We're here to do our legally obligated Baldur's Gate 3 episode, but don't worry about spoilers. We're much more interested in why this game has exploded in the way that it has, and what its surge in popularity (and other games' like it) can tel

Together Among the Stars: An Actual Play Post-Mortem

Jul 31st, 2023 29m 6s

This week, we work a little differently and talk through an episode we recorded for a different show! We recorded a Patreon-exclusive episode for the Unexplored Places in which we played Together Among the Stars by Takuma Okada, and we had such

Playing Badly, For Good

Jul 3rd, 2023 1h 3m

This week, we're back to run out the second half of 2023 strong! Dylan and Chris get into the weeds of why it can be Really Fun to engage with games in suboptimal ways, and the surprising discoveries that can come out of that.Backstage Gaming

An Update

May 10th, 2023 4m 12s

This one is Very Short, but we wanted you all to know that we are alive and that the podcast has not been fully abandoned. We'll be back in force soon, with some new ideas and some new projects in the tank!Learn more about your ad choices. Vis

Things Left Behind

Dec 14th, 2022 48m 35s

This week, we're more on our artsy bull than ever! We set out to talk about additions to remakes and re-releases of games that leave something to be desired, before RAPIDLY shifting into a discussion of the value of limitation, the interesting

Dead Genres Tell No Tales

Nov 21st, 2022 41m 31s

This week, we dive into an even-more-naval-gazey-than-usual discussion of bygone genres of games. Or, perhaps, ways games ask us to engage with them less often these days. Or maybe... it gets a little rambly, but we promise it's a good time!Ba

Bottle Show!

Nov 2nd, 2022 39m 37s

This week, we delivery a slightly smaller episode on a slightly smaller topic: games with compact worlds that you spend a lot of time in. From RPGs to Adventure Games to menu systems, we talk about how much of an impact a small, intimate space

The Games That Made Us: Chris Time

Oct 18th, 2022 55m 24s

We return to the topic from a couple episodes ago, but from Chris's point-of-view this time. We go over the games and realizations that made Chris into the consumer of games that he is today, and wax a little poetic along the way!Backstage Gam

Guess Who's Back... Back Again...

Oct 4th, 2022 50m 39s

Here we come, screaming back into the foreground to promise to do better about uploading regularly! For real this time!As we get back into the swing of things, we're naval gazey as ever, discussing how to best judge games as "finished products

The Games that Made Us: Dylan Edition

Jul 11th, 2022 59m 40s

This week, we kick off a two-week series and a new broad conversation starter: the games that made Dylan. We take a walk through games that had an impact on Dylan, his relationship with games, and the perspective he brings to the show. Come giv

BSG: Cross Tag Battle

Jun 20th, 2022 1h 5m

This week, we tackle another big-picture topic with a couple of narrow dives: crossovers in games, how they relate to aesthetic and vibe, and how designing them well looks. To help us out, we do a couple of deep looks into Kingdom Hearts and Ma

How Very Puzzling

Jun 7th, 2022 38m 15s

This week (or, more accurately, a few weeks ago, oops) we take a look at how games use puzzles of varying difficulties to draw us in, make us think, and tell their stories.Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game Podcast Network

Old Friends

Apr 26th, 2022 40m 42s

This week, we return to proper, naval-gazey form for a rambling look at what makes us return to games over and over. From mechanics to vibes, we go over some of our favorite replays and what keeps us coming back.Backstage Gaming is a proud mem

Nostalgia, Fake Language, and Bertolt Brecht

Mar 28th, 2022 28m 36s

This week, we're oddly topical once again as we dive into an overview of Tunic, a new isometric, Zelda-inspired adventure game with a LOT going on under the hood. From the game's presentation to avant-garde gaming in general, turns out there's

Getting Lost in Elden Ring

Mar 16th, 2022 42m 45s

This week, for the second time in a row, our topic is weirdly topical (at first). We chat about Elden Ring, its strange blending of genres, and why it feels so darn good to just explore, then veer off the rails into discussions of other strange

Current Events?

Feb 22nd, 2022 42m 13s

This week, for something a little different, we talk about a couple new games that have dropped that are very much in our wheelhouses: King of Fighters 15 and Sifu. We talk engagement, aesthetic, presentation, and generally just chat about some

Bidoofin' Off

Feb 8th, 2022 36m 55s

This week, Chris & Dylan take it easy and do a little talking about the recent Bidoof's Big Stand Pokemon short. Why does it work, what does it say, and what does it point towards? Find out today!Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Vi

A Word From Our Sponsors

Jan 14th, 2022 33m 47s

As long-time listeners may remember, we spent our first (and so far only, thanks pandemic) live show talking about weird and wild game advertisement campaigns from back in the day. Today, with a similarly wild energy but without a crowd laughin

Fighting Games, But Not That Kind

Dec 22nd, 2021 1h 8m

This week, we use one of Chris' growing passions to do a thorough overview of how principles of fight choreography and stunt design influence the kinds of games we play. From over the top to highly grounded, the way that games present their vio

Exploring the Space

Dec 7th, 2021 39m 27s

This week, we take a long look at two related genres that we've been dabbling in recently: Metroid-vanias and Souls-likes. We get in deep about pacing, exploration, navigation, and how all of that comes together to influence how a story is told

Why Games Good? With Bump & Spike

Nov 23rd, 2021 32m 22s

This week, Dylan and Chris dive into a discussion of McGuffins; what they are, how they're used, and how adding them to game stories can be a little more complicated than it first seems!Backstage Gaming is a proud member of the HP Video Game P

Rank The Dud

Nov 1st, 2021 36m 36s

Happy Day After Halloween! For this week's festivities, we return to our old favorite of "Spot The Dud," where it's up to Dylan to guess the numerical ranking of a number of game reviews (and he does SHOCKINGLY well).Backstage Gaming is a prou

Attractive, Don't You Think?

Oct 4th, 2021 44m 10s

This week, we return from a long hiatus to chat about attract modes: those splashy trailers and snippets of gameplay that pop on when you've let a game idle on the title screen for too long. We talk about their arcade origins and the different

Art is Good

Aug 9th, 2021 57m 48s

This week, we're thrilled to once again have our friend Dakota Curry on to talk about concept art, illustration, and all the ways that artists put their minds to creating the games we love. Also, Chris enters a fugue state trying to succinctly

Fighting Fresh

Jul 27th, 2021 51m 38s

This week, we kick off a two part special looking at the visual design aspect of games. Today, we take a look at some fighting games near and dear to our hearts to figure out all the little ways that the designs of their characters make a diffe