The Summoning Hour

The Summoning Hour is an everything-gaming podcast and live show hosted by Joe “Rakaul” Belousek, a veteran game producer exploring games and the people who make, play, study, and love them. From developer interviews and roundtables to gameplay streams, solo development sessions, and live whiteboard breakdowns, the show looks at games from every angle. Sometimes that means talking with industry guests. Sometimes it means breaking down a feature, reviewing an indie game, designing something from scratch, or thinking out loud about how games actually get made. The Summoning Hour is analytical and educational, but still cozy, conversational, and approachable. It is for aspiring developers, curious players, indie creators, and anyone who wants deeper conversations about games without losing the joy of why we play in the first place. At its heart, this show is for the love of the game, whatever your game is. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and Deezer. Watch live streams on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Join the conversation on Discord! Recurring Shows: Ready Check - Developer interviews, roundtables, and industry conversations. Draft & Craft - Whiteboard sessions where you design, break down, or rebuild ideas live, with or without guests. Ship Happens - Production, project management, live service, feature delivery, and “how games actually get made” breakdowns. Patch Notes Pending - Game reviews, indie spotlights, gameplay impressions, and technical/design breakdowns. Solo Queue Dev - Solo development in Godot with AI support LFG Spotlight - Short 10–15 minute conversations highlighting developers, producers, artists, designers, QA folks, and other game workers looking for their first or next opportunity. The Game Table - Casual gameplay sessions, multiplayer hangs, and “just for the love of the game” streams.