On Pretty Much Pop, a philosopher, an actor, and a sci-fi writer (often with entertainment industry guests) talk about media and how we consume it: TV, film, music, novels, games, comics, comedy, theater, podcasts, and more. Most of what (other) people like is pretty weird when you think about it, so thinking about it is what we do.
Why do people play video games, and what keeps them playing? Do we want to have to think through innovative puzzles or just lose ourselves in mindless reactivity? Mark, Erica, and Brian are joined by Dr. Jamie Madigan, an organizational psychologist who runs the Psychology of Video Games podcast, to discuss what sort of a thing this is to research, the evolution of games, Continue Reading …
Pretty Much Pop #64: The Last of Us: The Best Movies We Ever Played
Mark, Brian, and Drew/Erica (Ericrew? Drerica?) all played The Last of Us and its recent sequel, and while yes, it was great, we did not agree that it was "fun," nor how much "playing" was actually involved. How can cinematic video games balance narrative and gameplay? This franchise by Neil Druckmann under Naughty Dog is ostensibly about a zombie apocalypse and an Continue Reading …
Pretty Much Pop #46: “Casual” Games with Diner Dash’s Nick Fortugno
Famed game designer Nick joins Mark, Erica, and Brian to consider fundamental questions about the activity of gaming (Nick calls games "arbitrary limits on meaningless goals") and what constitutes a casual game: Is it one that's easy (maybe not easy to win, but at least you don't die), one meant to be played in short bursts, or maybe one with a certain kind of art style, or Continue Reading …
Pretty Much Pop #35: Video Game Storytelling w/ Don Marshall
Do you play video games for the plot? Given that most people don't actually finish most games, it would be unexpected if storytelling were the most important element. Mark, Erica, and Brian are joined by former video game professional (current TV development exec) Donald E. Marshall to talk through types of plots (linear, "string-of-pearls," and branching), ways of weaving Continue Reading …
Pretty Much Pop #21: Role-Playing Video Games
What constitutes a video RPG? Is there any actual role-playing involved? Our editor Tyler Hislop rejoins Mark, Erica, and Brian to discuss those video games that are supposed to make you feel like you're contributing to the story, that your choices matter, in which you can maybe, you know, choose to wear a funny hat or just craft potions all day instead of advancing the Continue Reading …