Indie game dev and co-found of Abyssal Uncreations, Hyacinth Nil (they/them) makes games about cosmic horror, broken technology, and how manufactured online identities. They took some time to walk me through their early efforts of longform LARPs as a kid, looking back on Transfer (Abyssal Uncreations, 2017), and the ways systematized morality reveals the empty politics of many games.
Read MoreTaylor McCue (choosing not to disclose pronouns) is a game developer whose work explores trans identities, bodily autonomy, and the dehumanizing impact of institutions. We discussed the flawed act of asking for pronouns, what led Taylor to make games, and the using Gameboy ROMs as a form of preservation.
Read MoreGames took a lot of different forms this year and the way we approached them was even more varied than usual, so instead of a traditional games-of-the-year list I thought it would be fun to ask the guests of Kritiqal Care to look back on their favorite game related moments from the year - whether that’s something they played, read, created, or otherwise experienced.
Read MoreDave Gilbert (he/him) is the founder and head of Wadjet Eye Games, creators of numerous modern adventure game classics including Unavowed and the Blackwell Saga. Dave stopped in to discuss the studio’s history, moving into publishing, and the emotionally intense experience of closing out Rosa Blackwell and Joey’s story with The Blackwell Epiphany.
Read MoreKaile Hultner (they/them) joins me on this episode to dive into their philosophy of how to write about games as cultural objects, the need for games journalists to adopt ethics standards, and how good it is that you can pet the eagle in The Pathless (Giant Squid, 2020).
Read MoreSkeleton (they/them) of DEEP HEEL DOT COM joins me to discuss the site’s identity, our frustrations with the state of games writing (go away Kotaku), and the importance of building alternative media that is not embedded with advertising and a callous middle-class aesthetic.
Read MoreOma Keeling (they/them) is an experimental game designer and critic. Their work explores queer history, poetry, and punk art in ways that are messy, inspiring, and often hard to explain. Oma joined me to discuss their early games work at art school, the complicated relationship games have to history, and how they seem to keep making games about falling in love with vehicles.
Read MoreI've been intrigued by the project since playing the opening track, Copy Machine, and was so glad to have the opportunity to speak with its dev team trio: YenTing Lo (she/her) whose music forms the basis of each game, Vanja Mrgan (he/him) who produces art and contributes to design, Ferran Bertomeu Castells (he/him) who handles programming along with design.
Read MoreMaria Mison (she/they) makes games exploring identity, trauma, self-expression, and doing difficult things, as well as the form games can take and our relationship to cultural symbols. They join me to talk about their prolific first year as a game designer, the way games help inform their theater and dance practice, and the importance of taking care of your players, before enthusiastically closing out on our shared love of shōnen manga boys.
Read MoreI sat down with GMG’s communications director, Isra Shabir (she/her), to learn how the camp began, what the process was like shifting to online, and what they have planned moving forward with more online events.
Read MoreMatthew Pusti (he/him) makes synth-driven electronic music as Makeup and Vanity Set. He joined me to discuss how he began in music, the move to working in games and podcasts, and the inspiration for his latest album.
Read MoreHannah Nicklin (she/her) discusses how she went from being a playwright to a games author, how Mutazione approaches domesticity and time, and how she is building a more diverse team for Die Gute Fabrik’s next project.
Read MoreMelos Han-Tani (he/him) is a game designer, musician, and half of Analgesic Productions. On episode 22 of Kritiqal Care he joined me to talk making games that recognize the humans behind them, why he likes writing music for games, and some of the musicians he looks (listens?) toward for inspiration.
Read MoreHaving begun as an indie dev with games like Fragile Soft Machines and Visual Out, MadameBerry (she/her) has since left games and is now pursuing live painting on Twitch.
Read MoreWhitethorn Games founder and CEO Matthew White (he/him) joins me on Kritiqal Care to talk what makes a Whitethorn game, appealing to non-gamers, and growing sustainably.
Read MoreRachel Tanner (she/her) is a poet and prose author who writes the monthly column Extra Lives over at Video Dame. She joined me on this week’s Kritiqal Care to read a few of her poems and talk about how she got started writing video game poetry.
Read MoreSomething new on this week’s Kritiqal Care, I’m joined by experimental software developer Nathalie Lawhead (they/them) to talk about the weird side of the internet. Nathalie specializes in small art tools with 90s sensibilities and lots and lots of potatoes, and recently released Electric Zine Maker for anyone looking to become an amateur publicist.
Read MoreVery excited to have gotten the chance to this week to chat with Andrew (he/him), creator and curator of Indiepocalypse, a monthly zine featuring games, comics, and an assortment of other curiosities.
Read MoreThis week on Kritiqal Care, I was so excited to talk to the core dev team of ValiDate (upcoming), a dating sim about the weird complexities of dating as a twenty-something that features an all people of color cast, queer characters, different body types, and challenging personalities.
Read MoreThis week’s episode is a little different, featuring Quinn K. (she/her, they/them) and Kyra (she/her) to discuss collaboration, the daily uncertainty of work during Covid, and old internet lore I somehow missed.
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