In our first official collab (part 2), in this episode of Pod Culture Oz we are joined by Tom (aka Robots) from the Fallout Lorecast as we discuss MMOs for World Peace and how gaming is depicted in popular media.
In this episode we look at the how gamers used the internet to build an international community, and how gaming culture went mainstream in the 2000s. We also explore how the windows and mirrors theory by Rudine Sims Bishops applies to gamers, and look at the ‘Critical Role effect’.
You can listen to this episode on our website, or you can subscribe on on Anchor.FM, Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Guest Host
Tom / Robots: The Fallout Lorecast and Robots Radio Network – our guest host on this episode. Check out his stuff, it is awesome!
Timestamps:
- 0:00 – Introduction
- 1:15 – Building an international community of gamers
- 4:52 – Gamers go mainstream
- 12:22 – Flipping the narrative
- 16:43 – Windows and mirrors theory in gaming
- 23:27 – The Critical Role Effect in gaming
- 46:06 – Outro
Books we discuss
- Blackburn, Jolly. Knights of the Dinner Table
- Burlew, Rich. Order of the Stick webcomic
- Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games
- Corey, James S.A.. The Expanse novel series
- Elton, Ben. Popcorn
- Holkins, Jerry, and Mike Krahulik. Penny Arcade web comic
- Kawahara, Reki. Sword Art Online (light novels)
- Palahmuik, Chuck. Lullaby (discusses laugh tracks)
- Phillips, Andrea, Maurice Broaddus, Jacqueline Koyanagi, and E.C. Myers. Alternis. (NOTE: This has now been re-titled Ctrl-Alt-Destroy) Narrated by Summer Glau. A Serial Box Production. Serial Box has now been re-branded Realm.
- Sims Bishop, Rudine. Windows, Mirrors and Sliding Glass Doors
- Stross, Charles. A Colder War
- Wu, Tim. The Attention Merchants
Movies & TV shows we discuss
- Battle Royale
- The Big Bang Theory
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (tv show)
- Critical Role
- Dungeons and Dragons (cartoon)
- The Expanse
- GOLD: The Series
- The Guild
- Guns Akimbo
- High Score
- Homestar Runner (net cartoon)
- Live!
- Natural Born Killers
- Nerve
- Sense8
- Series 7: The Contenders
- Stranger Things
- Sword Art Online (anime)
- Traveller
Games we discuss
- Burning Wheel
- Call of Cthulhu
- Cyberpunk
- Dungeons and Dragons
- Fallout 76
- Guildwars 2
- Lord of the Rings Online
- John Madden Football
- Overwatch
- Phasmaphobia
- Portal
- Rolemaster (the BEST roleplaying system – try 2nd Edition aka Rolemaster Classic! You won’t regret it.)
Other links:
- Illich, Ivan. Shadow Work
- Libraries Publishing / University of Minnesota. ‘The Impact of Video Games on Culture’, in Understanding Media and Culture. Understanding Media and Culture by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
- Langum, Christolph. Critical Role’s “Mercer Effect” Explained (& How It Hurts D&D) on Screenrant
- Paez, Danny. How Gaming turned a Hindu concept into the internet’s most common feature.
- Pop Culture Detective. The Adorkable Myysogyny of The Big Bang Theory
- Wu, Tim. In praise of mediocrity in the New York Times