Kevin Nguyen, author and Features Editor at The Verge, discusses his new novel "Mỹ Documents", what it means to write about video games, comparisons between mediums as a critic, and the unfortunate sale of Polygon.

• (01:30) - Intro and Blue Prince
• (03:08) - The sale of Polygon to Valnet
• (06:42) - Pivoting to My Documents
• (15:04) - Brazil and Bossa Nova in New Waves and My Documents
• (16:34) - First gaming memory
• (18:47) - How does gaming come up in the writing?
• (30:08) - Gaming sweet spots
• (34:40) - A-ha moments
• (37:24) - Favorite games
• (39:37) - What is the draw to games?
• (46:36) - Lightning round
• (50:43) - The future of games
• (51:58) - Blue Prince pro strats
• (52:46) - Final thoughts

Links

"Mỹ Documents" (Penguin Random House)

"New Waves" (Penguin Random House)

Strong Songs Podcast (Website)

Game Maker's Toolkit - Developing (YouTube)

Press Reset: The Story of Polygon (YouTube)

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Social

Guest: Kevin Nguyen
Bluesky

Host: Kyle Starr
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Video game journalist Andy Robertson discusses his new project Ludocene — a game discovery service in the form of a deck-building dating app. Ludocene is based on human-curated data and offers users the ability to augment their recommendations with filters and "Expert cards" — games journalists and trusted curators who've been paid to provide recommendations — to offer a truly one-of-a-kind discovery experience.

Andy also dives into his origins with video games and why he thinks they're important for people of all ages and the culture at large.

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Links

Ludocene (Kickstarter)

Family Gaming Database (website)

Taming Gaming (Unbound | Amazon)

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Social

Guest: Andy Robertson
Bluesky | Twitter/X

Host: Kyle Starr
Bluesky | Threads | Instagram | Mastodon

Show: Y-Button
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Writer and programmer Alanna Okun shares how video games influenced the recent decision to leave her tenured career in journalism for an education in interactive technology — a conversation through the boom and bust of the 2010s media landscape to a revelation of control and expression found in making video games.

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Links

bitsy (website)

Knit a Hat: A Beginner's Guide to Knitting (Microcosm Publishing)

NYU Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) (website)

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Social

Guest: Alanna Okun
Website | itch.io | Instagram

Host: Kyle Starr
Threads | Instagram | Mastodon

Show: Y-Button
Threads | Instagram | Mastodon