Lovegames - Episode 4: A Better Toaster (Florence)

Venturing into the mobile space, this week Lauren and Lucy take a blushing, sidelong glance at episodic romance title The Arcana. Although not quite as fancy as tarot, fortune-telling or tentacles, they do a deep dive into The Arcana's mobile game retention, exploring A-B testing, CPI vs. LTV and a bunch of other mobile game metrics you never knew had an acronym. 

Lucy and Lauren tackle the dated enigma that is The Witcher 1 this week, to the tune of thrills, spills and vampire orgies. From the 'gotta catch 'em all' sex trading cards, to Geralt's lizard face, to animated booty bumping, this episode has got a little somethin' for everyone.

This week, Lauren sits down for a wholesome chat with Emily Grace Buck (@emilybuckshot) about her work designing narrative at Telltale Games! Join us for a rollercoaster interview that covers anything from the importance of fanfiction to creators, bagels, and how to give players meaningful agency in games romance.

Kate Gray (@hownottodraw) appears as our first industry guest on the Lovegames podcast! Lauren and Lucy sit down for a chat with Kate about her journey through the games industry, her journalistic contributions to romance and sex in games, and whether or not we should have a character creator that lets you design a two-foot-high slimeball.

BDSM, Qunari and templars - oh my! This week, the hotly requested Dragon Age: Inquisition goes under scrutiny by the Lovegames team, including some even hotter hot takes on certain party members and plot decisions. Lauren and Lucy take a look at the mechanical feasibility of complex romances, the appeal of certain routes in the game, and discover Solas doesn't like tea (which is basically just nature juice, by the way).

Dip your toes back into the heady waters of the 2000s with the nostalgic combo of Emily is Away and its spiritual successor, Emily is Away Too! Despite being thoroughly bamboozled by the American education system, Lauren and Lucy navigate some interesting subversions of player agency, loud PC noises and examine why the confronting relationships of these two narrative games are so relatable.

Dating can be for anyone, even the ethereal! This week on Lovegames, Lauren and Lucy have a chat about Copychaser Games' Speed Dating For Ghosts, which is pretty much exactly what it says on the box. From clarinet players to heist masterminds, there's a date - or a friend - for every ghost.

Lovegames is back after a short hiatus with a bumper episode all about sex education within games! Lauren & Lucy dive awkwardly into their own first experiences of sex education in and outside of games, while taking a look at a wide range of titles dealing with a number of sex education topics such as transmission of STIs and consent. There's a yeti.

Mobile romance narrative title Florence goes under the lens on Lovegames this week, with a nightmare run of games conferences out of the way! Lauren and Lucy gush over wordless game design, creative diegetic mobile controls and whether or not Krish gets to keep his ratty cricket bat. 

In a special GDC week episode, Doki Doki Literature Club goes under the magnifying glass in a surprising turn for Lovegames! Lauren and Lucy take you through a discussion on fourth wall romance, meta horror and the delicate nature of mental illness narratives.