The Secret Lives of Games

Doug and Rob are joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis) and Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis) chat with Ben Rausch (Team Lazerbeam) and Anja Venter (Free Lives) about the Playtopia Festival for Indie Games & Immersive Arts that they help organize. They discuss some of the Festival's origins, the logistics of producing in-person games events, the state of alt-control/arts-focused games events around the world, the relationship between South African culture and Playtopia's structure, the importance of showing the new generation how to create these spaces, the balance of growing and maintaining a festival community, and more!  

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway
Discussed in this episode:
Playtopia Festival
https://playtopiafestival.co.za/about/ 
Shroom and Gloom
https://teamlazerbeam.itch.io/shroom-and-gloom
Jamming to map creative scenes and practices by Anya Venter
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02681102.2023.2281423
A MAZE Festival
https://2026.amaze-berlin.de/
The future of public game arts festivals and non-commercial games culture by Robert Yang
https://www.blog.radiator.debacle.us/2026/02/the-future-of-public-game-arts.html
Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant
https://grants.draknek.org/ 
Don't Get Your Hopes Up
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3795490/Dont_Get_Your_Hopes_Up/
boshi's place
https://boshis.place/events/ 
Glitch City
https://glitch.city/ 
Blood on the Clocktower
https://bloodontheclocktower.com/?country=US 
Pro Jank Footy
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3621330/Pro_Jank_Footy/
Plum Road Tea Dream
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3206340/Plum_Road_Tea_Dream/
Plum Road Tea Dream (Performance)
https://plum-road-tea-dream.com/#performance 
Dressmaker
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4019220/Dressmaker/
Cozy Lives Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cozylivesgames/reels/
Free Lives Discord
https://discord.com/invite/freelives
Sex with Friends
https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/3407070/
Wee Boats
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3578080/Wee_Boats/
Relooted
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3255890/Relooted/
Cadence
https://store.steampowered.com/app/362800/Cadence/ 
Starfriends
https://starfriends.online
Playtopia 2025 Showcased Games
https://playtopiafestival.co.za/games-2025/
 
https://secretlives.games 
https://discord.gg/tslog
https://www.patreon.com/tslog

Doug and Rob are joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis) and Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis) chat with Ben Rausch (Team Lazerbeam) and Anja Venter (Free Lives) about the Playtopia Festival for Indie Games & Immersive Arts that they help organize. They discuss some of the Festival's origins, the logistics of producing in-person games events, the state of alt-control/arts-focused games events around the world, the relationship between South African culture and Playtopia's structure, the importance of showing the new generation how to create these spaces, the balance of growing and maintaining a festival community, and more!  

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway
Discussed in this episode:
Playtopia Festival
https://playtopiafestival.co.za/about/ 
Shroom and Gloom
https://teamlazerbeam.itch.io/shroom-and-gloom
Jamming to map creative scenes and practices by Anya Venter
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02681102.2023.2281423
A MAZE Festival
https://2026.amaze-berlin.de/
The future of public game arts festivals and non-commercial games culture by Robert Yang
https://www.blog.radiator.debacle.us/2026/02/the-future-of-public-game-arts.html
Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant
https://grants.draknek.org/ 
Don't Get Your Hopes Up
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3795490/Dont_Get_Your_Hopes_Up/
boshi's place
https://boshis.place/events/ 
Glitch City
https://glitch.city/ 
Blood on the Clocktower
https://bloodontheclocktower.com/?country=US 
Pro Jank Footy
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3621330/Pro_Jank_Footy/
Plum Road Tea Dream
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3206340/Plum_Road_Tea_Dream/
Plum Road Tea Dream (Performance)
https://plum-road-tea-dream.com/#performance 
Dressmaker
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4019220/Dressmaker/
Cozy Lives Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/cozylivesgames/reels/
Free Lives Discord
https://discord.com/invite/freelives
Sex with Friends
https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/3407070/
Wee Boats
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3578080/Wee_Boats/
Relooted
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3255890/Relooted/
Cadence
https://store.steampowered.com/app/362800/Cadence/ 
Playtopia 2025 Showcased Games
https://playtopiafestival.co.za/games-2025/
 
https://secretlives.games 
https://discord.gg/tslog
https://www.patreon.com/tslog

Rob and Zach chat with Joonas Turner (Downwell, Noita, Cult of the Lamb), Jukio Kallio (Fall Guys, Minit, Dave the Diver), and Jan Willem "JW" Nijman (Super Crate Box, Ridiculous Fishing, Minit) about their landmark twin-stick wasteland shooter, Nuclear Throne, and its recent blowout 10th anniversary update. They discuss reopening a project after a decade, balancing through play, the decision to not implement traditional invincibility frames, the shifting culture of what makes a design "engaging," and more!
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway
Discussed in this episode:
Nuclear Throne
https://nuclearthrone.com/
Controls You Can Feel: Putting Tactility Back Into Touch Controls
https://youtu.be/OIOitNx9RHI?si=vcV3GCcsiy1W4Efr
Spelunky
https://www.spelunkyworld.com/ 
Shoot First
https://www.indiedb.com/games/shoot-first
Crimsonland
https://www.crimsonland.com/
Downwell
https://downwellgame.com/ 
Tormentor x Punisher
https://tormentorxpunisher.com/
PAPERHEAD
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2680280/PAPERHEAD/ 
Jukio's Bandcamp
https://jukiokallio.bandcamp.com/
 
https://secretlives.games 
https://discord.gg/tslog
https://www.patreon.com/tslog

We're joined by droqen (The End of Gameplay, Starseed Pilgrim), Liz Ryerson (musician, writer, podcaster), and Harry Lee Shang Lun (Earthrise One) for the third title in our year of All Systems Brough, a year-long exploration of the work of Michael Brough: Kompendium. 
This episode: Kompendium
Next Month: Zaga-33
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.
Discussed in this episode:
Kompendium
https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/06/kompendium.html 
868-BACK (Next Fest demo on February 23rd, 2026!)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3304110/868BACK/ 
Michael Brough's Website
https://www.smestorp.com/ 
Liz's talk at boshi's place (Brooklyn, NYC | February 19th, 2026)
https://boshis.place/events/26-02-20-boshi-s-lecture-series-presents-liz-ryerson
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2702430653
Harry's work
https://hellothisismy.website/work/ 
Kompendium IGF judge feedback
https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/04/kompendium-igf-feedback.html
Mutual learning blog post
https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/04/mutual-learning-aesthetic-for.html 
Metagaming: Playing, Competing, Spectating, Cheating, Trading, Making, and Breaking Videogames by Stephanie Boluk and Patrick LeMieux
https://www.upress.umn.edu/9780816687169/metagaming/
Multicolor Alien Olympic
https://www.glorioustrainwrecks.com/node/2970 
Glitch Tank
https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2011/12/glitch-tank.html 
Being good at Glitch Tank blog post
https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2013/05/being-good-at-glitch-tank.html 
At a Distance by Terry Cavanagh
https://distractionware.com/atadistance/
Brough on iOS sale numbers
https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/06/ios-sale-numbers.html 
Garbage In, Garbage Out
https://jonathanwhiting.com/games/garbagein/press.html 
Exuberant Struggle
http://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2011/02/exuberant-struggle.html 
Brough writing on zero sum nature of 1v1 games
https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2011/10/two-player-lessons.html 
TIGSource Versus Competition 
https://www.tigsource.com/versus-competition/ 
TIGSource Versus Competition Rules
https://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=17083.0 
TIGSource Versus Competition 2011 Voting
https://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=18424.0 
TIGSource Versus Competition 2011 Winner (0space by Beau)
https://www.tigsource.com/2011/03/31/tigcompo-winner-0space/ 
0space itch download
https://teknopants.itch.io/0space 
Jesus vs Dinosaurs
https://grapefrukt.itch.io/jesus-vs-dinosaurs 
The Impossible Reversal by Peter McDonald
https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517916220/the-impossible-reversal/ 
Run and Jump: The Meaning of the 2D Platformer
https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262547390/run-and-jump/ 
A Is To B As B Is To C
https://bocpages.org/wiki/A_Is_To_B_As_B_Is_To_C
Chesh
https://www.damiansgames.com/chesh 
Brough's blog post about O
https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/10/o.html 
Brough on the new year (circa 2012)
https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-year-cleansing.html 
Side By Side S1 E3: Kompendium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWScEl_DbpM 
Earthrise One
https://www.earthrise.one/ 
Miscellaneous Two Player iPad Games
https://eriksvedang.wordpress.com/shoot/ 
https://rustymoyher.com/press/bloop/ 
 

https://secretlives.games/ 
https://discord.gg/tslog
https://www.patreon.com/tslog
https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow

Rob, Doug, Andy, and Sarah chat with Gabe Cuzzillo (Ape Out, Despelote) and Bennett Foddy (Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, QWOP) about their (with Maxi Boch) latest game, the multi-IGF-nominated open-world hard-walking manchild simulator Baby Steps. We discuss the game's in-house approach to voice acting, balancing challenge with humor, creating (and hiding) a looping environment, telling an honest story about masculinity, including explicit content without getting banned from Steam, rock curation, secrets, and so much more!
Audio edited by Dylan Shumway
Discussed in this episode:
Baby Steps
https://www.babystepsgame.com/
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111942/
My Summer Car
https://store.steampowered.com/app/516750/My_Summer_Car/
zk map (for stranger)
https://www.glorioustrainwrecks.com/node/11388 
La belle noiseuse (1991)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101428/
Kelly Reichardt
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0716980/
Perfect Days (2023)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27503384/
The Taste of Things (2023)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19760052/
NYU Game Center Lecture Series Presents Jane Ng
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yWIoRuwpm0 
DESPELOTE: FIFTH TRAILER (now on nintendo switch)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MXKlgMZ3Jc
The Love That Remains (2025)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33381401/
Solo (Australian ad) 1983
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCkz0JsaU8k
Solo Man ad, Australia 1986
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T3RS78Tp58
Solo (Australian ad) 1984
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_1nZZrv8aU 
Frog Detective 3
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1171320/Frog_Detective_3_Corruption_at_Cowboy_County/ 

https://secretlives.games 
https://discord.gg/tslog
https://www.patreon.com/tslog