Origin Story

In this episode of Study Hall, returning guest Joe Ostrander (of The Joeys fame) helps unpack the Killers of the Flower Moon. Does Scorsese still have the juice? When is the best time to pee during this movie? Should Joe be tried at the Hague for his current top ten 2023 movies list? These questions and so much more on the latest episode of Study Hall. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Find Joe's (mid) Letterboxd here. Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Original Study Hall Art by J. Dylan Denison Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

Jacob Geller is a YouTube video-essayist whose work grapples with video games, history, politics, empathy, and more. Recently his criticism has engaged with the politics of climate change and art in the pre-apocalypse as well as media preservation in the digital age. We talked with him about video essays as an art form and what it means that they are the most popular form of criticism. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp You can learn more about Jacob Geller here. Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

Christine Lai grew up in Canada and lived in England for six years during graduate studies. She holds a PhD in English Literature from University College London. Landscapes was shortlisted for the inaugural Novel Prize. Christine currently lives in Vancouver. We talk to Christine about Landscapes and our enduring relationship to art - even at the end of the world. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp You can learn more about Christine Lai here. Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

Jamel Brinkley is the author of a new short story collection called Witness and previously published the short story collection A Lucky Man which was a finalist for the National Book Award, the Story Prize, the John Leonard Prize, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award; and winner of a PEN Oakland Award and the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. His writing has appeared in A Public Space, Ploughshares, The Paris Review, American Short Fiction, Guernica, Glimmer Train,The Best American Short Stories, and many more. He was raised in Brooklyn and the Bronx, and now teaches at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. We talk to Jamel about his upcoming collection, Witness, and about what attracts him to short stories as a form. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp You can learn more about Jamel Brinkley here. Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

In this episode of Study Hall, returning guest Joe Ostrander (of The Joeys fame) helps unpack the Spiderverse. Can two lit majors finally make peace with the canon? Will Miles Morales be forced into a flesh-and-blood body? What was Pter Ptarker's canon event, anyway? Find the answers to these questions and more on the latest episode of Study Hall. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Original Study Hall Art by J. Dylan Denison Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

Hannah Nicklin is the creative director at Die Gute Fabrik, an award-winning game studio based in Denmark. Their latest game, Salt Sea Chronicles, was recently announced to release later this year. Hannah previously worked on the narrative design, writing, and production of the game Mutazione. Outside of making games, Hannah is an artist and performer, her book Writing for Games: Theory & Practices released through CRC Press in 2022 and she also holds a PhD in interactive practices as anti-capitalist practice from Loughborough University. We talk to Hannah about her team’s latest game, Salt Sea Chronicle, an adventure game that uses an ensemble cast to tell a complete, multi-genre story. In addition to talking abotu Salt Sea Chronicles, we also go deep into explore how Die Gute Fabrik is trying to create an equitable workplace for its team, and how to live a more fulfilling creative life. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp You can follow Hannah Nicklin here. Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

Victor LaValle is the author of a short story collection, five novels, and is also the creator and writer of two comic books. His novel, The Changeling, will soon be airing on Apple TV+ starring LaKeith Stanfield. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including the World Fantasy Award, British Fantasy Award, Bram Stoker Award, Whiting Writers' Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship,and many more. We talk with Victor LaValle about his newest novel, Lone Women, a historical fiction novel about a Black women named Adelaide who flees to Montana to start a new life as a homesteader in Montana. We get into how Victor thinks about speculative fiction and specifically, monsters, as a way to complicate difficult subject matter, his recent forays into television writing, and much more. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp You can follow Victor LaValle here. Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

Josh Sawyer is a studio design director for Obsidian Entertainment. He has worked as the director on Pentiment, Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2, and Fallout: New Vegas. His most recent title, Pentiment, has won numerous awards including the Nebula for best game writing and best narrative and game of the year at the Game Developers Choice Awards. Pentiment is a historical narrative-driven game focusing on character development, heavily stylized art, and choice-driven storytelling in early 16th century Bavaria. Players will play as Andreas Maler, a clever illustrator caught up in a series of murders in Tassing and Kiersau Abbey over the course of twenty five years. We talked to Josh about how Pentiment came to be, the ways in which Obsidian designed their dialogue choice system to make difficult decisions for the player, and the state of narrative-driven games today.

Austin Walker is the IP Director at the game studio Possibility Space. He has an extensive background in gaming journalism and criticism. He holds a Masters in Aesthetics and Politics from CalArts and also served as the Editor in Chief for Waypoint and Host of Waypoint Radio. Since 2014, Austin has hosted the popular tabletop roleplaying podcast Friends at the Table, and co-host the Star Wars podcast A More Civilized Age. We talked with Austin about his approach to criticism, his move to game development, and the absolute state of games journalism. This conversation was recorded before the announcement that Waypoint would be shut down. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp You can follow Austin Walker here. Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

In this episode of Study Hall, Ben and Phil talk about Resident Evil. Specifically, the new release of Resident Evil 4 Remake, how it holds up compared to the original and how Ben is getting a little scared while playing Resident Evil 2 Remake. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Original Study Hall Art by J. Dylan Denison Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

We're back to shoot the shit about what we're reading, playing, and watching. Why The Black Count by Tom Reiss rules and a long discussion of The End of the English Major. Come listen. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Original Study Hall Art by J. Dylan Denison Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper You can find a link to the Black Count here. And a link to The End of the English Major here.

Natalie Watson is a producer at Half Mermaid Productions where she worked on Immortality. Previously she was a games critic for Vice’s games outlet Waypoint. She also co-owns the successful Star Wars podcast "A More Civilized Age” alongside former editor-in-chief Austin Walker, Rob Zacnay, and Ali Acampora. We talked to Natalie about her work on Immortality, the games journalist to game dev pipeline, and the absolute state of games criticism in 2023. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp Episode Notes You can follow Natalie Watson here. Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

Xalavier Nelson Jr. is a writer and narrative designer who also founded the game studio Strange Scaffold. He is most well known for titles such as Hypnospace Outlaw, Can Androids Pray, An Airport For Aliens Currently Run By Dogs, and more. He’s currently working on titles such as Sunshine Shuffle, and the neo-noir shooter El Paso, Elsewhere. We talked to Xalavier about trying to create sustainability in the games industry, why games are the best way to explore how systems work, and why he says "fuck games as empathy machines." Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp Episode Notes You can follow Xalavier Nelson Jr. here. Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

It's a new year and Phil has a new job and a new lease on life. We give a general life update and see whether the new job offers any new insights into game dev. Plus a look back on some of our fave things of 2022 and one of the games we're both enjoying right now: Chained Echoes. Come listen. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Original Study Hall Art by J. Dylan Denison Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

Come one, come all to an episode where we introduce and announce the Joey awards. Named after special guest Joe Ostrander, who represents the entire voting body of the Joeys, we discuss his picks for best movies, performances, and directors of the year. It may *seem* a lot like the Oscars but no, it's absolutely not, it's the Joeys. You can follow Joe Ostrander on Letterboxd @ostyghosty Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Original Study Hall Art by J. Dylan Denison Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

"Study Hall," a series of short conversations between Ben, Phil, and people they admire about a particular work or what's fueling their creative lives right now. Expect informal conversations with new and familiar names in the games, film, music, and writing world. Think of it like an audio newsletter, a taste of what we're up to off the air, now recorded. This week we talk about a new Senegalese revenge thriller called Saloum, and then the new Gundam series, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Original Study Hall Art by J. Dylan Denison Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

Sam Barlow is the writer and director of Immortality, Telling Lies, and Her Story and the founder of the Half Mermaid production company. His most recent games are interactive fiction experiences that allow players to search through archives of footage such as police interrogations and video calls. Sam’s latest game, Immortality, asks players to comb through footage from three unreleased movies to uncover what happened to actress named Marissa Marcel. We spoke with Sam about the untapped possibilities in video games and how his stories work to expand what games can do. We also talk about the interesting nature of the archive game. Plus: what's the point of making art, anyway? Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp Episode Notes You can follow Sam Barlow here. Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

Graham Parkes is the Writer and Creative Director of Before Your Eyes, a game about the fleeting nature of life that garnered attention because of its eye-tracking technology and the integration of blinks into the narrative of the gameplay. We talk to Graham about trying to capture the fleeting nature of life in a video game. We also discuss how Graham felt he and his friends working on the project needed to grow up before they could tell the story they wanted to in the game. Plus, an OS classic: talking about our personal value outside of the art that we make. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp Episode Notes You can follow Graham Parkes here. Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

In the second episode of Study Hall, we're diving into the Xenoblade series with writer Autumn Wright. Autumn has written extensively about the Xenoblade games, including with their coverage of Xenoblade 3 for Polygon. We talk with Autumn about what drew them into the series, why you have to go all in on the games, and how to know if you're susceptible to Xenoblade brain worms. Follow Autumn on Twitter @TheAutumnWright Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper

Episode Description Gareth Damien Martin (They/Them) is an award-winning writer, designer and artist. Their first game, In Other Waters won the Jury Prix at IndieCade Europe. Most recently, they’ve released the critically acclaimed role playing game Citizen Sleeper which places players in the role of an escape worker on a lawless space station on the edge of interstellar society and explores themes around capitalism, gig work, precarity, and more. We talk to Gareth about the genesis of Citizen Sleeper, the cyberpunk influences that inspired the game, how their own personal experiences with gig work helped shaped the game, and so much more. Hosted by Phillip Russell and Ben Thorp Episode Notes You can follow Gareth Damian Martin here. Visit our website: Originstory.show Follow us on Twitter @originstory_ Do you have feedback or questions for us? Email us theoriginstorypod@gmail.com Cover art and website design by Melody Hirsch Origin Story original score by Ryan Hopper