Pixel Therapy Pod

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

We kick off the new year with CelesMeh, a queer Latina scientist who edits genes and builds robots by day, streams games on Twitch with an emphasis on mental health and self-care by night, and is an all-around badass and delight 24/7! Celes joins us for an energizing conversation on the power of games to help us overcome our inner challenges and see our own resilience. Please note: This episode contains frank discussions of mental illness, including depression and suicide.

Meanwhile, Spencer claims Assassin's Creed: Valhalla for the queer community, and Jamie explains how Persona 5: Royal dashed all of her big plans to finally tackle her gaming backlog over the holiday break.

Follow CelesMeh on...

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/celesmeh

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CelesMeh

Side Quest

Donate and learn more about Take This: https://www.takethis.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. 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

As we collectively drag ourselves towards the 2020 finish line while tempering our expectations for 2021, we're taking a break from guest interviews this week to bring you a special end of year episode! Join us as we share our completely unofficial picks for this year's Pixel Therapy Game Awards (cue applause). From Jamie's nomination for Best NPC Hugs to Spencer's pick for Game That Lived Rent-Free in My Head, we promise there's a little something for everyone.

Finally, it wouldn't be Pixel Therapy without crying. So please allow us to take a moment to share our reflections on this podcast's first 90 days (That's it?!), and how thankful we are for all of the love, support, and energy we've received from all of you.

Side Quest

Donate to GLBTQ+ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD): https://donate.glad.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. 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? Check out our little community over on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/pixeltherapypod

This week we're joined by game engineer, narrative designer, and journalist Sisi Jiang (they/them)! Their work is known for covering themes of queerness and orientalism, and their critically-acclaimed game LIONKILLER got nominated for the Independent Game Festival's Excellence in Narrative award. We talk all about the importance of narrative design-- and tbh, how lots of folks have the wrong idea about narrative.

MEANWHILE, your co-hosts dissect the series that has become synonymous with Playstation: GOD OF WAR! From the history of the series, to the lessons it offers on everything from managing one's emotions to parenting as an adult survivor of abuse, there is quite a lot to unpack here. Also, Kratos can get it.

Find Sisi Jiang on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/six6jiang/

Learn more about AbleGamers: https://ablegamers.org/

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

This week, we're joined by molten glass sculptor and artist Momoko Schafer (she/her)! Momo starred in season 1 of Netflix's glassblowing competition show Blown Away, and also founded Self Love Social Club, a QTBIPOC-led platform for your healing journey!

This is definitely Momo's first video game podcast, and we're stoked to have her. We talk about gaming culture through the lens (lol, glass, get it?) of an artist, the growing popularity of Twitch and possibilities in the medium of streaming, mobile gaming, gaming as pop culture, and so much more!

Meanwhile, your co-hosts can't wait to tell you about our sparkling new PATREON! We're psyched to build community with you and hope you'll join us. We also read our first LISTENER EMAIL!?!? Also, BUGSNAX. Omg, this is a can't-miss episode.

Find Momo Schafer on IG: https://www.instagram.com/glassymomo/

Donate to the Fundraiser for Black Mental Health: https://ioby.org/project/easy-activism-fundraising-black-mental-health

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

This week, we're joined by molten glass sculptor and artist Momoko Schafer (she/her)! Momo starred in season 1 of Netflix's glassblowing competition show Blown Away, and also founded Self Love Social Club, a QTBIPOC-led platform for your healing journey!

This is definitely Momo's first video game podcast, and we're stoked to have her. We talk about gaming culture through the lens (lol, glass, get it?) of an artist, the growing popularity of Twitch and possibilities in the medium of streaming, mobile gaming, gaming as pop culture, and so much more!

Meanwhile, your co-hosts can't wait to tell you about our sparkling new PATREON! We're psyched to build community with you and hope you'll join us. We also read our first LISTENER EMAIL!?!? Also, BUGSNAX. Omg, this is a can't-miss episode.

Find Momo Schafer on IG: https://www.instagram.com/glassymomo/

Donate to the Fundraiser for Black Mental Health: https://ioby.org/project/easy-activism-fundraising-black-mental-health

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

It's been a rough couple weeks. We hope you're all hanging in there and protecting your space. Recharge and hang with us! This week we're joined by Courtney Craven (they/them), a video games industry accessibility consultant, captioner for Epic Games, and the editor-in-chief of Can I Play That?, the online destination for gamers and developers to find reviews, news stories, and features spotlighting accessibility advocacy within the gaming industry.

Courtney shares the frustrating and disturbing personal story of how playing Destiny with their late partner inspired them to break into the video game accessibility industry, and Spencer freaks out a little bit over having the chance to vent about Tell Me Why with another trans person. (It gets a little spicy.) We LOVED having time with Courtney and we think you will too!

Follow Courtney on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CyclopediaBrain

Visit Can I Play That?: https://caniplaythat.com/

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! Thank you!

It's been a rough couple weeks. We hope you're all hanging in there and protecting your space. Recharge and hang with us! This week we're joined by Courtney Craven (they/them), a video games industry accessibility consultant, captioner for Epic Games, and the editor-in-chief of Can I Play That?, the online destination for gamers and developers to find reviews, news stories, and features spotlighting accessibility advocacy within the gaming industry.

Courtney shares the frustrating and disturbing personal story of how playing Destiny with their late partner inspired them to break into the video game accessibility industry, and Spencer freaks out a little bit over having the chance to vent about Tell Me Why with another trans person. (It gets a little spicy.) We LOVED having time with Courtney and we think you will too!

Follow Courtney on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CyclopediaBrain

Visit Can I Play That?: https://caniplaythat.com/

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! Thank you!

This week, we're joined by Black queer YouTuber, musician, model, and artist Mars Dixon (they/she/he), who streams games everywhere as @wii_gay from Twitch to PornHub (you read that right), builds computers for trans people, believes in making gaming content more accessible to non-gamers, and is an absolute ray of gay light.

Mars shares how The Sims gave them a place to visualize a queer future, and provided sanctuary and validation during a rough childhood. Then, we dive into the story of a queer game developer, Patrick J. Barrett III, who pretty much accidentally made The Sims gay and changed the landscape of gaming forever. It's a powerful reminder of how queer people have always existed and have always contributed to the creation of culture--and we will persevere!

Also, your co-hosts do a bit of a deep dive on our experiences playing Spiritfarer and its impact on our relationships to death and our mental health journeys.

Heads up: This episode contains story spoilers for Spiritfarer (20:45 - 37:30) and The Haunting of Bly Manor (29:40 - 37:30).

Follow WiiGay on Patreon and YouTube

Follow Mars Dixon on Instagram

Donate to the Homeless Black Trans Women Fund

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! Thank you!

Norio is best boy in Ghost of Tsushima, and we refuse to hear otherwise. Just like Norio, actor, director, fight choreographer, and dreamer Earl T. Kim is an absolute cinnamon roll, and we are overjoyed to have him on the podcast! We chat about queer fat Asian representation, the NUANCE in Jin Sakai's and Norio's relationship, and the parallels Earl found to Norio's story in his own life, from his real-life friendship with Jin's motion capture/voiceover actor Daisuke Tsuji, to his own painful lessons in letting go. Then, we go IN on the lasting impact of Final Fantasy Tactics, which literally makes Earl cry just talking about it.

Also, your co-hosts checked out Ghost of Tsushima: Legends and New Game+, which is kind of ironic since we just spent an episode talking about how we never play multiplayer... let's just say Sucker Punch certainly changed that!

Find Earl on Twitter @earlofsammich and check out Earl and Daisuke's new Twitch channel, DandE Saga!

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! Thank you!