gorbo while Mollie and Lauren are just getting started. It's been a comedy of errors in weird quest designs, goofy pawns, and wacky combat, but we're all enjoying ourselves despite the critiques so far.

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Robin Valentine who recently undertook the arduous task of ranking lots of common game launchers. The result? Steam is still unbeatable, but why is that? Other broad launchers like the Epic Store and GOG have made improvements over the years and publisher launchers like the EA app have gotten overhauls too. Where are they still falling short in the year 2024?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Tyler Wilde about the traditional topic of debate for this decade: yellow paint on climbable ledges in games. Players say they're sick of it; developers say it's necessary for showing players the way. What do we say? Well, we're not above having our own little debate about it, that's for sure.

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Morgan Park about how it feels to actually get good at competitive games. Between Mollie's Tekken tournaments and Morgan's time as a ranked Rainbow Six Siege player, they have stories about how super sweaty matches can really change their relationship with a game. Is getting that good actually worth it?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Jacob Ridley about getting into the daunting custom keyboard scene. We've all seen the beautiful keyboards with pleasant ASMR clicking on our social feeds, but Jacob is going to tell us how to actually get started—hopefully without totally scaring us off.

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Harvey Randall about one of the most divisive topics: categorizing games. Sure, things are easy when we're just talking RPGs—unless it's ARPGs versus action RPGs. Don't even get us started on cRPGs. What about the Metroidvanias and the Roguelikes—and are Soulslikes a real genre too?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie quiz each other on games from the current PC Gamer Top 100 list with some Steam user reviews. Can we guess which top 100 game each review is referring to? Did either of us actually manage to memorize the list?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Kara Phillips about scoring the best clothes in games. We all know the real endgame of any MMO or RPG is looking excellent in a new set of armor, but how much work are we willing to put in to get there? Which games have the best fashion to aspire to and why is it Red Dead Redemption?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Chris Livingston about the ongoing Steam Next Fest. What demos are we playing this time and which ones are launching soon that you should have your eye on?

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with two time Steam Deck owner and reviewer Tyler Colp about how the portable PC is fitting into all of our gaming lives. Are we actually taking it out of the house or just sitting on the couch? Does streaming from our PC or putting it in docked mode actually feel worth it?

On this week's Chat Log podcast, Lauren and Mollie talk with Ted Litchfield about speedrunning. What makes it so fun to watch gamers go fast and how on earth do they actually figure this stuff out? And what are some of the coolest speedrunning tricks we've seen in action?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Harvey Randall about game tutorials. Who among us are the guilty tutorial skippers and who's suffering through those dozens of popups? And what kinds of tutorials do we actually like, anyway?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie take a look at the year ahead in PC gaming. What are our way too early GOTY predictions and how about some personal gaming resolutions? This year's release calendar looks way different than 2023's did at the same point in the year so what are we really in for in 2024?

On this week's Chat Log, we're saying goodbye to 2023. Did we predict anything correctly about how this year of PC gaming would go? We may have gotten the game of the year wrong, but did we stick to any of our own goals?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Jody Macgregor about developers we're keeping a close eye on in 2024. Who's working on secret new projects we're anticipating announcements of and who's got some great trailers that are making us hungry for gameplay? Who's promising to shake up their genre in the new year?

In this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Robin Valentine about gaming trends and industry trends from the year that we think will end (or continue) into 2024. What on earth is 2024's release calendar going to look like after this year of big surprises? Aesthetic peripherals are finally in for real but we really need to stop using the words "early access" wrong.

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren quiz each other on their own biggest gaming victories and failures. What's your biggest L? When did you clinch the win?

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Robin Valentine about the old days of physical game discs, manuals, and other gaming media. Do we have fond memories of multi-disc installations or are we happy to be all downloads? Digital ownership is very convenient, but are we worried about not owning our games anymore?

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Morgan Park about getting into new game genres—tips, tricks, and recommendations for where to start with the genres that each of us spend a lot of time in. How do you even get into fighting games? What's the best starter stealth game? And why is finding the place to start with cozy games so daunting?

On this week's Chat log podcast, Lauren and Mollie talk with Josh Wolens about game achievement hunting. Do you care about your perfect games and do achievements still feel worth chasing? What's the hardest we've tried to score a platinum trophy?

We live in a strange time, where ports are a coin flip between a new masterpiece and garbage - but what does the phrase 'PC Port' even mean? Today we discuss what the future of this concept could be, and where it leaves us.

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren welcome fellow MMO-enjoyer Harvey Randall to discuss the tried and true RPG hotbar combat that still has every MMO in its grasp. Is it time for MMOs to adapt? Or are we trying to fix a thing that isn't broken?

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Fraser Brown about keeping a spreadsheet of his games, which is way more common than we thought. How deep does the spreadsheet sorting go? Does the superior organization solve shame or compound it?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Morgan Park about the history and future of battle royale games. Where did they come from and where are they headed? Which 100-player free-for-alls did we lose too soon and which subgenre is poised to replace them?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Tyler Wilde and Robert Jones about this year's PC Gamer Top 100 list. How did our process for choosing the top 100 games change this year? Which victories are we celebrating and what game grudges are being saved for next year?

In this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie quiz each other with their own gaming "Am I The A-hole?" posts. How many domestic cooking crises can we invent? How many of these game protagonists are in fact YTA?

On this week's Chat Log podcast, Lauren and Mollie each attempt to cast their dream game to film adaptation. Can we come up with an entire ensemble cast? What about a game without any established characters at all? How did we manage to make this simple assignment so difficult?

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Wes Fenlon about the emminently important topic of game HUDs. Are minimaps or compasses better? Are diegetic HUDs still cool? Which weirdly obscure objective marker will Wes champion?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Chris Livingston about our time in Starfield since launch. How are we feeling about Bethesda's newest universe? Which traits have been the best to grab and which factions are we eyeing to join?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Tyler Colp about the gacha game craze on PC that's exploded since Genshin Impact. How many of them are actually worth playing, how can you get into them, and where is this train headed next?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie each pick games they think are overhyped, underhyped, and just-right-hyped. Which games from our own personal favorite series are we willing to drag and which long-time favorites really do deserve all the hype?

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie both try to draft their ideal RPG party pulling characters from any game they've played. Who's the ideal fighter class, and which game has the healer we'd die to recruit?

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren welcome special guest Adam Smith from Larian Studios, the lead writer on Baldur's Gate 3. What's the weirdest and coolest D&D lore that Larian injected into Baldur's Gate 3, what actually makes a good RPG romance, and what weird class/background combo is Adam playing?