PC Gamer Chat Log

What kind of year was 2024 in PC gaming? Dec 19, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie come together to announce a Chat Log hiatus and talk about 2024 in review. What was this year like in PC gaming? What big launches did we manage to predict? Which trends have become normalized in PC gaming? There's no doubt that 2024 felt a little aimless as we all invested in our gaming niches

Which developers are we hoping to hear from in 2025? Dec 12, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Morgan Park about developers that we're going to have an eye on in 2025. Some are working on big, announced projects that we're hoping to get updates on while others are quietly working on unannounced projects we're hoping to see reveals for. What about some deep cuts? Which developers have been quiet for a few years and are due to pop out of the woodwork soon?

Which minigames are the most iconic? Dec 05, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Chris Livingston about the minigames in our games. Which minigame activities are the most iconic? Which ones secretly suck? And which series does minigames the best?

Will dress up games become a trend? Nov 28, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk about the legacy of dress up games and whether they might be about to explode on PC. It's no secret that everyone loves looking great in their games, but building a game around the concept of fashion hasn't always been big in PC gaming. With some flash in the pan hits like Dress To Impress and the upcoming potential of Infinity Nikki, are dress up games primed to have their moment?

Warcraft 30th anniversary and WoW 20th Nov 21, 2024

How nostalgic are we about World of Warcraft on its 20th anniversary?
On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with certified WoW nerds Tyler Colp and Hervey Randall about the last 20 years of World of Warcraft. What big moments, memories, and expansions loom largest in our minds? When did we know that WoW had really become a cultural touchstone? And what does the future of WoW look like now?

Where did browser games go? Nov 14, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Kara Phillips about browser games! We all have a childhood full of flash games, social MMOs, and websites stocked full of weird minigames. Nowadays, the browser game scene is really different, but maybe it's still thriving in its own niche way. What kinds of browser games are we still playing to this day?

What's on our PC gaming bucket list? Nov 07, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk about their gaming bucket lists. Sure yes, we all want to clear our backlog of games to play, but let's be a little more realistic. What do we want to get done in gaming before it's all over. Which series do we really need to get around to? Which achievements are must-haves?

Will the trend of zombies in games ever actually die? Oct 31, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Ted Litchfield about zombie games. It sure seems like they were the instant hit theme in gaming for a long time but these days they're mostly just shambling along. What do we actually love about zombies as gaming's de facto horde of enemies and will we ever want to replace them with something new?

What makes our favorite horror games great? Oct 24, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Elie Gould about horror games. 'Tis the season! Elie is a certified horror fan but Mollie and I are maybe a little less ready to be scared on the regular. What makes our favorite horror games work so well and which genres of horror are peak?

How did we come up with the Top 100 PC games this year? Oct 17, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Robin and Lincoln about this year's process for coming up with the PC Gamer Top 100 games list. Which games got cut this year? Which upsets are we having feelings about?

Can we become patient gamers who wait to play releases? Oct 10, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Chris Livingston about patient gaming because Chris might be the most unintentionally patient of us all. Can we ever be patient gamers or are we all too full up on FOMO to ever miss out on what our friends are playing?

What's the real cost of getting into PC gaming? Oct 03, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Jacob Ridley about how much it really costs to get into PC gaming. We talk about the price of building a tower all the time, but that's not all it takes. From peripherals to game prices, we're talking about what it actually takes to get started in PC gaming.

Why doesn't asymmetrical co-op get more love? Sep 26, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Jake Tucker about the underappreciated genre of asymmetrical co-op games. Why aren't there more of these great split task games and what are some of our favorites? And how many minutes will it be before Mollie finds a way to bring FInal Fantasy 14 into the discussion?

What happens when games get un-launched? Sep 19, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Wes Fenlon about what happens when a game like Concord gets un-launched. We've seen more cases of live service games with short lives in the past few years and they can sometimes get messy. How long do games stick it out before calling it quits and what happens after that?

What's the state of microtransactions in PC gaming? Sep 12, 2024

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?

Our hidden gem PC games of 2024 so far Aug 29, 2024

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/)

What would we put in a PC gaming time capsule? Aug 22, 2024

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?

How hard will we grind for in-game fashion? Aug 15, 2024

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?

How do you get into playing a new (to you) game genre? Aug 08, 2024

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?

What's the state of gacha games on PC? Aug 01, 2024

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?

What does Steam's top 100 wishlisted games say about PC gaming right now? Jul 25, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Robin Valentine about the top 100 wishlisted games on Steam right now. Does the big list reflect what's actually popular in PC gaming right now? Have our collective tastes changed over the years and will we ever get tired of survival crafting games?

When is the renaissance of games like The Sims actually happening? Jul 18, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie sit down to talk about the state of life sim games. There's still almost nothing out there that's actually like The Sims, which has reigned supreme for far too long. What new life sim options are actually coming up and when will they actually launch?

What makes a game expansion so great? Jul 11, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Wes Fenlon about game expansions. We just got to play one of the best of the best with Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, but we've actually got a lot of love for a good game expansion. What is it that makes expansions so great and what are our old all-time favorites?

How well do we know our own Steam library backlogs? Jul 04, 2024

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren devised a little library based on all the ways you can sort your Steam library. Can we identify a game based on its file size? Can we deduce which games we added to our Steam libraries first all the way back in the 2010s? Play along with our little multiple choice quiz and maybe post a little question of your own. Or just tidy up your own backlog a bit.

What games originally got us into online gaming? Jun 27, 2024

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?

What were the best summer showcase announcements? Jun 20, 2024

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?

Where did all our gaming slang actually come from? Jun 13, 2024

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?

What are the weirdest brand tie-ins in gaming? Jun 06, 2024

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?

Which games do we expect to see at the summer showcases this year? May 30, 2024

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?

Why do live service games feel so exhausting lately? May 24, 2024

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?

Which games seem totally stuck in development? May 16, 2024

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?

'90s PC gaming veterans roundtable May 09, 2024

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.

2024 RPG roundtable: Baldur's Gate 3, Avowed, Cyberpunk, In Stars and Time, Elder Scrolls designers May 02, 2024

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.

The State of PC Gaming roundtable (2024) - Larian, Digital Extremes, CCP, Mega Crit Apr 25, 2024

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.

Did we think the Fallout TV show season one was rad? Apr 18, 2024

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?

What are the white whale games we may never play? Apr 11, 2024

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.

Which PC games do you remember from your childhood? Apr 04, 2024

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?

How's everyone's experience with Dragon's Dogma 2 so far? Mar 27, 2024

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.

How do PC game launchers stack up in 2024? Mar 25, 2024

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?

How do we really feel about the yellow paint on climbable ledges trick? Mar 14, 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.

Does "getting good" at a game ruin the fun? Mar 07, 2024

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?

How do we get into custom mechanical keyboards? Feb 29, 2024

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.

Are we ever going to agree on what to call game genres? Feb 22, 2024

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?

Can we guess the game from the Steam user reviews? Feb 15, 2024

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?

What have we been playing in the Steam Next Fest? Feb 08, 2024

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?

Does the Steam Deck suit our PC gaming lifestyle so far? Feb 01, 2024

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?

What do we love about watching speedrunning? Jan 25, 2024

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?

Why are game tutorials always such a drag? Jan 18, 2024

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?

What are our 2024 gaming predictions and resolutions? Jan 11, 2024

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?

Did we predict anything right about 2023 in PC gaming? Dec 21, 2023

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?

Which developers are we watching in 2024? Dec 14, 2023

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?

Which gaming trends of 2023 will impact 2024? Dec 07, 2023

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.

What are our biggest gaming Ws and Ls? Nov 30, 2023

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?

What do we miss about physically owning all our games? Nov 23, 2023

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?

Do game achievements still keep you playing? Nov 16, 2023

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?

Is it almost time to retire the phrase "PC port"? Nov 09, 2023

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.

Is MMORPG combat timeless or getting stale? Nov 02, 2023

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?

How do you track your game library? Oct 26, 2023

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?

Where do battle royales go next? Oct 19, 2023

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?

Our breakdown of the PC Gamer top 100 videogames in 2023 Oct 12, 2023

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?

Can we guess the AITA game plot? Oct 05, 2023

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?

Who would we cast in our dream game to film adaptation? Sep 28, 2023

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?

Which game HUDs are great actually? Sep 21, 2023

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?

Is everyone enjoying Starfield so far? Sep 14, 2023

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?

What are our overhyped and underhyped games? Sep 07, 2023

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?

Love for the long games Aug 31, 2023

Who would we draft in our ideal RPG party? Aug 24, 2023

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?

Larian Studios interview: Baldur's Gate 3 lead writer Adam Smith Aug 17, 2023

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?

How is the first act of Baldur's Gate 3 going, everyone? Aug 10, 2023

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Ted Litchfield about our first 10-ish hours with Baldur's Gate 3. What sandbox hijinx have we gotten into? Which fights are absolutely trashing us? And which party member does everyone on the team want to date?

Is there any such thing as too small a Skyrim mod? Aug 03, 2023

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Chris Livingston about the small side of Skyrim modding. What's the littlest texture mod we've ever installed, the most useless tweak? Can Lauren and Mollie tell which mods really exist and which ones Chris dreamed up?

Which game soundtracks are our all time favorites? Jul 27, 2023

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Jody Macgregor about their favorite game soundtracks and theme songs. Which title screens give us goosebumps and what was our childhood repeat song?

What do we want for the future of MMOs? Jul 20, 2023

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Fraser Brown about the state of MMOs and also some of the weird MMOMs of their childhood. Which genres deserve to be massive that aren't yet and what MMO trends should we really do away with this decade?

What's it actually like being a gaming couple? Jul 13, 2023

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Morgan Park about what it's like gaming with their significant others. Do co-op life partners actually make good co-op game partners? Which games do we always share and which are strictly solo?

What's our read on The Witcher season 3 so far? Jul 06, 2023

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with PC Gamer's resident The Witcher fan and lore fiend Lauren Aitken about the first volume of season 3 episodes. How is Geralt's little found family surviving all this season's intrigue and what Witcher stories are we looking forward to yet to come?

Which games will you just never finish? Jun 29, 2023

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie own up to the games they've put down and never returned to. Which games got rage quit and which were simply too long? How many JRPGs have we actually finished, seriously?

The Not-E3 debrief: The big surprises, our favorites, and a lotta Starfield Jun 28, 2023

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie chat with Robin Valentine about all of the press and publisher gaming showcases in June. Which big announcements finally made it out and which surprise reveals are really worth watching? Oh, and we can't forget about that Starfield Direct, can we?

The hidden PC game gems of 2023 so far Jun 15, 2023

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren dig up all the best lesser known games from the first half of 2023. Mollie has yet another rhythm game to champion and Lauren is full of cozy game recs, along with picks and reviews from the rest of the PC Gamer team so you don't overlook any excellent releases.

Can we turn everyone we know into a PC gamer? Jun 08, 2023

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie put their heads together to decide which game recommendations could turn their parents, roommates, dates, and everyone else into dedicated PC players. Can we crack the code on gaming moms and console converts?

What are we expecting from summer showcases this year? Jun 01, 2023

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Wes Fenlon about all the summer showcases coming up next week: Summer Game Fest, Xbox, the indie game shows, and the Starfield event. What are we looking forward to seeing and can we forecast any totally unexpected announcements?

Are party games still keeping your friends connected? May 25, 2023

On this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Morgan Park about party games and how they've helped keep in touch with friends. Which Jackbox Party Pack is actually supreme and, wait, does Fall Guys count as a party game?

Are any videogame level tropes actually good? May 18, 2023

In this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Robin Valentine about the underwater levels, shooter on rails levels, forced stealth levels, and all the other tropes we've been forced to play. They aren't all bad, but we've all been driven to fury by inst-fail stealth, haven't we? Are any of these level tropes actually good?

What actually makes RPG romances great? May 11, 2023

In this week's Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Ted Litchfield about videogame romances. Does the BioWare style party member romance still rule or are we looking for something a little more complicated these days? Oh, and how ready are we to die on a hill for our taste in RPG mates?

FPS Roundtable: Apex Legends, Hunt: Showdown and Deceive Inc. devs dish on competitive shooters May 10, 2023

In this bonus episode, we talk with four veteran FPS developers at the 2023 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Joining us are:

Evan Nikolich - Senior design director, Apex Legends
David Fifield - General manager for Hunt: Showdown
Alan Wilson - CEO Tripwire Interactive, design on Rising Storm & Red Orchestra 2
Brian Etheridge - Publishing director, Tripwire Presents

In this 80 minute conversation, we get these developers talking about what they love in competitive shooters today and what influences their design. Game balance, difficulty, weapon design, and much more are on the table.

Are we in the game to TV adaptation boom? May 04, 2023

On this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Wes Fenlon about the redemption arc of game to television adaptations. From The Witcher and The Last of Us to Arcane and Castlevania, which new shows and movies are actually adapting videogames into great screen experiences? And how much do we really care about shows staying true to a game's story?

How attached do you get to your MMO main character? Apr 27, 2023

In this week's Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Sarah James about all of our MMO player characters. Do we secretly recreate ourselves or just treat our characters like wild dress up dolls? And why is it that trolls give Sarah the ick?

Dwarf Fortress & Caves of Qud roundtable: The masters of simulation on making infinitity compelling Apr 26, 2023

In this bonus episode, we talk with the four developers behind indie legend Dwarf Fortress and brilliant roguelike Caves of Qud (which was, itself, inspired by Dwarf Fortress!).
In an hour-long conversation, Dwarf Fortress's Tarn & Zach Adams and Caves of Qud's Jason Grinblat and Brian Bucklew discuss:

How they each tackle simulating their game worlds
Making procedural generation actually produce meaningful stories
Being surprised by what their own games could do
Their thoughts on current AI tools like ChatGPT, and how they differ from their own procedural generation systems
The Sims

RPG Roundtable: Obsidian, CD Projekt, Hidden Path and ex-BioWare designers go deep on writing and playing RPGs Apr 21, 2023

In this bonus episode, we talk to five veteran RPG designers at the 2023 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Joining us are:

Mike Laidlaw (Jade Empire, Mass Effect, the Dragon Age series)
Paweł Sasko: (The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077)
Strix Beltran (Hiddden Path's upcoming D&D RPG, State of Decay 2)
Lis Moberly: (Obsidian's upcoming Avowed, Cursed to Golf, Singularity)
Josh Sawyer: (Pillars of Eternity, Fallout: New Vegas, Pentiment)

Throughout an 80 minute conversation we talk about whether what players expect from RPGs today, how their personal experiences playing RPGs have informed the games they make, writing characters that really resonate with players, tabletop games and more. Mike Laidlaw describes how the Dragon Age writers' room operated, while Paweł Sasko talks about designing the Bloody Baron quest for The Witcher 3 and the enormous challenges of Cyberpunk 2077's first-person mode.

The cozy games episode Apr 20, 2023

On this week's PC Gamer Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie bare their souls to the cozy gamers of the world. How do they make their rigs look so cute and which games are we begging them to start recommending?

Is E3 gone for good this time? Apr 13, 2023

In this week's PC Gamer Chat Log, Mollie and Lauren talk with Tyler Wilde about the cancellation of E3 2023 and their collective memories watching or working it in years past. What were the real golden years of the event and which notoriously chaotic press conference does Tyler remember attending?

Our best and worst gaming merch Apr 06, 2023

On this week's PC Gamer Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie terrorize one another with the best (and worst) gaming merch they've seen. Which gaming tat is S tier and which is just so tacky Mollie has to have it?

What do we want from The Sims 5? Mar 30, 2023

On this week's PC Gamer Chat Log, Lauren and Mollie talk with Katie Wickens about the eventual Sims 5. Which former expansions really deserve to be in the base game? And how are we feeling about the prospect of multiplayer?

So how was the first Diablo 4 beta weekend? Mar 23, 2023

In this week's Chat Log Podcast, Mollie and Lauren talk with associate editor Tyler Colp about the first Diablo 4 beta weekend. How hellacious was the road to level 20? And is Diablo basically an MMO now?

What actually makes a good crafting game? Mar 16, 2023

In this week's Chat Log Podcast, Lauren and Mollie talk with features producer Chris Livingston about the continued dominance of crafting games. Which PC games actually have the best recipe for crafting and which deserve to be punished for excessive ingredient crimes?

Trailer: PC Gamer Chat Log Mar 11, 2023

What's PC Gamer Chat Log? Who are hosts Lauren Morton & Mollie Taylor, and what do they like? Here's a quick introduction to our new weekly show about PC gaming.
Find more links to the show: https://www.pcgamer.com/tag/podcast/

Will Pokémon-like games ever succeed on PC? Mar 09, 2023

In this week's Chat Log Podcast, Mollie and Lauren talk with senior editor Wes Fenlon about creature catching games. Are Pokémon-alikes ever going to claim the same foothold that farm life sims have found on PC?

Welcome to Chat Log — And a huge year for PC gamers Mar 01, 2023

For the premiere episode of Chat Log, Mollie Taylor and Lauren Morton introduce themselves, PC Gamer's new low-key podcast, their favorite genres, and start making some predictions about the huge year for PC gaming that 2023 is going to be. Spoiler: RPG players are eating *good.*

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