Playing With Form

Latest Episodes:

Episode 8: Know Your Limits Jul 09, 2024

Another one!

In this episode, "Know Your Limits", I talk about a whole heap of things, but mainly save points.

Some things to look forward to this time: A boss fight decades in the making, Link putting on pants, and a conversation between three thinkers who have never met.

This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.

And I got some links for you all, both interviews with Satoshi Nakai, both very different, and both very worthwhile.

From the bonus content of Assault Suits Valken Declassified - The switch port of this SNES mecha platformer comes with this lovely interview covering Nakai's history, and his approach to mecha visual design. Thanks to the ShiryuGL youtube channel for capturing the footage.

The Crimson Head Interview - A very different interview, including the sections on horror and limits that I mentioned, but also his version of Stephen King's argument in "What's Scary?", and more focused discussion on his Resident Evil monster/character designs.

Episode 7: The Building Blocks of Life Feb 25, 2023

The triumphant return of Playing With Form!

In this episode, "The Building Blocks of Life", I talk about composition.

Some things to look forward to this time: Music written and performed on a Nintendo DS emulator, a suspiciously important 2 years of game design, and multiple literal interpretations of the term "worldbuilding".

This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.

Episode 6: To See With Your Ears Apr 15, 2020

Episode 6 has finally arrived! In this episode, "To See With Your Ears", I talk about the practical and philosophical merits of game sound. Some things to look forward to this time: Poetry from inside the womb, a commentated romp through the underworld, and repurposed film theory.

This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.

And some links:

- The heartbeat sound I used is https://freesound.org/s/32731/

- And if you're curious about the Papa Engine (I don't blame you, audiogames are very cool), they have more info at https://papaengine.wordpress.com/

Episode 5: A Story About A Story About A Tree Dec 07, 2019

This one is a bit different. In this episode, "A Story About A Story About A Tree", I talk about games as human connection, unraveling a mystery from the late 90's, and airing my opinions on both Final Fantasy 7, and the entire internet.

Some things to look forward to this time: Amateur philosophy and virtual film noir, all framed by the world's most boring Let's Play.

This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.

I either shortened or paraphrased all of the articles I used, so here they are in full, for your reading pleasure:

A Story About A Tree, by Raph Koster (who you will hear from again)

Who Killed Miss Norway?, by Tracy Spaight

Revisiting the Garden of Remembrance, by Raph Koster

Episode 4: Where to Draw the Line Aug 30, 2019

Episode 4 is here! In this episode, "Where to Draw the Line", I talk about music, and introduce the concept of nonlinear media. Some things to look forward to this time: A Final Fantasy X rant, the merits of virtual radio, and a Russian composer very much out of his element.

This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.

And this time, I have only a few links, to soundtracks I really admire:

- Supergiant Games' Youtube Channel, as I said, has all their music, which is great by itself, and even better in-game.

- Katamari has a prolific soundtrack, which spans multiple genres, and is designed to be listened to outside of the game (they're released as albums too)

Episode 3: An Ode to Gibberish May 22, 2019

And with three episodes, we have formed a pattern!

In this third episode, "An Ode to Gibberish", I talk about voice and character identity. Some things to look forward to this time: Visual psychology transposed to audio, ideas for new VR games, and a lot of little blipping noises.

This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.

And this time, for the more curious listeners, I have quite a few links.

- For the full Charles Martinet interview I sampled, click here.

- For a playable version of Colossal Cave Adventure, click here. As the precursor to all interactive storytelling, it deserves to be played just for that. It's also pretty fun.

- I only talk about Nevermind briefly, but the studio and concept are worth checking out. Here's more information on them.

Episode 2: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Random Number May 22, 2019

Welcome back!

In this second episode, “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Random Number”, I talk about random number generation. Some things to look forward to this time: Winston Churchill wildly out of context, goofing around on Route 1, and proof that Skype does not make for the best interviews.

This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.

If you’re interested in seeing the Hearthstone match I was referencing, here's a link to that. And to go right to the moment where RNG decided it all, click here.

Episode 1: To Do is To Be May 22, 2019

Welcome to Playing With Form!

In this first episode, "To Do is To Be", I talk about actions, and the diegetic world within games.

Some things to look forward to: Talking about murder with Mom, two kinds of tennis, and the very first use of aural block quotes.

And finally, if you’re curious about Metal Gear Solid 3, but don’t have access to the game, here’s a handy youtube video condensing all of it into one consumable package.

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