Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games

Laura, Rob, and Sarah chat with Adam Robinson-Yu about The Annual Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival, a communal and virtual festival experience hosted every ~October for the last six years. We discuss the logistics of running a seasonal multiplayer game, encouraging emergent interactions through limited tools, highlighting pumpkin artistry, expressing embodiment in digital space, building secrets over time, and more! NOTE: If you want to avoid spoilers of this year's additions to the game, skip the section from 1:12:40 to 1:22:00! Audio edited by Dylan Shumway Discussed in this episode: Ghost Town Pumpkin Festival https://adamgryu.itch.io/pumpkin-carver  Laura E. Hall's 31 Days of Halloween newsletter https://buttondown.com/31daysofhalloween  Adam's Itch https://adamgryu.itch.io/  Adam's Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/adamgryu.bsky.social https://eggplant.show/  https://discord.gg/eggplant  https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow  https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow 

Laura chats with Jeremy Johnston and Robin Ward about The Roottrees are Dead, their genealogy, murder-mystery, "static deduction" game. We discuss the development process of taking a jam prototype to full release, developing hints and systems that lead players to satisfying discoveries, and the taxonomy of games like The Roottrees are Dead and The Return of the Obra Dinn. Spoilers abound, so consider playing the game first before tuning in. Audio edited by Dylan Shumway   Discussed in this episode: The Roottrees are Dead (Steam) https://store.steampowered.com/app/2754380/The_Roottrees_are_Dead/   The Roottrees are Dead (itch.io – Global Game Jam entry) https://jjohnstongames.itch.io/the-roottrees-are-dead  Return of the Obra Dinn https://store.steampowered.com/app/653530/Return_of_the_Obra_Dinn/  Outer Wilds https://store.steampowered.com/app/753640/Outer_Wilds/  Her Story https://store.steampowered.com/app/368370/Her_Story/  Family https://owlskip-games.itch.io/family  Type Help https://william-rous.itch.io/type-help  The Rise of the Golden Idol https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716400/The_Rise_of_the_Golden_Idol/  Blue Prince https://store.steampowered.com/app/1569580/Blue_Prince/  Severance https://tv.apple.com/us/show/severance/umc.cmc.1srk2goyh2q2zdxcx605w8vtx  White Lotus https://www.max.com/shows/white-lotus/14f9834d-bc23-41a8-ab61-5c8abdbea505 Righteous Gemstones https://www.max.com/shows/righteous-gemstones/c3bd0a34-c4ce-4ca5-bd6c-820df7340671  Announcement: Eggplant Plays De Mol (2025 Season) https://eggplant.show/announcing-eggplant-plays-de-mol-2025-season  The Genius (Korean Game Show) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Genius_(TV_series)  Robin Ward's blog (links to socials included) https://eviltrout.com/  The Roottrees are Dead Discord server https://discord.com/invite/Z6Y5sE9Dgt  https://eggplant.show/ https://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by (most of) the developers of UFO 50 - Derek Yu, Jon Perry, Eirik Suhrke, Tyriq Plummer, and Paul Hubans - to close out our series with a project-spanning discussion of their development process, how they're feeling a year out from launch, and so much more. Next week: Who knows?? Audio edited by Dylan Shumway Discussed in this episode: 868-HACK https://868-hack.neocities.org/  Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games Presents: A Year of UFO 50 Finale Eggstravaganza - LIVE! Recording https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTHuGIU3wRI  Eggplant Merch! https://cottonbureau.com/people/eggplant-the-secret-lives-of-games-podcast   A Year of Block Koala https://redcircle.com/shows/4e5322d3-2ea6-42dc-bfb3-18a427384a68 Roguelike Celebration 2025 (Including Fireside Chat with Jon Perry!) https://www.roguelike.club/event2025.html   Time Barons https://www.time-barons.com/about.html   Middleditch and Schwartz https://www.middleditchandschwartz.com/  SPONTANEANATION with Paul F. Tompkins https://www.earwolf.com/show_archive/spontaneanation-with-paul-f-tompkins-archive/  Scrubbin' Trubble (Tyriq's upcoming game) https://scrubbintrubble.com/ Madhouse (Paul's upcoming game) https://store.steampowered.com/app/3727130/MADHOUSE/   UFO 50 Physical Edition https://www.fangamer.com/products/ufo-50-game-nintendo-switch-deluxe-edition  https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow  http://discord.gg/eggplant  https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

Full audio from our epic live series finale, packed with previous series guests, tarot readings, mad libs, touching listener letters, and so much more. Come laugh and cry with us, say goodbye to UFO 50, and hear what's next for Eggplant! Next week: Final interview with the UFO 50 recovery team! Audio edited by Dylan Shumway Discussed in this episode: Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games Presents: A Year of UFO 50 Finale Eggstravaganza - LIVE! Twitch VOD https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2569097617   Eggplant Merch! https://cottonbureau.com/people/eggplant-the-secret-lives-of-games-podcast    Zatoichi's YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@Zatoichi1962-m6v    Eggplant Party House Thread (for Gainsworthy's Party House of the Day challenge!) https://discord.com/channels/690388280767807518/1286353349817663519   The Beauty of Games by Frank Lantz https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262552950/the-beauty-of-games/    A Life Well Wasted https://alifewellwasted.com/    Beyond a Boundary by C. L. R. James https://www.dukeupress.edu/beyond-a-boundary    Jacques' Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jacquesnessmonster/   Sean's Portfolio http://seanfeeley.com/   Sean's Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/thebigfeel    Sounds from The Abyss mixes https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEdRlER1F5rGvaoE-XbV6jz6OymxQw4jx   Tim Follin - Chronos A Tapestry of Time theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2WgfEj_zjc&list=RDP2WgfEj_zjc&start_radio=1    Tim Follin - Ghouls and Ghosts Level 3  https://youtu.be/BTUD0XuXT8k?si=JpzOvQwBqS98v3EH    Martin Galway - Parallax Theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8LEA23R-Nc&list=RDA8LEA23R-Nc&start_radio=1     Stephane Picq - Gorbi (kgb)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z48ncQu5bh4&list=RDZ48ncQu5bh4&start_radio=1    Wladcy Ciemonski (lords of the darkness) theme by Leszek Holda  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1MlvwuZc74&list=RDv1MlvwuZc74&start_radio=1    Starship Rendezvous - Mysticism (Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata)  https://youtu.be/YAILyCJ63iQ?si=XAaP2aah_91U29Zj&t=575    Kaimei-In (Stage 4) [Tiger Road (Arcade)] - Harumi Fujita, Tamayo Kawamoto https://youtu.be/gGEG3DOnJlA?si=Kbii_9lz72OnOR0P&t=638    The Cartoncast  https://fancybat.com/cartoncast    https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis), and Steve Gillham (OzymandiasAV) to discuss [REDACTED] hidden within the UFO 50 collection. Massive spoilers ahead! Next week: Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games Presents: A Year of UFO 50 Finale Eggstravaganza - LIVE!(Airing live on Wednesday, September 17th, 2025 at 7:30pm CST at https://www.twitch.tv/eggplantshow) Audio edited by Dylan Shumway Discussed in this episode: Eggplant Merch! https://cottonbureau.com/people/eggplant-the-secret-lives-of-games-podcast  FuryForged – What dark secrets hide beneath the surface of UFO 50? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__FyJ-Obu9E UFO 50 WRITE-UP v2 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yuVnnJDmKKGrlTIGVn1Zykp9Tpn4rthGFei1gztRAN4/edit?tab=t.0  MAPPING MUSIC TO MIAS https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kvdqYzJCO16-UAZV5tkTIrltzEOcQjQV/mobilepresent?slide=id.g30af015f402_0_0  MRMACDUGGAN'S GAME LORE SHEET https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JqOjkGkXjoRvE_uE-nc4bTfFOzcudvKP3WDanGdaio0/edit?gid=2032987708#gid=2032987708 TERMINAL 101 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Y2gHxlxKlm2jyTIY_7QoNOF6iUjhvfWnOO6mIy6P-H8/edit?gid=0#gid=0  Exeter Book Riddles https://oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/exeter-book-riddles/  Mushroomy Kingdom  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhNgQ16s-u8  Deadly Premonition OST – Life is Beautiful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzvXBFwcyek Yume Nikki https://store.steampowered.com/app/650700/Yume_Nikki/  Undertale https://undertale.com/ Off https://offtherpg.com/ Space Funeral the First https://thecatamites.itch.io/space-funeral Ib https://vgperson.com/games/ib.htm Petscop https://www.youtube.com/petscop UFO 50 Bandcamp https://phlogiston.bandcamp.com/album/ufo-50 Miasma Tower Bandcamp https://phlogiston.bandcamp.com/album/miasma-tower B3313 Mario 64 Mod https://b3313.fandom.com/wiki/B3313  Has anyone else seen this in miasma tower? i dont know how exactly to trigger it https://www.reddit.com/r/ufo50/comments/1guzkfu/has_anyone_else_seen_this_in_miasma_tower_i_dont/  The Grasshopper (and "Words on Play")  https://broadviewpress.com/product/the-grasshopper-third-edition/#tab-description Glider (Conway's Game of Life) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glider_(Conway%27s_Game_of_Life) Eric Zimmerman Manifesto: The 21st Century Will Be Defined By Games  https://kotaku.com/manifesto-the-21st-century-will-be-defined-by-games-1275355204 Games Climbers Play by Lito Tejada-Flores https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1968_files/AJ%201968%2046-52%20Tejada-Flores%20Games.pdf https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow  http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Izzy Kestrel (Gexfeld, A Good Videogame), Shawn Alexander Allen (Treachery in Beatdown City), and the one and only Rand Hall (UFO 50 Voicemailer Extraordinaire) to discuss Cyber Owls, the 50th and final* game in the UFO 50 collection. "A superweapon threatens to destroy the world, and it's up to the Cyber Owls to save the day!" Next week: [REDACTED] Audio edited by Dylan Shumway   Discussed in this episode: Eggplant Merch! https://cottonbureau.com/people/eggplant-the-secret-lives-of-games-podcast  Cherry Rush YouTube Highlights https://www.youtube.com/@Cherry-Rush  Derek Yu's Wikiquote https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Derek_Yu  Roguelike Celebration 2025 (Including Fireside Chat with Jon Perry!) https://www.roguelike.club/event2025.html  Izzy's itch.io https://iznaut.itch.io/  Izzy's bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/iznaut.com Izzy's Website https://iznaut.com/ Snap & Grab https://nogoblin.com/snapandgrab Shawn's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/shawndoublea/?hl=en Beatdown City Survivors https://store.steampowered.com/app/3383040/Beatdown_City_Survivors/  Tyriq's Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/fourbitfriday.bsky.social Scrubbin' Trubble https://scrubbintrubble.com/ The Grasshopper (and "Words on Play")  https://broadviewpress.com/product/the-grasshopper-third-edition/#tab-description C.A. Brown https://www.youtube.com/@CABROWN https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Liz Ryerson (musician, writer, podcaster), Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything), and Steve Gillham (OzymandiasAV) to discuss Campanella 3, the 49th game in the UFO 50 collection. "It's time for Pilot to return to what he does best -- flying the Campanella through deep space!" Next week: Cyber Owls Audio edited by Dylan Shumway   Discussed in this episode: Eggplant Merch! https://cottonbureau.com/people/eggplant-the-secret-lives-of-games-podcast  Adam Conover Tickets https://www.adamconover.net/  Wing Commander 1+2 https://www.gog.com/en/game/wing_commander_1_2  Wild Blue https://store.steampowered.com/app/1921490/Wild_Blue/  Thumper https://thumpergame.com/  The Virtual Museum of Dead Wifery https://lilithzone.itch.io/the-virtual-museum-of-dead-wifery  Abnormal Mapping https://www.abnormalmapping.com/  doseone https://www.doseone.xyz/  The Unearthed Treasure Room: An Alternative Showcase of Overlooked Games https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNPPJohxAk4  Anodyne 2 https://store.steampowered.com/app/877810/Anodyne_2_Return_to_Dust/  Great Art  https://www.mostancient.com/shop/great-art  Wood Teeth (doseone EP with Height Keech) https://doseone.bandcamp.com/album/wood-teeth?from=embed  https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow  http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Daniel Mullins (Inscryption), Tonda Ros (Blue Prince), and Glove (UFO 50 Historian/ska podcaster) to discuss Seaside Drive, the 48th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Nothing's more relaxing than a nice long drive by the sea... Complete with plenty of gunfire!" Next week: Campanella 3 Audio edited by Dylan Shumway   Discussed in this episode: Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games Merch https://cottonbureau.com/people/eggplant-the-secret-lives-of-games-podcast Downwell https://downwellgame.com/ Branching Paths https://branchingpaths.jp/ Cherry Rush (UFO 50 Speedrunning Charity Event — August 29th-31st, 2025) https://www.cherry-rush.org/ Blue Prince https://www.blueprincegame.com/ https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow  http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow

We're joined by Scott Anderson (Unity), Jackie Vecchitto (Trombone Champ), and Xalavier Nelson (Strange Scaffold) to discuss Quibble Race, the 47th game in the UFO 50 collection. "In the seedy world of Quibble racing, sometimes it takes shady tactics to get ahead." Next week: Seaside Drive Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Discussed in this episode: Unity 6.2 Livestream https://www.youtube.com/live/PmpUlbWD_mI  Post Games: Big predictions for the future of games https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/big-predictions-for-the-future-of-games/id1815131711?i=1000721543499 Umamusume Pretty Derby https://umamusume.com/  Space-Cast! #47. Bun Bangers (interview with Jon Perry) https://spacebiff.com/2025/06/20/sbsc-47/  Hot Streak https://www.cmyk.games/products/hot-streak Gameheads https://gameheadsoakland.org/  Gameheads Showcase https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gameheads-11th-annual-student-showcase-tickets-1545651347789?aff=oddtdtcreator  Draknek New Voices Grant https://grants.draknek.org/  Jackie on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/jackiev.bsky.social  Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/G6GGV5WW6/kaiji  Strange Scaffold https://www.strangescaffold.com/  https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow  http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow    

We're joined by Alfredo Barraza (Riot Games), Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), and Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis) to discuss Combatants, the 46th game in the UFO 50 collection. "The evil Red Ants have taken your land! Fight Back and defend your queen!" Next week: Quibble Race Audio edited by Dylan Shumway. Discussed in this episode: Starcraft: Remastered https://starcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/ Pikmin 1+2 Bundle https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/pikmin-1-plus-2-bundle-switch/ Little King's Story https://store.steampowered.com/app/390310/Little_Kings_Story/ Tinykin https://www.tinykingame.com/ Patapon https://www.bandainamcoent.com/games/patapon-1-plus-2-replay Tooth & Tail https://www.toothandtailgame.com/ The Grasshopper: Games, Life, and Utopia by Bernard Suits https://broadviewpress.com/product/the-grasshopper-third-edition/#tab-description Manifesto: The 21st Century Will Be Defined By Games by Eric Zimmerman https://kotaku.com/manifesto-the-21st-century-will-be-defined-by-games-1275355204  Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World by Jane McGonigal https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reality-is-broken-jane-mcgonigal/1100817884?ean=9780143120612 Game Studies Study Buddies 51 – Suits – The Grasshopper https://rangedtouch.com/2022/09/29/51-suits-the-grasshopper/ EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Mini & Max https://eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of-ufo-50-mini-max Gio on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/gwishin.bsky.social https://www.youtube.com/eggplantshow http://discord.gg/eggplant https://www.patreon.com/eggplantshow