New York Videogame Critics Circle Podcast

Council Member Christopher Marte Awards NYVGCC With City Council Proclamtion

In this special edition of NYVGCC's Playing With Purpose Podcast, Circle president and New York Times games columnist Harold Goldberg interviews brilliant DJ/producer/games entrepreneur Clinton Sparks. With partners like T-Pain, Sparks is launching The Global Gaming League, "where gaming, music, fashion, sports, celebrity, and culture converge for an unparalleled live experience." Here, Sparks talks about his hopes and dreams for the organization - and reveals much about what makes him tick. On on Saturday, June 28, 2025, a GGL live event drops in Las Vegas showcasing the pilot episode. For this episode, the Circle's Ryan O'Callaghan does the intro.

In this limited interview series, Sam Lake sits down with NYVGCC interns to talk about his amazing career at Remedy as the creative force behind Max Payne, Alan Wake, and more. Sam Lake is the Andrew Yoon Legend Award winner at the 14th Annual New York Game Awards on Jan 21, 2025. Go to nygamecritics.com/awards for tickets and more info about the NY Game Awards. If you like our work, go to nygamecritics.com/donate to make a donation. All donations support our Playing With Purpose games writing program, which provides education, scholarships, internships, and more to students in underserved communities.

In this limited interview series, Sam Lake sits down with NYVGCC interns to talk about his amazing career at Remedy as the creative force behind Max Payne, Alan Wake, and more. Sam Lake is the Andrew Yoon Legend Award winner at the 14th Annual New York Game Awards on Jan 21, 2025. Go to nygamecritics.com/awards for tickets and more info about the NY Game Awards. If you like our work, go to nygamecritics.com/donate to make a donation. All donations support our Playing With Purpose games writing program, which provides education, scholarships, internships, and more to students in underserved communities.

In this limited interview series, Sam Lake sits down with NYVGCC interns to talk about his amazing career at Remedy as the creative force behind Max Payne, Alan Wake, and more. Sam Lake is the Andrew Yoon Legend Award winner at the 14th Annual New York Game Awards on Jan 21, 2025. Go to nygamecritics.com/awards for tickets and more info about the NY Game Awards. If you like our work, go to nygamecritics.com/donate to make a donation. All donations support our Playing With Purpose games writing program, which provides education, scholarships, internships, and more to students in underserved communities.

In this limited interview series, Sam Lake sits down with NYVGCC interns to talk about his amazing career at Remedy as the creative force behind Max Payne, Alan Wake, and more. Sam Lake is the Andrew Yoon Legend Award winner at the 14th Annual New York Game Awards on Jan 21, 2025. Go to nygamecritics.com/awards for tickets and more info about the NY Game Awards. If you like our work, go to nygamecritics.com/donate to make a donation. All donations support our Playing With Purpose games writing program, which provides education, scholarships, internships, and more to students in underserved communities.

In this limited interview series, Sam Lake sits down with NYVGCC interns to talk about his amazing career at Remedy as the creative force behind Max Payne, Alan Wake, and more. Sam Lake is the Andrew Yoon Legend Award winner at the 14th Annual New York Game Awards on Jan 21, 2025. Go to nygamecritics.com/awards for tickets and more info about the NY Game Awards. If you like our work, go to nygamecritics.com/donate to make a donation. All donations support our Playing With Purpose games writing program, which provides education, scholarships, internships, and more to students in underserved communities.

Luis Aguasvivas (PopMatters) joins Harold Goldberg (New York Times, NYVGCC) to talk about his time playing Final Fantasy VIII while recovering from illness while working for the Peace Corp in Africa. Donate to NYVGCC’s Playing With Purpose games writing program at NYGameCritics.com/donate. Playing With Purpose brings journalism and narrative writing classes direct to schools. Participating students are given unique opportunities: mentoring from game industry legends (like Reggie Fils-Aime and Phil Spencer), paid writing internships in NYGameCritics.com, and college scholarships. Subscribe, follow, like, and rate wherever you listen: YouTube: youtube.com/nyvcc1 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/3CEs85a3sCpQorzmjo2gdC Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-…st/id1445039345 Amazon: music.amazon.com/podcasts/d696c02…s-circle-podcast Follow Us: twitter.com/nyvgcc instagram.com/nyvgcc Created and Produced by: Harold Goldberg (twitter.com/haroldgoldberg) & Ryan O’Callaghan (twitter.com/mrryanoc) Recording and Editing by: Kaitlin Stringer (twitter.com/stringerkait) Graphic Design by: Ryan O’Callaghan

Remy Siu joins Luis Aguasvivas (PopMatters) and Harold Goldberg (New York Times) to talk about the his love for immersive gaming experiences, his arts and music background, and the inception of his studio, Sunset Visitor, and his hit game, 1000xRESIST. Donate to NYVGCC’s Playing With Purpose games writing program at NYGameCritics.com/donate. Playing With Purpose brings journalism and narrative writing classes direct to schools. Participating students are given unique opportunities: mentoring from game industry legends (like Reggie Fils-Aime and Phil Spencer), paid writing internships in NYGameCritics.com, and college scholarships. Subscribe, follow, like, and rate wherever you listen: YouTube: youtube.com/nyvcc1 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/3CEs85a3sCpQorzmjo2gdC Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-…st/id1445039345 Amazon: music.amazon.com/podcasts/d696c02…s-circle-podcast Follow Us: twitter.com/nyvgcc instagram.com/nyvgcc Created and Produced by: Harold Goldberg (twitter.com/haroldgoldberg) & Ryan O’Callaghan (twitter.com/mrryanoc) Recording and Editing by: Kaitlin Stringer (twitter.com/stringerkait) Graphic Design by: Ryan O’Callaghan

Ronald Gordon (NYVGCC), Brandon Henriquez (Video Game Amateurs) & Mashfiq Ahmed (NYC DOE) join Ryan O'Callaghan at the Long Island Retro Gaming Expo for NYVGCC's game education panel, Pixelated Pedagogy: The Evolution of Video Games in the Classroom. The panelists talk about their favorite education games back when they were in school and share how their work is helping bring video games into the modern education space. Donate to NYVGCC’s Playing With Purpose games writing program at NYGameCritics.com/donate. Playing With Purpose brings journalism and narrative writing classes direct to schools. Participating students are given unique opportunities: mentoring from game industry legends (like Reggie Fils-Aime and Phil Spencer), paid writing internships in NYGameCritics.com, and college scholarships. Subscribe, follow, like, and rate wherever you listen: YouTube: youtube.com/nyvcc1 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/3CEs85a3sCpQorzmjo2gdC Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-…st/id1445039345 Amazon: music.amazon.com/podcasts/d696c02…s-circle-podcast Follow Us: twitter.com/nyvgcc instagram.com/nyvgcc Created and Produced by: Harold Goldberg (twitter.com/haroldgoldberg) & Ryan O’Callaghan (twitter.com/mrryanoc) Recording and Editing by: Kaitlin Stringer (twitter.com/stringerkait) Graphic Design by: Ryan O’Callaghan

Raheem "Mega Ran" Jarbo joins Harold Goldberg and Ronald Gordon to talk about the creative process, teaching & education, Mega Ran's origin story, Nerdy People of Color, and much more. Donate to NYVGCC’s Playing With Purpose games writing program at NYGameCritics.com/donate. Playing With Purpose brings journalism and narrative writing classes direct to schools. Participating students are given unique opportunities: mentoring from game industry legends (like Reggie Fils-Aime and Phil Spencer), paid writing internships in NYGameCritics.com, and college scholarships. Subscribe, follow, like, and rate wherever you listen: YouTube: youtube.com/nyvcc1 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/3CEs85a3sCpQorzmjo2gdC Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-…st/id1445039345 Amazon: music.amazon.com/podcasts/d696c02…s-circle-podcast Follow Us: twitter.com/nyvgcc instagram.com/nyvgcc Created and Produced by: Harold Goldberg (twitter.com/haroldgoldberg) & Ryan O’Callaghan (twitter.com/mrryanoc) Recording and Editing by: Kaitlin Stringer (twitter.com/stringerkait) Graphic Design by: Ryan O’Callaghan

Brandon Henriquez joins Ryan O’Callaghan and Ronald Gordon to talk about Video Game Amateurs, the NYC Gaming Community and how VGA went from Smash Tournaments to making an exclusive Bronx Brewery Beer: Power Up IPA. Donate to NYVGCC’s Playing With Purpose games writing program at NYGameCritics.com/donate. Playing With Purpose brings journalism and narrative writing classes direct to schools. Participating students are given unique opportunities: mentoring from game industry legends (like Reggie Fils-Aime and Phil Spencer), paid writing internships in NYGameCritics.com, and college scholarships. Subscribe, follow, like, and rate wherever you listen: YouTube: youtube.com/nyvcc1 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/3CEs85a3sCpQorzmjo2gdC Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-…st/id1445039345 Amazon: music.amazon.com/podcasts/d696c02…s-circle-podcast Follow Us: twitter.com/nyvgcc instagram.com/nyvgcc Created and Produced by: Harold Goldberg (twitter.com/haroldgoldberg) & Ryan O’Callaghan (twitter.com/mrryanoc) Recording and Editing by: Kaitlin Stringer (twitter.com/stringerkait) Graphic Design by: Ryan O’Callaghan

Ben Starr joins Ryan O’Callaghan and Jade Entien to talk about Final Fantasy XVI: Rising Tide and how a lifetime of theater led to landing Clive Rosfield. Donate to NYVGCC’s Playing With Purpose games writing program at NYGameCritics.com/donate. Playing With Purpose brings journalism and narrative writing classes direct to schools. Participating students are given the unique opportunities: mentoring from game industry legends (like Reggie Fils-Aime and Phil Spencer), paid writing internships in NYGameCritics.com, and college scholarships. Subscribe, follow, like, and rate wherever you listen: YouTube: https://youtube.com/nyvcc1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3CEs85a3sCpQorzmjo2gdC Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-york-videogame-critics-circle-podcast/id1445039345 Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d696c02e-a1ae-4381-81c0-dacb1760498a/new-york-videogame-critics-circle-podcast Follow Us: https://twitter.com/nyvgcc https://instagram.com/nyvgcc Created and Produced by: Harold Goldberg (https://twitter.com/haroldgoldberg) & Ryan O’Callaghan (https://twitter.com/mrryanoc) Recording and Editing by: Kaitlin Stringer (https://twitter.com/stringerkait) Graphic Design by: Ryan O’Callaghan

Abubakar Salim joins Harold Goldberg and Kimari Rennis to talk about the release of Tales of Kenzera: Zau and how grief and African myth helped shape the game. Donate to NYVGCC’s Playing With Purpose games writing program at NYGameCritics.com/donate. Playing With Purpose brings journalism and narrative writing classes direct to schools. Participating students are given the unique opportunities: mentoring from game industry legends (like Reggie Fils-Aime and Phil Spencer), paid writing internships in NYGameCritics.com, and college scholarships. Subscribe, follow, like, and rate wherever you listen: YouTube: https://youtube.com/nyvcc1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3CEs85a3sCpQorzmjo2gdC Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-york-videogame-critics-circle-podcast/id1445039345 Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d696c02e-a1ae-4381-81c0-dacb1760498a/new-york-videogame-critics-circle-podcast Follow Us: https://twitter.com/nyvgcc https://instagram.com/nyvgcc Created and Produced by: Harold Goldberg (twitter.com/haroldgoldberg) & Ryan O’Callaghan (twitter.com/mrryanoc) Recording and Editing by: Kaitlin Stringer (twitter.com/stringerkait) Graphic Design by: Ryan O’Callaghan

Celebrate the greatest games of 2023 at the New York Game Awards. Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann receives the Andrew Yoon Legend Award. The New York Game Awards returns to SVA Theatre with hosts Reggie Fils-Aimé, Harold Goldberg, and Sherri L. Smith. Catch performances from the Daily Show’s Devin Delliquanti and musician Kimberly Hawkey. Visit our website: https://nygamecritics.com Donate to our games education nonprofit: https://nygamecritics.com/donate Follow NYVGCC on Twitter: twitter.com/nyvgcc Follow NYVGCC on Instagram: instagram.com/nyvgcc

Game Executive Elena Lobova, like so many millions, had to pack up a suitcase of her important belongings in Kyiv and leave her mother country. This is Elena’s story, who’s just arrived in Slovakia. It’s about bravery and courage, about how she left and how she got out, and what she will do now that she’s left.

It's really "The Last of Us" - for Reggie and Harold. That's because the two wrap up their seven-episode fundraising podcast with a PlayStation Special. Please donate now at to help underserved communities at https://nygamecritics.com/reggie/. First up, Naughty Dog's game director Neil Druckmann speaks about the making of and release of The Last of Us Part II - and offers donors a signed Last of U Part II PlayStation Pro Bundle! Then, Media Molecule's studio director Siobhan Reddy speaks about the creation of Dreams and LittleBigPlanet.

Our first guest today is Evan Narcisse, writer for Spider-Man: Mile Morales (PS5) and The Rise of The Black Panther comic. In addition, we have news of a brilliant game technology from Square-Enix alums called Genvid. CEO Jacob Navok explains. Finally, Sherri Smith, editor in chief of Laptop Magazine talks the future of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft with Reggie and Harold. Next week we'll have Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann talking about The Last of Us Part II. It will be the final episode of this series of Talking Games With Reggie And Harold! So enjoy!

First, please donate at NYGameCritics.com/Reggie. We need your help! To help mentor students of color and get them jobs! Today, Cloud9 owner Jack Etienne talks to Reggie and Harold about the team's storied history, the effect of Covid-19 on him and the teams, Cloud 9's first League of Legends team and whether Hai should have been an owner, the issue of bigotry in esports, what ownership means for Sneaky, and much more.

First, please donate to our charity for homeless youth at NYGameCritics.com/Reggie. Today, the awesome DrLupo joins Talking Games With Reggie And Harold aboutBLM, Covid-19, his charity work, and games including Destiny, Fortnite and even Animal Crossing. Then, Dan Goldenberg talks about helping veterans via CODE, the Call of Duty Endowment.