Studying Pixels

We have been podcasting diligently every week for approximately two years. Now, we decided to take a hiatus to recover a bit and organize some things in our private and professional lives. We look forward to returning, because we have got so many more episodes already planned. It's going to be fun! If you are a Studying Pixels Plus subscriber, you do not have to do anything. We will pause our Patreon campaign while we are on hiatus, so you will not be billed. If you wish to stay in the loop, please stay subscribed or join our Discord, which will also be alive and running the entire time. You are the best and we are looking forward to resume our journey! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we go about analyzing video games? Well, close playing is one of the most prominent methods to do so. Together with Prof. Dr. Theresa Jean Tanenbaum, we discuss what close playing means and how to pragmatically go about it. Shownotes Well read: Applying close reading techniques to gameplay experiences (Jim Bizzocchi and Theresa Tanenbaum) Hermeneutic Inquiry for Digital Games Research (Theresa Tanenbaum) https://transformativeplay.ics.uci.edu/ Visit studyingpixels.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a replay episode, originally aired on August 14, 2022. Technically, JRPG simply stands for Japanese Role-Playing Game. Yet, it seems like the genre ascription has taken on a life of its own. Is every RPG made in Japan automatically a JRPG? And what differentiates them from Western RPGs? Here’s our take on the matter! Shownotes Japanische Rollenspiele: Was macht ein Spiel zum JRPG? – Podcast E054 (Behind the Screens) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster was recently released for PS4 and Nintendo Switch, and you know Dan has some thoughts about it. It’s another solo episode, this time with Dan and his theories about the Final Fantasy series, it’s origins, and how it came to be what it is today. Visit studyingpixels.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are all familiar with names such as Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft, or Konami. But how did these names come about? In this short episode, we explore the background behind some of the most influential company names. Shownotes The Stories Behind the Names of 15 Gaming Brands You Know (Kelvon Yeezy) The History and Meaning of the Ubisoft Logo (FreeLogoDesign) What's In A Name (1Up.com) Sony Company History (Sony) Interview: Former Microsoft Exec Fries Talks Xbox's Genesis (Leigh Alexander) Visit studyingpixels.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E3 was the event that kept the entire video game industry in suspense for a whole week. It brought for bouts of joy and sighs of disappointment. Now, that E3 might be no more, we reflect upon its history. Shownotes E3 (Wikipedia) A Tale of Two E3s - Xbox vs Sony vs Sega (Christopher Dring) Geoff Keighley will not participate in E3 2020 (Christopher Dring) E3 Has Been Canceled (Rebekah Valentine) Visit studyingpixels.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trends, they come and go. But some peculiarities of video game culture disappeared for a while only to make a more or less major comeback. Visit studyingpixels.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss the problems neurodiverse students and academics may face throughout their studies and provide a series of tips and tools. Shownotes Neurodiversity in higher education: a narrative synthesis (Clouder, L., Karakus, M., Cinotti, A. et al.) Autism spectrum disorder: reconceptualising support for neurodiverse students in higher education (Evans, D., Granson, M., Langford, D., and Hirsch, S.) 5 study tips for neurodivergent college students (Cliff Weitzman) Studying tips and tricks: a Neurodivergent perspective (Alice Farion-Renard) 6 Tips For Neurodivergent College Students Going Back To School (Jayar Brenner) Three simple ways to help your neurodivergent students succeed (William Lane) 5 ways educators can support neurodiversity in the classroom (InnerDrive) Students with disabilities (National Center for Education Statistics) Neurodiversity in College Admissions (Independent Educational Consultants Association) Visit studyingpixels.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a replay episode, originally aired on January 16, 2022. Learning any language is a lengthy and, at times, tedious endeavour. So why not make the process as fun as possible? – On his YouTube channel Game Gengo (ゲーム言語) our guest, Matt, does exactly that. Because how could learning Japanese be more fun than learning with video games? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ludo-narrative dissonance occurs when a game’s story appears to be at odds with the gameplay. When The Witcher has to urgently save Ciri, but must first explore every village and cave, master a trading card game, and visit all the brothels in the realm. But can ludo-narrative dissonance also have creative merit? We discuss precisely this question, based on the article “Game of Twisted Shouting: Ludo-Narrative Dissonance Revisited” by Paweł Grabarczyk and Bo Kampmann Walther. Shownotes Grabarczyk, Paweł, and Bo Kampmann Walther. “Game of Twisted Shouting: Ludo-Narrative Dissonance Revisited.”Eludamos: Journal for Computer Game Culture, vol. 13, no. 1, Dec. 2022, pp. 7–27. Ludonarrative Dissonance in Bioshock (Clint Hocking) Visit studyingpixels.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No, you didn’t misread that. Stefan and Dan watched the original Super Mario Bros. movie from 1993 and they… have some thoughts. Was it a good film? No. Was it influential in the video game adaptation space? For better or worse, yes. Let’s see what it has to offer and what we can expect from the new movie coming out in April. Shownotes Bob Hoskins: 'The Method? Living it out? Cobblers!’ (Simon Hattenstone) Visit studyingpixels.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Motion capturing might look so smooth and effortless on screen but it is often the result of an intricate process. Our guest, Jimmy Corvan, can attest to that. He worked at the motion capture studio House of Moves for eleven years and shares his insights on how characters in The Last of Us, Mortal Kombat, Call of Duty and many more games (and films) were brought to life. Shownotes House of Moves: https://www.moves.com Room 8 Group: https://room8group.com Visit studyingpixels.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve played so many games recently and barely had the time to squish them all into the show. So that is exactly we are doing with this episode. Here are our impression of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Forspoken, Fire Emblem Engage, Octopath Traveller II, and the Dead Space Remake. Visit studyingpixels.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan has played Like a Dragon: Ishin, and is very excited to share not only his thoughts, but a bit of a history lesson on the Bakumatsu period, Modern Japanese history, and the ramifications of a game that uses real history for it’s narrative. Don’t miss it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a replay episode, originally aired on May 22, 2022. How about we advertise a new game by paying off people’s speeding tickets for one day? Or, even better, how about we showcase a dead goat for some extra PR? Or maybe we plaster the inner city with racist billboards? – Sometimes it is truly impressive what publishers come up with to draw attention to their games. We go through 10 of the arguably most terrible marketing choices ever made. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is one of the biggest launches this year so far and at the same time one of the most contested one. In our review, we focus on the actual game and discuss how the magic of Hogwarts enthralled us just as much as the incessant repetition of the open world repulsed us. Visit studyingpixels.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every now and then, video game companies come up with the weirdest, most peculiar, and often entirely unusable gaming gadgets and accessories. Here are our favourites! Shownotes Plus 13. Heaven is a Halfpipe: The Story of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Studying Pixels) Title image by Marcin Wichary (https://www.flickr.com/photos/mwichary/45221968804/) under CC BY 2.0 license; cropped image for title fitting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rolling the credits usually marks the end of a game. But some titles effectively flip the script. The credits are just the beginning of another adventure. We discuss games that present us with surprising, memorable, or simply extensive post-game content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a replay episode, originally aired on November 28, 2021. We might nostalgically look back at the beauty of game boxes and fail to realize how strongly they are linked to the economization of games. With our guest, game studies scholar Claudius Clüver, we trace how games got into the box and how, with the advent of digital distribution, they made their way back out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gamification is one of the most extensively used buzzwords these days. And rightfully so, considering that the logic of play pervades just about all domains of daily life. We discuss Niklas Schrape’s critical reflection, based on the text Gamification and Governmentality. Shownotes Schrape, Niklas: Gamification and Governmentality. In: Mathias Fuchs, Sonia Fizek, Paolo Ruffino et al. (eds.): Rethinking Gamification. Lüneburg: meson press 2014, pp. 21–45. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.