Stephen Hilger on the State of Video Game Discourse

Today's all about 2025's Game Awards! Who won, what got announced, and why was Divinity so disgusting? As I mention in the episode: I think going into this year's show treating it like "Winter Game Fest" was a much better move for my own enjoyment — and it created a show I felt generally decent about all things considered. There's still a lot to be critical of, but I found myself digging the show for the first time in years!Additional Reading: VGC on the Winners: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/the-game-awards-2025-complete-list-of-winners-as-clair-obscur-wins-game-of-the-year-and-sets-a-new-record-for-awards-won/Gio's Interview with Bruce Straley: https://www.polygon.com/coven-of-the-chicken-foot-game-awards-announcement/

Hello and welcome back to the show! It's been a light few weeks news-wise so I wanted to dig into some thoughts about Sektori and my first 90 minutes of the long-anticipated Metroid Prime 4: Beyond through the lens of game analysis and crit.Before the end of the episode, we'll all be PC gamers.---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---⏆

Hello! Thank you so much for being here, I am grateful for you. This week's a shorter one because my body won't let me talk for more than 15 minutes, but I wanted to shout out two GOTy-contender games I've been absolutely loving this week:The first is Sektori, — a twin-stick arcade shooter with the aesthetic of Geometry Wars by an ex-Housemarque alum.The second is Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved — a Famicom Detective Club-inspired mystery with gorgeous art, music, and stellar writing.Both have been healing me.

Welcome back to Wavelengths! This week's main topic is about the nominees for 2025's TGAs, how weird they are, and how weird my feelings about the award show have become over the years. I also talk a bit about my own GOTY prep, some games I've been playing recently, and my thoughts a week out from the reveal of the Steam Machine.Additional reading: https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/nov/11/future-class-gamings-oscars-game-awards---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---⏆

Valve announced three products this week: A new controller, a new VR headset, and a new gaming console. This week's episode of Wavelengths is all about the interplay between these three devices and the thing that not only literally links them all together, but makes Valve's decade-long push towards making the PC gaming experience more approachable even work in the first place. ---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---⏆

Hello and welcome back to Wavelengths! This week my guest is Stephen Hilger — my co-host on Into the Aether, a great artist and writer, and creator of the YouTube channel Memory Card Manuscript. I brought Stephen on to discuss a question sent in by a listener about the current hyper-polarization of video game discourse, from how to navigate algorithm-led spaces to not letting the media consume define your authentic being.It's a far-reaching conversation, and I hope it's as interesting, thought provoking, and engaging for you as it was for me. Find Stephen on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stephenhilger.bsky.socialAnd YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@memorycardmanuscript---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---⏆

Welcome back to the show, folks. I recorded this one early as I'll be traveling to see family for most of the week, so apologies for not including any Animal Crossing news here! The short version: I'm excited about it! What I did talk about was suddenly being inundated with three handhelds at once: The Miyoo Mini Flip, the MCON, and the AYN Thor. All three are hotly anticipated devices I had planned on reviewing separately, but now all three are in an attention-feud with one another. I talk a little bit about what all three devices represent and how I'm thinking about them going into my review process.

Welcome back to the show! Unfortunately Xbox can't stop dominating the news cycle, so I dug a bit into their next, priecier console and apparently-strategic lack of exclusive games. Afterwards I felt like I needed to dig back into my feeling about Pokemon Legends Z-A having played a lot more since giving some first impressions last week.Xbox's 30 Percent Mandate: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-23/microsoft-pushes-xbox-studios-to-hit-higher-profit-marginsPost Games: https://pod.link/1815131711---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths1:05 - Zero Days Since Last Talked About Xbox19:55 - Nintendo Switch 2 Games29:05 - Even More About Pokemon Legends Z-A---⏆

Welcome back to the show! This week I can't NOT talk about Xbox again — sorry!! But also I gush about Ball x Pit and dig into my (very) early impressions of Pokemon Legends Z-A before talking through the huge Pokemon roadmap leak that hit the internet earlier this week. Pokemon Leaks: https://twistedvoxel.com/pokemon-leak-reveals-upcoming-games-through-2030-canceled-titles-beta-builds/---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths4:15 - Ball x Pit Good12:21 - ROG Xbox Ally Reviews are out26:06 - Pokemon All the Way Down48:45 - Listener Questions!---⏆

Nintendo is making movies, theme parks, and aligning their games with other multimedia experiences in a way that screams Corporate Synergy Opportunities™ — the kind that board members go absolutely gaga over.On today's episode of Wavelengths, I tackle that along with some updates about Xbox and my experience playing the Resident Evil Requiem demo at New York Comic Con!