Ten Dollars Max in Ten Minutes Max

Max Mulligan
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Video Games

Ten Dollars Max in Ten Minutes Max is a short-form podcast about the depth and value of inexpensive games. Each episode takes a close look at a video game that costs ten dollars or less, exploring the big ideas it brings to mind through how it plays, what it inspires and why it matters. With a curious eye and a critical voice, the show unpacks the mechanics, themes and emotional impact of each title, showing how even the most compact experiences can spark reflection, joy and surprise. These are games that do more and cost less, and we’re here to give them the attention they deserve.

Episodes

  1. 6d ago

    Finding Fortune in Luck Be a Landlord

    What if spinning a rigged wheel could teach you about power dynamics, the absurdity of systems and economic precarity? Join host Max Mulligan as he considers Luck Be a Landlord, an inexpensive roguelite puzzle game where survival depends on making a broken system work in your favor. Through the lens of philosophy, sociology and critical theory, this episode unpacks how Luck Be a Landlord transforms every spin into a question of agency, survival and systemic constraint. About Luck Be a Landlord Trampoline Tales – Official Dev Website – https://trampolinetales.com/Steam Store Page – https://store.steampowered.com/app/1404850/Luck_be_a_Landlord/Google Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.trampolinetales.lbalPlaystation Store – https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10010938itch.io Store – https://trampolinetales.itch.io/luck-be-a-landlordAdditional Links Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? purchase link – https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Capitalist-Realism/Mark-Fisher/9781803414300PDF – https://files.libcom.org/files/[Mark_Fisher]_Capitalist_Realism_Is_There_no_Alte(BookZZ.org).pdfByung-Chul Han’s Burnout Society purchase link – https://www.sup.org/books/theory-and-philosophy/burnout-societyPDF – https://cdn.oujdalibrary.com/books/1012/1012-the-burnout-society-(www.tawcer.com).pdfWritten by Max W. Bartley Produced by Kai Williams Intro/Outro Music by Ashley Rezvani

  2. 07/01/2025

    Feeling Our Way Through Please Touch the Artwork

    What if touching art could teach you about patience, perception and the joy of play? Join host Max Mulligan as he examines Please, Touch the Artwork, a meditative puzzle game that turns modern art into something interactive and intimate. Linking phenomenology, modernism and the work of Piet Mondrian, this episode unpacks how touching, rearranging and gently disrupting digital paintings can invite a new way of engaging with both games and art itself. About Please Touch the Artwork Steam Store Page – https://store.steampowered.com/app/1097100/Please_Touch_The_Artwork/Nintendo Switch Store Page – https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/please-touch-the-artwork-switch/?srsltid=AfmBOorPfhxOiFfcjcy7xJ0l2sRXIAKYj0eN6fFTEtWtiOaAtjwRVNAeStudio Waterzooi – Official Game Website – https://studiowaterzooi.com/please-touch-the-artwork/Piet Mondrian and Artistic Influence The Art Story – Piet Mondrian Biography – https://www.theartstory.org/artist/mondrian-piet/Phenomenology and Philosophy of Art Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy – Introduction to Phenomenology – https://iep.utm.edu/phenom/ Written and Recorded by Max W. Bartley Produced by Kai Williams Intro/Outro Music by Ashley Rezvani

  3. 06/09/2025

    A Deeper Look at Downwell

    What if falling endlessly could teach you about flow, effortlessness and presence? Join host Max Mulligan as he explores Downwell, an affordable, challenging roguelike platformer where you fall down an endless well armed with Gunboots. Drawing connections to Taoism, psychology and philosophy, this episode unpacks how Downwell transforms moment-to-moment gameplay into a meditative state of total immersion. Downwell Downwell Wiki – https://downwell.fandom.com/wiki/Downwell_WikiWikipedia – Downwell – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downwell_(video_game)Taoism and Wu Wei Straight Bamboo – The Chef Cuts the Ox – https://straightbamboo.com/the-chef-cuts-the-ox/Stephan Joppich – Wu Wei – https://stephanjoppich.com/wu-wei/Einzelgänger – Taoism Philosophy Articles – https://einzelganger.co/category/philosophy/taoism-philosophy/StPeter.im – Taoist Writings – https://stpeter.im/writings/tao/Flow Theory (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi) Wikipedia – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_CsikszentmihalyiFlow Research Collective – History of Flow – https://www.flowresearchcollective.com/blog/history-of-flowStudy.com – Flow Theory Video Lesson – https://study.com/academy/lesson/video/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-flow-theory-works.htmlVideo Essay Covering Flow, Wu Wei, and the Taoist Charioteer Parable YouTube – Don't Try | The Philosophy of Flow – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k23x5kP7dAY Written and Recorded by Max W. Bartley Produced by Kai Williams Intro/Outro Music by Ashley Rezvani

  • 3 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Ten Dollars Max in Ten Minutes Max is a short-form podcast about the depth and value of inexpensive games. Each episode takes a close look at a video game that costs ten dollars or less, exploring the big ideas it brings to mind through how it plays, what it inspires and why it matters. With a curious eye and a critical voice, the show unpacks the mechanics, themes and emotional impact of each title, showing how even the most compact experiences can spark reflection, joy and surprise. These are games that do more and cost less, and we’re here to give them the attention they deserve.

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