Pixel Therapy Pod

OMG y'all, why's everyone keep talking about "return to work" when we never stopped working? Not just in places like jobs, but literally working to emotionally, physically, and mentally survive a literal pandemic? This week, Spencer and Jamie kick things off by chatting through the feelings of overwhelm and tiredness that a lot of folks seem to be able to relate to right now, especially as technology continues to blur the boundary between work and life. You are not alone! Capitalism just wants you to think you are! And who better to break it all down than Dr. Devon Price, nonbinary icon, social psychologist, and author of Laziness Does Not Exist! This convo was absolutely electric, as Devon helps us see how the "laziness lie" and our society's obsession with productivity is hurting all of us, traces its origins to white supremacy, and shows us how playing video games (and other activities often seen as "lazy") are actually really, really good for us. And you know we couldn't let them leave the studio without sharing their transmasculine reading of Ico!!

Plus: Returnal's mixed accessibility reviews, Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, Emily is Away <3, Mad Men?!, and more!!!

Check out Steve Saylor's work and perspective on Returnal: https://stevesaylor.net/

Read Devon's book: https://bookshop.org/books/laziness-does-not-exist/9781982140106

Follow Devon: https://twitter.com/drdevonprice

Side Quest

https://www.lightfoundchi.org/

The Lighthouse Foundation invests in Black LGBTQ+ liberation internally by developing Black Queer Leaders: a cohort that builds community, sets goals, and creates public programming for Black Queer people in Chicagoland.

About Pixel Therapy

New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Learn more at pixeltherapypod.com or follow us on social media @pixeltherapypod. We're proud members of the But Why Tho? Podcast Network: visit ButWhyThoPodcast.com for everything pop culture in an inclusive geek community! If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate us, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (or your listening app of choice) & subscribe! Want more? Unlock monthly bonus episodes for $2/mo and help us save up for streaming equipment at patreon.com/pixeltherapypod !

Spring has sprung and our backlogs are already piling up! Spencer kicks things off by spotlighting a few under-hyped indie titles that have come out recently: Studio Seufz's 9,600hr long idle adventure The Longing, Captilight's charming puzzler Path of Kami (https://www.captilight.com/pathofkami), and 4615 Theatre Company's QTBIPOC-led solar punk visual novel DARK CITY (https://www.4615theatre.com/dark-city) -- the latter two are both free to download on itch.io (but by all means support these indie devs if you're able)! Meanwhile, Jamie shares the view from her haunted island in Cozy Grove, a charming new life sim that's like Animal Crossing-meets-Spiritfarer, plus bears.

Then we're joined by writer, poet, and connector Angbeen Saleem! Angbeen works as a digital communications coordinator for North Star Fund, a social justice org based in New York. We chat about their previous life working in social impact for MTV, how games teach Angbeen to write poetry, and how Breath of the Wild provides a safe space to practice failure-- and why that's something we need.

Get 20% off TomToc's Nintendo Switch Lite case with promo code "pixeltherapy" using our affiliate link!: https://amzn.to/31miLnj

Check out Angbeen's work and writing: https://www.angbeensaleem.com/

Side Quest

The Let Us Breathe Fund is the only NYC-based fund led by and for Black activists organizing around police reform and building Black liberation. Learn more and donate at https://northstarfund.org/

About Pixel Therapy

New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Learn more at pixeltherapypod.com or follow us on social media @pixeltherapypod. We're proud members of the But Why Tho? Podcast Network: visit ButWhyThoPodcast.com for everything pop culture in an inclusive geek community! If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate us, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (or your listening app of choice) & subscribe! Want more? Join our little community over on Patreon!

Hey, y'all! This week we're so excited to welcome the_juliancito to hang with us in the virtual studio! Juliancito is a queer, trans, Puerto Rican, and Jewish Twitch streamer who is a member of Radically Kind Gamers (a stream team founded by our Episode 1 guest, ZombaeKillz). He has also been a super vocal advocate for the inclusion of a trans tag on Twitch - and why it matters to have one for the trans community that's separate from the LGBTQIA+ tag that already exists. We'll let him tell you more about why, as well as about his lifelong love for Pokemon.

Meanwhile, Spencer shares their Theyfriend Review of Red Dead Online, and Jamie talks about Narita Boy and hypes up some cool recent Xbox news! Game Pass looks like it's creating really interesting opportunities for indie games to get noticed and devs to get their coin. Among the titles coming to the Netflix-like gaming service are Backbone (shoutout to Alex, our Ep 15 guest!), Boyfriend Dungeon, and She Dreams Elsewhere, plus so many more!

Follow the_juliancito: https://www.twitch.tv/the_juliancito

Side Quest

The Deaf Queer Resource Center (DQRC) is a national nonprofit that works to support, inform, empower, and bring more visibility to and awareness about marginalized Deaf LGBTQ communities through events, fundraisers, and advocacy. 

Their new website is under development at deafqueer.org, but you can also find them on Facebook and Twitter @deafqueer!

About Pixel Therapy

New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Learn more at pixeltherapypod.com or follow us on social media @pixeltherapypod. We're proud members of the But Why Tho? Podcast Network: visit ButWhyThoPodcast.com for everything pop culture in an inclusive geek community! If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate us, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (or your listening app of choice) & subscribe! Want more? Join our little community over on Patreon!

CW/TW: Since this is a space where we hold our pain as well as our joy, we just wanted to note that Spencer takes a moment [3:44 - 9:49] to share some feelings about the recent rise of anti-Asian violence in America, which may be triggering for some. Thanks for being here with us. On a lighter note, Spencer concludes Firewatch (no spoilers) despite being too gay to read a map, and Jamie breaks down the recently released folksy narrative card game, Signs of the Sojourner, where encounters are conversations instead of combat. Also, our incredible Episode 9 guest Sisi Jiang contributed to the narrative design of this game! Omg!

If you've made it this far with us, you know we firmly believe video games are art. Our guest this week, Lexington, Kentucky-based alternative controls designer and Unwinnable editor Amanda Hudgins (they/them), enthusiastically agrees. When they're not pushing the boundaries of the physical forms video games can take and wow-ing crowds at museums and galleries, their day job is at SuperSoul, an indie game studio. We love how Amanda approaches games as a highly tactile experience, and we hope it will TOUCH you as much as it did us. (Sorry lol)

Follow Amanda on Twitter: https://twitter.com/barelyconcealed

Side Quest

Donate to Stop AAPI Hate, an organization collecting data on the recent rise of anti-Asian hate crimes in the US and providing critical community resources: https://stopaapihate.org/

About Pixel Therapy

New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Learn more at pixeltherapypod.com or follow us on social media @pixeltherapypod. We're proud members of the But Why Tho? Podcast Network: visit ButWhyThoPodcast.com for everything pop culture in an inclusive geek community! If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate us, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (or your listening app of choice) & subscribe! Want more? Join our little community over on Patreon!

CW/TW: Since this is a space where we hold our pain as well as our joy, we just wanted to note that Spencer takes a moment [3:44 - 9:49] to share some feelings about the recent rise of anti-Asian violence in America, which may be triggering for some. Thanks for being here with us. On a lighter note, Spencer concludes Firewatch (no spoilers) despite being too gay to read a map, and Jamie breaks down the recently released folksy narrative card game, Signs of the Sojourner, where encounters are conversations instead of combat. Also, our incredible Episode 9 guest Sisi Jiang contributed to the narrative design of this game! Omg!

If you've made it this far with us, you know we firmly believe video games are art. Our guest this week, Lexington, Kentucky-based alternative controls designer and Unwinnable editor Amanda Hudgins (they/them), enthusiastically agrees. When they're not pushing the boundaries of the physical forms video games can take and wow-ing crowds at museums and galleries, their day job is at SuperSoul, an indie game studio. We love how Amanda approaches games as a highly tactile experience, and we hope it will TOUCH you as much as it did us. (Sorry lol)

Follow Amanda on Twitter: https://twitter.com/barelyconcealed

Side Quest

Donate to Stop AAPI Hate, an organization collecting data on the recent rise of anti-Asian hate crimes in the US and providing critical community resources: https://stopaapihate.org/

About Pixel Therapy

New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Learn more at pixeltherapypod.com or follow us on social media @pixeltherapypod. We're proud members of the But Why Tho? Podcast Network: visit ButWhyThoPodcast.com for everything pop culture in an inclusive geek community! If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate us, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (or your listening app of choice) & subscribe! Want more? Join our little community over on Patreon!

Note: Major plot spoilers for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim from 38:15 to 50:00.

We recently hit 10k downloads - thank you so much! This week, Jamie concludes her journey with the sprawling, 2019 sci-fi epic 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - and you know we have some insights to excavate together! Meanwhile, Spencer's started the spooky walking simulator Firewatch; we muse over its themes of isolation, grief, and emotional trauma as an appropriate parallel to our current reality as we come upon the anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic.

Then we're joined by Janet Garcia (Gameonysus, Game Industry Guides), a game critic, content creator, Twitch streamer, podcaster, Youtuber, and former IGN Guides editor! We go IN on the somewhat-surreal shared fever dream we call Super Mario 64, binge-watching our favorite comfort shows, glowing up, and so much more. As our eponymous plumber would say, LET'S-A GO!

Follow Janet on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gameonysus

Gameonysus on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Gameonysus

Side Quest

Donate to The Black Resilience Fund, an emergency fund dedicated to fostering healing and resilience by providing immediate resources to Black Portlanders: https://www.blackresiliencefund.com/

About Pixel Therapy

New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Learn more at pixeltherapypod.com or follow us on social media @pixeltherapypod. We're proud members of the But Why Tho? Podcast Network: visit ButWhyThoPodcast.com for everything pop culture in an inclusive geek community! If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate us, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (or your listening app of choice) & subscribe! Want more? Join our little community over on Patreon!

We got tea to spill this week! Turns out Troy Leavitt, the lead developer of Hogwarts Legacy (an upcoming open-world Harry Potter RPG), is a far-right conspiracy theorist with the YouTube receipts to prove it. And this is on top of JK Rowling already outing herself as a TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminist), which makes things complicated for her queer and trans fans to contend with. Yikes! Meanwhile, Pokemon turns 25 this year with some exciting announcements for Nintendo fans. Spencer and Jamie break it down for you with some of our own hot takes and muse on the complexities of engaging with popular media when you're a member of one or more marginalized groups. 

Then we're joined by the whip-smart and incisively funny Alex Korabelnikova, a narrative designer and co-founder of EggNut, a fully decentralized indie game studio. Their upcoming game Backbone, a Noir roleplaying adventure about a raccoon detective in a dystopian Vancouver, absolutely CANNOT be missed. We get into Disco Elysium, Planescape Torment, and what it means to be a person. Nbd! 

Check out Backbone on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/865610/Backbone/

Follow Alex on Twitter: https://twitter.com/almightyplate

Side Quest

Donate to the Sisters Center, a Moscow-based non-governmental, non-profit helping survivors of sexual violence: sisters-help.ru/donation_eng.html

Our February Patreon-Exclusive Co-Op Mode episode is out now. Visit patreon.com/pixeltherapypod to unlock bonus episodes for $2/mo!

About Pixel Therapy

New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Learn more at pixeltherapypod.com or follow us on social media @pixeltherapypod. We're proud members of the But Why Tho? Podcast Network: visit ButWhyThoPodcast.com for everything pop culture in an inclusive geek community! If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate us, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (or your listening app of choice) & subscribe! Want more? Join our little community over on Patreon!

Y'all been hitting that pandemic wall lately? Us too. Spencer's coping by working through half the Assassin's Creed series, which just HAPPENED to be super on sale in the Playstation Store, and getting elbow-deep in the lore. Meanwhile, Jamie's cleansing her palate from 200+ hours of Persona 5 with Aegis Rim: 13 Sentinels, a reality-altering JRPG starring high schoolers jumping into another reality for turn-based fights-- wait a minute.

Here's a follow-up article on the Ubisoft diversity debacle Jamie mentioned from 2020: https://kotaku.com/head-of-ubisoft-announces-plans-to-shakeup-the-company-1844252024

Then we're joined by Jamiere Leslie, a counselor based in Massachusetts's south shore who's rediscovered her love of gaming during the pandemic. How can you tell if you have a gaming addiction? Can Animal Crossing cure depression? What's the deal with therapy? All this and more awaits you.

Follow Jamiere on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayTeeEll17.

Looking for a therapist in MA? Check out Northeast Health Services: https://www.northeasthealthservices.com/.

SIDE QUEST

Support the global organization working to end white supremacy and creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy: https://blacklivesmatter.com/

Our February Patreon-Exclusive Co-Op Mode episode is out now. Visit patreon.com/pixeltherapypod to unlock bonus episodes for $2/mo! We're also going to be LIVE at Uplink 2021 on February 20th, 2021, at 6-7 pm EST! If you're interested in the convention, get your tickets on our website: pixeltherapypod.com.

This episode is sponsored by the following Patreon supporters: Yinka Araromi

About Pixel Therapy

New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Learn more at pixeltherapypod.com or follow us on social media @pixeltherapypod. We're proud members of the But Why Tho? Podcast Network: visit ButWhyThoPodcast.com for everything pop culture in an inclusive geek community! If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate us, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (or your listening app of choice) & subscribe! Want more? Join our little community over on Patreon!

We're joined by Keridwen Luis (she/her) and Jude McLaughlin (they/them) this week, a queer power couple who share decades of experience making games, running games, teaching on the intersections of queer theory and fandom, writing Lambda Literary Award-nominated science fiction and fantasy, and still managing to find time to sit with us and chat about fandoms, queer bodies, representation, and how Final Fantasy VII is basically a microcosm of their relationship's early years.

Meanwhile, Spencer breaks down the whole GameStop situation that's been all over the news this week and talks about a new multiplayer game they've been playing called Knights & Bikes, while Jamie shares the view from the top of the mountain of completing Persona 5: Royal.

Buy Kerey's book Herlands: https://www.amazon.com/Herlands-Exploring-Womens-Movement-United/dp/0816698252

Learn more about Glitter Collective: https://www.glittercollective.com/

Side Quest

Help secure the future of the Quileute tribe by moving the at-risk community to the safe zone where their culture and heritage can continue to thrive for generations to come: https://mthg.org/

This episode is sponsored by the following Patreon supporters: Yinka Araromi

About Pixel Therapy

New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Learn more at pixeltherapypod.com or follow us on social media @pixeltherapypod. We're proud members of the But Why Tho? Podcast Network: visit ButWhyThoPodcast.com for everything pop culture in an inclusive geek community! If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate us, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (or your listening app of choice) & subscribe! Want more? Join our little community over on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/pixeltherapypod

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We're joined by Danielle Brathwaite Shirley (they/she) this week, a game maker and artist living and working in London. Danielle creates work that seeks to archive the Black Trans experience. In Danielle's words: I USE TECHNOLOGY TO IMAGINE OUR LIVES IN ENVIRONMENTS THAT CENTRE OUR BODIES...THOSE LIVING, THOSE THAT HAVE PASSED AND THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN FORGOTTEN. We were thrilled to share space with them, discussing their games THE BLACK TRANS ARCHIVE and RESURRECTION LANDS, Afrofuturism, trans tourism, and Blade.

Meanwhile, Spencer wants to know if we really need Uncharted to be a TV show and Indiana Jones to be a game when we could tell stories about literally anything else, and Jamie introduces a brand-new segment!

Follow Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley...

Website: https://www.daniellebrathwaiteshirley.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladydangfua/

Side Quest

Support our previous guest Mars Dixon's (@mmdizzie on Instagram) new project, which aims to rebuild computers for QTBIPOC and bridge the digital divide! https://www.instagram.com/rebooty_computers/

This episode is sponsored by the following Patreon supporters: Yinka Araromi

About Pixel Therapy

New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Learn more at pixeltherapypod.com or follow us on social media @pixeltherapypod. If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate us, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (or your listening app of choice) & subscribe! Want more? Join our little community over on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/pixeltherapypod