Humans of Gaming Podcast

Episode 145 | Manny Trembley of Dice Throne

Manny Tremblay of hit board game Dice Throne, joins Chief Content Nerd Drew Dixon and Chief Executive Nerd Chris Gwaltney for a frank talk about everything from making children’s dishes, working for Cyan worlds, and the extreme side of conservative religion in Minnesota.

Episode 144 | Rebekah Saltsman of Overland

In the frozen tundra of Michigan, Rebekah Saltsman sits down to talk to Drew about the forthcoming game Overland.

Episode 143 | Xalavier Nelson Jr of Hypnospace Outlaw on Horrible Puns

Xalavier Nelson Jr. of Hypnospace Outlaw talks to us about the seedy alt-right underbelly of Italy, underground folk dancing rings, and how puns and horror games have more in common than people might think.

Episode 142 | Andrien Gbinigie of Ubisoft on the Power of Social Media

Andrien Gbinigie of Ubisoft joins us this week to talk about his dream of working on Assassin's Creed ever since he ran atop the roofs in Venice in Assassin's Creed 2. Born and raised in Nigeria till the age of 14, Andrien continued his education in London (where he became a Manchester United fan much to Drew's dismay with his love of Arsenal) and realized his dream by gaining Ubisoft's attention by producing his own fan made Assassin's Creed podcast.  Nigeria is very religious co...

Episode 141 | Michael Vermeulen and Derek Bradley of Ashen

Michael Vermeulen and Derek Bradley of Ashen join Drew and Chris this week to talk about their indie darling title. Hailing from South Africa, the duo talk about the development of their Souls-like game and the "take care of people" environment of the studio that they have tried to foster and how it is reflected in the game Ashen. 

Episode 140 | Adam Davis and Adam Johns of Games to Grow

Adam Davis and Adam Johns of Games to Grow join Drew and Chris this week to talk about the therapeutic uses of Dungeons & Dragons. The non profit group was founded on the belief that games of all kinds have the power to improve people’s lives. The duo talk about how the company facilitates groups and training of others to use games like D&D to help others: Learn to take the perspectives of others Improve their frustration tolerance Develop their creative problem-solving skills ...

Episode 140 | Adam Davis and Adam Johns of Games to Grow

Adam Davis and Adam Johns of Games to Grow join Drew and Chris this week to talk about the therapeutic uses of Dungeons & Dragons. The non profit group was founded on the belief that games of all kinds have the power to improve people’s lives. The duo talk about how the company facilitates groups and training of others to use games like D&D to help others: Learn to take the perspectives of others Improve their frustration tolerance Develop their creative problem-solving skills Cultiva...

Episode 139 | Jay Tholen of Hypnospace Outlaw on Developing Games as a Christian

Jay Tholen of Hypnospace Outlaw and Dropsy returns to the show to join Drew and Chris live from Germany! The first half of the show is a deep dive into the nostalgia of the internet from the 90's when terms like Netscape Navigator, GeoCities, Prodigy, and bad MIDI music dominated the 56k modems those of us over 28 used to connect with each other. The later half is filled with a discussion of where Jay has been since his first appearance on the show and how his Christian faith influe...

Episode 138 | Brett Vance of Rapture Rejects on bar crawl networking

Brett Vance, Director of Creative Content for Explosm, joins Drew and Chris to talk about some upcoming projects at Explosm including Rapture Rejects. Working for the company that produces the webcomic Cyanide & Happiness is a bit of a juxtaposition for Brett when you consider his formatives years. His parents raised him in a church that ascribed to an Old Testament philosophy where holidays like Christmas were not observed and the diet was strictly kosher. A change in his family's ...

Episode 137 | PAX South 2019 Developer Interviews Part 2

Episode 136 | PAX South 2019 Developer Interviews Part 1

Love Thy Nerd was on hand at PAX South 2019 for some developer interviews of games of all kinds. Chief Content Nerd Drew Dixon and Managing Editor April-Lyn Caouette walked the floor and talked to various members of the industry to share thoughts on why they make games and what the developer hopes you, the player, gets out of them. Interviews 1. Bekah Saltsman of Overland from FinjiCo @ 3:00 2. Rami Ismail of Vambleer @ 11:32 3. Terry Cavanagh and  Niamh Houston aka "Chipzel" @ ...

Episode 135 | Greg Lobanov of Wandersong on Shared Adversity and Community

Greg Lobanov of the hit indie title Wandersong talks with the crew about his 6 month trek across the United States on his bicycle that taught him about shared adversity and community. Starting in the North East, Greg and a small team made it all the way to Miami, FL before everyone backed out of the trip leaving him alone to complete the journey West. During this time he encountered both feelings of fear and elation as the best of humanity's compassion presented itself to him and bi...

Episode 134 | Heidi McDonald on Penny Farthings and Romance

Heidi McDonald joins Drew this week to talk about various topics including a public confession of not knowing how to ride a bicycle, asset comparisons between herself and her avatar in Dragon Age, the great "Squee!" incident of 2013, and learning how to be bold from her boss riding into a wall on a penny farthing bicycle. Heidi has several books to her name including Digital Love: Romance and Sexuality in Games. She also worked as the "translator" for iThrive Games and designer at...

Episode 133 | PAX Unplugged 2018 Interviews Part 2

Drew completes his visit to PAX Unplugged 2018 by walking the floor and interviewing board game developers who are making experiences that push the medium into new areas. Can a board game make laugh so hard you cry or tell a harrowing story of sadness? Drew interviews 8 developers who are exploring these possibilities as well as what they hope people take away from their projects and why they make the games you play.

Episode 132 | PAX Unplugged 2018 Interviews

Drew visits PAX Unplugged to walk the floor and interview board game developers who are developing experiences that push the medium into new areas. Can a board game make laugh so hard you cry or tell a harrowing story of sadness? Drew interviews 5 developers who are exploring these possibilities as well as what they hope people take away from their projects and why they make the games you play.

Episode 131 | Rachel Kowert, PhD on Stereotypes and Parenting

As one of the first career researchers into the video game culture, Dr. Kowert began her studies by looking at the perceived stereotypes of gamers at the time the MMO universe exploded with the arrival of World of Warcraft. Some of the questions she wanted to tackle included,  "Did the game create the socially awkward gamer stereotype that lived in the basement or did the new medium tap into something already there?" and "Do online skills translate into offline skills?" Drew and Chr...

Episode 130 | Jamey Stegmaier of Scythe on Kickstarter and Questioning Your Beliefs

Jamey Stegmaier joins us this week to talk about Kickstarter, Scythe and growing up in the Catholic Church. 

Episode 129 | Jamie Madigan on Parenting and Relationships in Gaming

Jamie Madigan has a PhD in Psychology, loves video games, and the nerds that play them so we obviously wanted to have him on the show. The conversation touches on digital vs. real life relationships, how to be a parent that engages, how not to be a completionist (like the podcast producer), and many other interesting insights to the "moral panic" often directed at video games.   

Episode 129 | Jamie Madigan on Parenting and Relationships in Gaming

Jamie Madigan has a PhD in Psychology, loves video games, and the nerds that play them so we obviously wanted to have him on the show. The conversation touches on digital vs. real life relationships, how to be a parent that engages, how not to be a completionist (like the podcast producer), and many other interesting insights to the "moral panic" often directed at video games.   

Episode 128 |Katya Szewczuk of Miscat Squad on Community and New Jersey

YouTube personality Katya Szewczuk is our guest this week to talk a little about having a fast growing YouTube channel and the challenges that comes with having such a large community. Starting out as a manga reviewer Katya ended up gaining a following with a focus on games with strong narrative direction, she shares some of the joys and frustrations with having a YouTube community. Katya hails from the great state of New Jersey and shares some of her most despised practices of th...

Episode 127 | Toiya Kristen Finley on Narrative Design and Gaming's #metoo Moment

Toiya Kristen Finley guests this week to talk about her passion for fiction writing and good narrative design. The demise of Telltale games and the warning signs both to the gamer and the industry insider started to show several years before its sudden closure. Both aspects are discussed along with how developer Dontnod (Life is Strange, Remember Me, Vampyr) took the formula and evolved it to be present in all aspects of the production including UI design, environment, and character...

Episode 126 | Shane Neville of Bunker Punks on Compulsion Loops and Parenting

Shane Neville of Buster Punks joins Drew and Chris this week to talk about his gaming career and a little bit about his current projects. The conversation turns to compulsion loops found in gaming that lead to addictive behavior as seen with Fortnite. The trio talk about the stumbling blocks for parents involving games of this kind including the need for involvement, the basic knowledge of how the industry works, and the intentional design of the compulsion loop. The second half of...

Episode 125 | Michael Fox of "Holding On" on God Sprinkles and Pagan Chips

Michael Fox, co-creator of the board game Holding On: The Troubled Life of Billy Kerr joins Drew and Chris this week to talk about a game in which there is no real way to win, but how to loose in the best way possible. This premise sets the discussion for how board games are becoming mediums for playing out more mature scenarios.  The second half of the interview talks about Michael's formative years after he was born in both London and Ireland. His proclivity to wanting answers t...

Episode 125 | Michael Fox of "Holding On" on God Sprinkles and Pagan Chips

Michael Fox, co-creator of the board game Holding On: The Troubled Life of Billy Kerr joins Drew and Chris this week to talk about a game in which there is no real way to win, but how to loose in the best way possible. This premise sets the discussion for how board games are becoming mediums for playing out more mature scenarios.  The second half of the interview talks about Michael's formative years after he was born in both London and Ireland. His proclivity to wanting answers to everyth...

Episode 124 | Mike Sellers of "Sims 2" on Community and Real Life Faith

Mike Sellers has a "career swamp" that flows through nearly every game genre. Starting off with a desire to be a neurosurgeon, Mike's career path would instead lead him to be a software engineer and interface designer. In the 90's he founded, along with his brother, Archetype Interactive which would develop the first 3D MMO Meridian 59. He would go on to work with Will Wright on The Sims 2, do extensive work with DARPA on AI, and finally settle down to be head of the University of I...

Episode 123 | Osama Dorias of For Honor on Muslim Representation

Osama Dorias, Senior Game Designer at WB Montreal, joins Drew Dixon to talk about his history in game design including a musing on the fluidity of the designer and artist role in gaming. Dorias also talks about the vulnerability experienced when a designer takes their pitch "upstairs" to sell the team on their idea.  The second half of the show explores Osama's early years being born in Iraq and his youth in Canada. The eldest of 8 children, Dorias is an Orthodox Muslim with Shia ...

Episode 122 | Matthew Rhoades of The Banner Saga on Empathy and Being Good People

Matthew Rhoades, the lead designer on The Banner Saga, joins Drew and Chris this week. With credits including the much beloved Spider Man 2 from Treyarch (before they only made Call of Duty), Matthew talks about his admiration for the new Spider-Man from Insomniac, how he feels games can teach empathy, and how he has a lot of respect for BioWare's Mass Effect trilogy.  In the second half the talk turns to Matthew's formative years as he was raised in house that was not religious a...

Episode 121 | Stu Maxwell of Shape of Your World on Loving People

Stu Maxwell, the lead VFX artist at The Coalition joins Drew and Chris this week to talk about his personal game, Shape of the World. “Why must first person games be shooters?” and other questions are tackled by the group as they discuss the emerging areas of the video game industry and how fine art needs to meet with gaming. As usual we discuss the formative years of Stu and how his sister planted the seeds that lead him to the path of atheism and how having been on both sides of t...

Episode 120 | Nicholas Kole of Spyro on Faith as a Story

Nicholas Kole, freelance artist extraordinaire, joined Drew and Chris to talk about his latest work on The Wingfeather Saga and Spyro: The Reignited Trilogy. The trio talk about Nichola's prior work on Kingdoms of Amalur, his desire to redraw VeggieTales Bob the Tomato as a black mage from Final Fantasy, and how Chris needs to start watching Studio Ghibli movies. The back half of the show finds Nicholas talking about his formative years in the Church and how stories and art give the...

Episode 119 | Scott Rogers of Pantone and Loving The Player

Scott Rodgers of Pantone joins Drew and Chris this week. Scott has worked for over 25 years in AAA game development with credits dating back to the 16-bit era to the original God of War, writing the book "Level Up: The Guide to Great Video Game Design", and now is in the business of making board games. The trio talk about Scott's fight with Hodgkins Lymphoma and how it inspired him to pick up the ideas from the shelf and take the initiative to make the games we have today.

Episode 118 | Ben Esposito of Donut County on Questioning Childhood Faith

Ben Esposito, developer of Donut County, joins Drew this week to talk a bit about the first game about a hole in the ground. Ben also has credits on titles such as, What Remains of Edith Finch and The Unfinished Swan. The conversation turns to Ben's Jewish heritage and upbringing and the urge to question what you are taught to believe blindly and why Super Mario Odysseyis truly a freaky and violent game.

Episode 117 | GenCon 2018 Designer Interviews Part 3

We wrap up our GenCon 2018 game designer interviews this week with part 3. Drew interviews another batch of new and veteran board game designers about their latest offerings as well as why they make the games they do, and what they hope players take away from their time. We hope you enjoy these interviews and you can jump to the various interviews below with their time stamps.

Episode 116 | GenCon 2018 Designer Interviews Part 2

This week Drew is revisiting his trip in Indy for GenCon 2018 to experience new board games and interview some of the designers behind the innovative titles.  Hoby Chou of My Little Scythe James Wilson of Everdell Tim Heerema of Archmage Justic Jacobson of Restoration Games Floyd Lu of Noises at Night Chris Apple and Mike Kerry of Indictment Billy Dunmire of Lello Games Adam Rehberg of Brewin' USA: Taproom Takeover & Sword Crafters Alan Stone of Viticulture and Euph...

Episode 115 | Kacper Szymczak of Phantom Doctrine on the Responsibility of Video Games

Every week we invite a special guest to talk with us about life, games, and belief. This week, Kacper Szymczak from Phantom Doctrine joins Drew to talk about this extremely ambitious tactical game based in the cold war era. The discussion turns to Kacper's time growing up in Poland, his uncertainty of the existence of God, and on the responsibility of video games to do more than just entertain. 

Episode 114 | GenCon 2018 Designer Interviews Part 1

This week Drew is in Indy for GenCon 2018 to experience new board games and interview some of the designers behind the innovative titles.  Catherine Stippell of Nychtophobia - Pandasaurus Games Scott Rodgers of Pantone - Cryptozoic Entertainment Tim Fowers of Now Boarding / Burgle Bros / Sabotage / Fugitive Gil Hova of The Networks / Wordsy / Bad Medicine Curt Covert of Before There Were Stars Michael Fox of Holding On: The Trouble of Billy Kerr Rory O’Connor of Holding...

Episode 113 | Carrie Patel of 'Pillars of Eternity 2' on Crowd Funding, performative religion, and asking the hard questions.

Every week we invite a special guest to talk with us about life, games, and belief. This week, Carrie Patel from Pillars of Eternity 2 speaks to Drew and Chris about narrative design and flying by the seat of your pants. The conversation turns to Carrie's formative years as a Southern Baptist, her views on performative religion, and the importance of asking the hard questions.

Episode 112 | Shane Liesegang of 'Skyrim' on civil disagreements, the original social justice, and becoming a Jesuit Scholastic

Every episode we invite a special guest to talk with us about games, life, and belief. This week we talk to Shane Liesegang of multiple games including Skyrim, Fallout 4, and God of War (2018). Leaving the world of active game design for a religious life as a Jesuit Scholastic Drew and Chris talk to Shane about the "Society of Jesus" and how it has affected his outlook on the world as a designer of systems. 

Episode 111 | John Warner of 'The Fall' on Christian Atheism, civility, and gaming addiction

Every episode we invite a special guest to talk with us about games, life, and belief. This week we talk to game developer of The Fall and The Fall Part 2: Unbound, John Warner. Identifying as a “Christian atheist” living in a Christian culture, John talks about the influence Christianity throughout the ages and how it affects his daily life even to the polite civil conversation found in this show. Special Love thy Nerd supporter Lee Yokum joins us this week to ask John a question...

Episode 110 | Dominik Johann of 'Minit' on Church Vocabulary and Time Vs. Money

Every episode we invite a special guest to talk with us about games, life, and belief. This week we talk to game developer of Crows Crows Crows, Dominik Johann. Raised in a small town in Germany, Dominik made his mark taking part in Game Jams which put him in touch with the team that would eventually help him make Minit. Raised Roman Catholic, Dominik's experiences with both church and secular language along with the German and English vocational barrier would lead him away from the...

Episode 109 | Bendik Stang of 'Earthlock' on Peaceful Norway and Just Being Nice

Every episode we invite a special guest to talk with us about life, games, and belief. This week we talk to game developer and co-founder of Snowcastle Games, Bendik Stang. Cutting his teeth on Ultima Online in the late 90's, the influence of gaming gave Bendik a reason to change his Master's degree to Virtual Reality and against all the advice from friends and family, started his own company. Drew and Chris talk to Bendik about his formative years in the nation of Norway, the Chris...

Episode 108 | Richard Rouse III of 'The Church in the Darkness' on Cults and Not Joining Groups

Every episode we invite a special guest to talk with us about life, games, and belief. This week, we talk to game developer Richard Rouse III who is known for his work on Odyssey: The Legend of Nemesis, Damage, Inc., The Suffering, and most recently The Church in the Darkness. Drew and Chris talk to Richard about the stereotypes of Boston drivers, the 10 part cult checklist, and being someone who doesn't normally join groups like the Catholic church. 

Episode 107 | Jason Rohrer of One Hour One Life on not being the main character in life

Every episode we invite a special guest to talk with us about life, games, and belief. This week, we talk to Jason Rohrer, developer behind games such as Transcend, Diamond Trust of London, and One Hour One Life. Drew and Chris talk to Jason about his thoughts on the role of death in the role of civilization’s laws, moral designs in his own games, and the nature of having kids with only one name.

Episode 106 | PAX East Interviews Part 3 of 3

Drew is at PAX East with a mic and over 30 developers to interview. Contained in this interview bonanza is a glimpse not just of the games these developers make, but why they make them and what they hope you, the gamer, gets out of the experience they have labored on. In Part 3 we talk to the following developers about their games:  Alex Beachum and Loan Verneau, Outer Wilds Tobias Stolz-Zwilling, Kingdom Come Deliverance  Ben Archer, Light Fall Justin Sweet and Aleksander Ro...

Episode 105 | PAX East 2018 Interviews Part 2 of 3

Drew is at PAX East with a mic and over 30 developers to interview. Contained in this interview bonanza is a glimpse not just of the games these developers make, but why they make them and what they hope you, the gamer, gets out of the experience they have labored on. In Part 2 we talk to the following developers about their games: Kacper Szymczak, Phantom Doctrine Don Bellenger, Black Future 88 Ben Myres, Semblance Emile Nilsson, Flipping Death Roan "Rosie" Albers, Descend...

Episode 104 | PAX East 2018 Interviews Part 1 of 3

Drew is at PAX East with a mic and over 30 developers to interview. Contained in this interview bonanza is a glimpse not just of the games these developers make, but why they make them and what they hope you, the gamer, gets out of the experience they have labored on. In Part 1 we talk to the following developers about their games: Paul Neurath, Underworld Ascendant Tommy Refenes, Super Meat Boy Forever Carrie Patel, Pillars of Eternity 2 Juan de la Torre, Solo Dan Cox, Bel...

Episode 103 | Bennett Foddy of 'Getting Over It' on Authorial Intent

Every week we invite a special guest to talk with us about life, games, and belief. This week developer, philosopher, and professor Bennett Foddy joins Drew and Chris to talk about the de-humanization of indie games, the consideration of authorial intent, and the philosophical reason to make art.

Episode 102 | Patrick and Kat Lysaght of 'Soul of the Empire' on Christian board games

Every week we invite a special guest to talk with us about life, games, and belief. This week, we talk to Patrick and Kat Lysaght about the board games they produce involving the history and spread of early Christianity, the history of their relationship with each other and Christ, and how zombies makes everything better. 

Episode 102 | Patrick and Kat Lysaght of 'Soul of the Empire' on Christian board games

Every week we invite a special guest to talk with us about life, games, and belief. This week, we talk to Patrick and Kat Lysaght about the board games they produce involving the history and spread of early Christianity, the history of their relationship with each other and Christ, and how zombies makes everything better. 

Episode 101 | Scott Benson of 'Night in the Woods' on returning home and finding it not the same

Returning guest Scott Benson (Night in the Woods, Longest Night) helps Drew Dixon and Chris Gwaltney launch the new Humans of Gaming podcast proper with Episode 101! Drew and Chris talk with Scott about his game Night in the Woods and how the story of Mae is not dissimilar from his own story. In the later half of the show the trio explore how returning home and finding it not being what it was is a theme explored in depth in both the game and in his real life. Theme music by Jay...

Episode 79 | Rand Miller and The Reassurance in Suffering

Reaching back into our archives, we present our first episode from January 5, 2017 featuring Rand Miller of Cyan Worlds. PC gamers will recognize the name as one half of the creative founders of MYST, one of the most influential games developed. An avid church goer, Rand talks with Drew Dixon and M Joshua about the change of view that happens when one suddenly finds 1 million dollars in the bank and how age and perspective has affected his faith and outlook on life.