Scandalous Games

Scandalous Games
  • 5.0 (7)
  • VIDEO GAMES
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Scandalous Games is a video game history podcast that takes a closer look at video game related controversies. Every episode, historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story about a scandalous event from gaming's past to his friends who offer commentary on moral panics, ill-advised advertising campaigns, unusual figures, and any and all topics related to video game scandals and how they shaped the medium. New episodes drop on the first and third Tuesdays of every month! Check out more info, including show notes and sources, at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com.

  1. 3D AGO

    2025: A Year in Controversies, Part 2: We need to talk about Elon

    Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Phil Thomas. We wrap up our look back at the year in controversies that was 2025 with a deep dive into the gaming exploits of everyone's favorite (?) 4chan-pilled, billionaire oligarch/1337 gamer: Elon Musk. We dissect Musk's claims that he is a high-level player in several competitive games, how he handles when people call those mad fly skillz into question, and where his alleged gaming prowess fits into the larger world we find ourselves in. One production note: this will be our only episode this month. Check back for a fun new pair of episodes (complete with a special guest) next month! Topics discussed include:  the rich filmography of Elon Musk, his maidenless Elden Ring build, his feud with Asmongold, Kevin costs us the Raid: Shadow Legends sponsorship, the legend of Let Me Solo Her, Fred the Batboy: World Series MVPharassing robber barons, and what do throwing pies and shoes have to do with Elon's terrible video gameplay? For more on Musk's alleged role in the Quake competitive scene in the 1990s, see: Karl Jobst, “The Elon Musk Cheating Scandal,” February 28, 2025, https://youtu.be/z1ykCc588Zw?si=RznsRpzpbfC7mxpO.  For a deep dive into Musk and his flawed bio by Walter Isaacson, see the If Books Could Kill's series: Part 1: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/867-if-books-could-kill-104279346/episode/elon-musk-311623273?app=listen Part 2: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/867-if-books-could-kill-104279346/episode/elon-musk-part-2-313518298?app=listen For more on that time Elon trained Grok to play video games for him, see: Grace Kay, “War rooms, group chats, and video games: Inside Elon Musk's AI startup,” Business Insider, February 20, 2026, https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-xai-leadership-style-big-year-grok-ipo-spacex-2026-2.  For information on Elon's Diablo build see: "Master the Elon Musk Build in Diablo IV: Unleashing the Power of the Artificer's Pit," MMOORPG, December 18, 2024, https://www.mmoorpg.com/2024/12/18/3700/ For more on Elden Ring softcaps, see: Maroles Valentina Stella, "What are Elden Ring's soft caps for all stats in 2025?" Polygon, January 1, 2025, https://www.polygon.com/elden-ring-guide-walkthrough/24185164/soft-caps-stats-strength-vigor-endurance-arcane/. For a full guide to sorceries in Elden Ring, see their respective page on FextraLife: https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Sorceries.  Also, be sure to check out the podcast I'm From the Internet for their series on Jack Thompson's "A Modest Video Game Proposal," complete with a shoutout to us. Part One: https://shows.acast.com/im-from-the-internet-a-podcast-about-somethingawfulcom/episodes/a-modest-video-game-proposal-2005-part-one Part Two: https://shows.acast.com/im-from-the-internet-a-podcast-about-somethingawfulcom/episodes/a-modest-video-game-proposal-2005-part-two More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com.

    1h 24m

  2. MAR 17

    The 2025 Real Game Awards: Sir, this is a Dave & Buster's

    Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friend/partner, Kate Lynch. We interrupt our regularly-scheduled second episode on 2025 in controversies to take one more look back at the anti-woke paid award show The Real Game Awards, which, against all odds, aired a new edition on February 23, 2026. Join Kate and Kevin as we review the awards and their (lack of) impact so you don't have to. Topics discussed include: Paying $150 to watch a YouTube video at a Dallas Dave & Buster's, the AI slop garbage pile that was their opening sequence, the coveted Best Jiggle Physics award, and a bunch of anti-woke grifters get mad over a Black samurai.  Here's the shot we discussed of the turnout at this year's Real Game Awards, courtesy of its creator: https://x.com/StutteringCraig/status/2026110216366928152. For a look at Yaskue and the anti-woke backlash to his inclusion in Assassin's Creed: Shadows, see:  Robert Tuck, "We Need to Talk About Yasuke: Fact, Fiction, and History with the ‘African Samurai’ Part 1," Medium, January 6, 2025, https://medium.com/the-sundial-acmrs/we-need-to-talk-about-yasuke-fact-fiction-and-history-with-the-african-samurai-part-1-528a75dcc5ae. Robert Tuck, "We Need To Talk About Yasuke: Fact, Fiction, and History with the ‘African Samurai’ Part 2," Medium, January 9, 2025, https://medium.com/the-sundial-acmrs/we-need-to-talk-about-yasuke-fact-fiction-and-history-with-the-african-samurai-part-2-4d470e3d3574.  More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com.

    1h 12m

  3. MAR 3

    2025: A Year in Controversies, Part 1: Notes from the Reddit regime

    Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friend, Andy Hunter. We take a look back at a controversy from the previous year, examining how the announcement of a remastered version of Halo: Combat Evolved inspired an AI-generated meme-off between GameStop and the Trump Administration. We also keep ourselves sane by sharing our favorite games of 2025. Topics discussed include: people trading in taxidermy animals for $5 in store credit, GameStop's meme king CEO, Sony's representative at the Xbox-PlayStation peace meetings, Nintendo looks the other way, and a certain former Florida attorney makes an appearance in the Epstein files.  For more on that, check out: Jeffrey Epstein to Lily Ann Sanchez, January 3, 2015, www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet 9/EFTA00867548.pdf.  For more on the "GameStonks"/WallStreetBets affair, see: Dan Olson, "This Is Financial Advice," Folding Ideas, September 30, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pYeoZaoWrA.  James Jani, "The GameStop Cult: An Untold Story," James Jani, https://youtu.be/7LPuXowifJ4?si=jK_VqyvlmZI3QuOb.  More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com.

    1h 16m

  4. FEB 17

    The Real Game Awards, Part 4: No ethical consumption under the Imperium

    Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Andy Hunter. Just in time for the latest installment of the Real Game Awards, we finish our look back at the first installment of the anti-woke game awards show made by gamers courageous enough to give Stuttering Craig Skistimas money. This time, we wade into the role of Warhammer 40,000 and the Real Game Awards and examine the show's impact (or lack thereof). Topics discussed include: literally betting on a game getting a good review score, imperial cheeseburgers, the complicated meanings of Warhammer 40,000's Imperium of Man, Craig's membership dues come up, and we read a TRGA acceptance speech. For more details on the people who get into Warhammer 40,000 specifically for the fascism, check out: Tim Colwill, “Satire Without Purpose Will Wander In Dark Places,” June 2023, https://timcolwill.com/40K.html Jordan Carroll, “Welcome to Warhammer 40K’s anti-fascist future,” Polygon, October 25, 2022, https://www.polygon.com/23414657/warhammer-40k-anti-fascism-space-marines-capitalism-leagues-of-votann-hate  Edwin Evans-Thirlwell, “Why play a fascist? Unpacking the hideousness of the Space Marine,” Rock Paper Shotgun, October 24, 2024, https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/why-play-a-fascist-unpacking-the-hideousness-of-the-space-marine Henry Neilson, “Satire Dies in Grimdarkness: Warhammer 40,000 and Fascism,” Medium, August 23, 2022, https://medium.com/@huntingsunrise/satire-dies-in-grimdarkness-warhammer-40-000-and-fascism-b0dccc2280af.  For some genuinely good introductions to 40K's lore, I recommend you check out the work of Arbiter Ian: https://www.youtube.com/@ArbitorIan If you'd like to read along our look at the 40K rulebook, we referred to this edition: https://archive.org/details/warhammer-40-k-rogue-trader-rulebook/mode/2up.  More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com.

    1h 7m

  5. FEB 3

    The Real Game Awards, Part 3: Stellar Blade and the battle for inches of digital fabric

    Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Andy Hunter. For our first-ever fully in-person recording, we continue our look at The Real Game Awards, the paid game awards show targeted at folks in the anti-woke gaming community. This time around, we tackle their fears over the alleged "uglification" of female characters in video games by looking at the darling of The Real Game Awards: Stellar Blade the 2024 action game by ShiftUp (https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/stellar-blade/). Topics discussed include: who got snubbed for Best Jiggle Physics, the escapades of a former game admin/alleged secret pornographer, how a single Tweet broke the brains of some anti-woke content creators, spray bottle based management strategies, and Pointy PS1 Era Boobs: ready to hit a venue near you! For more details on the Stellar Blade "controversy," see Shaun, "Stellar Blade: The Fake Outrage," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPsSguYNHpk. For an overview on Leeroy Jenkins, the Wikipedia article is surprisingly detailed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeroy_Jenkins For more on the "OK" hand gesture as a hate symbol, see: "Okay Hand Gesture," ADL, https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/okay-hand-gesture. For more information on the Pan-European Game Information system, see their website: https://pegi.info/ For some insights into Mark "Grummz" Kern's various scandals, check out MLYP's 2-part "Goonernomicon" series from March 30, 2025 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_ftiA5fl38) and May 12, 2025 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y07rhKtBq5w) as well as the works of McDizzle, whom I somehow completely botched their name (apologies) (https://www.youtube.com/@McdizzleGaming).  More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com.

    1h 8m

  6. JAN 20

    The Real Game Awards, Part 2: Oh sweet baby (Inc.)

    Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Andy Hunter. We continue our look at The Real Game Awards, the alternative gaming awards show/business venture of former Screw Attack co-founder Craig "Stuttering Craig" Skistimas. This time around, we take a closer look at their "Worst Game Journalist" category and the moral panic over Sweet Baby Inc., a small, Montreal-based games script doctoring company/possible corrupt shadow organization manipulating all of video games.  Topics discussed include: the horrors of body type B, getting mad at games that don't exist, the long legacy of GamerGate, how a former DeVry recruiter turned his obsession over Alyssa Mercante into a lucrative YouTube channel, and Kevin inadvertently stumbles upon the grift. Read Umberto Eco's influential 1995 essay "Ur-Fascism" here: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/umberto-eco-ur-fascism. For an introduction to KiwiFarms and LOLcows, check out the Behind the Bastards series "A Terrible Story about the Internet": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA6Mrt5OPfE. You should also check out Kristin L. Hoganson, Fighting for American Manhood: How Gender Politics Provoked the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars (Yale University Press, 1998): https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300085549/fighting-for-american-manhood/. More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com.

    1h 9m

  7. JAN 6

    The Real Game Awards, Part 1: And the Scandie goes to...

    Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Andy Hunter. We start 2026 with a closer look at the Real Game Awards, the alternative awards show/moneymaking scheme to Geoff Keighley's Game Awards created by former Screw Attack founder turned anti-woke gaming commentator Craig "Stuttering Craig" Skistimas.  Topics discussed include: we launch our own paid awards show (not really), who is the real gamer (and how does that involve giving us money), the veritable rogue's gallery that was TRGA's presenter lineup, and how much would you pay us for Andy to be your friend? Content warning: brief discussion of Nazis, transphobia, and harassment (46:38-51:09). For a fun rundown of the history of the Game Awards (originally the Spike TV Game Awards), see: Burback, "The Dark History Behind the Game Awards," January 25, 2023, https://youtu.be/BvGn9mm9bT0?si=thzm2oYsJoJw6HUX.  For a closer look at the drama surrounding James Rolfe aka "The Angry Video Game Nerd" and the Cinemassacre fandom, see: Lady Emily, “A Deep Dive Into The Cinemassacre Backlash,” March 3, 2022, video, https://youtu.be/EmC5Zte5RnM?si=nW_bX4SnAu9eZn5W; Hbomberguy, “Plagiarism and You(tube)”, December 2, 2023, https://youtu.be/yDp3cB5fHXQ?si=EbnVEqnTj8KwgZKB; and Dan Olson/Folding Ideas, “I Don’t Know James Rolfe,” June 19, 2024, https://youtu.be/b3gZOt1Lo4A?si=jNayTZ7gFwdjlbXX.  For more on Kirsche Verstahl, see: Ana Valens, "Why Is This ‘Gamer Supps’ VTuber Pushing the Great Replacement Theory?" Vice, April 21, 2025, https://web.archive.org/web/20250421144202/https://www.vice.com/en/article/why-is-this-gamer-supps-vtuber-pushing-the-great-replacement-theory/.  For more on the tactics of the internet-pilled section of the right, see: Errant Signal's series "The Alt-Right Playbook," https://youtu.be/4xGawJIseNY?si=O-igu9mqEV24Lcdc. More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com.

    1h 3m

  8. 12/16/2025

    Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas "Hot Coffee" Mod Remastered, Part 2: Rockstar's multi-million dollar mistake

    Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Elford Stephens, Phil Thomas, and Ryan Weaver. In our thrilling conclusion to our remastered version of our 2022 episode on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas "Hot Coffee" mod, we examine the fallout and the lasting legacy behind arguably the most infamous mod in the history of video games.  Topics discussed include: the grandma who saved her grandchild from the M-rated game she bought, Take-Two runs afoul of the city of Flint, MI, the slapdash remastered editions of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy, and how many bad Arnold Schwarzenegger impressions can we cram into a single episode? For more on Hot Coffee and Rockstar, check out: David Kushner, Jacked: The Unauthorised Behind-the-Scenes Story of Grand Theft Auto (London: Collins, 2012). Simon Parkin, "Who Spilled Hot Coffee?" Eurogamer, December 2, 2012: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-30-who-spilled-hot-coffee.  More info, including show notes and sources at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com.

    58 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Scandalous Games is a video game history podcast that takes a closer look at video game related controversies. Every episode, historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story about a scandalous event from gaming's past to his friends who offer commentary on moral panics, ill-advised advertising campaigns, unusual figures, and any and all topics related to video game scandals and how they shaped the medium. New episodes drop on the first and third Tuesdays of every month! Check out more info, including show notes and sources, at http://scandalousgamespodcast.wordpress.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Scandalous Games
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    90
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Scandalous Games
  • Show Website
    Scandalous Games