S4: Room 4 - Off the Beaten Path

Side quests and collectibles are things that often get overlooked when analyzing games. The boys aim to change that by shining a spotlight on some of the things games do right and wrong when it comes to optional content in gaming.*(This episode is optional viewership and is not required to remain up-to-date on the current goings-on of the Backrooms Cinematic Universe)*

After 6 months of absence, the boys are *finally back* (heard that before) and ready for another round of group therapy.Life has gotten more complicated for all of us since our last episode, so we figured now would be the best time to check in with each other as good friends should. As it happens, we found out that mental health can actually DECLINE if we don't continue taking proper care of ourselves! But what does that look like?Sit back, and relax, cause you're about to find out...

Tutorials can be awesome, but they can also be suck-tacular. They can be brief, or overly drawn-out. They can sometimes hold your hand, and they can sometimes be Dark Souls. The one thing that most games have in common is that they each have one, even if you might not realize that it's there. In today's episode, the boys use what *some* might call "QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS" to determine how different games approach teaching new players their mechanics, as well as engage in a broader discussion about how we as individuals go about learning. I hope we teach you a thing or two...

The boys are back for Sub-Level 4 of the Backrooms Podcast!! In a industry hyper-saturated with dime-a-dozen button mashers and mindless time killers, there are a growing number of games that tower above the masses as narrative "blockbusters" nearly fit for showtimes at your local AMC! But do games need to have Oscar-worthy levels of storytelling to be enjoyable, or is it fine to just switch our brains off and get lost in the flow of a great gameplay loop? Join us in the first episode of this new season of somewhat intelligent and barely engaging game analysis, and you may hopefully find an answer! (no guarantees)

Last year, the boys dived into their personal mental health journeys. We received a ton of positive support on that episode, and if we had helped even just one person listening, we consider it worth doing again. In today's episode, the boys talk about how our interaction with media can shape the way we perceive the world and our place within it. Not only this, but also the phenomenon of which viewing the end of a series, can feel like the loss of a close friend. The United States has transitioned away from the 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to 988 - an easy-to-remember three-digit number for 24/7 crisis care. In the UK, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is open from 6:00pm to midnight every day on 0800 689 5652.

In 2015, 343 decided it was in the players' best interest to remove local co-op capabilities from Halo 5: Guardians. This was the beginning of the end of gaming with your friends together in the same room. Nowadays, AAA games tend not to support local multiplayer, so the boys decided to take a trip down memory lane in the oh-so distant past of before 2007.

We are retconning our first episode; it is no longer cannon. But unfortunately, we have to deal with poorly executed plotlines; some so bad, that even one of the greatest experiences can be ruined by its own writers.

Even though the sentient ADHD hivemind comes & takes over the conversation as usual, we like to believe we were able to take the time to discuss & reflect on the experiences of single player gaming & all that comes with it. Are story-driven titles taking a backseat to multiplayer experiences? Is single player gaming dead? Am I a lonely individual? Maybe, but come join & find out!

For a while now, everything has become a service model, and thus the "as a service" mantra is everywhere. From "Software as a service" to now "Games as a service." Come join us in a completely all-over-the-place stream of thought on how this, audience retention, & adaptation to change all have culminated into what the Entertainment industry is today. Like seriously, how'd we go from map packs to Battle passes??

Indie Games have been rising in popularity over the past few years, & this is a great trend to see. Nowadays, the boys feel as if the creativity we see in the industry is only offered by the independent developers. Concepts, mechanics, design, & stories that offer a more unique experience are more likely to be found in this space.