On this week's "very special episode" of VoxPopcast, join Mav as he once again chaperones his university's yearly game jam, "#Games4SocialImpact" at the University of Pittsburgh. On this yearly episode Mav interviews students in the midst of the 3 day design marathon as they build games that explore social issues. This year's theme is "Public". Mav interviews several teams as they explain everything from what they hope to learn from this process, to how they pick their teams, to how they approach the design process, to the sheer madness that descends upon them as they work around the clock. And, it's all a lot of fun. So listen and then leave them encouraging comments below. Citations and Links: Learn more about #Games4SocialImpact Download and Play the games on Itch.io Thank...
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e340. Reimagining Dracula: a Conversation with Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones
It’s October and we’re well into spooky season and like every year we like to spend that time diving into some of the more horror based pop culture we can find. A few years ago, we did an episode all about the varying film adaptations of Dracula and noted that Dracula himself was perhaps one…
e339. Why Do Smart People Like Trashy Reality Shows?
Do you watch reality shows? No really. You can admit it. We won’t tell. We want to let you in on a secret. We actually watch some. In fact, we watch a bunch of them. And like… we’re smart! in fact, being smart is sort of the entire point of this show. And yet, we…
e338. Fandom and Identity: The Evolution of Beloved Characters
What does it mean to be a fan of a character? There have been millions of different interpretations of Batman and the character of Wolverine as he appears in Marvel comics films bears surprisingly little in common with his original comic book impetus. In this episode, Mav and Wayne Wise are joined by guests recent…
e337. Umm… So, is this like a Reboot?!? Or Something?
A couple weeks ago, Mav was watching a football game and he saw a commercial for a new TV show, Rescue: HI-Surf. It appeared to be an action procedural about lifeguards. As he watched it, he was entranced, but couldn’t help thinking to himself “isn’t this just Baywatch?” But alas, the show seemed to want…
e336. So, Why Pop Culture?
In all the years we’ve been doing this show we’ve worked under a very basic assumption: Everyone involved as a host, guest, or listener presumes that the pseudo academic discussion of popular culture (with drinking and swearing) is an important activity. We certainly feel that way, and chances are if you’re a regular listener you…
e335. Prequels Unraveled: Stitching Gaps or Snagging Cash?
In today’s nostalgia driven, franchise driven, pop culture world sequels are obviously big business. But what do we do when sequels become too boring (and we can’t get the original cast of a film back)? Prequels are obviously the answer. But why? Is there any value to prequels or are they nothing more than shameless…
e334. From DNC to SDCC: Comparing the Convention Experience
In the last couple of weeks in America we’ve seen both San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) and the Democratic National Convention (DNC). These are quite possibly two of the nerdiest gatherings that one can imagine but for different groups. Of course Mav is enough of a pop culture and politics addict that he watched them…
Call For Comments: Why do people like conventions?
From Mav: So while I was watching the Democratic National Convention coverage last week — yes, I watch all of the DNC… I also watch all of the RNC… I do it so you don’t have to — Anyway, while I was watching I started thinking about the concept of conventions. Political conventions had a…
e333. Twisters, Titanics, & Terror: Deconstructing Disaster Narratives
If one of the the primary functions of books and movies is to help us escape from the adversity of day to day life, then why do we have so many of them that are basically about what if our modern problems became not only inescapable, but became the absolute worst case scenario of themselves…