Editor’s note: This week, I’m making all acts available to all listeners. The Patreon edition of the episode, however, is still early and ad-free. For context: My two guests participated on tight timelines and under special circumstances. And my essay was the conclusion of last week’s episode. As I finished the edit, I felt bad putting any of the acts behind the paywall. This won’t be the norm – frankly, I’ll need more paid subscribers before the end of the year if I want to keep this my full-time focus – but for this week, it felt like the right decision. For those who subscribe on Patreon, thank you so much for your support. I don’t take it for granted. Hope you enjoy this behemoth!This week on Post GamesAct 1: The five-year AI timeline that blew up my plans for the futureAct 2: What if AI is dumb, but we’re dumberBonus act: The year-long strike to protect video game voice actors from AIAn interview with Sarah Elmaleh, the chair of the SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating CommitteeAct 3: The news of the weekAnd another bonus act: An excerpt from the audiobook of Everything Must Go, Dorian Lynskey's non-fiction history of apocalyptic storytelling. The chapter: apocalyptic AI!Get full episode notes at www.post.gamesSubscribe to Post Games on Patreon. For $5, subscribers get bonus segments in every episode — and none of the ads! They also have access to a monthly video series, receive new episodes days before the ad-supported feed, and ensure the show stays alive! Now available: the first video in the Video Game Journalism 101 series!Find episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:21:37
What we have in common with world-ending AI
This week on Post Games, “What we have in common with world-ending AI.”Act 1: Why every AI superfan and skeptic should play Universal Paperclips. A review conversation with AJ Fillari, co-host of dotzip and producer of Into the AetherFor Patreon subscribers, an intermission: 5 "clicker" games to play after Universal PaperclipsAct 2: An extended interview with Frank Lantz, the creator of Universal Paperclips about designing a game from the AI's POVAct 3: The news of the week, including cool game art for a good causeAlso for Patreon subscribers: a recording of Frank Lantz’s famous speech about the trouble with modern video gamesThis episode is part one of a two-part series on what we can learn about AI and ourselves through video games. Next week, we'll continue with "How I AI-proofed my career after imagining the apocalypse."(Image: Chris Plante via Team Asobi/SIE)FATHER’S DAY DEAL!!Click this link to try a free month of Post Games on Patreon. Offer expires Tuesday night!If you enjoy the free month, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or recommending the show to your favorite gaming Discord or other group chatsOr, if you want to support the show A.S.A.P. and keep the Post Games ship afloat….Subscribe to Post Games on Patreon. Subscribers get bonus segments in every episode — and none of the ads! They also have access to a monthly video series, receive new episodes days before the ad-supported feed, and ensure the show stays alive! Now available: the first video in the Video Game Journalism 101 series! Find episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:10:52
Why the Switch 2 launch felt different
Get full episode notes, links, and bonus materials for free at www.Post.Games.This week on Post Games, “What is a video game console launch in 2025?”Act 1: What’s it like to run a video game shop when a console launches? An interview with Kelsey Lewin, the co-owner of Pink Gorilla GamesAct 2: Nintendo’s history of console launches. An interview with Chris Kohler, Editorial Director of Digital EclipseAct 3: The news of the week, including big announcements leading into Summer Game FestAnd for Patreon subscribers, a bonus act: What it was like to be parents scrambling for new consoles and games in the 1990s. An interview with my parents.Find episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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53:42
Why you can't escape all of those sexy games
Find all links and referenced materials at www.post.gamesThis week on Post Games, “Why you can’t escape porn, sex, and lewd games.”Act 1: How NSFW games went from the backrooms to the front pageAct 2: An interview with Hot Pink, a successful lewd game developerAct 3: The news of the week, including the definitive answer to the most important question in America in this troubling moment: Is parrying in games good or bad?For Patreon subscribers: The long, successful history of sex games in Japan. Want to know how the Western market went from decades of porn game prohibition to the modern lewd game free-for-all? The answer can be found in the decades of Japanese “eroge.” Plus, a reading from The Joy of Cybersex.Like the show? Consider subscribing to Post Games on Patreon! Subscribers keep the show alive, get tons of cool stuff, and can listen to new episodes early! This Monday, I’m publishing the first video in the Video Game Journalism 101 series! Next Friday: the Switch 2 launch special with Nintendo historians Kelsey Lewin and Chris Kohler!Logo by James BarehamTheme by Mark SparlingSpecial thanks to guest Hot PinkFind episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:12:58
The award that changes the lives of its winners
See the full episode notes and links at www.post.gamesThis week on Post Games, “You won the biggest award in indie games. Now what?”Act 1: The history of indie games and its biggest award, The Independent Games Festival’s Seamus McNally Grand PrizeAct 2: An interview with Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson, the latest IGF Grand Prize winners, about how post-award life changes – and stays the sameAct 3: The news of the week, including incredible and rare games you can now play in EnglishPlus: For Patreon subscribers, a bonus interview: The story of the high school kids who won the first-ever IGF Grand Prize in 1999 for Fire and Darkness. One of the game’s creators actually hopped on a call and shared what became of the team and their lost gameSubscribe to Post Games on Patreon. Keep the show alive, get tons of cool stuff, and listen to new episodes early! Next Friday: why you can't escape porn/sex/lewd games! And on Monday, June 2, the first video in the Video Game Journalism 101 series!Logo by James BarehamTheme by Mark SparlingSpecial thanks to guests Jenny Jiao Hsia, AP Thomson, and Mark FeghaliFind episode notes and more at www.post.games. Subscribe to the Patreon for early access to episodes, additional segments, and bonus materials at patreon.com/postgames. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Post Games is a listener-supported podcast about how and why we love video games. Each week, host Chris Plante reports on a new, overlooked, or underappreciated topic in gaming culture. Where did all the new porn games come from? What’s it like to be the AI that destroys the world? How has one award turned tiny indie game makers into big-name millionaires? With original interviews, writing, and a traditional audio-magazine structure, Plante keeps things entertaining, informative, and always under 90 minutes. Because Post Games is meant to be listened to, not buried in a backlog. Learn more at www.post.games. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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