Achievement Oriented

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion banter about 'No Man's Sky' updates, mundane objects that look great in games, and Ben's plans for a video game bachelor party (1:20), then bring on their colleague Alison Herman to discuss the summer hit 'Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator,' a Steam game that subverts the tropes of traditional dating sims (8:40). Finally, Ben and Jason talk to Giant Bomb founding member and video producer Vinny Caravella about the origins of the site and how it anticipated trends in podcasting, streaming, and video that media members are still wrestling with today (32:24). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion discuss the addition of a free-for-all deathmatch mode to team-based shooter 'Overwatch' (1:05), then bring on makeup artist Ada Trinh to discuss her work with Blizzard, Riot, and esports athletes; why gamers need help in the complexion department; and why it matters that competitive gamers look good (7:00). Then they talk to ESPN senior baseball writer (and Paste Magazine board-game reviewer) Keith Law about his gaming past, the current golden age of tabletop gaming, why tabletop games are making up an ever-larger share of the "gaming" category on Kickstarter, the parallels and differences between board games and video games, how designers have developed tabletop adaptations of video games, and which board games he thinks gamers should try (26:04). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion discuss whether makers of future consoles will feel pressure to support portability to keep pace with the Switch (2:37), then talk about Ben's impressions of 'Tacoma,' the new game from The Fullbright Company (makers of 'Gone Home'), and the temporarily game-breaking bug that prevented Jason from playing it (7:19). Then they bring on professional fantasy sports player Al Zeidenfeld to discuss how he started streaming 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds,' why the game has become such a phenomenon, the best and worst tactics that players employ, a community controversy, and what's in store for the game's future (28:42). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion talk to Greg Kasavin, creative director and lead writer of indie developer Supergiant Games, about the company's new game, 'Pyre,' its surprising shoutout from Arby's, the apocalyptic settings of Supergiant's games, how 'Pyre' is different from their previous works, 'Bastion' and 'Transistor,' whether 'Pyre' has potential as an esport (and the pitfalls of online multiplayer), why the company wants to stay small, how he uses music to aid his work, and how his past experience serving as editor-in-chief of Gamespot is still helping him make games (2:14). Then they bring on Greg's colleague Darren Korb, Supergiant's audio director, to discuss his process for composing the soundtracks for all of the company's games, how he branched out into new genres and instruments for 'Pyre,' the secret to making a video game soundtrack that stands on its own, how to account for the player's actions when making music for games, how to write songs that repeat but never get annoying

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh, Jason Concepcion, and Justin Charity discuss their impressions of 'Splatoon 2' and the 'Destiny 2' beta (4:00). Then, Ben and Jason bring on Kai and Gramz, two members of 'Grand Theft Auto' data-mining group Team Guru, to talk about their years-long hunt for 'GTA' Easter eggs, what motivates them to keep up their quest, the tools of their trade, their successful hunt for in-game aliens, and their real-life, long-distance romance that was kindled in 'GTA' and recently led to marriage (26:40). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion discuss some of the challenges facing competitive 'Overwatch' in Season 5, including depleted rankings and a misaligned rewards system (0:39). Then they bring on their colleagues Matt James and Micah Peters to talk to 'Castlevania' executive producer Adi Shankar about the new Netflix series, 'Spider-Man: 'Homecoming,' Shankar's creative process, and the secrets to making a good video game adaptation (7:14). Lastly, Ben and Jason talk to writer Jacob Oller about the success of Summer Games Done Quick, why Oller likens the event to the Olympics, and why speedrunning is so fascinating (44:02). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion first talk to William Collis, cofounder of Gamer Sensei, an esports startup that matches players with coaches who tutor them on how not to be bad at games (2:14). Then they welcome colleague Claire McNear to celebrate the first birthday of 'Pokémon Go,' discuss how the game has evolved, and explore the depths of Claire's determination to "catch them all" (26:44). Lastly, they bring on economist Ernie Tedeschi to critique the controversial claim that games have gotten so good that they're keeping young players unemployed (43:55). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion briefly discuss Nintendo's SNES Classic (1:12), and then are joined by their colleague (and fellow 'Rocket League' enthusiast) Rob Harvilla for a conversation with Psyonix Studios' Corey Davis, the design director for 'Rocket League,' about the game's origins (3:23), the secret to its satisfying gameplay and controls (9:28), its advantages and rapid rise to prominence as an esport (14:23), its pursuit of cross-platform play (25:15), and what's in store for its future as its second anniversary approaches (31:26). Then Ben and Jason bring on another colleague, Kate Knibbs, to mark the release of the remastered 'Crash Bandicoot' trilogy by recounting childhood memories of the series (40:40). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion discuss their impressions of Nintendo's new Switch brawler, 'Arms' (1:10), the pros and cons of motion controls and the Pro Controller (2:42), and the game's esports future (7:50). Then they bring on Kotaku's Nathan Grayson to talk about E3 impressions (9:15), why it's so difficult to do video game sex scenes (and why the ones in 'The Witcher' succeed) (14:19), why more powerful hardware hasn't shortened long loading times (35:30), why loot boxes are bad, and 'Overwatch' (47:20). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion talk to Compete's Eric Van Allen about Nintendo's surprising new esports acumen with 'Splatoon 2,' 'Arms,' and 'Pokkén Tournament' (2:07), esports franchising and the future of competitive 'Overwatch' and 'League of Legends' (4:33), the difficulty of producing a comprehensible esports broadcast (9:09), the high ceiling of 'Rocket League' (13:27), esports on college campuses (16:50), and esports in VR (20:00). Then they bring on Richard Knol, the lone developer of planet-size sailing simulator 'Sailaway' (24:30), to explain how he accurately modeled Earth's oceans with real-time (26:19), real-world weather (28:10), how he's trying to satisfy sailing experts without making his sim inaccessible (36:05), and why water is such a challenge for game-makers (33:34). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion digest the week's biggest news and announcements out of E3, discussing the notable trends, highlights—including Nintendo, Ubisoft, co-op and multiplayer, pirates, and long-awaited sequels and reboots—and lowlights like Xbox One X, the developments they're still skeptical about, and the evolution of their own video game greed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion talk to Kotaku news editor Jason Schreier about why developers divulge details about troubled projects to reporters (2:55), Schreier's exposé of the problems plaguing Bioware's development of the disappointing 'Mass Effect: Andromeda' (8:28), the downsides of the gaming industry's reliance on Metacritic (29:25), how game engines such as EA's Frostbite can both help and hinder development (40:29), the potential for (and obstacles blocking) a fully fledged "Netflix for games" (44:15), the dubious appeal of backward compatibility (47:44), and what to look forward to (and how to stay sane) during E3 (51:10). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion talk about the Switch as a mobile experience (2:20) and Ben's impressions of 'The Walking Dead: A New Frontier' (4:30), and 'Rime' (9:33). Then they listen to an excerpt from Ben's conversation with 'Rime' creative director Raúl Rubio (18:08). Lastly, they talk to longtime video game casting/performance director Tom Keegan about his experience casting actors for series such as 'Battlefield,' 'Call of Duty,' and 'Wolfenstein' (31:19), whether it makes sense for game studios to cast famous film actors (42:50), how motion capture has changed the acting and casting process (54:16), and which actors he thinks should play prominent roles in upcoming movie adaptations of video games (55:56). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion speak to director Doug Liman about the influence of video games on his movies 'Swingers,' 'The Bourne Identity,' and 'Edge of Tomorrow' (2:44), the narrative differences between video games and movies (8:57), how to tell stories in VR (13:38), and his latest projects, 'The Wall' and 'Invisible' (16:17). Then they bring on college football star and NFL first-round draft pick Jonathan Allen to talk about his taste in video games (24:21), his plans to build a gaming PC (25:40), how he fits gaming into his football schedule (28:09), and his two big complaints about games (37:17). Lastly, they ask Ars Technica senior gaming editor Kyle Orland about a court case involving Valve and Blizzard that will decide who owns the rights to the mega-popular 'Dota' series (39:44). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion pine for VR rigs and talk to their colleague Justin Charity about Arkane Studios' first-person shooter, 'Prey' (4:20), how the pace of a playthrough affects the player's impressions (6:05), and whether a disappointing ending can spoil a game (11:05). Then they ask Wall Street Journal reporter Sarah E. Needleman about covering the gaming industry from a business perspective (16:28), the future of e-sports (25:25), and the major trends she's tracking (30:23). Lastly, they bring on 'Destiny' glitcher "Dj" to discuss his two-year journey to Atheon's throne room in the Vault of Glass (32:59), what inspires him to explore beyond the boundaries of games (34:23), and what he's looking forward to in 'Destiny 2' (45:48). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion talk to colleague Justin Charity about how he's made up for lost time after an extended hiatus from gaming (2:10), his recent article on streaming culture (8:46), his second (!) playthrough of the lengthy RPG 'Persona 5,' (19:30), and his first impressions of the newly released 'Prey.' (21:47). Then, Ben and Justin talk to Stephen McArthur the "Video Game Lawyer" about the legality of fan-made games (26:55), how video game developers protect their copyrights (33:17), how legal practices that specialize in video games have proliferated (43:35), and his own experience of trying to balance school and pro gaming in the early years of e-sports (46:34). Lastly, Jason shares his thoughts on the first-person horror game 'Outlast 2.' (54:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion speak to game designer and Funomena cofounder Robin Hunicke at the Tribeca Games Festival about the challenges and possibilities of developing VR games, the potential for more realistic portrayals of love and sex in video games (5:17), and how VR compares to previous technological leaps (19:18). Then, they bring on Mike "Typo" Bassett to talk about how the 'Super Smash Bros. Melee' community modifies controllers to gain advantages in the game (27:00), his work for high-level 'Smash' competitors (42:27), and the legality and future of controller modification (48:36). Lastly, they plug the podcast's new Facebook group and discuss the future of peripheral-based rhythm games (54:54). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion interview the head writer for Blizzard's 'Overwatch,' Michael Chu (3:31). They discuss the challenges of implementing elements of story to a multiplayer game (5:20). Chu explains how the 'Overwatch' team handled heading up such a large and diverse cast of characters (11:26). Later, after viewing a 'Halo 5' trailer (25:47), they talk with 343 Industries studio head of transmedia and entertainment Kiki Wolfkill about Master Chief (29:03), how to evolve a 'Halo' game (30:48), keeping up with the game's diverse audience (36:47), and wrestling with an overarching story line for future 'Halo' games (41:04). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion talk to Giant Sparrow creative director Ian Dallas about his new first-person exploration game, 'What Remains of Edith Finch’ (3:38), the melding of moviemaking and video games (5:28), the centrality of story (7:39), and the ways in which 'Edith Finch' experiments with storytelling and interactivity (16:00). Then they bring on Kotaku video editor Chris Person to discuss his popular, long-running 'Highlight Reel' YouTube series (33:35), what makes a good video game highlight (35:55), and which games have been the best fodder for videos (44:48). Lastly, Ben and Jason list some of their most-anticipated titles for the rest of 2017 (50:25). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion banter about Ben finally losing his 'Overwatch' virginity (1:43), 'Star Wars: Battlefront II' (3:12), and the SNES Classic (4:13). Then, they welcome writer Tony Palumbi to discuss his new book 'Blood Plagues and Endless Raids: A Hundred Million Lives in the World of Warcraft' and the innovations, relationships, and legacies of 'WoW' (4:57). Lastly, they bring on one-man developer Rob Weaver to talk about his new YouTube and Steam Early Access sensation 'Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator' and the secret to rendering 100,000 AI characters on screen simultaneously (41:44). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices