E6 // Mass Effect vs Dragon Age: Origins - Debating Bioware's Design Strategy

Welcome back one and all it has been a WHILE! I've added to the que my talk with God of War youtuber Kaptain Kuba to discuss the upcoming plot of God of War Ragnarok. How do YOU think the new norse series will end?  To listen on youtube click below: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEvNGwLX3AKUAZRwTqrhhSQ?view_as=subscriber   00:00 Introducing KUBA!  8:00 - Heading to Egypt? 16:00 - Ragnarok Game Theories 23:00 - Ragnarok Plot Explanations Thor Ect.. 33:00 - Is 40 Hours too Long? 39:00 - Will Kratos DIE in Ragnarok?  50:00- How will Ragnarok End?

It's great to be excited about video games but not at the expense of the people who develop them. A tid bit of new information on Cyberpunk 2077 has been released from a recent Game Informer Podcast. They suggest that the cycle of "Crunch" and more accurately the reporting of it has been overblown. Even suggesting that several developers couldn't feel pride in the accomplishment of their game being release due to the public focuses so much on Crunch. Myself and Labour Studios PhD Christo Aivalis discuss the implications of this statement how why the perceived excitement or HYPE for a game should never out weigh accurately criticizing it. Game Informer Podcast Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwqCBCj9TVk&t=3567s Christo Podcast Show: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs9-XIXPfAF465u3OVdMILg  

We are a couple weeks away from the release of The Last of Us 2 - one of the most anticipated games of the year/decade/generation BUT Naughty Dog has been accused of some regrettable business practices cited below. Considering this, how do you justify with yourself buying/playing this new blockbuster? Kotaku article on the abuse - https://kotaku.com/as-naughty-dog-crunches-on-the-last-of-us-ii-developer-1842289962 More coverage of The Last Of Us Part 2 - https://bit.ly/2YeSwgK Subscribe Here! http://bit.ly/VideoGameSophistrySub For Video Game Sophistry- Twitter: https://twitter.com/VGSophistry  

There’s not a single game franchise that is more emblematic than Dragon Age, originating over 10 years ago - the series has jumped from engine to engine, play style to play style but that one pervading story of Thedas continues on…. Today, Video Game Sophistry, Ghildirthalen, and Jackdaw have collaborated together to figure out every, single piece of data, rumour, or passing picture that may contribute to what we know as Dragon Age 4 from the last 5 years….Let’s go through it all and figure out everything there is to know about the game shall we? ---Links--- Andy//Video Game Sophistry -Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEvNGwLX3AKUAZRwTqrhhSQ -Twitter:https://twitter.com/VGSophistry -Dialogue Wheel Podcast: https://dialoguewheel.podbean.com/ Caitie//Ghildirthalen -Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GhilDirthalen -Twitter: https://twitter.com/GhilDirthalen Jack//Jackdaw -Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBH4QNo5dKDSoQ29TEHqiRg -Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackdawJournal -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jackdaw-100572778108134/

The Outer Worlds is set in a utopian world, in the far reaches of space that has a late capitalism problem. Many of the critiques of the 'gilded age' in our history are retrofitted for this new magical world of discover. One of the most effective ways to inform us of this rot is through art design.  I spoke with Terry Hess, Lead/Senior Environment Artist on The Outer Worlds about emergent story telling and how The Outer Worlds tells you what to feel without telling you what to feel.  The Outer Worlds' Condemnation of Capitalism Told Through Art Design | Dialogue Wheel  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1tIJcypxQo

My radio show is back! I decided to jump back into the world of video game radio for 2020 - enjoy some shows before I start up in earnest. I spoke with lead writer for Dragon Age Patrick Weekes years ago about how the enigmatic character Solas was created, here is what that magic elf could have up his sleeve for us in Dragon Age 4. The Story Behind Solas with Patrick Weekes | Dialogue Wheel https://youtu.be/aFx1nCdZFjw

The conceit of “Ethics in Video Game Journalism,” was used by bad faith actors to malign progressive video game journalists under the guise of intellectual freedom. This same practice has been writ large and encompasses most of the current North American political spectrum. I’m joined this week by Waypoint Senor Reporter, Patrick Klepek who found himself involved in the Gamer Gate saga so many years ago. What is the current state of video game journalism? What part does Youtube play in adjusting the narrative into 2019?

No. Unless it was part of a collective bargaining agreement with your union……Surprisingly, I found some other people that disagree with this praxis. Andy, Matt and Anton talk Rockstar Games and their kerfuffle with labour laws and the making of Red Dead Redemption 2.   If something is your passion should you sacrifice your health? Are Video Games becoming frankly, too big to NOT have human suffering? Does anyone really care about horse ball physics?   NYMAG:http://www.vulture.com/2018/10/the-making-of-rockstar-games-red-dead-redemption-2.html Kotaku: https://kotaku.com/rockstar-qa-studio-with-hardest-crunch-told-today-that-1829876472 Game Workers Unite: https://www.gameworkersunite.org/get-involved IGDA: https://www.igda.org/

God of War has taken over VGS. Andy Borkowski and Zac Fanni take a moment to actually find out how the depiction of Norse Mythology compares to the real thing.  In classic Dialogue Wheel moment, Zac and Andy debate the merits of God of War’s storytelling. Is Kratos really a “GOOD” Father? Did this game fail at its central conceit?

Which Franchise is the Perfect Embodiment of Bioware’s Design Strategy? We begin with an extensive debate on Mass Effect 1 vs Dragon Age Origins - NOT to determine which game is BETTER or the BEST but which franchise from the beginning the better embodiment of Bioware's design strategy - join us.