Kritiqal Care
85 episodes - English - Latest episode: 19 days ago -Conversations about games, community, and the reasons we play.
Kritiqal Care is a monthly interview show highlighting the breadth of the games community. Nathalie is joined by tabletop writers, video game designers, pixel artists, streamers, YouTube critics, and others from all corners of the medium to explore games as personal, creative, and political. These are rough times, but games can help us feel less alone through it all.
Homepage Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Episode 76: Meredith Gran
April 06, 2024 17:00 - 47 minutes - 43.7 MBMeredith Gran (she/her) is a comics artist and game designer, best known for her webcomic, Octopus Pie and the adventure game Perfect Tides. She sat down with me to talk about her experience coming to games from a comics background, how Perfect Tides’ mechanics where influenced by teenage naivety, and why the 00s are such a rich period for coming of age stories. Finally, we wrap up with a teaser for the upcoming sequel, Perfect Tides: Station to Station. You can learn more about Meredith’s ...
Bonus: Death of a Wish
March 16, 2024 16:37 - 46 minutes - 43.2 MBFor the first Kritiqal Care bonus episode, returning guests Colin (he/they) of melessthanthree and Kevin Wong (they/them) join me to discuss their recently released action RPG, Death of a Wish. A more aggressive sequel to Lucah: Born of a Dream, Death of a Wish follows ex-antagonist Christian as he embarks on a revenge mission against the christofascist Sanctum. We discuss where the idea for a sequel came from, its themes emerging from contemporary anxieties and apathy, balancing thematic re...
Episode 75: Cecile Richard
March 03, 2024 00:14 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MBCecile Richard (they/them) is a graphic designer, writer, and game developer known for their playful Bitsy projects and hypertext fiction. They joined me to discuss cyclical stories, the risk/reward of collaborating with close friends, and how cool underground tunnels are. We also take a moment to proselytize about editors, and I learn about a new, extremely fake sounding sport. You can play Cecile’s games on itch, and follow them on cohost @haraiva. Cecile’s Cool Things to Share - Austral...
Episode 74: David Su
February 03, 2024 16:15 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBDavid Su (he/him) is a musician, audio programmer, and game designer who explores interactive music and performance art. He took some time off from his ballooning schedule to discuss how he got interested in making games from an audio background, the challenges and rewards of centering your game around sound, and the playful earnestness of a cloned sheep’s lament. Later, we wander into a video store. You can play Davids games on itch, and follow him on Twitter @usdivad. David’s Cool Things...
The End of 2023
December 31, 2023 17:21 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MBIt’s New Year’s Eve, which means 2023 has come and gone, bringing in closing our annual end of the year show. As is tradition, I reached out to past guests of the show to ask what their most impactful gaming memory was from the last 12 months. As this year has been particularly brutal to folks in and around games, I opened the prompt up to not exclusively focus on good memories, hoping instead to simply reflect on the year as a whole, positive and negative. The responses were as insightful, ...
Episode 73: Domino Club
December 03, 2023 01:41 - 1 hour - 64.8 MBDomino Club is a pseudo-anonymous internet collective that makes weird, horny, and genre perverting videogames. In this episode I’m joined by Domino Club card carrying members Emma (she/her), Nat (she/they), and Rose (she/her) to chat about the group’s origins, its unconventional approach to anthology projects, and how all these games are secretly just for them. We also dive into their latest jam, Humors & Humus, to discuss how each member approached the chickpea-less theme. You can find al...
Episode 72: Sam Machell (Sand Gardeners)
October 14, 2023 20:42 - 58 minutes - 54.5 MBSam Machell (he/him) is half of indie game studio Sand Gardeners, known for provocative and unconventional games like Dark Kitchen, Memphis, Bubbleland, and Brownie Cove Cancelled. We chat about the studio’s origins as a webcomic collaboration, designing hostile environments, and the tragedy and possibility of unarchivable games. Later, Sam gives a brief eulogy for the Wii U, sadly taken from us too soon. You can play Sand Gardeners’s games on itch, and follow Sam on Instagram @sambehindgla...
Episode 71: Lili Zone
September 02, 2023 17:30 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBLili Zone (she/they) is the experimental game designer behind works like Crypt World (2013) and Crypt Underworld (2023). She took some time to chat with me about Crypt World’s origins, the nearly decade long development of Underworld, and what she has planned for the future now the crypts are behind her. We also dig into the evolving conception of indie games, the “small games matter” PR amnesia cycle, and gaming’s ongoing embarrassment and adoration for Great Men™️. You can play Lili’s gam...
Episode 70: Canvas (bighandinsky)
August 05, 2023 20:34 - 1 hour - 60.7 MBCanvas (he/she), aka bighandinsky, is the creator of crunchy, narrative driven scifi games A Forgetful Loop (2020) and A Day of Maintenance (2022). He’s collaborated with fellow writers and indie devs Freya Campbell and Elliot Herriman, and joined me on this episode to chat about integrating dense narration into mechanics heavy games, writing casual and circuitous conversations with robots, and the struggle of managing energy and stress during longterm projects. You can follow Canvas on Coh...
Episode 69: Leah Case
July 01, 2023 18:47 - 50 minutes - 47 MBLeah Case (she/her) is a writer and game developer who specializes in absurd Twine hacking. In our chat, she digs into why she loves Twine so much, how she approaches writing branching interactive fiction, and how collaborating as part of snotwurm lets her focus in on system building (in Twine, of course). She closes the show out by teasing a forthcoming visual novel strategy game, and recommending some further listening. You can follow Leah on Twitter @leahthecase, and play her games on it...
Episode 68: Autumn Rain
April 29, 2023 20:50 - 52 minutes - 48.5 MBAutumn Rain (she/they/it) is a prolific game developer whose work explores religious trauma, non-linear exploration, and getting lost in a maze of rats. We discuss games as miserable piles of secrets, the importance of indie dev communities, and why it’s actually fine and good to troll gamers. You can follow Autumn on Twitter @slitherpunk, on Tumblr @slitherpunk, and play her games on itch. Autumns's Cool Things to Share - Lunacid (KIRA LLC, 2022) - Cartomancy Anthology (Compact, 2022) - T...
Episode 67: Lily Valeen
April 02, 2023 21:52 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBLily Valeen (she/they) is a game designer, writer, and artist who recently released BOSSGAME: The Final Boss is My Heart, a mobile action game about lesbian devil hunters. She joined me on the show to dive into BOSSGAME's development, the frustrating preconceptions around mobile games, and writing queer romance. Later on, we encourage you to befriend your cool mutuals. You can follow Lily on Twitter @ItsMeLilyV, and play her games on iOS, Android, and itch. Lily's Cool Thing to Share - Bec...
Episode 66: Kate Barrett
March 04, 2023 20:43 - 52 minutes - 48.9 MBKate Barrett (she/her) is a game developer and comic artist best known for her playful, irreverent, and frequently copyright infringing design philosophy, best showcased by games such as Ready Player Fuck (2017) and Pottergame (2020). She joined me this episode to retrace her curiosity-turned-obsession with Earnest Cline’s novel, evangelize her suitably unorthodox commitment to Blitz3D, and discuss the freedom that comes with embracing Glorious Trainwrecks. You can play Kate’s games on itch...
Episode 65: Kenzie Shores (Hardcoded)
February 04, 2023 21:11 - 51 minutes - 47.6 MBContent warning: this episode is primarily about porn Kenzie Shores (she/her) is a game developer and artist best known for the pornographic visual novel, Hardcoded. Nearing the game’s full release, Kenzie joined me to chat about Hardcoded’s origins, the challenge of monetizing porn, and why it really sucks to work on the same game for seven years. You can follow Kenzie on Twitter @yoplatz, support Hardcoded on Patreon, and download the free demo on itch. Kenzie’s Cool Things to Share - ...
2022 Wrapped
December 31, 2022 20:45 - 1 hour - 76.4 MBThe year has come and gone in a Sonic hued blur, and as is now tradition, I reached out to prior Kritiqal Care guests to ask what their favorite gaming and/or gaming-adjacent memory was in 2022. The responses were truly incredible, spanning great games, communities, moments of personal growth, and surprising opportunities. This continues to be my favorite episode of the year, and I’m so glad to get to share it with you. Happy new year! Featuring Leo Bunyea | Aubrey Isaacman | Elaine Gómez ...
Episode 64: Dave Hoffman
December 03, 2022 21:23 - 1 hour - 60.8 MBDave Hoffman (they/them) is the creator of Mixolumia (davemakes, 2020), an arcade puzzle game combining contextual soundtracks with diamond-based combos. They came on the show to dig into the spontaneous origins of the game, how it continued to evolve and incorporate player creations, and the difficulty of marketing puzzle games in a streamer attention economy. Later, they admit to having never seen Goncharov (Martin Scorsese, 1973). You can follow Dave on Twitter @davemakes, on cohost @geo...
Episode 63: Cosmo D
November 05, 2022 23:33 - 57 minutes - 52.8 MBCosmo D (he/him) is a game developer and musician whose work explores urban life, the creator economy, and giant pizza demanding buildings. Hot off the release of Betrayal At Club Low (2022), Cosmo D sat down with me to detail his dramatic pivot out of music into games, finding a medium that inspires you to keep growing, and chasing his space trucker sim white whale. You can play Cosmo D’s games on Steam and itch, purchase the soundtracks on Bandcamp, and join his community on Discord. Cos...
Episode 62: Max Miller (Commonplace)
October 01, 2022 17:36 - 53 minutes - 49.7 MBMax Miller (they/them) is a composer, writer, and game designer. As part of new studio Pitter-Patter, they released Commonplace (2022), an ordinary adventure game about working in an office. For this episode, Max spent some time talking about the game’s experimental development, how they structured the soundtrack as a companion work, and a desire to make games that push against consumption driven mechanics. Spoiler advisory: we do not discuss many specific moments in Commonplace, but do tal...
Episode 61: Goldie Bartlett & Jason Bakker (Wayward Strand)
September 10, 2022 19:31 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MBWayward Strand (Ghost Pattern, 2022) is an upcoming adventure game which follows Casey - a teenager and aspiring journalist - as she explores a hospital airship floating above the Australian country-side. Two of its developers, Goldie Bartlett (she/her) and Jason Bakker (he/him), joined me on this episode to dive into the game's origins, how the continuous in-game clock allows for new forms of storytelling, and how collaborating with indigenous and mental health advocacy groups helped the te...
Episode 60: Adam Le Doux (Bitsy)
August 06, 2022 18:01 - 53 minutes - 49.2 MBAdam Le Doux (he/him) is a game and software developer best known for creating the tiny game engine, Bitsy. Just shy of Bitsy’s six-year birthday, Adam came on the show to talk about Bitsy’s unassuming origins and surprising evolution as part of the tiny games scene. Later, we discuss how Bitsy’s form sets in in opposition to conventional, capital driven games and software, the importance of the engine’s community, and how to preserve these games against the forces of tech oligarchies. You ...
Episode 59: spiders
July 02, 2022 20:49 - 47 minutes - 44.2 MBSpiders (they/them) are an alt game dev specializing in queer, grimy, anti-tech industry experiments. In this episode, we chat about their upcoming anthology game, The Museum of Radically Obsolete Futures, the tension between wanting to make shit that’s cool vs shit that sells, and how vital communities like The Queer Games Bundle are to the weird game scene. You can find spiders behind you, play their games on itch, and follow them on Twitter @spiderszzz. Spiders' Cool Thing to Share Pla...
Episode 58: Son La Pham & Francis Tseng (Half-Earth Socialism)
May 28, 2022 19:46 - 51 minutes - 47.7 MBIn collaboration with utopian collective Trust, designer Son La Pham (he/him) and developer Francis Tseng (he/they) created Half Earth Socialism (2022), a browser game companion to Troy Vettese and Drew Pendergrass’s book of the same name. As part of the game’s launch, Son La and Francis joined me on the show to discuss how the collaboration began, the challenge of building a global planning simulator as a browser game, and the importance of going beyond raw calculations to allow players to ...
Episode 57: Fantasia Malware
April 30, 2022 17:54 - 57 minutes - 53.1 MBFantasia Malware - comprised of Jira Trello (she/her), Chloê Langford (she/her), and Gabriel Helfenstein (he/him) - are an experimental game label specializing in mega-maximalist un-game performance art. They crowded into KRITIQAL’s digital podcast booth to discuss grotesque beauty, games as instruments, and creating art that can’t be wiki-fied. Later, they recommend birds. You can learn more about Fantasia Malware and subscribe to their mailing list on their website. Jira also hosts the po...
Episode 56: Dhruv Jani (Studio Oleomingus)
March 26, 2022 21:08 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBStudio Oleomingus is an art practice and game studio based Chala, India, whose work explores magical realism, post-colonial landscapes, and redacted authorship. Studio founder Dhruv Jani (he/him) joined me to talk through his unique history with modern videogames, his skepticism at the necessity of systemic interaction, and how employing fictitious external authors connects Oleomingus’ work to a larger history of post-independence Indian storytellers. You can learn more about Studio Oleomin...
Episode 55: Joel Jordon
February 27, 2022 00:56 - 56 minutes - 52.4 MBJoel Jordon (they/them) is the solo game developer of Time Bandit (2022), a real-time anti-capitalist work sim about how our subjective experience of time is shaped by our relationship to labor and historical forces. With Time Bandit’s first part releasing soon, Joel took some time to join me in talking through the game’s themes, how effective games can be as political instruments, and the hazy ethics of games-as-work. You can wishlist Time Bandit on Steam and play the free prologue on itch...
Episode 54: Karin Malady
January 29, 2022 18:43 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MBKarin Malady (any/all pronouns) is a writer, poet, and occultist interested in the relationship between art and audience. Recently, they’ve contributed writing to apocalyptic photography game, Dear Future (Dear Future Production Committee, 2021), and videogame flesh realm DEEP HEEL DOT COM. In this especially free wheeling episode, we talk about growing up on the internet, metafiction, being Tony Hawk, and provoking readers. You can find Karin on Twitter @SweetNAwful, and explore their many...
2021 Wrapped
January 01, 2022 23:34 - 44 minutes - 40.8 MBSomehow, we’re at the end of 2021. It has been a strange, unpleasant, unpredictable year, but you know as much already. I won’t belabor the point as if we haven’t all been living with the same uncertainty, but I do want to say thank you for listening/reading/being part of KRITIQAL. The community that has grown around the site, the contributors I’ve been able to commission, and the friend’s I’ve made along the way have been so hugely important to me not spiraling off into the void. It is perh...
Episode 53: Breogán Hackett
November 06, 2021 16:47 - 58 minutes - 53.8 MBBreogán Hackett (she/they) is an indie dev, community organizer, and creator of low-res horror anthology, The Haunted PS1. She set aside some time from Halloween spooks to talk about how The Haunted PS1 got started, moving beyond the Playstation, and forcing players to get lost. A likely contender for most games mentioned in an episode, and all good ones at that (a hearty recommendation for Bleakshore if you’ve yet to play it). You can find Breogán’s many, many games on itch and follow them...
Episode 52: Xalavier Nelson Jr.
October 23, 2021 17:28 - 1 hour - 62.4 MBXalavier Nelson Jr. (he/him) is a prolific videogame writer, producer, and internet poster, working on everything from An Airport for Aliens Currently Run by Dogs (Strange Scaffold, 2021) to Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator (Strange Scaffold, upcoming). He took some time away from creating every videogame to walk through how he moved from games criticism to development, the challenge and necessity of figuring out what you enjoy creating, and the existential dark comedy of a drunk puppy....
Episode 51: Heather Flowers
October 09, 2021 16:22 - 42 minutes - 39.7 MBHeather Flowers (they/she) is the non-existent creator of EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER, a post-apocalyptic visual-novel beat-em-up about gay disasters meat mechs fighting facists. They didn’t join me on this episode to recap MEATPUNK’s origins as a spontaneous collection of sounds, adapting the series into tabletop form, and rejecting apocalyptic cynicism. I cannot stress this enough: Heather Flowers does not exist and therefore could not have been on this episode. If Heather Flowers did exist...
Episode 50: Naphtali Faulkner (Veselekov)
September 25, 2021 14:28 - 1 hour - 75.7 MBNaphtali Faulkner (he/him), AKA Veselekov, is the creator of IGF Grand Prize winning photography game, Umurangi Generation (ORIGAME DIGITAL, 2020). In this extra long episode, Naphtali elaborates on origins of Umurangi, confronting liberal apathy, and the hunger people have for explicitly leftist art. Many detours into Disco Elysium (ZA/UM, 2019) are made along the way. You can play Umurangi Generation on Steam and Switch, and follow Naphtali @Veselekov. Napthali’s Fun Things to Share Dis...
Episode 49: Jeremy Couillard
September 11, 2021 19:49 - 58 minutes - 54.3 MBJeremy Couillard (he/him) is an artist and professor, whose games JEF (2020) and Fuzz Dungeon (2021) explore the weird, uncomfortable, and inexplicable aspects of life through humor and alien surrealism. In this episode, Jeremy details how he started creating games out of a frustration with animation, the importance of loitering in digital spaces, and finding community in alt games. You can play Jeremy’s games on itch and Steam, and follow them @jeremycouillard. Jeremy’s Inspiring Thing to...
Episode 48: lowpolis (rayzones & yaffle)
August 28, 2021 17:24 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBRayzones (they/them) and Yaffle (she/they) make up indie studio lowpolis, creators of cute games with surreal insides. In this episode we explore the inspiration for lowpolis’ latest game, co-open (2021), discus the complex politics surrounding “wholesome games,” and appreciate the most fundamental videogame act: crawling through vents. Closing out the show, I once again confess my shame of having not played some very good games. You can follow lowpolis @lowpolis, @rayzones, and @Yafffle. T...
Episode 47: Ryan Rose Aceae
August 14, 2021 19:11 - 51 minutes - 47.6 MBRyan Rose Aceae (he/they) is a visual novelist whose games explore the messy, sometimes monstrous dynamics of queer identity through surreal characters and earnest writing. In this episode he recounts his nontraditional route into making queer games, collaborating with Heather Flowers on GENDERWRECKED (2017), and the necessity of complex and challenging queer art. Finally, Ryan ends the show with a surprise package from a friend. You can play Ryan’s games on itch and follow them @gendervamp...
Episode 46: Jeff Chiao
July 31, 2021 16:41 - 1 hour - 61.1 MBJeff Chiao (they/them) is an indie game producer, designer, and rhythm game enthusiast currently working on upcoming rhythm action title, UNBEATABLE (D-Cell Games). They took some time away from production to discuss UNBEATABLE’s long pre-production, the importance of embedding composers within the dev process, and the thriving indie rhythm game scene. Then Jeff closes the show with an enthusiastic recommendation for Chicory: A Colorful Tale (Greg Lobanov, 2021). You can follow Jeff @comet_...
Episode 45: Freya Campbell
July 17, 2021 18:46 - 1 hour - 57.3 MBFreya Campbell (she/they) is an interactive fiction writer, designer, and game engine combiner. Her games focus on small interactions in fantastical settings, emphasizing character voices and being incredibly queer. They joined me on this week’s episode to discuss writing interactive fiction, putting engines inside each other, and using engine constraints to inform pacing. In closing, I am shamed for having not yet played a bunch of very good games (editor’s note: since recording I have play...
Episode 44: Elliot Herriman
July 03, 2021 16:54 - 1 hour - 60.1 MBElliot Herriman (she/her) is an interactive fiction author and developer who makes games about being queer and engines to help you not have to code. She spent some time chatting about falling into game dev, the struggle to get your writing in front of people, and the importance of accessible dev tools. We discuss many unspeakable games so make sure there aren’t any cops around before you pop this one on. You can play Elliot’s games on itch and follow her @elliotherriman. Elliot’s Unspeakab...
Episode 43: Shane Yach
June 19, 2021 18:13 - 55 minutes - 51.2 MBShane Yach (he/they) is a game designer and musician whose work combines crunchy, low-poly visuals with surreal internet horror. We spend some time breaking down what makes the PS1 great for horror, how found footage could be adapted for games, and why falling asleep in Proteus is the highest compliment. In closing, Shane reminds us that games don’t die on release and we should allow ourselves to take creativity breaks. You can play Shane’s games on itch, find their music on Bandcamp, and f...
Episode 42: Kevin Wong
June 05, 2021 18:41 - 56 minutes - 52.7 MBKevin Wong (he/they) is a game designer, producer, and scholar who has worked on projects as varied as Chambara, Lucah: Born of a Dream, and Manifold Garden. On this episode he recounts his experience as a student game designer and how anti-hierarchal art movements and Twitch Plays Pokemon inspired the apocalyptic photography game, Dear Future. You can follow Kevin on Twitter @ThatKevinWong and keep up with Dear Future @DearFutureGame. Kevin’s Inspiring Thing to Share Umurangi Generation ...
Episode 41: Nathan Blades
May 08, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBNathan Blades (he/they) is a tabletop designer, streamer, and voice actor with a particular love for queer cyberpunk. He sat down with me to chronicle his introduction to TTRPGs, the rewards and frustrations of running an actual play show, and finding the line between passion projects and accidentally making yourself a second job. Afterwards, Nathan reminds us that no amount of Twitter arguing can substitute just sitting down and making the damn thing. You can find Nathan’s games on itch, c...
Episode 40: Pixel a Day
April 24, 2021 17:23 - 1 hour - 56.9 MBKat (she/her) makes video essays on games and pop culture as Pixel a Day. Her work seeks to diversify games criticism by invoking her knowledge of art and psychology, interrogating unexplored aspects of games and games culture. In this episode we discuss what drew her to video essays as a form, the importance of looking outside of games, and the challenge of getting noticed as a smaller channel. You can find Kat’s videos on Youtube, her writing on Medium, and follow her on Twitter @pixel_a_...
Episode 39: Nilson Carroll
April 03, 2021 18:46 - 1 hour - 169 MBNilson Carrol (he/him) is an archivist, MFA student, and ROM hacker working to preserve obscure and queer internet culture. His thesis project, Video Games Have Been Queer, chronicles his history with games and the queer culture within and around them which is often ignored. We talk about his early experiences with ROM hacking, the importance of preserving digital culture, and the earnest, wondrous possibility of glitches. In closing we fawn over Anodyne 2: Return to Dust (Analgesic Producti...
Episode 38: Lena NW
March 20, 2021 20:09 - 1 hour - 70.9 MBLena NW (she/her) is a multimedia artist, rapper, and game designer whose work touches on the messy, fraught, and darkly humorous effects of fringe internet culture. Her MFA project, Nightmare Temptation Academy (2020), crystalizes her experience growing up on the internet and becoming desensitized to shock content, while also exploring digital alienation and collage creativity. She joined me on Kritiqal Care to talk more about what drew her to games, the Neopets/Gaia Online/4chan pipeline, ...
Episode 37: prophet goddess
March 06, 2021 18:41 - 57 minutes - 52.8 MBCassandra Lugo (they/them) creates compact procedural games under the name prophet goddess. Their work explores the unique abilities of generative content, the lack of win conditions, and glitchy digital aesthetics. We discuss the origins of their interest in procedural generation, the frequent pitfalls with how it is utilized, and the sorts of games prophet goddess wants to see more of. In the close, we remember that it’s never a bad time to listen to Prince. You can follow prophet goddess...
Episode 36: Sandy Pug Games
February 20, 2021 20:19 - 1 hour - 192 MBNem (they/them) runs the leftist tabletop studio and occasional publisher, Sandy Pug Games, creating games exploring anti-capitalism, alternative forms of interaction, and what it would be like if DMC’s Dante was in Dungeon World. Recently, they have helped facilitate the Our Shores Kickstarter, allowing members of the South-East Asian TTRPG scene (RPGSEA) access to funds and exposure they had previously been denied. In this episode we discuss the contentious nature of Kickstarter, Twitter p...
Episode 35: Colin (melessthanthree)
February 06, 2021 20:13 - 1 hour - 63.1 MBColin (he/they) of melessthanthree makes crunchy action games about catholic guilt and queer acceptance. He joined me to talk about early adventures goofing off in coding class, bucking publisher marketability, and Lucah: Born of a Dream’s intriguing and often confounding narrative structure. Later on we dig into the ethics of violent games and appreciate the eternal charm of Lord of the Rings. You can find Colin on Twitter @melessthanthree and play Lucah on Steam, itch, and Switch. Colin’...
Episode 34: Hyacinth Nil
January 23, 2021 20:22 - 1 hour - 65.8 MBIndie game dev and co-found of Abyssal Uncreations, Hyacinth Nil (they/them) makes games about cosmic horror, broken technology, and how the internet manufactures identity. They took some time to walk me through their early efforts of longform LARPs as a kid, looking back on Transfer (Abyssal Uncreations, 2017), and the ways systematized morality reveals the empty politics of many games. You can follow Hyacinth on Twitter @Synodai, play their games on itch, and catch their streams on Twitch...
Episode 34: Hyacinth Ramsay
January 23, 2021 20:22 - 1 hour - 65.8 MBIndie game dev and co-found of Abyssal Uncreations, Hyacinth Ramsay (they/them) makes games about cosmic horror, broken technology, and how the internet manufactures identity. They took some time to walk me through their early efforts of longform LARPs as a kid, looking back on Transfer (Abyssal Uncreations, 2017), and the ways systematized morality reveals the empty politics of many games. You can follow Hyacinth on Twitter @Synodai, play their games on itch, and catch their streams on Twi...
Episode 33: Taylor McCue
January 09, 2021 17:27 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBContent warning for this episode: brief discussions of surgery complications, suicidal thoughts, and misgendering Taylor McCue (choosing not to disclose pronouns) is a game developer whose work explores trans identities, bodily autonomy, and the dehumanizing impact of institutions. We discussed the flawed act of asking for pronouns, what led Taylor to make games, and the using Gameboy ROMs as a form of preservation. It’s a bit heavier than most episodes, but I feel well worth digging into. ...
2020 Wrapped
December 26, 2020 17:51 - 46 minutes - 43 MBKritiqal Care is taking a break for the holidays but I still wanted to put up one final episode to close out such a strange and intense year. Games took a lot of different forms this year and the way we approached them was even more varied than usual, so instead of a traditional games-of-the-year list I thought it would be fun to ask the guests of Kritiqal Care to look back on their favorite game related moments from the year - whether that’s something they played, read, created, or otherwis...