Core Elements

This week we are once again sans Spencer, but we have with us Ziba Scott, the independant game designer behind Girls Like Robots. In this episode we discuss PS3 hostility towards hackers, the siren song of MMOs, and the curious nostalgia of gaming manuals.[MP3 AUDIO]Ziba on TwitterPopCannibalGet a 30-day free trial of NetflixTry a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Playstation to terminate all accounts that use have hacked PS3 content[LINK] Are Game Manuals just outdated pieces of paper[LINK] When did gamers become bullies?[LINK] Guild Wars 2: New Random Dungeon

This week we are joined by Mike Rugnetta of PBS Idea Channel! Sharing with us his unique intellectual angle on media, we cover topics about myopic gaming choices, the value of open-sourced hardware, and experiencing the unexperiencable.[MP3 AUDIO]Mike Rugnetta on TwitterPBS Idea ChannelGet a 30-day free trial of NetflixTry a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Microsoft Glass for Android is released[LINKS] Guild Wars 2: Power vs. Precision, and Vitality vs. Toughness[LINK] A Slower Speed of Light: Relativistic Gaming

This week we bring Josh Tsui into the laboratory! President of Robomodo, makers of the newest games in the Tony Hawk series, Josh joins us in a lively discussion of monetized videos, mobile gaming vs. desktop gaming, and the tough line to talk between nostalgia and innovation![MP3 AUDIO]Josh Tsui on TwitterRobomodo GamesGet a 30-day free trial of NetflixTry a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Project Eternity is on a roll![LINK] Zynga 2nd worst performing stock of 2012[LINK] Kickstarter Nostalgia Peril[LINK] Simon Pegg tweet bringing Shaun of the Dead Mod back to life[LINK] Microsoft removes monetization of their games from Youtube[LINK] Talisman finally coming to PC

This week, Scott Macmillan of MacGuffin Games joins Core Elements to talk about his studio, it's death, and subsequent resurrection. In addition to discussing our Warcraft problems, we'll cover the magic of Hero Academy, the balance between art and money in gaming, and the curious desire to escape gaming.[MP3 AUDIO]Scott Macmillan on TwitterMacGuffin Games"Death of an Indie Studio" slidesGet a 30-day free trial of NetflixTry a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Bioware co-founders leaving the studio[LINK] Borderlands 2 DLC Season Pass

This week we are joined by Brendon Chung of Blendo Games. Brendon has made such fantastic titles as Atom Zombie Smasher, Gravity Bone, and Flotilla. In this episode, we discuss the use of descriptive adjectives in game titles, the dubious merit of new console hardware, the worth of sex in gaming, and the quality of Spencer's internet connection.[MP3 AUDIO]Brendon Chung on TwitterBlendo GamesThirty Flights of Loving on SteamGet a 30-day free trial of NetflixTry a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Microsoft could delay 720 till 2014[LINK] Gamestop pulling PS2 games in preparation for next-gen consoles[LINK] Sex game pulled from Steam Greenlight

Dan Silvers returns to the Laboratory for a new round of experiments! In this episode, we discuss the waning Blizzard love, Microsoft's fear of Steam, and the unawesomeness of Awesomenauts. The audio this week was not recorded locally and had to be recovered from Twitch... so please forgive the poor quality.[MP3 AUDIO]Dan Silvers on TwitterLantana GamesChildren of Liberty on Steam GreenlightGet a 30-day free trial of NetflixTry a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Double Fine's next game[LINK] Diablo adding 100 more levels[LINK] Come watch the DWP when they stream!

This summer has seen a terrible drought for booking guests, but it appears the fall has graced us with more open schedules! This week, we welcome Roger Craig Smith, voice actor supreme! On top of doing the voices of Ezio from Assassin's Creed, he's know as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, Chris Redfield, and a host of other characters in animation and gaming. In this episode, we discuss the creation of social networks, how to figure out if your stand-up career is doomed, and why we want to slap Nolan North.[MP3 AUDIO]Roger Craig Smith's WebsiteRoger on IMDBGet a 30-day free trial of NetflixTry a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Nintendo wants to make a gamer social network[LINK] Microsoft's Election 2012 hub on Xbox Live[LINK] Psychonauts coming to PSN[LINK] 16 bit Borderlands

Double Fine graces the laboratory with more of it's excellent game creators! This week we welcome the dubiously ubiquitous Ron Gilbert, of Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island fame, and Chad Dawson, lead programmer on The Cave and AI developer for over a decade. Additionally, although Spencer was getting his face operated on (thank god!), Eric Fullerton offered to fill in! In this episode, we discuss the chick-magnet capabilities of classic computers, the ever-present question of why anyone makes an MMO, and whether SCUMM can leave a mark.[MP3 AUDIO]Kevin on TwitterThe CaveDouble Fine ProductionsGet a 30-day free trial of NetflixTry a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Zombies Run: a running game and audio adventure[LINK] Rich Vogel leaving Bioware amid layoff rumors.[LINK] Left 4 Dead 2 to be first Valve game on Linux[LINK] Ouya kickstarter[LINK] Sony missed Limbo exclusivity by asking for ip rightsWe will be giving away Steam codes for the The Double Fine Bundle. To enter, send us an e-mail and let

We finally get Kevin Dent into the lab to dissect his opinions on a wide array of industry subjects! This week we discuss Rekoil, 38 Studios and Radical games, the excesses and failures of E3, and the real reason Cliff Bleszinski won't reply to your clever tweets.[MP3 AUDIO]Kevin on TwitterRekoilGet a 30-day free trial of NetflixTry a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] The call to ban booth babes at E3[LINK] Warren Spector: "The ultraviolence has to stop"[LINK] Thatgamecompany raises $5.5 million (with an M) towards its independence[LINK] Wii U titles with dual GamePad support won't be available at launch

This week, Andy Gavin, co-founder of Naughty Dog and all-around renaissance-geek, joins us in the lab. We talk about the schism between writing and gaming, the horrible reality of incubi and succubi, the curious case of 38 Studios, Diablo, Diablo, Diablo, and Diablo.SPECIAL NOTE: Despite what is stated in this episode, Kevin Dent will not be a guest next week due to E3. He is joining us the following week.[MP3 AUDIO]Andy on TwitterAll Things Andy GavinGet a 30-day free trial of NetflixTry a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Curt Schilling's Big Huge 38 Studios Debacle[LINK] Diablo patches incoming...[LINK] Korean Blizzard office raided

This week we welcome Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software, makers of a wide catalog of indie RPG games. In addition to learning how much Jeff loves money, we revisit Spencers love of Bioware, we discover how disgusted Wes is with Venetian canals, and we find out how all three despise one common question.[MP3 AUDIO]Spiderweb SoftwareGet a 30-day free trial of NetflixTry a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Blizzard and Valve come to an agreement over DOTA trademark[LINK] NVidia announces cloud GPU services[LINK] Gamestop sells Steam wallet cards[LINK] Subsidized X-box 360 deal bad for customers[VID] Avadon: The Black Fortress: An Indie Test Drive created by Paul Soares Jr.

Welcome back to the laboratory! We've spent weeks in the lab cooking up a new experiment, and this week we bring you Luke Peterschmidt of Fun to 11. Luke is a prolific board game designer, and we had the privilege of meeting him at Minecon. In this episode we discuss naked vomitous piles of exploding zombies, Spencer's hatred of Kickstarter, and we ask Luke what it's like at the bottom of the barrel.[MP3 AUDIO]Fun to 11Luke's underused TwitterGet a 30-day free trial of NetflixTry a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] PS4 for Free?[LINK] Diablo 3 launch day preparation guide[LINK] 230,000 people attend the Smithsonian video game exhibit[LINK] Binding of Isaac expansion to release on May 28th[LINK] Beyond Good and Evil 2 may... or may not be cancelled.

This week we feature Zach Barth of Zachtronics Industries, maker of Space Chem! In addition to discussing how his game has become a truly terrifying behemoth of awesomeness, we talk about whether one can steal his way into Mordor, the relative success of Infiniminer, and how Japanese games are sucky... or not sucky... depending on who you are listening to.[MP3 AUDIO]Zachtronic IndustriesGet a 30-day free trial of NetflixTry a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Phil Fish says people have gotten his Japanese games suck comment all wrong[LINK] Four free mods that will bring you back to old games[LINK] Witcher developers abandon DRM forever[LINK] Notch: “If someone copies your game a trillion times, you won’t have lost a single cent”

My fanboy fascination with Triple Town has finally struck gold! This week we welcome Daniel Cook of Spryfox! Although he can't really talk about the ongoing lawsuit, he can talk to us about the other pressing matters of today... the meritocracy of flash portals, the validity of Guild Wars 2 reporting, and the changing paradigm of ever-updating games.[MP3 AUDIO]Daniel Cook on TwitterSpryfox WebsiteDo all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!Try a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Skyrim beta patch removes 50 mod limit[LINK] Skyrim and Guild Wars 2: Changing the Face of Gaming[LINK] Fake Pokemon Yellow removed from App Store[LINK] Vita to launch with 2nd most games of any platform[LINK] A Global Ratings Initiative

This week we welcome Michael Pachter, game industry analyst extraordinaire with Wedbush Securities. Michael is known for his insight into the business of games and currently hosts a show on Game Trailers called Pach Attack. In this episode, we discuss the way THQ has done the right thing all the way to the poor house, how MMO subscription models may take over your FPS, and what we can expect from the unholy union between Notch and Tim Schafer.[MP3 AUDIO]Michael Pachter on TwitterPach AttackDo all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!Try a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Double Fine Kickstarter Asks Big Questions[LINK] L.A. Noire: Four Main Reasons There Should Be a Sequel[LINK] Ace Attorney is the Best Video Game Movie Ever[LINK] Minimalist superhero posters

This week we are joined by Lexie and Terence of Hitbox Team, makers of the stylistic platformer, Dustforce. In this episode, we discuss the audacity of cloning, the evil alliance of Tim Schafer and Notch on Psychonauts 2, and the curious case of old game sales. We had some pretty serious Skype issues this week, so please forgive our audio difficulties.[MP3 AUDIO]Hitbox Team on TwitterHitbox Team WebsiteDo all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!Try a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Rift going free to play[LINK] LOTRO adding mounted combat[LINK] Notch to Tim Schafer, let's make Psychonauts 2 happen[LINK] Spryfox suing 6waves LOLapps[LINK] The problem with buying old games[LINK] Take a moment to fill out this gaming survey[LINK] The Curse of Cow Clicker

This week we are joined by Kellee Santiago, co-founder of That Game Company... makers of Flower, Flow, and Journey. In this episode, we discuss whether Lineage is too old to be relevant, cognitive dissonance as it applies to saving the world, ethical considerations of game cloning, and how much Space Chem sandbox mode terrifies us. [MP3 AUDIO]Kellee Santiago on TwitterThat Game CompanyDo all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!Try a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] NCSoft seeks to prevent US release of Tera[LINK] Dear Zynga[LINK] Dear Nimblebit[LINK] Tim Schafer celebrates 20 years in the industry[LINK] Ibb and Obb

This week's guest is Isaac and Meat Boy creator, Edmund McMillen! We discuss the ideological dipoles of Bioshock and Stalker, the philosophical merit of Zynga games, the inevitable decay of Mario Cart, and the stigmatic childhood of Wes and Spencer.We experienced some technical difficulties on the recording of this week's episode, so pardon the audio quality and the delayed release.[MP3 AUDIO]Edmund McMillen on TwitterDo all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!Try a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Irrational announces 1999 mode for Bioshock Infinite[LINK] Zynga losing $150 per new customer?[LINK] Dungeons and Dragons Online announces first expansion pack

This week's guest is Jeff Roberts of RAD Game Tools. Jeff gives us a unique look into developing for developers, as well as sharing with us multiple decades worth of experience in the business of games. Topics include the mysterious alien artifacts one finds on flagpoles, the social ramifications of repulsive logos, and the bizarre world of Everquest fiction.[MP3 AUDIO]Jeff Roberts on TwitterRAD Game ToolsDo all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!Try a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Sony's 16 in-house development studios[LINK] Kuma/War dev faces execution in Iran[LINK] Everquest 2 reports "amazing growth" following switch to free-to-play[LINK] World of Warcraft testing 64 bit client

Jonathan Blow of Braid fame joins us for our first episode of 2012. Taking time out from his latest project, The Witness, Jonathan talks with us about how cheating is not really cheating, what all these MMOs are trying to pull off, and whether we should ever use the word pretentious again. We are ringing in the new year with a spectacular new episode. Join us![MP3 AUDIO]Jonathan Blow on TwitterThe WitnessDo all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!Try a free audiobook and support the show![LINK] Steam hits 5 million concurrent players[LINK] The 2012 Year in Games[LINK] What's wrong with exploiting design flaws in online games?[LINK] Vox Media hires big names for a new gaming web site[LINK] Braid papercraft