From Katya: I recently saw a TikTok from Dominic Myers (@gamestudies101) that summarizes the narratology v. ludology split in game studies. Check out their summary because it's a good one but, simply put, ludology argues that games are a unique medium because they include interactive game mechanics that are distinct from other representational forms. Narratology, on the other hand, argues that games are part of the evolution of narrative story telling and is shaped by many of the same rhetorical forces as tv, novels, and other narrative forms. Put another way, ludology emphasizes the rupture between games and other forms while narratology focuses on the medium's continuity with media history. Their summary is spot on but, for people outside of the field mostly, there's some additional context that's helpful. When...
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e32. Reboots, Remakes, Revivals
Albert Einstein once said, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Well, honestly he probably never said that… or at least…
Call for Comments: Mystery Boxes, Spoilers, and Fandoms
From Hannah: Before I was on the show, we received a suggestion for a show topic on how popular culture fandoms react to spoilers from listener Jessi Bencloski. Spoilers are…
e31. Heroes, Villains & Antiheroes
The antihero… just like the hero… except he can kill. Wait… heroes kill too now. In fact they always have. Well maybe it’s that the antihero swears… Actually, heroes swear…
Call for Comments: The Rhetoric of Digital Farming, Anti-Capitalism, and Talking Jellybeans
From Katya: Eric Barone and Chucklefish recently released the popular farm simulator, Stardew Valley, to iOS. The game draws heavily on Harvest Moon, allowing players to grow crops, care for…
Call for Comments: Media Reboots, Revivals and Adaptations
From Mav: So we had a topic suggested by a listener, specifically Maximilian, who wrote our theme song (and was on our music of your youth episode). By the way,…
e30. Monster Mash 2: Breaking Twilight
Way back in August we recorded our first Monster Mash episode where we discussed the place of the Monster and the Monster Hunter in popular culture. That was a great…
Call For Comments: MAC LIVE show and the antihero?
From Mav: Even though we haven’t recorded this next week’s show just yet (we’re doing it tonight, so you still have a chance to throw in some comment on Monsters,…
Episode 29: Sexy Halloween
“In the regular world, Halloween is when children dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can…