Postgame.2: Hot Dog Sock

Postgame.2: Hot Dog Sock

Welcome back to Postgame, Sidequest’s monthly Patreon-exclusive podcast, where the editors lay down hot takes on cold games.

In this episode, we talk about how the mechanics of four politics-oriented games tie into their themes and how that interplay leaves us feeling (sometimes, it’s bad!). Zora also uncovers some deeply buried Scott-Westerfeld-related feelings, and Melissa tries to get a message to Warner Bros. Media.

Topics & timestamps:

Theme music is Bass Thee by Alexander Nakarada, used under Creative Commons 0.

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July Roundtable: Games Imagining Better Futures

July Roundtable: Games Imagining Better Futures

Who doesn’t want a better world? Games have the power to let us see, build, and imagine something different than we currently inhabit; in other words, how can games imagine better futures? In this month’s roundtable, the Sidequest team asks what games are doing that, what games are failing, and the pitfalls to consider. (more…)

September Roundtable: Politics and Games

September Roundtable: Politics and Games

We talk a lot about politics in games. We’re not of the opinion that anything can be truly apolitical; people create games, and people have beliefs and ideologies that inform what they create. This often causes friction, as sometimes a game we enjoy may rub up uncomfortably against our own beliefs, or a game may attempt itself to brand itself as apolitical when it’s clearly anything but.

But some games embrace politics, leaning hard into exploring a tricky idea, a creator’s identity, or other elements that encourage the player to think more deeply about whatever issue the game is tackling. The Sidequest crew sat down to talk about what these games are doing well, and how games that play with politics can be both interesting and fun. (more…)