InRetroSpect Podcast » Digital Wanderlust

Digital Wanderlust: Drake’s Epic Stunt Spectacular

Strider — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:00:43 +0000

This month, Kris leaps into the first in the Uncharted series, comparing it to a famous stunt show featuring a certain whip-cracking archaeologist. How similar are the two and how is this reflected in the level design of Drake’s Fortune?

Video footage of the Stunt show can be found here.

Digital Wanderlust: What, Arkham did?

Strider — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:00:33 +0000

“Madness is the emergency exit. You can just step outside, and close the door on all those dreadful things that happened. You can lock them away… forever.”

The Joker Batman: The Killing Joke

This month Kris enters Arkham Asylum to see how its inmates cast it as a sufferer of dissociative identity disorder, turning to both Rocksteady Games’ Batman Arkham Asylum and Grant Morrison and Dave McKean’s Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. What will he find there and will it cost him his sanity?

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,

LOVESCAPES: Pride & Embarrassment

Strider — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:00:43 +0000

Romantic Love. Just why is it so difficult to get right in gaming? Kris, joined by Pete, Sam and Dan attempt to answer this question, finding out what has worked, what hasn’t and why. Go listen!

Digital Wanderlust: “Grandmother what a big path you have!”

Strider — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:20 +0000

Strider kicks off 2012 with a jaunt down Tale of Tales The Path, experiencing something that changes his perception of videogaming and took him to an uncomfortable place.

This podcast contains adult themes and is not suitable for children.

You can find The Path here.

Its awesome soundtrack here.

The Freeplay episode in which we discussed The Graveyard, another release from Tale of Tales.

The Digital Wanderlust music is ‘Threads’ provided by Andy Kelly

Digital Wanderlust: FOODSCAPES: May Contain Nuts

Strider — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 12:00:40 +0000

In this episode Kris looks at the relationship between food and gaming calling upon his colleagues at InRetroSpect and Sinan Kubba from Big Red Potion. What do gamers like to eat? How does food effect our playing of games? And why does Portal have cake in it? Find out.

Warning, make sure you have eaten before listening.

Pete’s Sinner Sushi:

Sam’s Radioactive Toad in the Hole:

Dan’s Steak of Rage:

Sinan’s Rainbow Risotto:

You can hear more from Sinan at Big Red Potion and Freeplay. If you feel a need for a bit of exercise, why not listen to Sam’s ‘Witness the Fitness’?

Digital Wanderlust: Flow(er)

Strider — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:00:40 +0000

Have you ever been ‘in the zone’ or ‘in the moment’? In this month’s Digital Wanderlust Strider applies Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of ‘flow’ to Flower to look at how it facilitates creativity through relaxation and challenge. Go with the flow.

Featuring an extract from Aleas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjliwSJGDiU

Digital Wanderlust: Imaginopolis – The Inbetween City

Strider — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 11:00:46 +0000

This month Strider travels to a place that sits between his child and adulthood, between imagination and reality, between a game and a program. Its been nearly 16 years since he last visited the place … what memories did he leave behind in Microsoft 3D Movie Maker? Find out…

Digital Wanderlust: Laughscapes: The Shortest Distance Between Two Gamers

Strider — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:00:16 +0000

This month Strider tackles the tricky subject of comedy in gaming – just why is it so hard to get right? Will InRetroSpect’s very own comedians Xero, Balaenidae and Marconi have the answer? Find out by giving it a listen and playing the slideshow above.

Warning! May not be suitable for children.

Digital Wanderlust: The Layers of the Rings Part III: The Return of the King

Strider — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:00:16 +0000

In the epic final chapter of The Layers of the Rings Strider travels from Helm’s Deep to Mordor taking a surprising detour around the West-Midlands, once again examining the varying layers of the book, the film and the game.

Bibliography:

Brodie, I. (2003) The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook, London: Harper Collins.

Electronic Arts. (2003) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, PS2: Electronic Arts.

Jackson, P. (2004) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Extended Version,DVD, New Line Cinema.

Shore, H. (2006) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: The Complete Recordings, CD: Reprise.

Shore, H. (2007) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: The Complete Recordings, CD: Reprise.

Tolkien, J.R.R. (1999) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, London: Harper Collins.

Tolkien, J.R.R. (1999b) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, London: Harper Collins.

Digital Wanderlust: FEARSCAPES – It’s All in the Game

Strider — Fri, 20 May 2011 11:00:21 +0000

In this month’s episode Strider explores the ways in which gaming can make us afraid by examining what is it exactly that makes a scary game and can it help gamers face their fears. Pete, Sam, Dan and Paul, once again join him on his journey revealing their fears and the scariest games they’ve played. In addition to this we have two special guests, Colin and Richard, two games developers from Gaming By Design. What’s your scariest game or level? Let us know below.

Relevant shows: InRetroSolid Part I, DREAMSCAPES,

For the record, Paul’s chosen game was in fact Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

Capcom. (2005) ‘The Making of Resident Evil 4‘, [DVD],Capcom.

Electronic Arts. (2008). ‘Dead Space: Scare Factor‘, Electronic Arts.

Fun TV. (2001) ‘The Making of Silent Hill 2‘, Silent Hill 2 (Original European Edition), Konami.

Times Staff. (2004) ‘What happens when we’re scared’, St. Petersburg Times.

Digital Wanderlust: The Layers of the Rings Part II: The Two Towers

Strider — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:00:04 +0000

Strider continues his epic journey through the varying layers of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, examining the journey from book to game, this time focusing on The Two Towers. What connects a certain Scottish play to Fangorn Forest?

FrostieD’s superb visualisation of this show can be found here.

Bibliography:

Brodie, I. (2003) The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook, London: Harper Collins

Electronic Arts. (2002) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, PS2: Electronic Arts.

GamespotUk. (2002) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Jackson, P. (2003) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Extended Version,DVD, New Line Cinema.

Shore, H. (2006) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: The Complete Recordings, CD: Reprise.

Tolkien, J.R.R. (1999) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, London: Harper Collins.

Digital Wanderlust: DREAMSCAPES – Do Gamers Dream Of Digital Sheep?

Strider — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:00:41 +0000

In this month’s episode Strider explores the dreaming landscape of the gamer, examining the relationship between dreams and video games and observing how it is changing the evolution of our subconscious.

So how does game playing affect our dreaming? To find out Strider interviews Xero, Marconi, FrostieD and Balaenidae to find out what it is they dream about. The results are quite surprising! Give it a listen and let us know your thoughts below.

It is important to note that the ‘interpretations’ made in this podcast are for fun, offering possibilities rather than confirmations and raising questions rather than providing answers. Dreams by their very nature are slippery things and as a consequence are difficult to grasp and indeed analyse particularly in a secondary reading.

Have a look at the questionnaire results, and let us know below what you dream about!
Have a looksy at a documentary about Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis and The Interpretation of Dreams
Liked Inception? Watch the superb documentary presented by Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Dreams: Cinema of the Subconscious
Have a play of Mind Crime in which you have to design an urban dream maze to hide from projections.
Have a go at interpreting your dreams.
Visit the International Association for the Study of Dreams.

Bibliography:

Belic, R. (2010) ‘Dreams: Cinema of the Subconscious’, Inception, DVD, Warner Brothers.

Dreammoods, (2010) Dreammoods, [online] http://www.dreammoods.com/ [18 March 2011]

Gackenbach, J. (2008) ‘The Relationship Between Perceptions of Video Game Flow and Strucutre’, Loading, vol.1.

Gackenbach, J. (2009) ‘Video Game Play and Consciousness Development: A Replication and Extension’ , International Journal of Dream Research, vol. 2, no.1.

Hurd, R. (2009) ‘The Science of Lucid Dreaming: The Electronic Media Effect’, Dreaming Lucid, [online] http://www.dreaminglucid.com/articles/The%20Electronic%20Media%20Effect.pdf [18 March 2011]

Peretsman, N. (2008) ‘What happens to your body when you fall asleep?’, Science Line, [online] http://scienceline.org/2008/02/ask-peretsman-sleep/ [18 March 2011]

Zimmer, H. (2010) Inception: Music from the Motion Picture, CD: Reprise.

Digital Wanderlust: The Layers of the Rings Part I – The Fellowship of the Ring

Strider — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 18:00:22 +0000

Strider begins his longest journey yet, travelling through a book, two games, three films and around the world to examine the different landscapes of Middle-Earth. Part One of Three. As a special treat, thanks to a team up with those awesome folks at theonering.net we’ve got a vidcast version of this show.

Bibliography:

Brodie, I. (2003) The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook, London: Harper Collins

Electronic Arts. (2002) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, PS2: Electronic Arts.

GamespotUk. (2002) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, [online] http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/lordoftheringsthett/index.html [8 February 2011]

Jackson, P. (2002) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Version, DVD, New Line Cinema.

Shore, H. (2005) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: The Complete Recordings, CD: Reprise.

Tolkien, J.R.R. (1999) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, London: Harper Collins.

Tolkien, J.R.R. (1999b) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, London: Harper Collins.

Digital Wanderlust: Spyro The Luddite Dragon

Strider — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 18:00:41 +0000

This month Strider dusts off an old Christmas present, using Spyro the Dragon as a means to illustrate Neo-Luddism in gaming. Featuring extracts from the documentary ‘New Technology: Whose Progress?’

Digital Wanderlust: Parkour Painting

Strider — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:00:10 +0000

Do certain words trigger a colour for you? Do some sounds make you taste? When you think of the numbers one to ten, do you visualise them forming a particular shape? This month Strider puts Mirror’s Edge through its paces to see how synaesthesia can change our perception of psychogeography in videogames. Featuring extracts from the BBC Horizon documentary Derek Tastes of Earwax. To find if you have synaesthesia, take the test!!

Digital Wanderlust: The Console That Wasn’t There

Strider — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:00:08 +0000

This month Strider chooses the Red Pill and jacks into Enter the Matrix alongwith cyberpunk author William Gibson to see how digital landscapes can be hacked in a post-geographic world. Featuring an excerpt from Mark Neale’s documentary ‘No Maps For These Territories’

Digital Wanderlust: A Journey Around The Crimson Room.

Strider — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 17:00:45 +0000

This month Digtal Wanderlust turns to the world of books in a bid to make sense of psychogoegraphy and videogames. With new flatmate, French writer Xavier De Maistre, Strider attempts to escape the Crimson Room, all without leaving his actual one. Enjoy.

The Crimson Room can be played HERE

Digital Wanderlust: Middle of Honor

Strider — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:00:05 +0000

After crash landing back on earth Strider gets into a tight space with psycho-historian Henri Ebel, examining Medal of Honor in a bid to see if the claustrophobic ‘wall of criticism’ surrounding Germany at the end of WWI has found its way into gaming.

Digital Wanderlust: Escape Velocity?

Strider — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:00:20 +0000

After fleeing the law in Liberty City, Strider escapes to a galaxy far far away. With his resilient Ratchet (Clinical Psychologist Avner Faulk) and his trusty Clank (Marconi) Digital Wanderlust boldly goes where no one has gone before in a bid to see whether it is possible to truly escape mother earth.

Digital Wunderlust: Under The Pixels, The Beach

Strider — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 12:00:21 +0000

With our feet back on terra firma, Strider and French Marxist theorist Guy Debord take us on a drift through Liberty City “The Worst Place in America”, to find its places of interest. Is it possible to play Grand Theft Auto 3 without breaking the law? Find out in the latest episode of Digital Wanderlust.

Digital Wanderlust: It’s Hard To Be Up When You’re Up

Strider — Wed, 19 May 2010 16:00:40 +0000

I can see the pub from ‘ere! From walking along the mosquito biting plains of Bolivia, Strider now teams up with French sociologist Michel de Certeau in the second of a series of podcasts, this time examining the digital city from the omnipresent views of the sky above our heads, as he takes Sim City into his care. What could psycho-geography say about this one? Avoid listening if scared of heights…

Featured music by A Fine Day For Sailing

and more by Strider just a click or a tweet (@DigitalStrider) away!

InRetroSpect is not responsible for content on external sites.

Digital Wanderlust: The Interpretation Of Tomb Raiding

Strider — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:00:32 +0000

Why do we explore? Strider puts Tomb Raider on the psychoanalyst’s couch in the first of a series of walks that attempts to answer this question. Featuring music from ‘A Fine Day For Sailing’.