Episoder
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Jeremy Couillard (he/him) is an artist and professor, whose games JEF (2020) and Fuzz Dungeon (2021) explore the weird, uncomfortable, and inexplicable aspects of life through humor and alien surrealism. In this episode, Jeremy details how he started creating games out of a frustration with animation, the importance of loitering in digital spaces, and finding community in alt games.
You can play Jeremy’s games on itch and Steam, and follow them @jeremycouillard.
Jeremy’s Inspiring Thing to Share
Alt games curators and communities (shout out to Indiepocalypse and Dirigitive)Things Discussed
JEF
Fuzz Dungeon
Alien Afterlife (Jeremy Couillard, 2017)
Updating to Remain the Same: Habitual New Media (Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, 2016)
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind (Julian Jayne, 2000)Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.
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Rayzones (they/them) and Yaffle (she/they) make up indie studio lowpolis, creators of cute games with surreal insides. In this episode we explore the inspiration for lowpolis’ latest game, co-open (2021), discus the complex politics surrounding “wholesome games,” and appreciate the most fundamental videogame act: crawling through vents. Closing out the show, I once again confess my shame of having not played some very good games.
You can follow lowpolis @lowpolis, @rayzones, and @Yafffle. Their games are available on itch.
lowpolis’ Good Things to Share
Yaffle: waking up and going to bed with the sun
Rayzones: replaying Heaven Will Be Mine (Worst Girl Games, 2017) and Beautycopter (Graceless Games, 2020)Things Discussed
co-open
x_purrsonline_x (lowpolis, 2019)
Crayon Physics Deluxe (Kloonigames, 2009)
A Game By Its Cover
Wholesome Games
Pijj’s Cove OST (Uio Loi, 2021)Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.
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Manglende episoder?
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Ryan Rose Aceae (he/they) is a visual novelist whose games explore the messy, sometimes monstrous dynamics of queer identity through surreal characters and earnest writing. In this episode he recounts his nontraditional route into making queer games, collaborating with Heather Flowers on GENDERWRECKED (2017), and the necessity of complex and challenging queer art. Finally, Ryan ends the show with a surprise package from a friend.
You can play Ryan’s games on itch and follow them @gendervamp.
Ryan’s Nice Thing to Share
A surprise package of plant identification books from a friend (let me know what your favorite plant is, genuinely)Things Discussed
GENDERWRECKED
Gay Monster Kiss Club (Ryan Rose Aceae, upcoming)
Extreme Meat Punks Forever (Heather Flowers, 2018)
I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter (Isabel Fall, 2020)
Interview with Isabel FallKritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.
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Jeff Chiao (they/them) is an indie game producer, designer, and rhythm game enthusiast currently working on upcoming rhythm action title, UNBEATABLE (D-Cell Games). They took some time away from production to discuss UNBEATABLE’s long pre-production, the importance of embedding composers within the dev process, and the thriving indie rhythm game scene. Then Jeff closes the show with an enthusiastic recommendation for Chicory: A Colorful Tale (Greg Lobanov, 2021).
You can follow Jeff @comet_melting and play the demo for UNBEATABLE on Steam and itch.
Jeff’s Inspiring Thing to Share
Chicory - See also: Episode 13 featuring Greg LobanovThings Discussed
UNBEATABLE and [white label]
A Nightmare’s Trip (Sky Hour Works, 2019)
OneShot (Future Cat, 2016)
LET IT DIE (Grasshopper Works, 2018)Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.
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Freya Campbell (she/they) is an interactive fiction writer, designer, and game engine combiner. Her games focus on small interactions in fantastical settings, emphasizing character voices and being incredibly queer. They joined me on this week’s episode to discuss writing interactive fiction, putting engines inside each other, and using engine constraints to inform pacing. In closing, I am shamed for having not yet played a bunch of very good games (editor’s note: since recording I have played We Know the Devil and it is just as fantastic as Freya makes it out to be).
You can play all of Freya’s games on itch and follow her on Twitter @Spdrcstl.
Freya’s Cool Things to Share
We Know the Devil (Worst Girl Games, 2015)
Heaven Will Be Mine (Worst Girl Games, 2018)
Ladykiller in a Bind (Love Conquers All Games, 2016)
Disco Elysium (ZA/UM, 2019)Things Discussed
Superlunary (Freya Campbell, 2019) - See also: “Food from the torpedo chambers”
The Tower Trilogy (Freya Campbell, 2018-2019)
The End of Decay (Freya Campbell, 2020)
Mutazione (Die Gute Fabrik, 2019) - See also: “Episode 23: Hannah Nicklin”
Bitsy
Twine
FlicksyKritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.
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Elliot Herriman (she/her) is an interactive fiction author and developer who makes games about being queer and engines to help you not have to code. She spent some time chatting about falling into game dev, the struggle to get your writing in front of people, and the importance of accessible dev tools. We discuss many unspeakable games so make sure there aren’t any cops around before you pop this one on.
You can play Elliot’s games on itch and follow her @elliotherriman.
Elliot’s Unspeakable Thing to Share
Some Sword / Some Play (Jemma, 2020) - duelist smut, what more is there to say?Things Discussed
Winter (Freya Cambpell and Elliot Herriman, 2021)
Outside (Elliot Herriman and Rachel Morgan, 2020)
Cover Me In Leaves (Elliot Herriman, 2020)
10mg collection
Heaven’s Vault (Inkle, 2019)
Calico & Catmint
Twine
Ink
BitsyKritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.
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Shane Yach (he/they) is a game designer and musician whose work combines crunchy, low-poly visuals with surreal internet horror. We spend some time breaking down what makes the PS1 great for horror, how found footage could be adapted for games, and why falling asleep in Proteus is the highest compliment. In closing, Shane reminds us that games don’t die on release and we should allow ourselves to take creativity breaks.
You can play Shane’s games on itch, find their music on Bandcamp, and follow them @tipsheda.
Shane’s Cool Thing to Share
Returning to games they missed on release and finding them no less inspiring (you can find many of these in his itch collection)Things Discussed
The Devil (cathroon, Aaron Taecker-Wyss, flan, Nic, shane yach, bb tombo, 2020)
No One Is Here (Shane Yach, 2018)
I Feel Fantastic (Shane Yach, 2019)
Approaches (Shane Yach, 2019)
”Exploration as a game genre,” by Shane Yach (2020)
Haunted PS1
LSD: Dream Emulator (Asmik Ace Entertainment, 1998)
7DFPS
98DEMAKE
Proteus (Twisted Tree Games, 2013)
Promesa (Julian Palacios, 2020)
Mundaun (Hidden Fields, 2021)
Glorious TrainwrecksKritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.
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Kevin Wong (he/they) is a game designer, producer, and scholar who has worked on projects as varied as Chambara, Lucah: Born of a Dream, and Manifold Garden. On this episode he recounts his experience as a student game designer and how anti-hierarchal art movements and Twitch Plays Pokemon inspired the apocalyptic photography game, Dear Future.
You can follow Kevin on Twitter @ThatKevinWong and keep up with Dear Future @DearFutureGame.
Kevin’s Inspiring Thing to Share
Umurangi Generation (ORIGAME DIGITAL, 2020)Things Discussed
Chambara (team ok, 2017)
Dear Future (Dear Future Production Committee, 2021)
Manifold Garden (William Chyr, 2020)
Twitch Plays Pokemon
The Fluxus art movement
Exquisite corpseKritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.
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Nathan Blades (he/they) is a tabletop designer, streamer, and voice actor with a particular love for queer cyberpunk. He sat down with me to chronicle his introduction to TTRPGs, the rewards and frustrations of running an actual play show, and finding the line between passion projects and accidentally making yourself a second job. Afterwards, Nathan reminds us that no amount of Twitter arguing can substitute just sitting down and making the damn thing.
You can find Nathan’s games on itch, catch their streams on Twitch, check out their voice acting reel, and follow them on Twitter @PhantomArtsEnt.
Nathan’s Cool Thing(s) to Share
Omori (OMOCAT, 2020) - editor’s note: Omori’s composer has received ongoing sexual harassment allegations which are worth considering before playing the game
”Off With Their Heads” by Calliope MoriThings Discussed
The Queer Cyberpunk’s Guide to Tabletop RPGs (Nathan Blades)
Agents of HUE (Nathan Blades)
Heartbeats in Perfect Sync (Nathan Blades)
The Talent Agency (Nathan Blades, 2018)Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.
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Kat (she/her) makes video essays on games and pop culture as Pixel a Day. Her work seeks to diversify games criticism by invoking her knowledge of art and psychology, interrogating unexplored aspects of games and games culture. In this episode we discuss what drew her to video essays as a form, the importance of looking outside of games, and the challenge of getting noticed as a smaller channel.
You can find Kat’s videos on Youtube, her writing on Medium, and follow her on Twitter @pixel_a_day.
Kat’s Cool Thing to Share
If On A Winter’s Night, Four Travelers (Dead Idle Games, 2020) - a free spooky point-and-click on a trainThings Discussed
"ECHO: Self-Transcendence In Space" (Pixel a Day, 2020)
"Fearful Beauty: Subnautica and The Long Dark" (Pixel a Day, 2020)
"Playing With Death: The Long Dark and Pathologic 2" (Pixel a Day, 2020)
"COVID Kingdom" (Pixel a Day, 2021)Channel Shoutouts
Transparency
Pim Is Online
I am Error
Thomas IfeKritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.
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Nilson Carrol (he/him) is an archivist, MFA student, and ROM hacker working to preserve obscure and queer internet culture. His thesis project, Video Games Have Been Queer, chronicles his history with games and the queer culture within and around them which is often ignored. We talk about his early experiences with ROM hacking, the importance of preserving digital culture, and the earnest, wondrous possibility of glitches. In closing we fawn over Anodyne 2: Return to Dust (Analgesic Productions, 2019), a game which feels too good to exist.
You can find Nilson’s games on itch and at swampbabes.
Nilson’s Inspiring Thing to Share
Anodyne 2: Return to Dust
New Private Window (Marina Kittaka)Things Discussed
RPG Maker
Dragon Pervert
Monster Party (Human Entertainment, 1989)
Brief History of Perverted Dragon Quest ROM Hacks (Nilson Carrol, 2019)
Flashpoint (flash game archival project)
Video Games Have Always Been Queer (Bonnie Ruberg, 2019)Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.
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Lena NW (she/her) is a multimedia artist, rapper, and game designer whose work touches on the messy, fraught, and darkly humorous effects of fringe internet culture. Her MFA project, Nightmare Temptation Academy (2020), crystalizes her experience growing up on the internet and becoming desensitized to shock content, while also exploring digital alienation and collage creativity. She joined me on Kritiqal Care to talk more about what drew her to games, the Neopets/Gaia Online/4chan pipeline, and trying to be an ethical edgelord.
You can find Lena’s work on her personal site, play Nightmare Temptation Academy on itch, and listen to her music on Bandcamp.
Lena’s Cool Thing to Share
Dorian Electra (specifically tracks Edgelord and Musical Genius)Things Discussed
Nightmare Temptation Academy
Neopets
Fuck Everything (Lena NW, 2014)
MySpaceKritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.
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Cassandra Lugo (they/them) creates compact procedural games under the name prophet goddess. Their work explores the unique abilities of generative content, the lack of win conditions, and glitchy digital aesthetics. We discuss the origins of their interest in procedural generation, the frequent pitfalls with how it is utilized, and the sorts of games prophet goddess wants to see more of. In the close, we remember that it’s never a bad time to listen to Prince.
You can follow prophet goddess on Twitter @prophet_goddess, play their games on itch, and catch their streams on Twitch and trash.cloud.
prophet goddess’s Good Thing to Share
Live Forever by Bartees Strange (also Prince)Things Discussed
LÖVE
Dwarf Fortress (Tarn and Zach Adams, 2006
this must be the place (prophet goddess, 2017)
nullpointer (prophet goddess, 2017)
Crusader Kings 3 (Paradox, 2020)
No Man’s Sky (Hello Games, 2016)
Blood is Compulsory (Ian Danskin, 2015)
ANATHEMA (prophet goddess, upcoming)
The Odyssey (translated by Emily Wilson, 2017)
Hades (Supergiant, 2020)
Montaillou: The Promised Land of Error (Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, 1979)
Boat Murdered, Dwarf Fortress Let’s Play
Caves of Qud (Freehold Games, 2015)
Anime is for JerksKritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.
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Nem (they/them) runs the leftist tabletop studio and occasional publisher, Sandy Pug Games, creating games exploring anti-capitalism, alternative forms of interaction, and what it would be like if DMC’s Dante was in Dungeon World. Recently, they have helped facilitate the Our Shores Kickstarter, allowing members of the South-East Asian TTRPG scene (RPGSEA) access to funds and exposure they had previously been denied. In this episode we discuss the contentious nature of Kickstarter, Twitter politics, and the limitations of aesthetic revolution in art.
You can find links to Nem’s work on their Carrd and on itch.
Nem’s Good Thing to Share
The success of the Our Shores Kickstarter
Their friend’s comedy channel, The Greatest Show in the GalaxyThings Discussed
All Flesh Must Be Eaten (George Vasilakos, 1999)
Our Shores (Multiple Designers, upcoming)
Orc Stabr (Sandy Pug Games, 2018)
Monster Care Squad (Sandy Pug Games, 2020)Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.
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Colin (he/they) of melessthanthree makes crunchy action games about catholic guilt and queer acceptance. He joined me to talk about early adventures goofing off in coding class, bucking publisher marketability, and Lucah: Born of a Dream’s intriguing and often confounding narrative structure. Later on we dig into the ethics of violent games and appreciate the eternal charm of Lord of the Rings.
You can find Colin on Twitter @melessthanthree and play Lucah on Steam, itch, and Switch.
Colin’s Good Thing to Share
Watching Lord of the Rings for the first time and feeling inspired by their ordinary heroism.Things Discussed
Lucah: Born of a Dream (melessthanthree, 2018)
Extreme Meat Punks Forever (Heather Flowers, 2018-2020)
Ectoplaza (Syndicate Atomic, 2016)
”Divest from the Video Games Industry!” (Marina Kittaka, 2020)
”De-Organization and Salvation — Politics of The Self in LUCAH: Born of a Dream” (Catherine Brinegar and Jessica Harvey, 2019)Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.
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Indie game dev and co-found of Abyssal Uncreations, Hyacinth Ramsay (they/them) makes games about cosmic horror, broken technology, and how the internet manufactures identity. They took some time to walk me through their early efforts of longform LARPs as a kid, looking back on Transfer (Abyssal Uncreations, 2017), and the ways systematized morality reveals the empty politics of many games.
You can follow Hyacinth on Twitter @Synodai, play their games on itch, and catch their streams on Twitch.
Hyacinth’s Good Thing to Share
Building small communities online within the noise of social media (come hangout in the Kritiqal Discord)Link Zone
Transfer
The Tower (Hyacinth Nil, 20??)
Silent Hill 3 (Konami, 2003)
Killing Time at Lightspeed (Gritfish, 2016)
No Higher Court: Towards a Methodology for Designing Alternative Morality Systems in GamesKritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.
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Content warning for this episode: brief discussions of surgery complications, suicidal thoughts, and misgendering
Taylor McCue (choosing not to disclose pronouns) is a game developer whose work explores trans identities, bodily autonomy, and the dehumanizing impact of institutions. We discussed the flawed act of asking for pronouns, what led Taylor to make games, and the using Gameboy ROMs as a form of preservation. It’s a bit heavier than most episodes, but I feel well worth digging into.
Taylor’s games are available on itch and Steam.
Taylor’s Good Thing to Share
If we are doomed, every moment is the best it will be. And if we’re not doomed, that’s cool too.Things Discussed
Saving You From Yourself (2018)
Do I Pass? (2019)
My Executioner and I (2020)
Twine
GB StudioKritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.
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Kritiqal Care is taking a break for the holidays but I still wanted to put up one final episode to close out such a strange and intense year. Games took a lot of different forms this year and the way we approached them was even more varied than usual, so instead of a traditional games-of-the-year list I thought it would be fun to ask the guests of Kritiqal Care to look back on their favorite game related moments from the year - whether that’s something they played, read, created, or otherwise experienced. The responses were thoughtful, warm, and compelling, and I want to once again thank everyone who has made this show such a constant highlight for me. Happy holidays, stay warm out there.
content warning: mention of suicide in a game around 15:00-17:30
Featuring
Leo Bunyea | Joe Russ | Aubrey Isaacman | Elaine Gómez | Kate Olguin | Quinn K | Dani Lalonders | Andrew Pizza Pranks | Nathalie Lawhead | MadameBerry | Makeup and Vanity Set | Maria Mison | Ferran Bertomeu Castells | YenTing Lo | Oma Keeling | DEEP HELL DOT COMKritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and becoming a supporter on Patreon. It means a lot.
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Dave Gilbert (he/him) is the founder and head of Wadjet Eye Games, creators of numerous modern adventure game classics including Unavowed (Wadjet Eye, 2018) and the Blackwell Saga. Dave stopped in to discuss the studio’s history, moving into publishing, and the emotionally intense experience of closing out Rosa Blackwell and Joey’s story with The Blackwell Epiphany (Wadjet Eye, 2014). Come for the indie lore, stay for Adventure Game Studio haystack hacks.
You can follow Dave on Twitter @WadjetEyeGames, join the studio Discord, and find all their games at wadjeteyegames.com
Dave’s Inspiring Thing to Share
The election results and the hope they might bringThings Discussed
Unavowed
The Emerald City Confidential (2009)
Puzzle Bots (2010)
Gemini Rue (2011)
Resonance (2012)
The Blackwell Legacy (2006)
The Blackwell EpiphanyKritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one. It means a lot.
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Kaile Hultner (they/them) created No Escape as a response to games media pretending video games are exempt from politics. They write about games as cultural objects, journalistic ethics, and the need to engage with the economic and labor forces which bring games about. Kaile joins me on this episode to dive into their philosophy of how to write about games, the need for games journalists to adopt ethics standards, and how good it is that you can pet the eagle in The Pathless (Giant Squid, 2020). It’s a longer episode, but well worth the time.
You can follow Kaile on Twitter @noescapevg and checkout their work at noescapevg.com.
Things Discussed
No-Year’s Resolution (Kaile Hultner, 2020)
There Is No Ethical Ambiguity When It Comes To Harm Reduction (Kaile Hultner, 2020)
Video game criticism in an age of conflict (Kaile Hultner, 2020)
Fuck the next Call of Duty game (Kaile Hultner, 2020)
‘Assemble With Care’ and the Right to Repair (Kaile Hultner, 2020)
On Videogame Reviews (Tevis Thompson, 2013)
The Myth of Sisyphus (Albert Camus, 1942)
The Shape of Videogames To Come (Tara Hillegeist, 2019)
Games Criticism Is A Kindness (Heather Alexandra, 2020)Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one. It means a lot.
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