The 1099

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Episode 204: The Wild World of Sex (Video Games) with Ana Valens Jun 03, 2019

Show notes

When was the first time you encountered sex in a video game? I've wanted to talk to Ana Valens for a long while about the amazing world of sex in video games, and how it intersects with marginalized identities. She's a trans/sex columnist at Daily Dot and a brilliant authority on the intersections between, sex, gender, and geek culture. We dive into the ways gaming culture still struggles to take its queer players seriously, how famous characters are "reclaimed" as queer icons, and the difference between a good, meaningful sex video game, and a lame one. It's a damn good show, y'all. Ana Valens on Twitter: @ACValens Joseph Knoop on Twitter: @JosephKnoop The 1099 on Twitter: @The1099Podcast Support our resident musician at ZWBuckley.com And please consider sharing the show on social media and rating/reviewing us on your favorite platform! Happy E3 y'all!

Episode 203: The Magic of Long Distance Gaming with Aiden Strawhun and Joe May 27, 2019

Show notes

I'm ridiculously busy getting ready to move to LA in less than a week, so you bet your ass I forgot to schedule a guest for The 1099. This week we're taking things easy, and I'm joined by my wonderful partner Aiden Strawhun, who you may recognize from IGN, GameSpot, Kotaku, and elsewhere. We talk about 1) how video games brought us together, and 2) the magic of long distance gaming, and how sharing virtual spaces like Stardew Valley or Overcooked has help us not only get through the first months of getting to better understand each other, but also strengthen our bonds and solidifying who we are as individuals rather than as a pair. If you've ever wondered how some couples just Make It Work, or if you want to think a little harder about how the psychology of multiplayer spaces can create and shape human bonds, you'll want to give this a listen. Our story isn't the fanciest, but we have learned a lot and grown along the way. Follow Aiden on Twitter @Astraww Follow Joe on Twitter @JosephKnoop Follow The 1099 @The1099Podcast Support ZW Buckley's music at zwbuckley.com Consider supporting the show by tossing a few bucks towards me on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/josephknoop

Episode 202: What's it like to make games in India with the team behind Raji: An Ancient Epic May 20, 2019

Show notes

At this year's ID @ Xbox event during GDC, I fell in love with a little game called Raji: An Ancient Epic. The game blends old God of War-style action with Indian, Balinese, and Hindu mythology into a really beautiful and polished package. It made me eager to talk with the developers, and I got not one, not two, but three. Avichal Singh, Ian Maude, and Shruti Ghosh from Nodding Heads Games joined me to talk about how the stars aligned for them all to meet and make Raji, how difficult it can be to make a video game in India where infrastructure is poor and the government doesn't give two wits about digital media, and the personal parts of Indian culture they're putting into the game. I think you'll find this to be a really fascinating discussion about family, what the game developer hustle looks like on another continent, and why Indian culture can make for some compelling new ground for games to tackle. Raji Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/f9gnFVP Raji Twitter: https://twitter.com/RajitheGame Raji Steam Page:https://store.steampowered.com/app/730390/Raji_An_Ancient_Epic/ Follow Joseph on Twitter: @JosephKnoop Follow the 1099 on Twitter: The1099Podcast Support our musician at ZWBuckley.com

Episode 201: Detective Pikachu Writer Dan Hernandez on Building a Pokémon World May 13, 2019

Show notes

Detective Pikachu is, believe it or not, the first legitimately good video game movie, and a big part of that is thanks to the wonderful writing by folks like Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit. On this episode of The 1099, Hernandez joins me to talk about growing up with Pokémon, how he helped build the Pokémon world of Ryme City, and the film's themes of striking out on your own and striving for redemption. It's without a doubt one of my favorite conversations I've ever had on this show, and I think you'll love it too. Pika-Pika, indeed. Follow The 1099 on Twitter: @The1099Podcast Follow Dan Hernandez on Twitter: @CubanMissileDH Follow Joseph on Twitter: @JosephKnoop Support our musician at zwbuckley.com

Episode 200 PART 2 - Morgan Webb on X-Play's legacy and building Bonfire Studios May 06, 2019

Show notes

THE BIG ONE, folks! Former X-Play host Morgan Webb joins us to talk about the glory days of broadcast games media, plus a big focus on how she's building a constructive culture over at Bonfire Studios as they work on their first game, and all the lessons she's learned between. Also there's some stuff about cutie oranges, morbid jokes about book clubs, and swearing. It's fun for the whole family. Thank you for coming this far on this incredible journey with us. Time to start planning for Episode 300. Anyone got President Obama's number? Support our musician over at ZWBuckley.com Follow Joe on Twitter: @JosephKnoop Follow Morgan: @MorganWebb Follow the 1099: @The1099Podcast

Episode 200 PART 1 - Josiah Renaudin Says Hello From the Shores of EA May 06, 2019

Show notes

On PART ONE of Episode 200, I'm joined by the former and far more handsome host of The 1099, Josiah Renaudin, back from the halls of EA for one brief moment in time. The boys discuss Josiah's job at EA, his team, and reflect back on Josiah's time steering the show. It's a prelude filled with lots of touchy-feely good times and gratitude. Don't miss out on it, and don't miss out on PART TWO of Episode 200, featuring former X-Play host and current Bonfire Studios member Morgan Webb, which should be available right now as well.

Episode 199: Celebrating 18 Years as Wonder Woman with Susan Eisenberg Apr 29, 2019

Show notes

If you're like me, you grew up in a heyday of superhero cartoons, and none stood higher than Justice League. On this week's episode, an integral part of those heroics joins me. Voice actress Susan Eisenberg has helped define Wonder Woman's image and mass popularity since 2001, working on Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and later the Injustice video games from NetherRealm. We chat about the evolution of the character through the years, why Wonder Woman has persisted, and the latest DC animated film, Justice League vs. The Fatal Five. We also talk about lessons learned from the SAG-AFTRA strikes, and what the video game world can take from it. TL;DR: This episode was so much fun that Susan and I are hanging out in LA later. Don't miss this one. Follow Susan Eisenberg on Twitter: @SusanEisenberg1 Follow Joe on Twitter: @JosephKnoop Follow The 1099 on Twitter: @The1099Podcast Support our musician Zach Buckley at ZWbuckley.com Buy Justice League vs. the Fatal Five: https://www.amazon.com/Justice-League-Fatal-Five-Blu-ray/dp/B07KZHVHV6 SUPPORT JOE VIA KO-FI: http://ko-fi.com/josephknoop And don't forget to voice your support for more DC animated adventures.

Episode 198: Fostering a community of color in games media with Spawn On Me's Kahlief Adams Apr 22, 2019

Show notes

On this week's episode of The 1099, Spawn On Me co-founder and very rad dude Kahlief Adams joins me to talk about 6+ years of highlighting people of color in the games industry, plus their new GoFundMe drive for 2019-2020. In a media field that still struggles to achieve greater diversity, what does it take to foster up-and-coming writers and creators of color? What steps does the industry need to take to create a better platform for marginalized voices? And how are people of color and other marginalized creatives out there adapting to the industry as it is? Kahlief gives us some very sincere, very enlightening perspective into all this and more. Plus, we end up shooting the shit about Hideo Kojima, the art of podcasting, and building each other up as creatives. You don't need to tell me twice to be grateful for cool guys like Kah. Follow Kahlief on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kahjahkins Follow Spawn on Me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/spawnonme DONATE TO SPAWN ON ME's GoFundMe PAGE: https://www.gofundme.com/help-spawn-on-me Follow Joe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JosephKnoop Follow The 1099 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/The1099Podcast Send some love to our resident musician at ZWBuckley.com!

Episode 197: Falcon Age's Chandana 'Eka' Ekanayake on colonialism, family, and cute birds Apr 15, 2019

Show notes

On this week's episode, Falcon Age creative director Chandana Ekanayake AKA 'Eka' joins The 1099 to talk about the game's themes of colonialism, family, and reclamation. It's not often we get to see Southeast Asia (Sri Lanka in this case) represented so proudly in gaming, and we dig into Eka's life growing up in Sri Lanka, then Maryland, and how his identity has shifted throughout adulthood. Plus, how they made one of the most convincing (and cute) animals in games to date, and what it's like sticking around in the VR game business this long. Follow Joe on Twitter: @JosephKnoop Follow The 1099 on Twitter: @The1099Podcast Follow Eka on Twitter: @Ekanaut Support our resident musician at ZWBuckley.com and give him some work!

Episode 195: The one where we talk about cancer and alcoholism with Blake Hester Apr 08, 2019

Show notes

Content Warning: Discussion of serious illness, including cancer and alcoholism. You know, there are plenty of writers and media folks out there that I idolize. But one of the guys I look up to most is a guy named Blake Hester, a writer most seen on Polygon, but also a former intern at Game Informer, just like me. I’ve always been captivated by his features writing, where he’s explored the history of Red Dead, Crash Bandicoot, Sonic the Hedgehog, and interviewing Geoff friggin’ Keighley for six months about the Game Awards. Jesus. But I really admire him as a person with a lot of strength and, well, chill, and even more so after this conversation. About 32 weeks ago, Blake announced that he had cancer. His treatment happened, I happened to hang out with him for an afternoon in San Francisco in October 2018, and then a few months after that he checked himself into rehab for his alcoholism, where halfway through he was informed that on top of all that, his cancer had come back. On this week’s episode, we discuss his journey through treatment, recognizing his illness, and how he’s kept pushing forward with his work despite the weight of it all, and if you know anything about Blake Hester, let me assure you it’s a VERY Blake kind of discussion, haha. I think a lot of people, whether they’ve worked in art or technology or any mix of the two know what it’s like to precariously balance your health, your happiness, and your career, especially if life throws you a curveball...or three. Like any episode of The 1099, it’s my hope that you get something meaningful out of this, but this episode maybe more than any other I’ve recorded so far. If you struggle with illness and its effects on your life or career in any way, please know that you’re not alone, and that there are resources that can help you, some of which I’ve linked to in the show description on Soundcloud. Of course, if discussion of these sensitive topics might cause you emotional or mental distress, exercise caution. You fans of The 1099 are slowly becoming more and more like family to me, and the last thing we need is for you to be in a worse place. So yeah, as always, thank you for listening, and thank you for all the kind words you folks have sent the past few weeks. It’s kept me going too. Alcoholics Anonymous: https://www.aa.org/ Cancer.Gov: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types Rehabilitation: https://www.rehabs.com/ Healthcare.Gov: https://www.healthcare.gov/ Follow Blake on Twitter @metallicaisrad Follow Joe on Twitter @JosephKnoop Support our resident musician at ZWBuckley.com

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