Into the Aether - A Low Key Video Game Podcast Stephen Hilger + Brendon Bigley

This week AJ chats with Alanna Okun and Chase Allhart about their experiences with game design (and game design adjacent) education! They also confront the age old question: what even is a video game, anyway?
Into the Game Jam Linksitch page: https://itch.io/jam/itgj-summer-2024Find the forum thread on the TWG Discord: Navigate to the "Games Forums" category, select the games-events forum, find "Into The Game Jam (Summer 2024)" forum thread and say hello!
Alanna's LinksWebsite: https://alannaokun.xyzButtonmash newsletter: https://buttonmash.substack.com/Games made with bitsy: https://itch.io/games/made-with-bitsy
Chase's LinksVideo Game Podtimism: https://podtimism.com
Discussed: TWG's Into the Game Jam (Summer 2024), Chase's Gamer Cred, Alanna's journey to game design, Alanna's Majora's Mask piece, what is a game, Journey, idea games, Bitsy, telling stories through mechanics, the search for tighter experiences (again), Outersloth, 1000xRESIST, Unicorn Overlord, Animal Well, sweet and salty games, Elden Ring, an embarrassment of riches, Persona 3 in its various forms, Skald: Against the Black Priory, Slice & Dice, Loop Hero.---Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.onlineBuy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.onlineJoin the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast---Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecastFollow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com---Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigleyProduced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social---Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto---Timecodes:
(00:00) - Intro

(01:02) - TWG's Into the Game Jam! Links in the show notes!!

(02:18) - Gamer Credentials

(02:39) - Chase's journey

(05:14) - Alanna's journey

(13:04) - What is a video game?

(33:46) - The search for tighter experiences

(44:30) - 1000xRESIST | An infomercial for the game by sunset visitor

(51:55) - Unicorn Overlord | A masterful segue

(54:41) - Animal Well | The "five M&Ms" of gaming

(01:01:32) - Elden Ring | The quest to git gud again

(01:03:43) - Persona 3 | A safe space

(01:12:02) - Skald: Against the Black Priory | Chase what is this game!!!!

(01:16:02) - Slice & Dice | Granola-likes

(01:20:13) - Loop Hero | oreH pooL

(01:23:19) - Where to find Alanna and Chase online (check the show notes!)

(01:27:09) - Wrapping up
---Thanks to all of our amazing patrons including our Eternal Gratitude members:GrokCorey ZDirectional JoySusan HOlivia KDan SIsaac SWill CJim WEvan BDavid Hmin2Aaron GVErik MBrady HJoshua JTony LDanny KSeth MAdam BJustin KAndy HDemoParker EMaxwell LSpiritofthunderJason WJason TCorey TMinnow Eats WhaleCaleb WfingerbellyJesse WMike TCodesWesleyErik BmebezacSergio LninjadeathdogRory BA42PoundMooseAndrewJustin MPeterStellar.BeesBrendan KScott RwreckxNoah OMichael GArcturusChris RhepaheCory FChase ALoveDiesNick QWes KChris MRBMichaela WAdam FScott HAlexander SPTherese KjgprintersJessica BMurrayDavid PJason KBede RKamrin HKyle SPhilip N

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Welcome to the first EVER episode of Into the Aether: X-Strike Summer! We kick of the series with games industry pros (and TWG community members) Kyle Labriola, Murray Cameron-Smith and NBZ!
This week's episode is REQUIRED to be listened to at .75 speed to make up for all the times you were listening at 3x, you sickos.---Kyle's LinksBlog: https://blueberrylemonade.pika.page/Indie Games of Cohost: https://cohost.org/IndieGamesOfCohostRhythm Doctor: https://store.steampowered.com/app/774181/Rhythm_Doctor/A Dance of Fire and Ice: https://store.steampowered.com/app/977950/A_Dance_of_Fire_and_Ice/
Murray's LinkA Shell In The Pit: https://ashellinthepit.com/
NBZ's LinksThis Nintendo Life: https://open.spotify.com/show/1P4WI8rVRpAMjDIxJLqJUn Threads: https://www.threads.net/@lordnbz Playstack Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/Playstack
Discussed: X-Strike Summer!, podcast listening speeds, Adam Sandler’s opus: Click, the competitive value of Shuckle, the slow boil of becoming an indie game dev, watching a game blow up, separating work brain and regular brain, how to work from home, Dadish 3D, Sokpop Collective, short experiences, Toree 3D, Cavern of Dreams, Pseudoregalia, Persona 3 Portable, Beyond the Beyond, Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals, Rhythm Sprout, this Rhythm Heaven tiktok, maimai, searching for tighter experiences.---Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.onlineBuy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.onlineJoin the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast---Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecastFollow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com---Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigleyProduced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social---Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto---Timecodes:
(00:00) - Intro

(00:14) - Welcome to X-Strike Summer!

(02:27) - Histories with ITA and TWG

(06:59) - Getting in to the industry

(18:34) - What it's like to watch a game blow up

(24:12) - Getting brought into the fold

(29:07) - Creative Broken Brain(tm)

(41:27) - A surprise guest! (It's Crash Bandicoot)

(41:54) - Dadish 3D | The latest installment in the Dadish Cinematic Universe

(48:25) - Toree 3D | A lil bird that jumps :-)

(52:41) - Persona 3 Portable | Another condensed game with a 3 in the title

(01:02:09) - Beyond the Beyond | On the Retroid QWERTY123FFXIV Pro

(01:05:34) - Lufia 2 | A game that forces you to use your items

(01:18:02) - Rhythm Sprout | More little guys!

(01:29:08) - Are people looking for more focused experiences?

(01:43:30) - Check the links in the show notes!

(01:45:25) - Wrapping up
---Thanks to all of our amazing patrons including our Eternal Gratitude members:GrokCorey ZDirectional JoySusan HOlivia KDan SIsaac SWill CJim WEvan BDavid Hmin2Aaron GVErik MBrady HJoshua JTony LDanny KSeth MAdam BJustin KAndy HDemoParker EMaxwell LSpiritofthunderJason WJason TCorey TMinnow Eats WhaleCaleb WfingerbellyJesse WMike TCodesWesleyErik BmebezacSergio LninjadeathdogRory BA42PoundMooseAndrewJustin MPeterStellar.BeesBrendan KScott RwreckxNoah OMichael GArcturusChris RhepaheCory FChase ALoveDiesNick QWes KChris MRBMichaela WAdam FScott HAlexander SPTherese KjgprintersJessica BMurrayDavid PJason KBede RKamrin HKyle SPhilip N

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You've traveled far and faced trials that would demoralize most... or worse.
But here you emerge, into the sun, holding in your hands the thing you've been searching for so long: The Uncharted bonus episode of Into the Aether.---Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.onlineBuy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.onlineJoin the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast---Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecastFollow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com---Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigleyProduced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social---Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto---Timecodes:
(00:00) - It's Uncharted time BABY
(02:18) - NaughtyDog's influence and the state of crunch
(09:06) - Histories with the series
(39:18) - Nate's Theme by Greg Edmonson
(39:44) - Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
(01:05:00) - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
(01:20:32) - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
(01:33:23) - Uncharted: Golden Abyss
(01:41:08) - A Thief's End by Henry Jackman
(01:41:39) - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
(02:13:24) - Uncharted: Lost Legacy
(02:28:34) - A Thief's End by Henry Jackman
(02:28:58) - Nathan Drake (said in the cadence of "Donkey Kong")
(02:29:27) - Uncharted losing the supernatural | From Rebecca
(02:34:46) - What if instead of combat... anything else? | From GJ
(02:37:47) - Nathan Drake loves SUBS | From Cameron
(02:40:20) - Uncharted: Drake's CInematic Adaptation | From Matt
(02:43:20) - Drake's Fancast | From Ponk
(02:47:12) - THE Uncharted game | From saiklex
(02:48:56) - The sibling reveal | From Christian Spicer
(02:51:03) - Ludonarrative dissonance | From Lady Borkington's Biggest Fan
(02:52:37) - Twodonarrative dissonance | From Chase
(02:55:33) - Uncharted's influence | From Brittlemoon
(03:02:35) - Wrapping up
(03:05:36) - Nate's Theme
---Thanks to all of our amazing patrons including our Eternal Gratitude members:GrokCorey ZDirectional JoySusan HOlivia KDan SIsaac SWill CJim WEvan BDavid Hmin2Aaron GVErik MBrady HJoshua JTony LDanny KSeth MAdam BJustin KAndy HDemoParker EMaxwell LSpiritofthunderJason WJason TCorey TMinnow Eats WhaleCaleb WfingerbellyJesse WMike TCodesWesleyErik BmebezacSergio LninjadeathdogRory BA42PoundMooseAndrewJustin MPeterStellar.BeesBrendan KScott RwreckxNoah OMichael GArcturusChris RhepaheCory FChase ALoveDiesNick QWes KChris MRBMichaela WAdam FScott HAlexander SPTherese KjgprintersJessica BMurrayDavid PJason KBede RKamrin HKyle SPhilip N

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iO, eat your heart out.
See you on July 17th! 
Discussed: XStrike Summer, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Myst, Animal Well, Brendon solving the final puzzle of The Witness, Brendon's number 16 Game of the Year, Zero Stranger, Void Ranger, Burnout Paradise, the PSP, Soma Bringer, the Xeno series, Diablo, have a good Summer (to our Northern hemisphere pals)!---Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.onlineBuy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.onlineJoin the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast---Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecastFollow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com---Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigleyProduced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social---Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto---Timecodes:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:46) - Announcing some more stuff!
(05:47) - The cool theme song for when we talk about games
(06:12) - Lorelei and the Laser Eyes | Very clever, Signorina
(24:58) - Zero Stranger and Void Ranger | Two Sky Ballets
(49:41) - Burnout Paradise | Peeling out to senior prom
(01:11:26) - Soma Bringer | Finding the throughline
(01:31:56) - Wrapping up
---Thanks to all of our amazing patrons including our Eternal Gratitude members:GrokCorey ZDirectional JoySusan HOlivia KDan SIsaac SWill CJim WEvan BDavid Hmin2Aaron GVErik MBrady HJoshua JTony LDanny KSeth MAdam BJustin KAndy HDemoParker EMaxwell LSpiritofthunderJason WJason TCorey TMinnow Eats WhaleCaleb WfingerbellyJesse WMike TCodesWesleyErik BmebezacSergio LninjadeathdogRory BA42PoundMooseAndrewJustin MPeterStellar.BeesBrendan KScott RwreckxNoah OMichael GArcturusChris RhepaheCory FChase ALoveDiesNick QWes KChris MRBMichaela WAdam FScott HAlexander SPTherese KjgprintersJessica BMurrayDavid PJason KBede RKamrin HKyle SPhilip N

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When hope is lost and humanity is on the brink of devastation, there's only one tried and true strategy to snap victory from the jaws of certain evisceration.
Discussed: Out of the Realm, being a regular: revisted, Brendon on The Besties!, Crow Country, Resident Evil, Signalis, Zero Ranger, Void Stranger, NieR: Automata, gaming on the Apple iPad, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, emulation, Monster Hunter Portable Third, PPSSPP, FTL: Faster Than Light, Civilization VI, Shogun: Total War, Rome: Total War, Total War: Medieval 2, Age of Wonder IV, this video from Game Maker's Toolkit, Stardew Valley, Minecraft, 8bitdo SN30 Pro, Apple Arcade, Orion, Final Fantasy XVI, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, IQ tests, 90s cartoons, Charted: Found Legacy, something in the future tehe, and dotzip.---Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.onlineBuy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.onlineJoin the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast---Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecastFollow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com---Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigleyProduced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social---Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto---Timecodes:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:02) - Talking about some stuff at the top
(09:43) - Crow Country | You should play it
(27:57) - Zero Ranger | Pulling the thread
(42:19) - An iPad deep dive
(45:55) - Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep | An iPad deep dive
(47:02) - Monster Hunter Portable 3rd | An iPad deep dive
(48:47) - FTL: Faster Than Light | An iPad deep dive
(50:19) - Civilization VI | An iPad deep dive
(51:27) - Divinity: Original Sin 2 | An iPad deep dive
(52:55) - Total War | An iPad deep dive
(59:01) - Stardew Valley | An iPad deep dive
(59:09) - Minecraft | An iPad deep dive
(01:00:13) - 8bitdo SN30 Pro | An iPad deep dive
(01:03:50) - Orion | An iPad Deep Dive
(01:07:06) - Surprise Final Fantasy Segment
(01:14:32) - The iPad! | It's actually more Final Fantasy heh
(01:15:23) - Wrapping up
---Thanks to all of our amazing patrons including our Eternal Gratitude members:GrokCorey ZDirectional JoySusan HOlivia KDan SIsaac SWill CJim WEvan BDavid Hmin2Aaron GVErik MBrady HJoshua JTony LDanny KSeth MAdam BJustin KAndy HDemoParker EMaxwell LSpiritofthunderJason WJason TCorey TMinnow Eats WhaleCaleb WfingerbellyJesse WMike TCodesWesleyErik BmebezacSergio LninjadeathdogRory BA42PoundMooseAndrewJustin MPeterStellar.BeesBrendan KScott RwreckxNoah OMichael GArcturusChris RhepaheCory FChase ALoveDiesNick QWes KChris MRBMichaela WAdam FScott HAlexander SPTherese KjgprintersJessica BMurrayDavid PJason KBede RKamrin HKyle SPhilip N

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Ah crap, this guy comes in everyday and orders the same thing: podcasts, puzzle games, double helping of Pokémon, and Supergiant game... hey buddy! The usual? Aha yeah... death to Chronos... that never gets old...
Discussed: Being a regular, Paws and Clause, dotzip, Out of the Realm, Animal Well, Fez, The Witness, being 34, Pokémon Unbound, a Nuzlocke run 👁️, Pokémon Legends Z-A, Hades II Early Access, death to Chronos!---Find us everywhere: https://intothecast.onlineBuy some merch if you'd like: https://shop.intothecast.onlineJoin the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/intothecast---Follow on Threads: https://threads.net/@intothecastFollow on Tumblr: https://intothecast.tumblr.com---Follow Stephen Hilger: https://stephenhilgerart.com/Follow Brendon Bigley: https://threads.net/@brendonbigleyProduced by AJ Fillari: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.social---Season 6 Cover Art by Scout Wilkinson: https://scoutwilkinson.myportfolio.com/Theme song by Will LaPorte: https://instagram.com/ghostdownphoto---Timecodes:
(00:00) - Intro
(03:29) - A bunch of announcements!!! | Anyway, newness
(08:36) - Animal Well | A good video game?!
(37:50) - Pokémon Unbound | What if you could make a *harder* Pokémon game?
(01:11:52) - Pokémon Legends Z-A | An addendum
(01:13:13) - Trails from Zero | Big City, Prologue Kitty
(01:34:05) - Hades II Early Access | Maybe an offramp
(02:15:37) - Wrapping up
---Thanks to all of our amazing patrons including our Eternal Gratitude members:GrokCorey ZDirectional JoySusan HOlivia KDan SIsaac SWill CJim WEvan BDavid Hmin2Aaron GVErik MBrady HJoshua JTony LDanny KSeth MAdam BJustin KAndy HDemoParker EMaxwell LSpiritofthunderJason WJason TCorey TMinnow Eats WhaleCaleb WfingerbellyJesse WMike TCodesWesleyErik BmebezacSergio LninjadeathdogRory BA42PoundMooseAndrewJustin MPeterStellar.BeesBrendan KScott RwreckxNoah OMichael GArcturusChris RhepaheCory FChase ALoveDiesNick QWes KChris MRBMichaela WAdam FScott HAlexander SPTherese KjgprintersJessica BMurrayDavid PJason KBede RKamrin HKyle SPhilip N

★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★