Gold Microphone: Stories and Games

Drew Cook
  • 4.8 (4)
  • VIDEO GAMES

Drew Cook (and sometimes cohost Callie Smith) discusses narrative games past and present with a humanities and craft writing emphasis.

Episodes

  1. Emily Short's Bee

    09/09/2025

    Emily Short's Bee

    Callie and Drew discuss Emily Short's Bee, one of their favorite IF works. Drew's detailed text-only playthrough of Bee with commentary Episode Transcript

    1h 10m

  2. 07/10/2024

    Challenge, Mimesis and Parsercraft (Trinity continued)

    A long-form reflection on game design and parser craft theory continues with a discussion of Inform Design Manual 4's version of Graham Nelson's "The Craft of the Adventure." Particular attention is paid to mimesis, challenge, and, as Drew puts it, "cool stuff." Part of a series about Infocom's Trinity. Resources discussed in this episode: Gold Machine: Emily Dickenson and the Wide Middle of Trinity https://golmac.org/narrative-surface-features-of-trinity-part-2/ Top Expert: Let's Make IF Season 2, Episode 1 https://topexpert.blog/2024/07/03/lets-make-if-season-2-episode-1/ DM4 Version of "The Craft of the Adventure" (pdf) https://inform-fiction.org/manual/Chapter8.pdf 50 Years of Text Games https://if50.textories.com/ My own game, Repeat the Ending https://ifdb.org/viewgame?id=eueqjtej7bvnfp5a Correction: Photopia was released in 1998.

    44 min

  3. 05/18/2024

    The Craft of the Adventure: Trinity Part 2

    Drew returns to discuss a foundational work of game design craft, Graham Nelson's The Craft of the Adventure (1995). This is part of a larger, multipart examination of narrative friction in Brian Moriarty's Trinity (1986). Referenced content: Top Expert, Drew's blog about learning Inform 7 (and other things) Jimmy Maher's "The Neo-Classical Interactive Fiction of 1995" Graham Nelson's The Craft of the Adventure (1995 version) Graham Nelson's The Craft of the Adventure (2001, Designer's Manual 4) Drew's "Zork II, Idolatry, and the Legendary Awfulness of Two Puzzles"

    1h 7m

  4. 02/22/2024

    Reboot: Vampires and Trinity

    After nearly two years, host Drew Cook returns solo! This reboot episode lays out a framework for future discussions of Infocom's Trinity and Nacon's Vampire: The Masquerade--Swansong. The Craft of Adventure : Graham Nelson Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong on Steam (steampowered.com) Jimmy Maher's Trinity posts Gold Machine - Games as text, text as games (golmac.org) top expert – i am my own ghost Repeat the Ending IFDB page

    51 min
  5. Episode 6: A Mind Forever Voyaging

    06/22/2022

    Episode 6: A Mind Forever Voyaging

    Callie Smith and Drew Cook welcome guest Aaron A. Reed to discuss his 50 Years of Text Games project as well as 1985's A Mind Forever Voyaging. Aaron's experiences as both reader and author lead us to some great exchanges and insights into Steve Meretzky's classic game about art, political witness, and as-yet unexplored possibilities in computer games. Aaron's current project, 50 Years of Text Games, is a history of interactive text as told in essays, images, and infographics. See below for more information, including Aaron's sample book chapter about A Mind Forever Voyaging. We're looking forward to seeing the final product! 50 Years of Text Games: Kickstarter page A Mind Forever Voyaging sample chapter New to Gold Machine? This podcast (Gold Microphone) is a spinoff from Drew Cook's project to play and document every Infocom game. You can find that content (still in process) at Gold Machine. Drew Cook and Callie Smith come together here to have less formal conversations about the joy of playing these classic games. Get in touch! Drew and Callie don't monetize any content from the Gold Machine project. The best way to reward our efforts is by reaching out. Start a discussion, suggest a game, or leave a nice review someplace. We started these IF projects to meet people and have some rewarding IF conversations. golmac@golmac.org Drew's Twitter: @GolmacB Callie's Twitter: @golmac_callie

    1h 21m
  6. Episode 5: Zork I

    05/18/2022

    Episode 5: Zork I

    Join Callie and Drew for a discussion of Infocom's best-selling game, Zork I. They'll talk about one of their all-time favorite video game characters, the thief, as well as its amazing (yet often overlooked) worldbuilding.  The games mentioned in Ian's email were "The Hobbit," "Hampstead," "Lords of Midnight," "The Worm in Paradise," and "A Mind Forever Voyaging." Notes published at Gold Machine: https://golmac.org/gold-microphone-zork-i/ Next up: A Mind Forever Voyaging featuring guest Aaron A. Reed, who has lots of great insights into AMFV thanks to his 50 Years of Text Games project!

    1h 20m
  7. Episode 4: Journey

    03/27/2022

    Episode 4: Journey

    Drew and Callie take a look at one of Infocom's least-loved games. Is it a complete flop? Or does it have something to offer? Full notes at https://golmac.org Email: golmac@golmac.org Drew Twitter: @GolmacB Callie Twitter: @golmac_Callie

    1h 19m
  8. Plundered Hearts: Follow Up

    02/13/2022 · BONUS

    Plundered Hearts: Follow Up

    Drew and Callie return to Plundered Hearts to discuss Anastasia Salter's 2020 article, "Infocom, Romance, and the History of Feminist Game Design," published in Feminist Media Histories 6.1. In this follow-up conversation, Drew and Callie revisit the critical narrative surrounding Amy Briggs’s classic Plundered Hearts, celebrating the ways in which Salter synthesizes a variety of critical tactics in her productive and innovative reading. Plundered Hearts | Feminist Media Histories | University of California Press (ucpress.edu) As always, you can reach them in a number of ways: Gold Machine - Games as text, text as games (golmac.org) email: golmac@golmac.org Drew Cook: Gold Machine (@GolmacB) / Twitter

    45 min
  9. Episode 3: Enchanter

    01/21/2022

    Episode 3: Enchanter

    Spell books, talking turtles, and the end of the world: Join Callie and Drew as they discuss one of their all-time favorite games--Enchanter! As discussed in the podcast, here are some links. A Note on Resources and Methods: links and advice for playing classic Infocom games Enchanter folio in poor condition (but still awesome!) Get in touch: email: golmac@golmac.org contact form at https://golmac.org twitter: @GolmacB Facebook (bare bones, but updates with new posts) Interactive Fiction Community Forum thread

    1h 20m
  10. Episode 2: Plundered Hearts

    01/07/2022

    Episode 2: Plundered Hearts

    Perhaps no Infocom game has risen, post-1980s, so much in the eyes of players than Amy Briggs's Plundered Hearts. At the time of its release, men were too manly to play it, and at least one prominent woman reviewer declared: "it's not feminist." How did a game that seemingly had nothing to offer anyone become so beloved? Join Callie and Drew as they discuss their very 2022 experiences with Plundered Hearts. Here are some promised links: Plundered Hearts Unboxing 1987: Plundered Hearts - by Aaron A. Reed (substack.com) » Plundered Hearts The Digital Antiquarian (filfre.net) Plundered Hearts | Feminist Media Histories | University of California Press (ucpress.edu) Want to get in touch? Email: golmac@golmac.org Twitter: @GolmacB Gold Machine - Games as text, text as games (golmac.org)

    1h 10m
  11. Episode 1: Wishbringer

    12/23/2021

    Episode 1: Wishbringer

    In this first episode of Gold Microphone: A Gold Machine Podcast, hosts Drew and Callie talk about Infocom's 1985 classic game Wishbringer. Bonus: Drew's and Callie's Wishbringer unboxing video.

    1h 9m
  • 11 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Drew Cook (and sometimes cohost Callie Smith) discusses narrative games past and present with a humanities and craft writing emphasis.

Information