We've mentioned on the show in the past that a large portion of Mav's job is teaching in the Digital Narrative and Interactive Design(DNID) program at the University of Pittsburgh. Hence the occasional shows dealing with Game Jam. However, we've never talked about it in detail. Why is an English department so involved with this sort of thing and what's the value in studying games anyway? Well, ever since Mav's been employed there, he's been working on getting his friend, video game designer, author, and friend of the show Cheryl Platz a spot doing a guest talk at his school. Well, we finally did that this week, as Cheryl stopped by Pittsburgh while on her tour for her new book, The Game Development Strategy Guide. And her talk was a...
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e218. Does the Bechdel Test Fail the Bechdel Test?
A funny thing happened last week. The internet got into a minor scuffle about whether Fire Island, a film about gay men, was sexist because it failed the Bechdel Test, by not having substantive roles for women… because it was a movie about gay men. For those who haven’t seen the film… which frankly, is…
CFC: Bechdel Tests, Fire Island, and the lack of nuance in pop culture criticism
From Mav: So I hate the Bechdel Test. I think it’s stupid. See what I’m doing here is saying something kind of outrageous to start an article and then going into a more nuanced discussion where I try to make a larger point but that will be ignored by a lot of people who just…
CFC: We CAN do an episode about Jurassic Park; does that mean we SHOULD?
From Hannah: It’s been almost thirty years since we first were welcomed to Jurassic Park on the silver screen. And this weekend, the sixth movie in the franchise (which, uh, many of might say never should have had one sequel much less this many) Jurassic World: Dominion will premiere on North American screens. I’ve been…
e217. Online Shopping, Thrifting, and The Death of Mall Culture
When’s the last time you hung out at the mall? We don’t mean when is the last time you went to a mall, ran in, got something and left. When is the last time you really hung out there? Once upon a time, this used to be a thing. Families took all day shopping trips…
Call for Comments: “Get in loser, we’re going shopping”
From Monica: This week on VoxPop, we’re feeling nostalgic for the ultimate palace of capitalism— the mall. Because even if you don’t like shopping, the sheer quantity of things geographically centered meant that you probably bought clothes, or read comics, or listened to CDs, or saw a movie, or had a haircut, or took a…
e216. Chip’n Dale: Rescue Rangers & The Art Of The Cameo
If you haven’t had a chance to see the new Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers movie, you probably should watch it. It’s maybe the perfect blend of nostalgia, humor and just pointing at random IP cameos that you might recognize. It’s completely totally and in all ways absolutely delightful. This is in stark contrast to…
Call For Comments: Rescue Rangers, Cameo Films, and Marketing Nostalgia
From Mav: You know what… the new Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers movie is absolutely fucking delightful. It seriously is. It’s really really good and you should watch it. Not only is it really good, it’s sort of surprisingly good because it didn’t actually HAVE to be. We’ve done a lot of shows about nostalgia…
e215. Taboo Teen TV Tropes
Does it bother you when you’re watching your favorite steamy teen drama on TV and they add a formulaic subplot about two step siblings who suddenly fall in love. What about when you see a plot line where a student has an affair with their teacher or some other older adult? How about when there’s…
CFC: Media and the Naughty Taboo Relationship
From Mav: A lot of times our episode ideas come from one of us seeing something and then just wanting to talk about it with each other to formulate a stronger idea for ourselves. But in order to get there — at least for me — I still have to have a vague sort of…
CFC: How do TV ratings work and why do we care?
June 14, 2022
From Mav: So if you’re keyed into conservative media this week — and I get that most of our listeners aren’t, but I like to keep up on the whole political spectrum… even the crazies for work — you might have seen a very weird talking point making the rounds. Random alt-right news sites are…