99% Invisible

Latest Episodes:

Hidden Levels #4: Machinima Oct 17, 2025

Show notes

Back in the 90s, artists turned video games into movie sets, and their wildest ideas are finally hitting documentaries.

Hidden Levels is a production of 99% Invisible and WBUR's Endless Thread.

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Hidden Levels #3: This Game Wants YOU Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Before Fortnite and Call of Duty ruled the scene, the US Army quietly shaped the early 2000s with a wildly popular, free shooter designed to excite young people about enlisting.

Hidden Levels is a production of 99% Invisible and WBUR's Endless Thread.

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Hidden Levels #2: Stick It to 'Em Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

From airplanes to Pac-Man to the battlefield, the joystick has quietly shaped the way humans connect with machines.

Hidden Levels is a production of 99% Invisible and WBUR's Endless Thread.

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Hidden Levels #1: Mr. Boomshakalaka Oct 07, 2025

Show notes

Step back into the ’90s, when dunks broke backboards, catchphrases caught fire, and one arcade game turned every kid into an NBA superstar.

Hidden Levels is a production of 99% Invisible and WBUR's Endless Thread.

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Get Played with Roman Mars and Ben Brock Johnson Oct 03, 2025

Show notes

In anticipation of the release of Hidden Levels, Roman and Ben join Heather Anne Campbell (Rick and Morty) and Matt Apodaca of Get Played to talk controllers, culture, and why video games might just be running the world.

Hidden Levels launches on October 7th wherever you get your podcasts. Join SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to each episode early and ad-free.

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The Power Broker #13: Drop Dead City Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

Like a shadow epilogue to The Power Broker, this story plunges into the chaos of 1970s New York where debt, unions, and one brutal headline nearly broke the city.

Drop Dead City is now playing in select cities, and available on VOD on November 14. You can watch the trailer here.

The Power Broker #13: Drop Dead City

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Constitution Breakdown #2: Rep. Sharice Davids Sep 27, 2025

Show notes

This is the second episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution.

This month, Roman and Elizabeth dive into Article One with Representative Sharice Davids, examining lawmaking, committees, and the unique responsibilities of the House of Representatives.

Elizabeth also explains how the Supreme Court’s “major questions doctrine" could decide whether Trump’s sweeping use of tariffs under emergency powers is constitutional.

Constitution Breakdown #2: Rep. Sharice Davids

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The New Jungle Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

In a Colorado meatpacking town, refugees fleeing persecution find themselves in some of the most dangerous jobs in America.

This episode was produced in partnership with the Food & Environment Reporting Network, an independent, nonprofit news organization.

The New Jungle

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Replaceable You Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

Mary Roach dives into the strange, funny, and unsettling world of designing new body parts, from pig hearts to prosthetic feet, revealing just how messy replacing ourselves can be.

Replaceable You

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Revisiting The 99% Invisible City Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

We’re excited to celebrate the 5th anniversary of The 99% Invisible City, a NYT Bestseller by Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt, with a guided audio tour of beautiful downtown Oakland, California. Join us as we explore different everyday designs, using examples from the built environment around our old offices as jumping-off points.

And if you don't already have one: be sure to get your print or audio copy of the book at 99pi.org/book.

Exploring The 99% Invisible City

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