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Pew Pew Bang

Pew Pew Bang is a video game podcast where every episode is a slumber party. Four women from around the game industry talk games, stories, and life advice. This is part of the MinnMax podcast network.

Latest Episodes:

The Pokémon Episode Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

MinnMax's Kelsey Lewin, Haley Maclean, Janet Garcia, and Sarah Podzorski fearlessly evaluate the Pokémon franchise from a place of deep love and respect before showing off their ideal Pokémon teams and testing their wits in Pokémon trivia!

To jump to a particular segment, check out the timestamps below...

00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:03 - Main Segment / Are Pokémon Games Good? 02:03:15 - Show & Tell: Our Perfect Pokémon Teams 02:33:23 - Challenge Mode: Pokémon Trivia 02:56:32 - Ping Pals

The Cooking Episode Sep 15, 2025

Show notes

Let them cook! Kelsey Lewin, Haley Maclean, Janet Garcia, and Sarah Podzorski talk favorite cooking games (and weird Gordon Ramsay cooking games), share trusted cooking tips and recipe sources, and host their own Pew Pew Bang video game dinner party!

This is our first episode with an ad, and it's a great one for https://lolablankets.com ! But if you prefer an ad-free version of the episode (featuring Sarah's Loaded Gun), that's available in audio form only on the MinnMax Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/138949721

To jump to a particular segment, check out the timestamps below...

00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:31 - Main Segment: Cooking & Cooking Games 00:50:54 - Lola Blankets - Get 35% off your order at LolaBlankets.com by using code PEWPEWBANG at checkout! https://lolablankets.com/products/matcha-check?variant=51996239200628 00:57:23 - Cooking in Survival Games 01:38:28 - Challenge Mode: Make a Video Game Dinner Party Dish 02:07:18 - Show & Tell: Our Favorite Kitchen Gadgets 02:35:32 - Ping Pals

The Wii Episode Sep 01, 2025

Show notes

The Wii Episode - Kelsey Lewin, Haley Maclean, Janet Garcia, and Sarah Podzorski reflect on the legacy of the Nintendo Wii, weighing lifelong family memories against swaths of rushed-to-market shovelware. They also Show & Tell about their favorite Miis and attempt to remember which Wii sound effect goes with what in Challenge Mode!

To jump to a particular segment, check out the timestamps below...

00:00:00 - Intro Labubu Portion

00:23:44 - Main Segment: The Wii

01:51:51 - Challenge Mode: Wii Sound Effect Guessing Game

02:06:12 - Show & Tell: Our Favorite Miis

02:42:51 - Ping Pals

The Horse Girl Episode Aug 18, 2025

Show notes

Hay is for… girls?? Kelsey Lewin, Haley Maclean, Janet Garcia, and Sarah Podzorski take on the least-fought animal in video games with a look at the most iconic horses in the genre while designing their own dream horses and putting their rider level to the test.

To jump to a particular segment, check out the timestamps below...

00:00:00 - Intro: Haley's customs tale + MinnMax meetup recap + how long do you keep your Christmas tree up

00:18:39 - Main Segment: Horses

01:56:15 - Challenge Mode: Designing Our Dream Horses

02:09:30 - Challenge Mode: Rider Level Quiz

02:31:16 - Show & Tell: Video Game Horse Book Reports

03:03:02 - Ping Pals

The Summer Bucket List Episode Aug 04, 2025

Show notes

Kelsey Lewin, Haley Maclean, Janet Garcia, and Sarah Podzorski catch up on their summer break games (most of which are played in the pool) and sort out their future summer plans both real and imaginary in the UNCENSORED season two premiere of Pew Pew Bang!

To jump to a particular segment, check out the timestamps below...

00:00:00 - Intro

00:04:33 - Summer Break Catchup

01:37:42 - Challenge Mode: Summer Bucket List

02:09:38 - Show & Tell: Dream Video Game Vacations

02:54:04 - Ping Pals

Season 1 Finale - The DnD Episode Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

For the season one finale of Pew Pew Bang, Kelsey Lewin, Haley Maclean, and Janet Garcia indulge Sarah Podzorski in her secret podcast goal: getting the gang to play girlie pop Dungeons & Dragons. They’re joined by DM Charles Harte who takes them on a magical princess adventure full of the same chaotic slumber party vibes you know and love. It’s something a little different, but with almost 6 hours of yap time we hope this will keep you entertained through the month-long season break!

Please help us make the best show possible by filling out our end-of-season listener survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9fPS1ocuyD8GCsxSLRhOoE-wXNl0CCaVeNt4pjaPRAtsWuw/viewform

To jump to a particular segment, check out the timestamps below...

00:00:00 - Intro

00:45:37 - Ben's surprise

00:54:06 - Main Segment: Dungeons & Dragons

04:26:15 - Episode officially crosses threshold for longest PPB ever and then keeps going for another hour (you're welcome)

The Smart People Video Games Episode Jun 09, 2025

Show notes

On the penultimate episode of Pew Pew Bang season one, Kelsey Lewin, Haley Maclean, Janet Garcia, and Sarah Podzorski are finally talking about smart people games which is weird it took so long because they are so smart. They talk favorite smarty games like Lorelei and Papers Please, but also challenge the notion that anyone who cares so much about gamer cred can really be considered smart. In keeping with the theme of smartness, they also compare Brain Ages in Challenge Mode and reveal their past in Show & Tell!

To jump to a particular segment, check out the timestamps below...

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:09 - What is a smart people video game?

01:25:21 - Challenge Mode: Brain Age Measuring Contest

01:48:47 - Show & Tell: Our College Transcripts

02:32:11 - Ping Pals

Wishing you had the visual for whatever crazy game they're talking about? Check out the video version here!

The Friendships And Video Games Episode May 26, 2025

Show notes

On this week's Pew Pew Bang, Kelsey Lewin, Haley Maclean, Janet Garcia, and Sarah Podzorski talk all about the games that build connections for a lifetime, sharing favorite co-op titles in Show & Tell and even playing an actual real video game with each other in Challenge Mode!

To jump to a particular segment, check out the timestamps below...

00:00:00 - Intro

00:00:48 - How do you find friends who play video games?

01:46:34 - Challenge Mode: Actually Play A Video Game Together

02:35:01 - Show & Tell: Favorite Co-op Games

03:09:09 - Ping Pals

03:49:30 - Episode officially crosses threshold for longest PPB ever and then keeps going for forty more minutes (you're welcome)

The Cosmetics Episode May 12, 2025

Show notes

On this week's Pew Pew Bang, Kelsey Lewin, Haley Maclean, Janet Garcia, and Sarah Podzorski serve never-before-seen looks while talking their favorite cosmetics in games and competing to see who can identify iconic character makeup in another challenging Challenge Mode!

To jump to a particular segment, check out the timestamps below...

00:00:00 - Intro

00:00:55 - Wig Reveals

00:09:40 - Main Segment: In-Game & Out-Game Cosmetics

01:43:20 - Quiz: Valid Or Vile 2

02:10:46 - Challenge Mode: Makeup Match

02:31:34 - Show & Tell: Our Favorite In-Game Cosmetics

02:49:35 - Ping Pals

The Game Boy Advance Episode Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

This week on Pew Pew Bang, Kelsey Lewin, Haley Maclean, Janet Garcia, and Sarah Podzorski gather for a massive celebration of a tiny console: the Game Boy Advance. They talk favorite games and memories with the system, as well as debate Shadow the Hedgehog’s age and whether it’s ethical to complain when a hair stylist ruins your life.

To jump to a particular segment, check out the timestamps below...

00:00:00 - Intro

00:07:21 - Earliest GBA memories

01:46:13 - Shadow The Hedgehog Discussion

01:50:19 - Kelsey asks if it's Show & Tell: GBA Storage time (it is)

02:26:09 - Kelsey asks if it's Challenge Mode: GBA Trivia time (it is)

03:01:46 - Kelsey thinks it's Ping Pals time (it is)