Grumpy Old Gamer

Grumpy Old Gamer
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Grumpy Old Gamer is a podcast for people who remember when games came in boxes, DLC wasn’t day-one extortion, and ‘early access’ wasn’t code for ‘you’re paying to beta test this broken mess.’ We talk about games, the old, the new, the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between, with the kind of blunt honesty that PR departments hate. Join us if you remember when games were great (and secretly know there are still some bangers being released now). Episodes fortnightly. https://gog.fm https://gog.fm/discord https://grumpyoldgamer.com

  1. The Ownership Illusion - Subscriptions, DRM, and Digital Rights [S02E02]

    4 FEB

    The Ownership Illusion - Subscriptions, DRM, and Digital Rights [S02E02]

    We replaced Tim with Lucas from Argentina and nobody told him. Now three idiots argue about subscription services, cloud gaming, and why you technically don't own any of your digital games. The conversation covers how none of us can remember the last time we bought a physical game, yet we complain about not owning anything. We're all trapped in the Steam ecosystem with hundreds of games we'll never play again and can't resell. Game Pass costs more than just buying Minecraft outright, but people keep paying anyway because we're gullible idiots who forget to cancel subscriptions. Cloud gaming gets debated as either the great equalizer or the final nail in ownership's coffin. Lucas argues for the satisfaction of building your own PC. Al suggests cloud access might democratize gaming. Ian points out the practical benefits of playing games on a potato laptop. Nobody agrees on anything. GOG gets praised for selling DRM-free games you can own, but we all still use Steam because the interface is better and our libraries are already there. The EU's Stop Killing Games initiative offers hope for permanent game access, assuming it passes and forces global changes like Steam's refund policy did. https://gog.fm https://gog.fm/blog https://gog.fm/spotify https://gog.fm/apple https://gog.fm/amazon https://gog.fm/discord https://gog.fm/twitch https://gog.fm/steam https://gog.fm/curator https://gog.fm/facebook https://gog.fm/twitter https://gog.fm/bsky https://gog.fm/instagram https://gog.fm/threads

    59 min
  2. Season 2 Premiere: Game Recommendations Challenge [S02E01]

    21 JAN

    Season 2 Premiere: Game Recommendations Challenge [S02E01]

    Season 2 starts with a challenge. Each host picks two games under £10 for the others to play. We'll revisit these choices in the season finale to see how wrong everyone was. Ian recommends Far Cry 5 to Tim for its co-op chaos and rural Montana cult-shooting. Tim throws Tekken 7 at Al as a callback to our arcade episode and a test of whether RTS players can handle fighting games. Al drops Warhammer 40K Boltgun on Ian as an entry point to the setting before episode 5's planned 40K deep-dive. Ian counters with Remnant 2, a souls-like co-op shooter he claims isn't that hard. Tim unleashes Stellaris on Ian, which Al warns could consume months of his life. Al finishes with Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 for Tim, full cathedral-sized battleships and enough lore to drown in. Games covered: Far Cry 5 (Ian → Tim)Tekken 7 (Tim → Al)Warhammer 40K Boltgun (Al → Ian)Remnant 2 (Ian → Al)Stellaris (Tim → Ian)Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 (Al → Tim) https://store.steampowered.com/app/552520/Far_Cry_5/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/389730/TEKKEN_7/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2005010/Warhammer_40000_Boltgun/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1282100/REMNANT_II/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/281990/Stellaris/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/573100/Battlefleet_Gothic_Armada_2/

    51 min
  3. Season Finale: Gaming Might Not Be Shit After All [S01E10]

    10/12/2025

    Season Finale: Gaming Might Not Be Shit After All [S01E10]

    It's the Season 1 finale, and we're coming full circle. 10 episodes ago, we kicked things off with a bold claim: Gaming Is Shit Now. But after 20 weeks of arguing about everything from Half-Life 2's superiority over GTA to the death of couch co-op and the predatory practices of EA (f##k EA) and Ubisoft (f##k Ubisoft even more), we've reached a surprising conclusion. In this episode, we confront our own hypocrisy. We hate live service games... but we're both paying for EA Play to play Battlefield 6. We despise subscription models... but we're using them like they're demo discs. We complained about broken launches and day-one patches... but maybe early access and the ability to fix games post-launch isn't the worst thing? What We Discuss: Are we just hypocrites for complaining about things we actively support?Live service games, season passes, and monetization (and why we tolerate them)How cross-platform play has revolutionized gaming accessibilityThe Stop Killing Games initiative and consumer protectionsWhy broken launches still suck but patches are actually beneficialThe positives of modern gaming we've been ignoringOur final verdict: Is gaming ACTUALLY shit?BONUS: Post-credits rant about Call of Duty Black Ops 7's disastrous launch, Battlefield 6's victory, and Steam's new console dominating the future. After 10 episodes of being grumpy bastards, we've finally admitted it: gaming in 2025 might actually be... good? The benefits far outweigh the negatives. Cross-play, consumer choice, accessibility, and yes, even those bloody subscription services have their place. Thanks for sticking with us through Season 1. We'll be back in 6 weeks for Season 2, bigger, grumpier, and ready to contradict ourselves all over again. https://gog.fm https://gog.fm/blog https://gog.fm/spotify https://gog.fm/apple https://gog.fm/amazon https://gog.fm/discord https://gog.fm/twitch https://gog.fm/steam https://gog.fm/curator https://gog.fm/facebook https://gog.fm/twitter https://gog.fm/bsky https://gog.fm/instagram https://gog.fm/threads

    1 hr
  4. The Best and Worst of 2025 in Videogames [ S01E09]

    26/11/2025

    The Best and Worst of 2025 in Videogames [ S01E09]

    The Grumpy Old Gamer team takes a quick look at the best and worst of videogames in 2025. The greatest releases - or at least the ones that we bothered to play - the controversy of Assassin's Creed Shadows and the sale of EA to Saudi Arabia, and the games that should have hit but somehow fell short. https://gog.fm https://gog.fm/blog https://gog.fm/spotify https://gog.fm/apple https://gog.fm/amazon https://gog.fm/discord https://gog.fm/twitch https://gog.fm/steam https://gog.fm/curator https://gog.fm/facebook https://gog.fm/twitter https://gog.fm/bsky https://gog.fm/instagram https://gog.fm/threads

    37 min
  5. The Harsh Reality of Steam Early Access [S01E08]

    12/11/2025

    The Harsh Reality of Steam Early Access [S01E08]

    In this episode of the Grumpy Old Gamer Podcast, our hosts dive into the controversial topic of Steam's Early Access program. Join us as we explore the pros and cons of early access games, discuss why only 25% of these games ever reach full release, and debate whether AAA developers are exploiting gamers through this system. We also touch on standout early access titles like 'Manor Lords' and the long-standing development of 'Star Citizen.' Tune in to hear our unfiltered thoughts and why we believe some developers might be taking the piss. https://gog.fm https://gog.fm/blog https://gog.fm/spotify https://gog.fm/apple https://gog.fm/amazon https://gog.fm/discord https://gog.fm/twitch https://gog.fm/steam https://gog.fm/curator https://gog.fm/facebook https://gog.fm/twitter https://gog.fm/bsky https://gog.fm/instagram https://gog.fm/threads

    38 min
  6. Games Were Harder Back Then, Right? [S01E07]

    29/10/2025

    Games Were Harder Back Then, Right? [S01E07]

    In this episode of the Grumpy Old Gamer Podcast, hosts Al, Tim and Ian explore the age-old question of whether video games were more difficult in the past or if it's just nostalgia clouding our memories. The discussion covers the evolution of game design from arcade to console, the impact of technical limitations, the role of memory cards and auto-save features, and how modern games like Dark Souls and Souls-like titles compare to classic hard games. They also delve into the psychology of difficulty settings and the benefits of allowing players to tailor their gaming experience. With anecdotes about classic games like Mortal Kombat, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Resident Evil, the episode provides a comprehensive look at how gaming difficulty has transformed over the years. https://gog.fm https://gog.fm/blog https://gog.fm/listen https://gog.fm/youtube https://gog.fm/discord https://gog.fm/steam https://gog.fm/twitch https://gog.fm/facebook https://gog.fm/twitter https://gog.fm/bsky https://gog.fm/instagram https://gog.fm/threads

    43 min
  7. No More Console Exclusives? [S01E06]

    15/10/2025

    No More Console Exclusives? [S01E06]

    Ian, Tim, and Al have finally had it with the “console wars.” We talk about how exclusives don’t mean a thing anymore, how every console is just a glorified PC in a plastic box, and how Microsoft and Sony have stopped pretending otherwise. We get into why developers don’t care what you play on, why Game Pass broke the old business model, and why the Steam Deck is quietly killing the whole idea of a console. There’s moaning about overpriced hardware, fake “next-gen” claims, and how the same three companies keep selling us the same promises. Basically: the console isn’t dying, that's just sensationalist, click-bait, b******t. https://gog.fm/ https://gog.fm/blog https://gog.fm/discord https://gog.fm/twitch https://gog.fm/steam https://gog.fm/facebook https://gog.fm/twitter https://gog.fm/bsky https://gog.fm/instagram https://gog.fm/threads

    1h 1m
  8. FPS Evolution: Maze War to Modern Warfare [S01E05]

    01/10/2025

    FPS Evolution: Maze War to Modern Warfare [S01E05]

    Ian, Al, and Tim trace first-person shooters from 1970s NASA research projects to today's microtransaction machines. The genre peaked with single-player campaigns that had character and personality, then corporate greed killed everything good about shooting things on a computer screen. This covers how FPS games went from academic experiments to id Software's revolutionary trilogy to the console wars that split PC and living room gaming into separate universes. The hosts examine why modern shooters are generic military simulators with pink weapon skins instead of the memorable protagonists who used to crack jokes while saving the world. Three middle-aged gamers conclude that better graphics came at the cost of everything that made FPS games worth playing, then spend twenty minutes arguing about GoldenEye control schemes and whether Duke Nukem's one-liners were brilliant or just juvenile toilet humour that somehow worked. https://gog.fm https://gog.fm/blog https://gog.fm/discord https://gog.fm/twitch https://gog.fm/steam https://gog.fm/facebook https://gog.fm/twitter https://gog.fm/bsky https://gog.fm/instagram https://gog.fm/threads

    48 min
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Trailer

About

Grumpy Old Gamer is a podcast for people who remember when games came in boxes, DLC wasn’t day-one extortion, and ‘early access’ wasn’t code for ‘you’re paying to beta test this broken mess.’ We talk about games, the old, the new, the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between, with the kind of blunt honesty that PR departments hate. Join us if you remember when games were great (and secretly know there are still some bangers being released now). Episodes fortnightly. https://gog.fm https://gog.fm/discord https://grumpyoldgamer.com

Information

  • Creator
    Grumpy Old Gamer
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Grumpy Old Gamer 2025
  • Show Website
    Grumpy Old Gamer