Explore every episode of Gay for Play: A Video Game Podcast
Dive into the complete episode list for Gay for Play: A Video Game Podcast. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
To paraphrase one Ms. Gia Gunn "This is a place for (Pokémon) Legends, okay?"
This week, we're joined by our friend (and composer of our theme music) Connor Marsh (he/him) to discuss Pokémon Legends: Arceus— the latest entry in the Pokémon franchise that brings a much needed breath of fresh air to the long-running series of loveable monsters.
A prequel to Pokémon Diamond & Pearl (Laurence's favorite Pokémon entries of all time), Legends Arceus is set in the Hisui region— a land of the distant past that will one day come to be known as the Sinnoh region— where humans and Pokémon have not yet learned to cohabitate.
Abandoning the series' typical structure of hunting down 8 Gym Badges, you are instead tasked with going out into a series of open environments and compiling the region's first ever Pokédex by catching and battling Pokémon seamlessly in the game's overworld.
We discuss the game's bold new approach for the series, its various quality of life and gameplay changes, how it draws heavily from games like Breath of the Wild, Pokémon GO, and New Pokémon Snap, and we share our all of our thoughts on the good, the bad, and the ugly (graphics) of this delightful video game.
Also in this episode, we discuss Sony's acquisition of Bungie, the New York Times' acquisition of Wordle, and we share what other games we've been enjoying when we're not busy catching hundreds of Pokémon!
***Timestamps for Spoilers*** (Spoiler discussion for The Forgotten City runs from 50:15 to 1:03:00)
Salve friend!
Believe it or not, this is our 50TH EPISODE OF THE POD!!! We wanna thank y'all up top for helping us make it to half of a hundo. Here's to at least 50 more!
For our 50th episode, Daddy Nintendo gifted us an anniversary gift in the form of a juicy Nintendo Direct to discuss! We share our thoughts on Kirby going Throatzilla on large inanimate objects, Earthbound finally landing on Switch Online, Mario Kart 8 receiving new DLC 8 years into its lifespan, and more!
For our main topic, we're discussing THE FORGOTTEN CITY, a 2021 first-person mystery time-loop adventure game that we're so excited to dive into.
In this game, you, the player, have seemingly traveled through time and stumbled upon a mysterious underground Ancient Roman city, where all of the townspeople are living in a quasi-utopia bound by one simple "Golden Rule": no one may commit a sin, or else everyone in the town will perish. As you repeat this day over and over again (Groundhog's Day-style) you need to figure out which resident(s) will commit a sin and somehow put a stop to it, all while uncovering the insidious truth about this mysterious city.
But that begs the question: what exactly *is* a sin? Who decides what's a sin and what isn't? Is gay a sin? What about being homophobic? The game gets into those questions!
It's a delightful, trippy puzzle-box of a game with so much to say about morality, religion, queerness in antiquity, and so much more. --- Later, in "What else we're Gay For this week", we get into some pop-culture news with our thoughts on the Winter Olympics (decidedly the gayer of the two Olympiads) and the Oscar noms (because we were, famously, a film podcast for a month.)
It's a jam packed episode, and one of our favorite conversations we've had on a game in a while. We hope y'all enjoy it as well!
Ep. 51: “Feeling the Final Fantasy” - JRPGs & Drag (w/ Blueberri Mary)
01:27:42
On today's episode, we are joined by our dear friend Devon, aka Ms. Blueberri Mary, to discuss one of our favorite video game genres: the humble JRPG! (Japanese Role Playing Game) And more particularly, how the fashion and design sensibilities of games like Final Fantasy X & X-2 have influenced and entire generation of queer designers and drag artists. We get into the character designs and looks that left our young gay brains gagged and inspired, how in practice they aren't too dissimilar from the pop stars and divas that typically evoke idolatry from the gays, and how inhabiting these characters and fantasy worlds add a whole other layer of depth for our queer imaginations.
Blueberri Mary is an Ohio-based drag queen, therapist, and fitness instructor (c'mon triple threat!) Follow them on IG: @blueberrimary and Twitter: @MaryBlueberri And check out their recent Valentine's Day digital drag performances on YouTube!
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish & Martha Turner <3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Real Emotion" by Kenn Kato and Kazuhiro Hara "1000 Words" by Kazushige Nojima, Noriko Matsueda, and Takahito Eguchi
25 Feb 2022
Ep. 52: "HogwartsPilled" - Harry Potter Video Games (w/ Leo Grierson)
01:25:20
Yer a wizard, podcast listener! This week we are here to discuss the Harry Potter franchise, its various video game adaptations, and our complicated relationship with the franchise as queer & trans individuals whose childhood fondness for this series has turned sour in our mouths like a bad Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean in light of JK R*wling's dangerous and repeated transphobic comments over the past few years.
Our guest (and DEAR friend of the pod) Leo Grierson unpacks their feelings with us through the lens of the old PC Harry Potter video games, how we can approach those games (and by proxy, the series,) with a queer eye, why turning out backs on the franchise wholesale isn't necessarily the only way to reckon with this series, and what the current cultural climate around the HP franchise could spell for the upcoming video game Hogwarts Legacy, an "immersive, open-world action RPG" set in the Harry Potter universe set to come out later this year (although let's be honest girl we're pretty sure it's getting delayed...)
We also ask ourselves if there is any ethical way support the game devs/creators of HP content that *aren't* JKR knowing that she's still making money off of the franchise. We don't have a clean-cut answer, but we certainly ponder it!
Leo Grierson (he/they) is the host of That Do It For Ya? A Sexual Awakenings Podcast. Available on iTunes and Spotify! He is the Artistic Director of The Juvenilia Collective (of which G4P is a proud member!) Follow Leo on Instagram and Twitter
**Links to Support/Donate to Trans & Queer Youth in Texas & Florida**
Around once a year, a game releases that seems to completely dominate the gaming cultural conversation (by which we mean it's massively popular and men get really testy about it online). This year the game in that spotlight seems to be ELDEN RING - a new open world RPG from FromSoftware (creators of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, & Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice), directed by studio head Hidetaka Miyazaki and featuring a story & lore written by George RR Martin (yes, *that* George RR Martin)
In this episode, we discuss our thoughts on this massive, brilliant, ruthless open-work adventure (basically we love it), discuss the queerness of high fantasy and spellcasting, unpack how the game's open-world design encourages queer modes of play, and talk about how this game succeeds when players chase the fun and don't take it too seriously (again, much to the chagrin of some really intensely opinionated men on the internet).
We also briefly touch on the discussion around "approachability vs accessibility" in games; a hot-button issue when it comes to FromSoftware games in particular. We highly recommend checking out this YouTube video by Steve Saylor for an in-depth conversation on this topic in regards to Elden Ring from disabled players themselves. It's a really important and illuminating conversation!
We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we're enjoying this video game! (A pretty high-bar now that we think about it, this game is a major slay).
Ep. 54: What Else We're Gay For (Other Than Elden Ring, Still)
01:15:15
Full transparency: we're still just playing Elden Ring / experiencing video game burnout from playing too much Elden Ring, so we figured this week would be a great opportunity to catch up on other video game & pop culture moments that have been in the zeitgeist!
Aside from an obligatory Elden Ring corner, topics the employee walkouts at Disney over the company's ongoing financial support of anti-LGBTQ politicians, the Hogwarts Legacy State of Play presentation, a few other video games we've been checking out (Tunic, Paradise Killer, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Kirby and the Forgotten Land), The Video Game Accessibility Awards hosted by Alanah Pierce and Steven Spohn, and gaming fundraisers for Ukraine relief-efforts from the (now-ended) itch.io bundle and Epic Games.
Then in the back-half of the show for "what else we're gay for this week" we get into a whole bunch of movies and TV we've been watching! It's a lovely hodgepodge of an episode, we hope you enjoy! ======== Be Our Friends!!
This is a preview for our new bonus episode on Jane Campion's THE POWER OF THE DOG, available now on our Patreon page! (the bonus episode, not the movie. That's on Netflix!)
In it we dive deep into the movie & discuss its themes of masculinity, longing, and queer cowboy culture. We also touch on the 2022 Oscar winners (but worry not, we don't spend much time on *that* Discourse™)
To listen to the full episode, head on over to patreon.com/gayforplaypod and become a patron at any tier! (starting @ only $1/month) We're switching to a bi-weekly release schedule for our main feed, but plan to release more bonus episodes on Patreon during our off-weeks.
We super appreciate you listening and for considering becoming a patron. Enjoy this teaser! < 3 ======== Be Our Friends!!
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish & Martha Turner <3
08 Apr 2022
Ep. 55: Sonic Thee Hedgehog
01:15:21
This week, in honor of the new Sonic movie hitting theatres this weekend, we’re doing a deep dive on the blue blur himself: the hog, the myth, the legend– Sonic the Hedgehog!
It's Sonic! The cool blue hedgehog who runs fast and loves chili dogs! You know the guy! In this episode we discuss the loveable blue guy's origin, our first exposure to this gaming icon, and discuss his history as a gaming cultural figure over the years. Plus we get into how the Sonic fandom has made their own queer spaces around the character, from the creation of Sonic OCs (original characters) on DeviantArt to fan games that range from the bizarre (Sonic Dreams Collection) to total love-letters to the franchise (Sonic Mania).
Ep. 56: Groove is in the (Kingdom) Heart(s) - G4P Season Finale Final Mix
01:25:17
It's our season finale! We'll be off for the next month, but before we take a little slumber in our memory recovery pods, we're back for one more episode to take another look at one of our favorite video game franchises that we simply cannot stop talking about: KINGDOM HEARTS.
The beloved Final Fantasy / Disney crossover JRPG series has been back on our minds lately. It celebrated its 20th Anniversary earlier this month, alongside the reveal of the next mainline entry in the series: Kingdom Hearts IV. And just recently, the iconic singer of the KH theme songs Utada Hikaru performed some of their hits on the Coachella mainstage.
We've covered KH on the pod before* so this week we're taking a deeper "dive to the heart" of the series viewed through a queer lens: from its use of queer-adjacent shonen anime tropes, to the trans/nonbinary-coded Nobodies, its mindbending ideas of reality and multiverses, and how the game's relationship to its not-so-queer-friendly corporate benefactor Disney has affected how we and others view these games.
We also speculate on what we expect/want out of Kingdom Hearts 4, especially now living in an era of "multiverse media" that Kingdom Hearts laid the groundwork for 20 years ago.
We hope you enjoy this last episode of our season! We'll be back in June with more Gay For Play.
*To hear our original episode on KH, go back through our archives and check out Episode 20! ("Kingdom Farts") where we discussed the origins of the series with our good friend and KH-historian, Casey Fox.
We are back for an all new season of Gay For Play, and we're kicking it off by talking about Queer & Queer-*Coded* Villains in video games.
Queer coding the bad guy is a trope seen in media for ages, dating back to old Hollywood censorship laws & really entering our generation's collective consciousness through the villains of the Disney Renaissance of the 1990s, right around the same time that the medium of video games started to come into their own.
Eric and Laurence discuss how this trope came about and why this trope is harmful, but also why we sometimes have a soft-spot for a queer-coded baddie! We get into our favorite examples of queer-coded villains, as well as some canonically LGBTQ villains in games.
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish & Martha Turner <3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Advent: One Winged Angel" - by Nobuo Uematsu (arr. Shirou Hamaguchi and Kenichiro Fukui)
17 Jun 2022
Category Is: Summer Game(s) Announcements!
01:52:59
Welcome to Gay For Play! A podcast where we take a look at the world of gaming through a queer lens.
This week, the CATEGORY IS: Summer Gaming Announcements! E3 may be six feet under girl, but in its wake we've still gotten a *lot* of cool announcements this month, with various publishers & gaming companies big & small holding virtual press conferences to show off new and upcoming games. We watched through most of them and picked over 40 video games to discuss in this episode!
Below is a list of everything we discuss in this episode, including links to watch each presentation. If any of these games pique your interest, make sure to wishlist them on Steam! (especially for indie games, it's a great and easy way to support the developers!)
SONY STATE OF PLAY (neat!) -Stray -Resident Evil 4: Remake -Season: A Letter to the Future
SUMMER GAME FEST (flop) -The Last of Us Part 1 (Remake) -The Callisto Protocol -Goat Simulator 3 -Fort Solis
WHOLESOME GAMES DIRECT (we loved!!) -Melatonin -Ooblets (1.0 Release) -Mika and The Witch's Mountain -Kaichu -Soulitaire -Fall of Porcupine -A Little to the Left -We Are OFK -Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To -Validate -The Wandering Village
FUTURE OF PLAY DIRECT (really gay and fun) -Boyfriend Dungeon DLC -Spells and Secrets -Kitori Academy -Love Shore -Psychroma -Cartomancy
DEVOLVER DIGITAL (essentially a weird sketch short film. one of our faves!) -Anger Foot -Cult of the Lamb -The Plucky Squire -Skate Story
Well gamers, Pride month has officially ended, and with it, the first half of 2022!
We'll be honest, given the current events unfolding on the national stage, Pride month was a little rough on us this year, and we weren't quite in the right headspace to record episodes throughout the month. But we have mustered our strength & gathered once again, coming to the mic as we are, to discuss what we've been playing lately & how our GOTY list is shaping up as we discuss our favorite games from the first half of the year!
Tangents include our thoughts on the Final Fantasy VII: REBIRTH announcement (which we've yet to discuss on the pod), how the Nintendo Switch is sadly in its flop era lowkey, Pokemon GO memories, & games that are in the running for G4P's prestigious 2022 "Katy Perry Award for Making No Noise" (aka games that have kinda Flopped this year)
We also get into upcoming 2022 games that we're looking forward to (many of which from the recent Nintendo Direct Mini), and of course as always, discuss what else we're Gay For this week!
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish & Martha Turner <3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Poinpy Main Theme" - by Calum Bowen (bo en)
16 Jul 2022
Yu-Gay-Oh! (w/ Jake Carlin)
01:43:03
With the recent tragic passing of "Yu-Gi-Oh!" series creator, Kazuki Takahashi, this week we reflect on the legacy of his iconic franchise, from its manga origins to what is now one of the most popular trading card games & multimedia franchises on the planet.
"Yu-Gi-Oh!" tells the story of Yugi Motoh, a timid, kind, young gamer with an iconic spiky hairdo who becomes possessed by the vengeful spirit of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh, who becomes Yugi's alter ego as he battles his opponents in Duel Monsters, a card game that went on to inspire the real-life TCG we know as "Yu-Gi-Oh!" today.
On this episode, we're joined by our friend, pro-duelist, and all-around YGO-aficionado Jake Carlin (@RubyQuartzVsr) to discuss the BREADTH of Yu-Gi-Oh!'s queer content. From it's queer origins & punk/leather aesthetic inspirations, to its themes of identity & self-acceptance, it's wide range of queer-coded characters, and just generally why it is soooo LGBTQ vibes to duel someone in a heated card game with giant holographic monsters (+ how Seto Kaiba advances the course of human technology by decades just because he is obsessed with dueling his Egyptian pharaoh bf.) Jake also tells us about the queer Yu-Gi-Oh! gaming community today; duelists around the world still bound together by the Heart of the Cards.
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish & Martha Turner <3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Yu-Gi-Oh! Theme" - composed by Wayne Sharpe "Morning Duel 2" from Yu-Gi-Oh!: Nightmare Troubadour - composed by Tsutomu Watanabe, Maki Kirioka, Toshihisa Furusawa, Naomitsu Ariyama
29 Jul 2022
"PSPSPSPSPSPS" (Prey & Stray w/ Travis Ryans)
01:29:31
This week we are thrilled to be joined by our *EXTRA* special guest, Travis Ryans!! Travis (they/he) is one of the hosts Rainbow Road: A Gay Gaming Podcast, our fellow queer gaming podcast sibling to the north.
They join us to discuss PREY, the 2017 FPS/immersive sim from Arkane Studios and Bethesda about a space station overrun by a hostile spooky alien force known as the Typhon. We dive into the game's themes of morality, empathy, queerness, and iconic moments that can only be experienced through the medium of games.
Then, in the second half of the show, we discuss a *new* post-apocalyptic video game that's taking the world by storm; STRAY, where you play as a lost cat making their way through an underground city of AI robots many many centuries after the disappearance of all humans from the cities walls. We share our early impressions on this haunting, but deeply soothing (and cute) video game.
This has been a collab a long time in the making and we're beyond glad we finally had a chance to have Travis on. Make sure you give a listen to @RainbowRoadPod if you're craving more wonderful queer gaming podcasts in your life!
This week, we're joined by indie game developer, artist, founder of Sipsong Studios, and creator of the new mobile title THE KWANSTONE PROJECT, TinTin V! (he/him)
We interview TinTin about his experience of becoming a self-taught game developer over the pandemic & how his Lao-heritage and queer identity/community inspired and shaped the creation of his game. We also take some tangents to discuss our thoughts on Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Mario Kart, Beyonce's Renaissance, and more!
THE KWANSTONE PROJECT is available now on iOS and Android! Go download it now! (not a sponsorship, TinTin is just a swell dude with a great little game and we just love supporting indie LGBTQ+ devs here at G4P!)
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner <3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Sound of Travel" by Andrew David V.
27 Aug 2022
ALIEN POYO-STAR (Kirby! w/ Alejandro Muñoz)
01:16:20
"Category: Pink Round Puff he's the BALL... Alien SUPAstar!" Today we are talking about beloved Nintendo icon Kirby!!!
Created by then-19-year-old Masahiro Sakurai (who later went on to create the Super Smash Bros. series), Kirby first hit the scene in 1992 with Kirby's Dream Land for the Nintendo Game Boy. Kirby was designed to be approachable to new and younger players unfamiliar with games, and since his inception Kirby has been known as a series with something to offer for everyone: beloved by newcomers and veteran players alike.
Kirby superfan and artist Alejandro Muñoz (@sequin.horchata on IG) joins us to talk about our connection to this loveable pink boy, our first and favorite Kirby games, (including Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and the criminally underrated Kirby Air Ride) and our thoughts on his latest escapade in the 2022 Switch game, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby's first true 3D platformer.
We also discuss Kirby-creator Masahiro Sakurai's recently started YouTube Channel, where he discusses game development concepts as well as retrospectives on his past projects (including a video on Kirby's Dream Land, which he released the night before we recorded this episode!)
Later in the show in "What else we're gay for" this week, we discuss Yakuza: Like a Dragon, HBO's Hacks, Pikmin Bloom, Tower of Fantasy, and more!
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner <3
MUSIC THIS WEEK:
"Green Greens" - composed by Jun Ishikawa (from Kirby Super Star Ultra) "City Trial" - composed by Shogo Sakai & Jun Ishikawa (from Kirby Air Ride) "Above the Clouds (Butter Building)" - composed by Hirokazu Ando (from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards)
09 Sep 2022
We're Worried, Darling (Immortality & Ooblets)
01:17:03
After a couple months of having lovely guests on the pod, this week Eric and Laurence sit down one-on-one for a classic catch up on the truly wild amount of culture that's been happening.
From the "Don't Worry Darling" drama, to Lea Michele debuting in Funny Girl, to Queen Liz 2 kicking the bucket and reincarnating as Trisha Paytas's baby— there's a LOT to discuss.
Plus, Video Games! We played a couple of great ones this week.
Immortality is the latest FMV (Full-Motion Video) game by "Her Story"-creator Sam Barlow, in which you, the player, scrub through uncovered footage of 3 unreleased movies starring fictional actress Marissa Marcel, who has since gone missing. As you scrub though and interact with the camera footage, you uncover the mystery of what happened to her & the other actors in the film, as well as a darker, spookier, meta mystery that unfolds.
On the total opposite end of the spectrum, we have Ooblets!! A charming new life-sim that blends the farming of Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley with the monster-collecting of Pokémon. We discuss its charms, strengths, and gripes, as well as some other life-sim games that we're playing/want to play soon.
It's a big slay of an episode, we hope you enjoy it!
ValiDate, Splatoon 3, and September Game Announcements!
01:20:56
This week, Laurence and Eric meet up for a more casual eppy to discuss this week's Nintendo Direct, Sony State of Play, Tokyo Game Show announcements, and more gaming news*! (*and by "more gaming news" we mean a long tangent about astrology and how 6 planets are in retrograde right now which is really harshing our vibe.) But hey! The sequel to The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild finally has a name/release date, Pikmin 4 is real, and God of War: Ragnarok looks good, so even though the stars are giving us grief rn, the future looks bright, for games at least!
Later in the episode, we discuss ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area, a new indie visual novel/dating simulator releasing later this month, which thanks to the folks at Veritable Joy Studios for sending us a review copy, we got a chance to play early! ValiDate features a cast of 12 Black and Brown characters across a diverse set of ethnicities, nationalities, sexuality, and gender identities. We first heard about this game over a year ago and it piqued our interest as the kind of game that we really wanted to see from this genre, so we're so excited and honored to have a chance to check it out!
Plus, Laurence shares his thoughts on Splatoon 3, the newest entry in Nintendo's team-based 3rd-person shooter series that is its most fun and gayest entry yet. It's a fresh episode all around, we hope you enjoy!
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner <3
08 Oct 2022
I Dream of Disney (Disneyland & Disney Dreamlight Valley)
01:24:22
The boys are back from a nice little vacay to discuss their recent trips to the famous Disneyland Resort and Disney California Adventure theme parks! We went in the same week but on different days from each other, and we review our experiences, ruminate on whether Disney is in its flop era, talk about childhood joy, Disney adults, Star Wars slaying, Marvel's Flop Avengers Campus, and the overall state of the theme park experience in 2022.
Later in the episode, to keep the Disney train rolling, we discuss DISNEY DREAMLIGHT VALLEY, Disney's foray into the life-sim genre hoping to capitalize off of the success of the Animal Crossings and Stardews of the gaming world. How does it hold up in comparison? Stay tuned and find out our thoughts mama!
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner <3
22 Oct 2022
Somewhere Overwatch the Rainbow (w/ Brian Moreno)
01:41:04
This week, Eric and Laurence are joined by Brian Moreno (he/him), the president of the Los Angeles Gayming Society, to discuss Blizzard's mega-popular hero shooter OVERWATCH (2)!
Initially released in 2016, Overwatch is a multiplayer competitive shooter featuring a roster over over 40 playable characters with unique abilities and diverse, international backgrounds. The game garnered massive popularity from it's super high-quality animated shorts, went on to become a massive e-sports venture, and garnered headlines for canonically confirming two of its mascot characters (Tracer and Soldier:76) as queer.
Overwatch's servers shut down earlier this month with the release of its sequel Overwatch 2. Now that this sequel/glorified patch is out, we're diving into our histories with this franchise, it's non-diegetic approach to storytelling and character/world building, and its complicated legacy in regards to its queer representation and the company responsible for making the game (as we've discussed many a time on the pod before, Activision Blizzard has been embroiled in a slew of sexual harrassment, discrimination, and retaliation lawsuits over the past couple years.)
Later in the show, we discuss our excitement for Carly Rae Jepsen's latest album, Laurence discusses Coral Island, a new Stardew-esque farming simulator, and Eric shares his yearly Halloween recommendations!
The Los Angeles Gayming Society (LAGS for short) is a 501c3 non-profit with the goal of making the gaming industry more accessible to and tolerant of LGBTQ+ people, building a local community of like-minded LGBTQ+ people that share thier passions and interests, and giving back to the local community. For more info on their work, check out their website, follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitch, and check out their monthly events at Akbar in Silver Lake for their monthly Gaymer Night events!
It's Halloween time once again, and we are celebrating with an iconically spooky game!
Well, first we're doing our civil duty as gay podcasters & sharing our love for Carly Rae Jepsen's The Loneliest Time, as well as briefly going over all the drama surrounding Bayonetta 3 on the internet this past week, but after that we're talking ALL about THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA'S MASK-- the infamously dark sequel to Ocarina of Time released for the Nintendo 64 in the year 2000.
For a 22 year old game, Majora's Mask was absurdly ahead of its time, having lots to say about death, grief, acceptance, climate change, heroism, small acts of kindness and more! Not to mention just how much there is to look at thru a queer lens. We also get into our theatre degree jush to talk about the history and cultural significance of masks and mask making. Also, this is the Zelda game that gave us the gay icon that is Tingle, so there’s that.
Later, in What Else We’re Gay For: we talk Marvel Snap, House of the Dragon, and Chainsaw Man
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner <3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Title Theme" by Koji Kondo, Toru Minegishi "Majora's Theme" by Koji Kondo, Toru Minegishi
05 Dec 2022
Schoolin' Life in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet (w/ Travis Ryans)
01:22:29
This week, our friend & fellow queer gaming podcaster Travis Ryans (they/he) from the Rainbow Road Podcast, returns to the show to discuss Pokémon Scarlet & Violet! The 9th Generation of mainline Pokémon games recently released for Nintendo Switch.
Since its launch, the game has gone viral for its myriad technical issues, bugs, and poor performance, but is there still a worthwhile Pokémon RPG to be found beneath all of the mess? Well, as they would say in the Paldea region, "es complicado!"
We dive into all of our thoughts, critiques, letdowns and pleasant surprises about this new Pokémon entry.
Then later in the show, we share some thoughts on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, God of War Ragnarök, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery!
Enjoy the episode and hit us up if you wanna trade some 'mons! ======== Get in touch with us!
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner <3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Title Theme" by Minako Adachi, Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose, Hiromitsu Maeba, Teruo Taniguchi, Hitomi Sato, Toby Fox "Naranjan Academy Main Theme" by Minako Adachi, Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose, Hiromitsu Maeba, Teruo Taniguchi, Hitomi Sato, Toby Fox
16 Dec 2022
What if Kratos and Sonic Kissed? (God of War: Ragnarok & Sonic Frontiers)
01:24:33
In our last regular episode of the year, we're discussing two huge games from November that we've gotten into over the past month-- Sonic Frontiers and God of War: Ragnarok. One is one of the most narratively compelling games of the year and one is, well, some good honest fun let's just say that! Eric and Laurence also discuss their Spotify Wrappeds (Spotifies Wrapped?), End of the Year List Season, feelings on the Game Awards (which aired the day after we recorded this episode), and later in the episode discuss some thoughts on Star Wars: Andor, the Don't Hug Me I'm Scared miniseries, and more!
Another year in the books, another Game of the Year list to make! We, as gay people, love to craft our little lists at the end of every year, so this week we’re having a good ol’ fashioned Game of the Year episode as we each share our individual top 5 favorite games of 2022, alongside a pretty substantial list of our honorable mentions! Which games scored 10s across the board and snatched a coveted spot on our lists? Only time (particularly the next hour and forty-five minutes of this pod) will tell!
Here's to a Happy New Year from us over here at G4P! We're excited to bring you more in 2023, including our delayed 2022 Video Game, Pop Culture, & Beyond Awards, where we'll be honoring even more from this past year of gaming and culture. Until then, wishing y'all peace, love, and good gaming in 2023!
======== CREDITS Intro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)
Brand new year, same fabulous us! Laurence and Eric welcome in 2023 with a fun little check-in ep. to start off an exciting year of queer games culture and more! We give an update on the highly anticipated and long awaited Video Games, Pop Culture, and Beyond Awards, Eric's work-related adventures with some Celebrity Gay Icons of NoteTM, how old Drag Race makes us feel, exciting new releases coming this year, and the plethora of Star Wars media out right now and whether any of it is good (spoilers: Andor definitely is). Thank you for listening to Gay for Play in 2023, we are thankful to every listener out there. If you've been listening since the beginning or are just tuning in for the first time, we're so glad you're here <3
DISCUSSED THIS WEEK: Lego Star Wars: Skywalker Saga, Jedi: Fallen Order Star Wars: Andor, Drag Race S15, The White Lotus S2, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, and this damn weather, mamma!
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner <3
20 Jan 2023
Glass Onion
01:14:58
There's a mystery afoot! And that mystery, dear listener, is the question: is Glass Onion a worthy follow up to its 2019 predecessor Knives Out? Is there more queer stuff here that warrants a whole episode-length discussion of one of the best new detective film series of the 21st century? How good at Among Us was Stephen Sondheim, actually? Ok, so there's way more than just one mystery, but your sleuths Eric and Laurence are more than ready to take up the case in this first episode of our 2023 Filmuary series! We chat the yassification of Benoit Blanc, some stellar performances from our girlies Janelle Monáe and Kate Hudson, and the not-so-subtle social/political commentary of these very modern mystery epics. All that, plus Eric's hype for Super Nintendo World and Laurence being a literary, bookish diva in this week's What Else We're Gay For.
Thanks for listening friends, we'll be back next week for even more wonderful, smart, so delicious and so fabulous and so absolutely stunning podcasting content right here on Gay for Play! ======== Get in touch with us!
~She's bulletproof, nothing to lose... Fire away, fire away~ On this week's episode we discuss the film M3GAN! Returning guest Sara Brown (from our Persona 5 and Catherine: Full Body episodes) joins us to talk about the little murderous doll who has captivated audiences nationwide and immediately become a new gay horror icon.
We talk about how she joins a lineage of haunted little dolls while also subverting the trope with a modern twist about our over-reliance on technology in child-care. Plus we ruminate on why she resonates so much with queer audiences. Is it because she's a represents some sort of metaphor for chosen family? Or is because she wears a c*nty little outfit and does a tiktok dance and slays? We certainly have our opinion on the matter!
Later on the show, in What Else We're Gay For, we discuss Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water, Star Wars: Andor, and HBO's The Last of Us (note: we taped this episode before episode 3 of TLOU gagged us all, but TRUST we will be talking about it again in the near future).
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner <3
05 Mar 2023
Let's-a-Go to Super Nintendo World!
01:09:19
We are back! After a quick hiatus, Eric & Laurence are back to chat all about their trip to Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood, which they visited back in January 2023 during its technical previews. Now, while this ep. may have been recorded a few weeks back, our takes are still hot n' fresh like a plate of Spicy Spaghetti from Toadstool Café! What did we think of the land's signature attraction, Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge? Is a visit to Bowser's Jr.'s Lair worth the $40 power-band upcharge? What about the rest of the interactive elements scattered throughout the land? And what does Princess Peach put in her hair to keep it so stiff and shiny while she meets n' greets with all us limp-wristed gamefaqs?? Hear all about this truly spectacular theme park experience and more, and keep and eye out for the video version of this episode coming very soon!
Thank you listeners for your continued support of the show <3 We plan on having new episodes resume next week, so stay tuned for more G4P in the very near future!
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner <3
12 Mar 2023
The 2022 Video Game, Pop Culture, and Beyond Awards
01:15:28
It's Awards Season, and you know what that means: it's time for us to once again honor the best and the gayest in gaming, pop culture, and beyond with the second annual VGPCBAs!
Spanning 27 prestigious categories, Eric and Laurence present the awards and dish out legendary trophies for the best (and worst) people, games, and culture that the last year had to offer. Plus this year, extra special guest presenters join us to hand out some of the most coveted awards!
It is truly THE most prestigious awards show of the season, we can't think of a bigger awards show happening today, March 12th, 2023! Wait, what's that? Our producer has just handed us a note... What the hell is an "Osc-
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner <3
24 Mar 2023
The Nintendo 3DS: In Memoriam
01:14:50
We're gathered here today to mourn & celebrate the life of a video game console, Nintendo's last handheld-only device, the small but mighty Nintendo 3DS.
As of March 27th, 2023, the Nintendo eShop for the 3DS and Wii U will be officially shut down, meaning 866 Wii U games and 1547 3DS games will no longer be available to purchase. We've already dedicated an episode in the past to the Nintendo Wii U, so today we're taking a look back at our memories of the 3DS: our favorite games to grace the device, StreetPass & other quirky apps, its hit-&-miss use of its signature stereoscopic 3D gimmick, and some last-minute purchases we've recently downloaded & played in the eShop's twilight hours.
Plus we wax poetic a bit about the death of digital media, the importance of video game preservation, and the ethics of p*racy & emulation (not that we know what tf we're talking about! we're just two gaymers with a podcast and opinions!)
If you're listening to this before 3/27/23, we hope this episode provides a couple of last-minute game recommendations to download! Otherwise... we don't know what to tell ya, but thanks for listening anyways! Good luck finding a physical copy of some of these games on eBay I guess?
RIP to the 3DS. You had a good at it, thanks for your input <3
An Exhaustive List of Games Mentioned in this Episode: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, Super Mario 3D Land, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Pushmo, Crashmo, Stretchmo, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Mario Kart 7, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, Tomodachi Life, Many Pokemon games (X&Y, Sun & Moon, Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire), Metroid: Samus Returns, Attack of the Friday Monsters, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 5 & 6, Rhythm Heaven Megamix, Harmoknight, Pocket Card Jockey, 3D Classics (Kirby’s Adventure, Xevious, Kid Icarus, ExciteBike), Fire Emblem Awakening, Shin Megami Tensei IV
01 Apr 2023
The Last of Us Part 3: The TV Show (Season 1) w/ Becca Rowland
01:32:54
"Joel is sooo babygirl-coded."
This week we're joined by our friend Becca Rowland, who first guested on our original The Last of Us episode, to discuss the stellar HBO adaptation of Naughty Dog's beloved 2013 video game. We knew that we would probably want to discuss this season of television, compare it to our thoughts the game, and talk about how much we are head-over-heels, madly, deeply in love with Pedro Pascal & would trade the world for a journey with him across a post-apocalyptic America, but it wasn't until after episode 3 broke our hearts into tiny little pieces that we knew we absolutely HAD to get on the mics and discuss the breadth of queer content on this show.
Now that season 1 is wrapped, we get into Bill and Frank, Ellie & Riley, and so much more from this season, as well as our thoughts on its (few) shortcomings, the beauty of queer joy in apocalypses, and speculation/hopes for the future seasons as the show begins to adapt Part 2. We can't wait to see Bella Ramsey continue to slay (literally & metaphorically)
Today we're joined by a bestie of the pod, our theme song composer Connor Marsh, to discuss the long-awaited Super Mario Bros. Movie!
And speaking of long-awaited Nintendo things: mere hours before we recorded this episode, the final pre-release trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom dropped, so we get into that first! We were arguably more excited for that than the Mario movie which was, in our collective opinion, fine! A perfectly passable and fun kid's film chock full of easter eggs for longtime Mario fans that will make a sh*t-ton of money & open up the door to endless possibilities of (hopefully more narratively-compelling) sequels and spin-offs. But the film had a few great moments and a couple of stellar performances, so we're giving out (fire) flowers where they're due. (Plus the made Bowser & Donkey Kong sooooo unbelievably hot, so we of course also have that to get into).
Also! some brief thoughts on Final Fantasy XVI, then later in the show, we're gay for Resident Evil 4 Remake and Octopath Traveler 2!
STAR WARS: "What is a Jedi if not a Gay Catholic?"
02:21:26
(*Well, Catholic-coded at least...)
An episode a long time in the making in a galaxy right, right here: this week, we're finally discussing STAR WARS! Our friend Jake Carlin joins us to talk all about the supermassive media franchise born from a humble little space-fantasy flick in 1977, which still manages to capture our hearts and imaginations to this day. (thanks in part to some pretty great video games!)
We discuss the 2019 video game STAR WARS Jedi: Fallen Order, some early impressions of its newly released sequel, STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor. We also dedicate some time to discussing the Disney+ series Andor (aka the BEST piece of Star Wars media in years & a must-watch for anyone). And, as always, we search our feelings and ponder on queer themes found in the galaxy far far away.
Queer themes such as: armed organized resistance against fascist hegemons! Force-sensitivity as an allegory for queerness! And of course, how even though Disney and the official canon leave much to be desired in terms of queer representation, (we're forever pissed about Finn and Poe,) the series has a bevy of characters that are either queer-coded or lend themselves to queer readings (including Luke "Chanel Boots" Skywalker her damn self for one!)
It's our biggest episode of G4P to date and we still barely manage to scratch the surface of Star Wars! Plus later in the show we talk about the breathtaking cinema screening of Spirited Away: Live on Stage, and so much more!
One Last Culture Kiki Before Tears of the Kingdom! (w/ Bijou Bentley)
01:18:56
Hi divas! (May we call you divas?) It’s an exciting week here at Gay For Play. We recorded this episode mere days before the release The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, an event bound to dominate gaming culture for the foreseeable future. Plus we're joined by iconic oomfie and CenCal legend Bijou Bentley to help us catch up on as much culture as possible before Zelda consumes our lives!
Bijou is an incredibly talented drag artist and visual artist based in the California Central Valley. She joins us to discuss Drag-Con, our final predictions and hopes for Tears of the Kingdom, video-game inspired drag shows, the eternal gay endeavor to finish Persona 5, Arkane Studio's disappointing new flop Redfall, the Hitman games, Jury Duty, Star Wars Visions S2, the WGA strike, and much more! Follow our friend Bijou on Twitter and Instagram, and get your official Bijou Bentley merch here!
It's Pride month once again, and what better way to kick off the celebrations than by diving paraglider-first into a hearty discussion on one of the biggest and best games of the year. It's Zelda time!!!
Our favorite androgynous femmeboy girltwink swordsman is back and this time? He has a sexy goat-man's arm grafted onto him.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been one of our most anticipated games ever since it was first announced, and now that we finally have our hands on it we can safely say it did NOT disappoint! It manages to take everything we loved about its brilliant predecessor Breath of the Wild and iterate on it and improve it in every way. There's also a LOT of queer stuff in this game.
From a side-quest about a drag queen fashion designer running for mayor of her conservative hometown, to a queer-coded fish prince who is head-over-heels in love with our protagonist Link, there are so many gay adventures in this massive open-world game, and it feels like we're just scratching the surface.
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish, Travis Ryans & Martha Turner <3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Main Theme (Full Version)" by Manaka Kataoka, Maasa Miyoshi, Masato Ohashi, Tsukasa Usui "Lookout Landing" by Manaka Kataoka, Maasa Miyoshi, Masato Ohashi, Tsukasa Usui "Hateno Village (Day)" by Manaka Kataoka, Maasa Miyoshi, Masato Ohashi, Tsukasa Usui
25 Jun 2023
Summer Gay Fest! (Our Favorite June Game Announcements)
01:33:20
This week it's back to business after the incredible joy and success our first ever live show in LA last weekend! Eric and Laurence debrief on our show with Super Dating Simulator and the weekend at large before diving into our main topic: JUNE VIDEO GAME ANNOUNCEMENTS!
E3 may be officially dead and gone, but the games are here to stay. We cover our favorite announcements from the June Nintendo Direct, Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest, the Xbox showcase, Wholesome Direct, and more. The sheer number of game announcements can be overwhelming, so we're here to tell you which games cut through the noise and piqued our interest the most. From big Triple-A games to indie titles that may have flown under your radar, we've got you covered with a little over 30 games in this episode!
Then later in "What Else We're Gay For" we talk Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Disneyland's first ever Pride Nite.
Tiers of the Kingdom (LIVE SHOW with Super Dating Simulator!)
01:34:01
This super special episode is a recording of our live show from this past June with SUPER DATING SIMULATOR @ the Alamo Drafthouse's Video Vortex in Downtown LA!!! It was such a blast to be a part of, and now that Hot Labor Summer (the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes) has led us to shift our release schedule around, we're so glad to finally share this episode with you, dear listener!
At Super Dating Simulator's "Tiers of the Kingdom" show, we teamed up with Sara Brown and Sam Weller to make tier-lists to definitively rank different video game & anime characters across 4 slay categories: video game baddies (as in villains, but also, well you know), the different incarnations of Link (excluding any games where he is a child), androgynous/gender-queer anime characters (and the sexual awakenings spurned on in us by each), and female anime couples who are almost certainly girlfriends/wives/weirdly intense friends that never QUITE use the word "Lesbian" (but we all *know* what's really going on!!!)
Thanks again to Super Dating Simulator for having us. Be sure to follow them on Instagram for updates on their future shows (every 3rd Thursday of the month at the Alamo Drafthouse in DTLA!). Thank you to everyone who was able to come see us at the show, and thank *you* for listening!
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish,<3
04 Aug 2023
Pikmin 4: The Best Thing Since Fresh Basil (w/ Matthew Pezzulich)
01:48:00
This week we are joined by our friend Matthew Pezzulich (he/him) to discuss PIKMIN 4: the latest entry in the beloved Nintendo franchise about little guys doing silly little tasks at the end of the world (and in that sense, aren't we all Pikmin when you think about it?) We talk about the history of franchise, its themes of environmentalism, collaboration, and the strength of collective labor, and how Pikmin 4's design choices and quality of life improvements make this game the most successful and most accessible game in the series to date.
Matthew also shares his experience of seeing Beyoncé live (including an important update on whether or not the Renaissance World Tour is, in fact, Brechtian), Eric recounts his experience at "Everybody Rise! A Sondheim Celebration" at the Hollywood Bowl. We also try to answer important questions like "Which type of Pikmin would be the best to eat?", have a rousing discussion on our favorite summer garden herb, and so much more!
Princess Mononoke & Studio Ghibli's Influence on Zelda
01:10:56
This week, Eric and Laurence discuss the 1997 Studio Ghibli Classic, Princess Mononoke and discuss how it had so much more of an impact on the latest Zelda games than we had previously been aware of. We also get into some of our other favorite films from the beloved animation studio, Laurence converts Eric to a NewJeans stan, Eric extols the virtues of garlic confit, and so much more on this episode of Gay for Play!
A note on audio: we lost the original recording of this episode and ended up using a backup of our recorded Discord call, apologies for the audio quality in the first half of the show!
You and your party stumble across a new episode of G4P! Go ahead and roll for initiative~
Baldur's Gate 3 is currently the hottest new RPG in the gaming world right now. Only problem is, none of us have played it yet! So on this week's episode we're joined by Steven Christie, our oomfie from down under* (*Australia, not the Underdark) to discuss the game that inspired BG3 and countless other role playing games: DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS!
D&D, the massively popular fantasy tabletop game, has become a household name in the years since its initial release in 1974, inspiring TV series like Stranger Things, multiple actual play podcasts like Critical Role and The Adventure Zone, and as of earlier this year, its own movie. We discuss our personal history with Dungeons and Dragons, its appeal to LGBTQ+ players across the globe, and how roleplaying creates a space for the queer imagination to flourish and run wild.
Oh also, all 3 of us finally finished Tears of the Kingdom! We share a few mostly spoiler-free thoughts on the end of the game up top, and also take a moment to tip our red-M hats to Mr. Charles Martinet, who announced this week that he is retiring from his role as the voice of Mario.
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish,<3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Bard Dance" from Baldur's Gate 3 - by Borislav Slavov
15 Sep 2023
Mutha Courage and Her Beyhive - Renaissance World Tour (w/ Eriel Brown)
01:28:28
It's Virgo('s Groove) Season and we have been blessed by the queen! Beyoncé Knowles (female pop vocalist) Carter brought her record-breaking, epic, indelible Renaissance World Tour to Los Angeles, California earlier this month, and we were there to witness it! (well, 2/3rds of us were, but Eric has watched multiple YouTube recordings of the tour, so he was with us in spirit).
Our friend Eriel Brown joins us to talk about why Beyoncé is, without question, our greatest living performer. We talk the Renaissance album, her birthday show, the tour as a whole and its myriad cultural inspirations, how it pays homage to Black queerness and Black femmes, our mixed feelings on the special guests/openers at the LA leg of the tour, Blue Ivy being an absolute star, and finally, we try to answer a question that has become a topic of HEATED debate that has been ALL UP IN OUR MINDs for months now, which is: "Brechtyoncé: Was the Renaissance Tour a piece of dialectical theatre akin to the works of 20th Century German playwright Bertolt Brecht?" (spoiler alert, our answer is: "well,,, sorta kinda!")
So get COZY and enjoy the ENERGY we bring to this long-awaited episode dedicated entirely to Queen Bey!
What Else We're Gay For:
ERIEL: Reneé Rapp's debut album Snow Angel LAURENCE: Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue (1997) ERIC: Halloween Horror Nights 2023 @ Universal Studios Hollywood
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish,<3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: HEATED - Squidward Tentacles
02 Oct 2023
Gay For Role-Play: Fall 2023s Biggest RPGs
01:41:03
Autumn has officially begun, and with it, massive Role-Playing Games have arisen as some of hottest games of the season. We're leaning into this genre trend this week and discussing 4 games we've been playing! -First we have the stellar new RPGBaldur's Gate 3, a colossal Dungeons & Dragons-based adventure where dialog choices & character interactions massively impact the story (and also all your party members are super gay and horny for you), - A stellar new flop in Starfield from Bethesda, a space exploration RPG from the creators of Skyrim and Fallout that unfortunately feels dated and limiting in comparison to some of the other games in the spotlight right now. -A "Drag Race All-Stars"-level comeback from Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (the new DLC expansion and 2.0 update from CD Projekt RED's 2020 open-world action RPG that had a famously rocky launch), -And finally 2019's Disco Elysium, A gorgeously-written murder-mystery/noire RPG that has been in our backlog for ages and kinda fits in perfectly in comparison to the other games on this list in different ways. We've had so many people recommend this game to us and this felt like a perfect time to dig into it, and oh are we so glad we did!
What Else We're Gay For:
LAURENCE: Sea of Stars ERIC: Rotting in the Sun (now streaming exclusively on MUBI)
We back y'all. This week Eric and Laurence hop back on the mics after a much needed break & discuss gaming ruts, our teacher-eras, the end of the actor's strike, AI, some light predictions for the Game Awards (we recorded this episode 2 days before the ceremony) and of course, gaaaaaames!
Games discussed include: Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (a slay), Alan Wake (the first one), Super Mario Wonder (wowie-zowie!), Overwatch 2 (fun and for the gays), Baldur's Gate 3 (which recently added ball-jiggle physics), Sea of Stars (also a slay!), and more.
Later in the show we catch up on a couple movies and TV shows we've been watching including The Boy and the Heron, The Marvels, The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Jujutsu Kaisen S2.
It's been over 3 years since we first launched this show. Thanks so much to everyone who has stuck with us, we love y'all for listening and can't wait to bring you more in the future! <3
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish,<3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Piranha Plants On Parade" by Koji Kondo, Shiho Fujii, Sayako Doi, Chisaki Shimazu
31 Dec 2023
Eric, Laur, & The Great GOTYs of 2023
01:59:39
"The GOTYs, said to portend... untold slayage, and the end of the *year*~"
2023 is over! And we find ourselves at the end of a truly landmark year for gaming. On this episode we discuss some of our favorite games of 2023. We each pick 5 games from our personal lists that we want to highlight, then culminate the show with 3 "joint slays": games that made both of our lists that we want to celebrate together, the last of which we are considering to be our official pick for 2023 Game of the Year. Join us as we celebrate these games, a whole lot of honorable (& dishonorable) mentions, games we didn't play but plan to in the future, and a whole lot more!
What Else We're Gay For: Laurence: The Steam Deck OLED Eric: Tokyo Godfathers (2003) dir. Satoshi Kon
"As a Trans Man with Dyscalculia..." (w/ Leo Grierson)
01:26:04
Time marches ever onward, and here we are, with our first episode of 2024! Back in January (sorry for the delay, it's been a busy start to the year for us) we sat down with one of our OG G4P guests and dear dear friend Leo Grierson to discuss digital theatre and storytelling, A.I. and our complex and evolving opinions on the technology, the joys of grad school, the best farming sims to enjoy whilst recovering from top surgery, and so many more games and movies we've been into lately
Games discussed include Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town, Wylde Flowers, Coral Island, Hitman Freelancer, Cult of the Lamb, Strange Horticulture
What Else We're Gay For:
Laurence: Delicious In Dungeon & Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Eric: Bluey Leo: Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods by Bailey Williams & Theatre of the Unimpressed by Jordan Tannahill
================ Get in touch with us!
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish,<3
25 Mar 2024
Throwing Cards the House Down in "Balatro" and "Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth"
01:13:28
It's all aces this week as Eric and Laurence chitchat about all the culture and games they've been playing this month. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, the hotly anticipated follow-up to 2020's FF7 Remake. Rebirth reunites us with our favorite PTSD-addled twink Cloud Strife, as he and his gang of gay friends and divas leave the city of Midgar and embark on an open world adventure on their hunt for Sephiroth: fighting monsters, going on endless side-adventures, and playing countless minigames along the way (including a truly fantastic card game called Queen's Blood) And speaking of cards, we've both been playing a ton of Balatro, a new poker-based deck-building roguelike that has us addicted like a couple of gamblers (sans any real gambling, thankfully) and has quickly made a name for itself as an early GOTY contender.
We also discuss some thoughts on the Oscars and some our favorite films from the award season, Laurence talks about how sexy Barrett Wallace is, Eric discusses Persona 3 Reload and Portal 1&2, plus we talk about Dune Part 2, the incoming albums from the pop girlies, and so much more!
What Else We're Gay For:
Laurence: Bottoms (2023) Eric: Mexico City! ================ Get in touch with us!
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish,<3
07 Apr 2024
Evangelion: 1.6 You Can (Not) Stardew (w/ Sara Brown)
01:18:11
Get in the robot, listener, it's time for another Gay for Play! This week we're joined by bestie of the pod and G4P alum, Sara Brown! We get deep and philosophical about the re-release (and first North American release) of The End of Evangelion in theaters and discuss why this film and its anime is still one of the most beloved and mind-boggling series ever made, as well as a show and film rich with queer under(and over)tones. We also get into the new Stardew Valley 1.6 update, chat all about the new features that continue being added to this modern perennial classic, and why we just can't stop returning to the farm. Before all that, we have to do a dive on the new Beyoncé album Cowboy Carter, as well as our stance on country as a genre and what comes next for Queen Bey and country music as a whole. All that plus more movies, games and culture on this week's episode!
It's a real life boogie AND a real life hoedown, so join us, won't you?
What Else We're Gay For: Eric: Quiet On Set and I'm Glad My Mom Died Sara: Baldur's Gate 3 Laurence: Problemista
================ Get in touch with us!
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)
We've been Nasty girls for sitting on this episode for a couple weeks, but we are back! This week we discuss Luca Guadagnino's bisexual fever dream smash hit CHALLENGERS, as well as Another Crab's Treasure - a cute undersea Souls-like where you play as a hermit crab trying to get his shell back, the Met Gala (which we kinda dgaf about but discuss a bit anyway), the recent layoffs in the video game industry, Spy x Family: Code White, some theatre we've been digging into lately, the pop girlies' summer hits ("Nasty" by Tinashe & "Espresso" by Sabina Carpenter to name a few) and more!
Later, in What Else We're Gay For this week: ERIC: Baby Reindeer LAURENCE: The Blank Check Podcast's series on Satoshi Kon, and Suzume by Makoto Shinkai
Plus at the very end, a surprise discussion on US Season 2 of Traitors
Are we still a video game podcast? Well, sorta kinda! That, pop culture, and beyond as we say, (with an emphasis on the latter two lately...) But still, it's a question we find we are asking ourselves lately! tbh, We find it a little difficult to care as deeply about video games when we are so busy living through major current events and existing in the context of all in which we live (& what came before us, as you will see in this time capsule of an episode)... alas in this episode we endeavor to anyway!
This week Eric and Laurence convene to the mics to discuss the remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, along with a good deal of other video games we've been spending time with us these past couple months. Then in the back half of the show, we share our feelings Charli XCX's brat as we unpack our own brat summers, and we yap at length about all of the other culture (music! live theatre! film! etc!) that we're gay for as of late! Strap in for this time capsule of an episode on Summa 2024~
Games Discussed: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Kingdom Hearts (now on Steam!), Animal Well, Baldur's Gate 3, Lil Gator Game, Zenless Zone Zero, Overwatch 2, Lego 2K Drive
Pop girlies discussed: Charli XCX, Tinashe (Stream "NASTY" on all platforms!!!), Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan
Theatre/Movies/TV Discussed: Fiddler on the Roof, Urinetown, The Acolyte, The People's Joker by Vera Drew, Big Boys by Corey Sherman, Twin Peaks, Pokémon Horizons
================ Get in touch with us!
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish,<3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Excess Express at Dusk" by Yoshito Hirano, Yuka Tsujiyoko
16 Aug 2024
Laurio and SonEric at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
02:07:12
Bonsoir! Bienvenue à PARIS! This week we set aside video games in favor of OLYMPIC games, as we are joined by the lovely Gerry Tonella (Olympic gold medalist in the sport of "being Eric's cutie-patootie boyfriend") to discuss the games of the 33rd Summer Olympiad in Paris, France! Collectively we found it to be our favorite Olympic games of recent memory, with soooo much to discuss! From Gaga and Celine to the extinguishing of torch, we dive into a little bit of it all in this episode!
We start with breaking down the breathtaking opening ceremony that took place along the Seine River, featuring Lady Gaga, a parade of athletes on boats, a dazzling display of French culture, a drag queen bacchanal, and a performance from the one and only CELINE DION (which is maybe *the* cultural moment of the year? decade even? We gagged over every second of it.)
Then, sports gays rejoice, we get into our favorite sporting events of the games: talking gymnastics, skateboarding, tennis, artistic swimming, and a whole lot more. We highlight some of the achievements from the record 193 openly LGBTQ+ athletes that competed this year, and discuss some controversies around the Olympics this year, from the lighthearted (big d*ck pole vault man) to the not so fun (the transphobic misinformation campaign around cisgender female boxer [and 2024 GOLD medalist mind you] Imane Khelif of Algeria.)
Lastly, with the Olympic flag now passed along to our neck of the woods in Los Angeles, California, we share our hopes and predictions for the 2028 games. (IOC/NBC Universal, hire us!) Plus, Gerry and Eric give us a little addendum to discuss thoughts on the Closing Ceremony!
WHAT ELSE WE'RE GAY FOR
ERIC: M. Night Shyamalan's Trap (2024) LAUR: The Boyfriend - Netflix Reality Series GERRY: The Wicked movie promo and LUSH collab, & the best summer floral ================ Get in touch with us!
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)
State of the Culture: Pokemon TCG Pocket, Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Sunset Boulevard, & More
01:49:19
This week, on what is approximately our 4th(!) anniversary of the pod (we launched on Thanksgiving Day 2020), we gather to discuss the future of the pod, games we’ve been playing, the Game Awards nominations, theatre we’ve been holding space for, and ruminate on some of our favorite albums of the year as the year rapidly draws to a close!
Games discussed: Pokémon TCG Pocket, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Mario Party Jamboree, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, Metaphor Re:Fantazio ================ Get in touch with us!
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)
Laurence and Eric work in tandem as they are joined this week by their partners, Hector Barajas (first time guest!) and Gerry Tonella (returning from our Olympics episode) to hold space for the musical/cultural blockbuster event of the year – WICKED (part one). Full spoilers ahead for the movie, the stage musical, the book kinda, the source material (The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz) and the source material’s source material (another book) as we discuss all things swankified in the Oz, Shiz, and beyond. We *are* in queer media so, naturally we have an Emerald City’s worth of thoughts to share about this formative musical and its superb film adaptation.
Then later in the episode, we share tales of our respective recent couples’ vacations: Eric and Gerry recount their trip to Walt Disney World, and Laurence and Hector about their trip to Mexico City.
Put your pointy hats on and vogue on down to the Ozdust Ballroom & enjoy this episode!
======== Get in touch with us!
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)
For our last episode of 2024, we share our thoughts on The Game Awards and then have a good ol' fashioned GOTY chat on our favorite games of 2024!
Listen... if we're being real, we honestly didn't play *too* many games released this calendar year, but the ones we did play were bangers nevertheless! Including an undisputed choice for our joint Game of the Year. Join us as we give the girls their flowers and talk about what vibed with us the most.
Thanks for sticking with us through another year of G4P! We'll be back in your ears in 2025!
What Else We're Gay For this week: Eric: Hundreds of Beavers (dir. Mike Cheslik) Laurence: Doechii's Tiny Desk Concert, Gracie Abrams "That's So True", Kurt Vonnegut on Making Art
======== Get in touch with us!
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)
The Nintendo Switch 2 got announced yesterday. However, we recorded this episode a day *before* that announcement. So instead we, as gay people, talked about a bad movie we are obsessed with. (Which is honestly the best thing one can do for themselves sometimes in times of crisis! It's been a rough week for us amidst the LA wildfires, the impending incoming presidential administration, etc.)
The bad movie in question being Emilia Pérez, the controversial musical melodrama that beat out Wicked at the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. It's a movie that is not particularly good, and arguably downright offensive to both the Mexican and Trans community, but did leave us with plenty of worms in our brains to warrant hopping on the mic and making it our main discussion topic this week.
Later in the episode, we share our predictions for the Switch 2 (topical!), our gaming resolutions for 2025, Eric's foray into VR gaming, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, RHOSLC, The Traitors S3, and more!
Ep. 0: "We're Here! We're Doin' It!" (Queer Games of Our Youth)
00:42:09
Laurence and Eric give you, the listener, a rousing introduction to ourselves, the podcast, and two special games that they consider foundational to their identity as queer gamers. All that, plus lots more on the inaugural episode of Gay For Play!
Ep. 1: "Death of the Otter" (Animal Crossing: New Horizons)
00:57:08
Our intrepid gaymers, Eric and Laurence, take you on a tour of all that is good and gay in the world of Animal Crossing on what is this, our pilot episode from way back in May!
Ep. 2: "A Bi-Pride Flag On Acid" (Sayonara Wild Hearts)
00:44:57
This week Eric & Laurence invite you to grab your skateboards & tarot cards and take a journey with us across the cosmos as they discuss the 2019 indie darling, SAYONARA WILD HEARTS! We discuss everything from the game's psychedelic (& very queer) visuals, its heartwarming narrative, how the game works as a "video game pop album", and why The Gays love pop music so much!
This week, Laurence & Eric share their thoughts on Gone Home!
One of the most beloved indie games of the last decade, this 2013 “walking simulator” made waves across the gaming world by revolutionizing how stories in games are told, what *kind* of stories games dare to tell, and how it helped legitimize an entire genre of video games in the process.
We discuss Gone Home’s lovely queer coming-of-age story disguised as a spooky haunted-house adventure, reflect on young queer romance, and how the game uses its environment and setting (An empty manor in rural Oregon, summer of 1995) to its utmost advantage.
Also! Before that, we talk about the (then) news of Cyberpunk 2077’s final delay (as of the release of this episode today, it’s finally out!) as well as the nominees of The Game Awards (which are *also* happening today!). All that, plus our thoughts on the new next-gen consoles, and so much more!
Ep. 4: "Miss Cloud is Giving Us FINAL Fantasy!" (Final Fantasy VII Remake)
01:20:16
Whew y'all, this week is a BIG one! We're discussing one of our favorite games of the year: Final Fantasy VII Remake -- a massive, ambitious RPG that endeavors to recreate one of the most beloved video games of all time.
We talk about the game's beautiful world, music, and characters, how it reckons with it's own dated & problematic past (looking at YOU, HoneyBee Inn), Cloud Strife's drag moment, and of course, the sexy sexy eco-terrorists of AVALANCHE.
Aside from one scene from the middle of the game which we talk about at length (the gayest scene, obviously) we keep it **spoiler-free** this week! So whether you have or haven't played this game, only played the original, or have never touched a Final Fantasy game in your life, we hope to provide some insight into what makes this game such an iconic part of the video game canon.
In addition to ALL of that, we talk about upcoming TV/movie adaptations of video games, Universal Studios' Super Nintendo World, and our plans for our upcoming GAME OF THE YEAR podcast.
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com (Tell us about your favorite games of 2020!) =================================
Ep. 5: The Cyberpunk of It All (X-mas Special! w/ Grant Luecke)
00:47:24
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays dear listeners! This week, in lieu of a regular episode, we've got a special holiday surprise for you!
We sit down with the dashing Grant Leucke (@grantstabletopworkshop) to chat about his 3D-Printing/Tabletop Miniature business, and we announce a giveaway*** of 3 of his gorgeous mini-figures! We wanted to give y'all a little thank-you present for all of the love and support you've given us over the past month since we launched, so big thanks to Grant for agreeing to help us spread some cheer!
Then, of course, we would be remiss if we didn't talk about THEE biggest gaming drama of the season. Grant joins the gorls as we talk about CYBERPUNK 2077. Specifically, all the tea regarding its botched launch and contentious development cycle, Laurence's early impressions of the game, its rocky handling of queer subject matter, and our hopes for the game going forward as CDPR (hopefully) fixes ha UP!
Next week is our GAME OF THE YEAR episode, so if you haven't already, be sure to EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com & tell us about your favorite games of 2020! We'd love to read your thoughts out on the show~
***This Xmas Giveaway will run from the release of this episode (12/24) until the end of the year (12/31/20, 11:59PM PST). Listen to the episode / Check our IG (@GayForPlayPod) for full details on how to enter and win!
31 Dec 2020
Ep. 6: Time For the GOTYs, Girlies! (Our 2020 Games of the Year)
01:50:44
As Nina Bo'nina Brown once said, "Well, it’s over!"
Happy New Year y’all. Before we skedaddle on out of 2020 and never look back, Laurence and Eric sit down and talk about their favorite (and gayest) video games they played this year! (turns out there were a lot of good ones this year, despite... you know, *gestures broadly*)
Join us as we discuss our honorable mentions, our favorite non-2020 video games that we played this year, and then find out which games reign supreme & made our personal top 5 lists here on Gay for Play's 1st annual GOTYE!! (Game of the Year Edition)
Ep. 7: Stardew You Believe In Life After Love? (Stardew Valley w/ Aurelia Grierson)
01:17:19
Howdy farmers, we're BACK with our first episode of 2021!! This week, we're joined by our dear friend, Aurelia Grierson (they/them), here to chat with us about the holidays, virtual theatre-making, and Stardew Valley! This beloved Harvest Moon-inspiredfarming simulator has captured our hearts & cemented itself as one of the most prolific indie games of the past decade.
...Sure, it's mainly a game about cute virtual farming, but naturally, we spend most of our time discussing our antics with the game's robust bisexual dating sim elements. Join us as we dissect our self-constructed Stardew dating drama, psychoanalyze what our romance choices say about us, & reflect on the importance of keeping a lucky rabbit’s foot around your multiple lovers (or whatever that play is called).
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
LISTEN to Aurelia’s podcast: That Do It For Ya? on iTunes and Spotify!!
Ep. 8: "Running Up That Hell (A Deal With Gods)" (Hades)
01:09:27
There is no escape y’all; we’re finally here to talk about a game we’ve been obsessed with for months: HADES by Supergiant Games! We tackle this roguelike action RPG by talking about our *supergiant* crushes on these hot Greek gods, portrayals of queerness in Greek mythology & how it’s represented in this game, and explore why this super addicting game took a spot as one of our 2020 Games of the Year. We also gab on new years rezzie progress (or lack thereof, lol. There was a coup, ok???), THAT rat TikTok musical, speedrun couture, and Real Housewife tangents, because of course. It's hot as hell on Gay For Play this week, let's get to werk!
Ep. 9: “Time is a Heteronormative Construct” (Outer Wilds)
01:07:01
Greetings traveler! Rest by the campfire and look up at the stars with us for a bit, won’t you? This week, we launch into orbit and talk about Outer Wilds, an open-world space exploration game where the only objective is to follow your own curiosity as you unravel the secrets of a little alien solar system that has "met with a terrible fate, hasn't it?"
We chat about alien gender identities, space colonialism, how the Straights have monopolized time, the inevitable end of all things, & plenty of other *fun*, light topics.
So grab some marshmallows, try not to experience too much cosmic dread, and settle in as we take y'all on a loop this episode. (a time loooop!)
Ep. 10: "Jazz IS Persona Vibes" (Persona 5 Royal w/ Sara Brown)
01:30:41
Hey oomfs and besties!! This week we're joined by Super Dating Simulator's Sara Brown to talk about PERSONA 5 ROYAL: Atlus's critically-lauded JRPG about living the life of a Tokyo high schooler who moonlights as a monster-fighting "phantom thief" crusading against injustice. (It's very anime.)
It's a game all 3 of us love dearly... even though it misses the mark pretty heavily in terms of positive LGBTQ+ representation. So we get *into* it! We chat about why high school teachers dating their students is Bad™, commiserate over the protagonist's lack of gay romance options, and how Futaba Sakura is definitely mining crypto and robbing hedge fund managers blind! (we stan!!)
We also chat about the game's themes of found-family, the struggle for justice, and its nuanced portrayals of masculinity. Despite its flaws, we love these troublemaking Tokyo teens to bits and we're so excited to finally dig into this massive game!
Follow Sara (@saraisnotfamous) on Instagram and Twitter, and check out her show, Super Dating Simulator here! Their interactive comedy show streams live on Twitch once every month!
Ep. 11: "We Love A Himbo Redemption Arc" (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword w/ Hannah Berg)
01:22:11
Hey! Listen! This week, we are joined by actress, gamer, and delightful friend of the pod Hannah Berg (she/her) as we cover our first (but certainly not our last) Legend of Zelda game on G4P! We’re talking 2011’s The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Nintendo Wii!
Despite its reputation as the “black sheep” of 3D Zelda games, we discuss our fondness for it as we reflect on how it still succeeds as one of the most charming and character-driven Zelda adventures, with a gorgeous art style and incredible puzzle & enemy design to boot.
We obvi talk about our crushes on Link, Zelda, and the other denizens of Skyloft, reflect on motion-control woes, unpack our complicated feelings about queer-coded villains, and plead for Nintendo to give us a remaster for this game’s 10th anniversary!
All that and more on another adventurous episode of Gay for Play!
You feeling the love in the air? It's probs because THIS week, we’re joined by playwright, actor, and self-identifying weeb Carlos-Zenen Trujillo (they/them) to dive deep into the world of DATING SIMULATORS! A game genre we've *flirted* with multiple times on the show before that we've now decided to go steady with for a whole episode. We take a look at why these simple, innocuous visual novels resonate so deeply with queer gamers like us, and how the genre has evolved from its heteronormative, trope-y roots into games that are more inclusive, queer-centric and simply a joy to play!
We mostly discuss the genre as a whole, but we also take a close look at two dating sims in particular that subvert & redefine the genre: Dan Salvato's twisted Doki Doki Literature Club, and The Game Grumps' queer smash hit, Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator.
PLUS, in our culture corners, we talk about everything from teen films based on classic literature, K-pop, the Britney Spears doc, Rebecca Black's comeback-era, and so much more!
We hope you fall deeply in love with the 2D anime character of your dreams, or at least enjoy us talking about ours!
***SUPPORT BLACK & QUEER GAME DEVELOPERS*** Check out ValiDate: Struggling Singles in Your Areaan upcoming romantic visual novel featuring a cast of BIPOC protagonists. Donate to their Ko-Fi to support them directly!
25 Feb 2021
Ep. 13: "Hey Kitty Girl, It's Your 3D World!" (Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury)
01:04:27
Hey all you cool cats and kittens! It’s just us (Super Mario) bros this week, coming at y’all with a super Nintendo-centric episode. We’re sharing our thoughts on last week’s Nintendo Direct announcements, talking about Animal Crossing theatre-making, and then warp-piping right into our game of the week: SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD + BOWSER’S FURY!
This latest Mario outing on the Switch is a polished-up port of the underappreciated Wii U game of the same name, packaged in with BOWSER’S FURY, an all new open-world Mario adventure utilizing 3D World’s engine.
Not too much gay stuff to talk about in this one, but we simply love the red plumber man and all of his fun platforming adventures & wanted to dedicate some time to talk about him! Plus naturally we find some queer/queer-adjacent things to talk about. (Mario IS, after all, a bear...)
***** "CABIN 12 - An (Animal Crossing) Summer Camp Jubilee" by Aurelia Grierson (friend of the pod!) is streaming March 7th & 12th as part of the Fresno Rogue Festival. Get your tickets here!
To learn more about the show, check out our write-up in BroadwayWorld! *****
Happy 25th Anniversary, Pokémon Trainers! Can you believe it's been a whole quarter century of catching-them-all?
This week we're taking a deep dive on one of the most beloved video game franchises of all time (well, for one of our hosts at least.)
We discuss all of the Pokémon-related news from the last week including the surprisingly delightful Pokémon Post Malone Virtual Concert and the new video game announcements: Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl (remakes of Laurence's favorite Pokémon games, the Nintendo DS's Pokémon Diamond & Pearl,) & Pokémon Legends: Arceus (a new open-world Pokémon game seemingly inspired by Breath of the Wild)
We then go in-depth on a conversation about why the gays love these pocket-monsters so dang much, as well as a hearty conversation on our tenuous relationship between Pokémon and anti-capitalism, queer themes in the franchise, and so much more!
Up top we also discuss Gayming Magazine's 1st annual Gayming Awards! An event celebrating and honoring LGBTQ video games, creators, and members of the video game industry. (Our invite must have gotten lost in the mail but that's okay!)
Whether you're a diehard Pokémon-stan like Laurence, or kinda lukewarm on the series like Eric, we hope you find something to love about this episode! One thing we both agree on is that Pokémon is a cultural tour de force, so we're happy to celebrate 25 years of it here on the pod.
==== Get your TICKETS to Cabin 12: An (Animal Crossing) Summer Camp Jubileehere!! ==== FOLLOW GAY FOR PLAY!
Please indulge us for 10 minutes as we explain to you why you should consider giving us your money! (if you can & want to, obvi. truly super chill if you don't! we still luv u <3) If you *do* subscribe, we'll have bonus content, a Discord server, and some more cool perks for ya!
In any case, thank you SO much for supporting the show! We're excited to bring you more Gay for Play in the future and thrilled to have y'all along for the ride.
Ep. 15: "Nature is Healing, WE are The Last of Us" (TLOU Part I w/ Becca Rowland)
01:41:10
Craft your med-kits and molotov cocktails, because we’re tackling a big game on our list this week! We’re joined by our dear friend, Chicago-based actress Becca Rowland, to talk about Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us (Part 1!)
Widely considered by many to be one of the best video game narratives of all time, this post-apocalyptic action-adventure game explores the relationship between Joel & Ellie, two strangers who become surrogate father/daughter figures for each other as they journey across a version of America decimated by..... a deadly pandemic that turns people into fungus zombies. (Look, sorry we keep talking about the panorama on the pod but it’s impossible not to draw some comparisons with this one.)
While there’s no way for us to cover everything this game has to say in one episode, we try our best to talk about the important stuff, the gay stuff, and the important gay stuff-- most notably Ellie! the game’s co-protagonist who has become a landmark queer character & a paragon of sorts for queer representation in video games. This is a deeply beloved game which famously received a sequel last year! So we hope you enjoy our discussion on the first half of this saga.
TIMESTAMPS for ~SPOILERS~
Left Behind DLC Spoilers: 48:00-49:20, 54:04-54:26 Ending of the game Discussion: 59:52 - 01:10:03
Ep. 16: Games that Got Us THROUGH the Past Year (w/ Connor Marsh)
01:30:06
Y'all, it's been a whole year since we first locked down in our homes last March with nothing but Animal Crossing to keep us company. It's been a tough couple of weeks, & we're all feeling some type of way about this Panniversary, so we decided to take things a bit more casual this week. Instead of focusing on one game, we're joined by our good friend: actor & composer Connor Marsh (he/him) to kiki with us on some game news and take a retrospective look at this past year in Gaming Culture & games that meant a lot to us over these past 12 months
Plus, we convince Connor to brag about his PS5, Eric argues that Death Stranding is camp, Laurence continues to be a Barb. We all talk about which Zelda game is the gayest, and argue over whether or not the Ring Fit Adventure dragon is hot (he is.)
Check out CheckPointOrg.com for mental health resources focused directly on gamers and game makers! <3
Intro and outro music by (this week's guest!) Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)
Show art by Nick Adams (@stickartams) Special thanks to our patron, Blueberri Mary <3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Super Mario Bodyssey" by soap eater (Megan Thee Stallion x Super Mario Odyssey)
01 Apr 2021
Ep. 17: Straight For Play! (w/ Larry & Erick)
00:40:38
Laurence and Eric are out this week, but fortunately they’ve entrusted the show to their (totally real) friends Larry and Erick, who are here to talk to you, dear listener, about video games from a what? HETEROSEXUAL perspective.
We know you usually come to this show for queer, diverse perspectives on video games, but the thing is: Straight voices these days are so often overlooked (& even silenced!) in the worlds of gaming and podcasting. So Laurence & Eric, as fierce allies of the Heterosexual Community, are here to give Larry & Erick space to talk about some of video games they love that might never otherwise never get covered on the pod!
Plus they fill in and cover some of this week’s gaming news highlights, discuss Lil Nas X’s music video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”, and of course, cast their final predictions for MARCH MADNESS .
Hope you enjoy this inaugural episode of STRAIGHT for Play! Laurence & Eric will be back with Gay for Play next week (maybe). Happy April!
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Ants Marching" by Dave Matthews Band
08 Apr 2021
Ep. 18: "The Last of Us Part II: The Second One" (w/ Connor Marsh)
01:56:32
Well, we’re FINALLY doing it. We’re joined once again by friend and show composer Connor Marsh (he/him) to tackle one of the biggest games of 2020: Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II for the Playstation 4.
(A quick note on **SPOILERS**: This is one of those games that are impossible to talk about without going deep into the plot, so please note that we will be fully discussing spoilers from 15:45 onward.)
From there, join us as we dive DEEP into discussing this timely & divisive masterpiece of a game, as we take a look at how this game handles its groundbreaking queer relationship between protagonists Ellie and Dina, trans representation in the game, conversations on queerness and religion, and of course, a look at its broader themes of cyclical violence, revenge, and all that juicy, heady stuff Neil Druckmann’s selling to us gays.
We’ve known since the inception of this show that this would be a huge, daunting game to cover, but we ended up, as always, having a blast recording it! (It helped that we all smoked a little **** before talking about this very sad game). Hope y’all enjoy it too!
Read Riley MacLeod's Kotaku editorial on TLOU2's trans representation, which we quote a few times in this episode. (We also misattributed this article to The Verge a couple of times. Our bad!)
22 Apr 2021
Ep. 19: "Achievement Unlocked: Trans Rights!" (If Found w/ Jasmine Mosebar)
01:46:09
*TIMESTAMPS Below*
This week we’re joined by our friend Jasmine Mosebar (she/her) to discuss Irish indie dev. Dreamfeel’s hit 2020 visual novel: If Found…: a coming of age story about a trans girl named Kasio returning to her small Irish hometown one fateful December in 1993.
We talk about how refreshing it is to have queer/trans stories that aren’t centered around romance or coming out, the game's brilliant "erasing" mechanic, and how this game sets a new standard for trans storytelling in not just video games, but ALL mediums. Plus we talk about the ARTPOP renaissance, the return of E3, The Last of Us (again), our childhood love of Guitar Hero, anime, music, and so much more!
Our guest Jasmine Mosebar is an actor, comedian, writer, & theatre practitioner who prides herself on her work as an activist and advocate for the Transgender community through different mediums including public speaking, sensitivity training, and creative consultation on trans characters & narratives in film, theatre, and gaming.
TIMESTAMPS: 0:01:39 - Intro 0:09:23- News! ARTPOP, E3, The Last of Us Remake 0:23:10- Main Discussion IF FOUND... 1:22:05- What else we're up to this week!
Simple and Clean is the WAY that you're making US feel tonight, dear listener. Why? Because this week, we’re finally diving into one of our favorite game series of all time: KINGDOM HEARTS! An incredibly fun, beloved, and at times, convoluted series of action RPGs with killer gameplay, truly gorrrrgggge music, and an emotionally compelling story that blends the anime-style storytelling of Final Fantasy with - you guessed it - the beloved characters, settings, and IP of the Walt Disney Company! (really!)
We know that sounds bonkers and impossible to parse, but luckily we're joined by our friend Casey Fox (he/him), one of the world's foremost scholars on all things Kingdom Hearts, to help us explain why we love this series of games so much, its queer underpinnings of losing your place in the world and finding family through friendship, and how this innocuous story about traveling to Disney worlds unfurls into a mystery box with deep, complex lore (which fans like us?? eat right up honey)
These games were capital-F Formative for all 3 of us, so we hope you enjoy us taking a deep-dive into this beloved and strange series of video games!
This week, it’s just the two of us for the first time in a minute! We share our thoughts on New Pokémon Snap & Super Mario Party’s incredibly belated new online mode before diving into our main topic of the week: WHAT REMAINS OF EDITH FINCH
Developed by Giant Sparrow Studios and published by Annapurna Interactive, this 2017 narrative adventure game explores the story of Edith Finch, a young woman & the last remaining member of her family, revisiting her abandoned childhood home: the sprawling manor of the Finch family, who have all tragically perished due to what they believe is a mysterious family curse that has haunted them for generations. Throughout this game, you explore the house, and through a series of fantastical vignettes, discover the stories of Edith’s family and put together the pieces of how each Finch met their tragic end.
It’s a beautiful, thoughtful, and meditative game, with lots to say about how families create stories, mythologies, and histories around our homes, our lineages, and each other; but it does also deal with some pretty heavy subject matter of neglect, abuse, mental illness, self-harm, and suicide. For that reason, (as well as spoilers for the end of this game,) we’ve included a timestamp below for anyone who needs or would like to skip through that discussion.
** If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one in crisis, please call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline @ 1-800-273-8255 **
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EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
Join our lil pod community & support the show by joining our PATREON
Ep. 22: "Cause That's What a Mothaf***in' Monster DO" (Monster Prom)
01:01:11
This week, Laurence and Eric play and discuss MONSTER PROM, a 2018 multiplayer dating sim where you play as a monster at Monster high seeking a monster date to take to prom!!
We take a look at the game's total open approach to queer dating and gender identity options, explore the characters' monstrous chaotic debauchery, and compare the game to our own (much tamer) high school prom memories!
We also cover the Epic vs Apple trial, and talk yet again about Lady Dimitrescu– Resident Evil’s 9’6” vampire woman that the internet is MAD horny for (and rightfully so!).
All that and more on this week’s Gay for Play!
Here's the article on Complex that discusses Lady D. and her 'oeuvre' , shall we say, with a sex therapist. Great and sexy read!
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EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
Join our lil pod community & support the show by joining our PATREON
Ep. 23: "Summer Vibez Special!" (Resident Evil & Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
01:10:04
After half a year of podcasting remotely, Laurence and Eric are FINALLY united in the meat space!
We’re celebrating the historic occasion by chillaxin’ in the LA summer sun and giving you a laid-back, grab bag episode! We share our predictions for E3, our takes on the Pride discourse, and talk about how the new Mario Golf game is named after a brand of poppers.
Then we dive into our main topic, where in the spirit of playing games together, Eric attempts to convince Laurence to check out the Resident Evil franchise, and Laurence tries to convince Eric to get into Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Will either of us persuade the other? Only time will tell!
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EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
Join our lil pod community & support the show by joining our PATREON
TICKETS to The Juvenilia Collective's Drunk & Saved!
Hey squirrel-friends! It’s Pride 2021! And we’re kicking the month off with an HISTORIC crossover event. This week, we’re joined by Rawlins & Sam, hosts of the brilliant podcast Rawlins and Sam Watch Too Much TV, to talk about Nintendo’s queerest AND most TV-centric console: the Nintendo Wii U!
We talk about why we love this dear little flop of a console, how it in many ways served as a prototype/precursor to its much more lucrative successor- the Nintendo Switch, and how despite being a commercial failure, it delivered some iconic gaming moments!
ALSO, since we four are all trainéd actors, in Too Much TV-fashion we simply HAD to deliver you some acting MOMENTS, so we pulled some of the most eccentric and esoteric Wii U ads & press conferences we could find and metamorphosed them into haute audio theatre through the power of acting.
It’s a wild-one y’all, and Wii hope U join us along for the ride as we transport you back in time 10 years to Nintendo’s most beautiful flop-era.
======== Thanks again to our guests Rawlins and Sam! Listen to their podcast Rawlins and Sam Watch Too Much TV & find links to their social media, Patreon, and more HERE!
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EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
Join our lil pod community & support the show by joining our PATREON
In honor of Pride Month, this week we’re taking our silly gay lil show back to its roots and celebrating queer-centric video games throughout gaming history!
First, Laurence shares the stories of two of the earliest documented LGBTQ-centric video games -- Caper in the Castro and Gayblade-- exploring the stories of how these two landmark games came about as a form of protest and resilience during the height of the AIDS-epidemic.
Then, Eric jumps us forward in time to discuss a modern queer gaming icon: game developer Robert Yang. Unafraid to create intimate, explicit, & provocative game experiences about sexuality & gay culture, Yang’s games are pushing the boundary of the medium and changing the way we think about queer representation in gaming.
Yang was also recently honored as the recipient of Gayming Magazine’s 2021 Gayming Icon Award: honoring individuals who have “made a significant contribution to not only promoting the status of the LGBTQ+ community in video games, but also increasing its visibility.”
Between Pride and all of this month’s gaming news and announcements: June is a great time to be an LGBTQ+ gamer! We hope you enjoy this episode, find ways to uplift and celebrate queer voices, and always fight for the rights of all marginalized people in your communities and across the world. Happy Pride listeners!
======== Join us on our Twitch Channel! We'll be livestreaming the Nintendo Direct E3 Press Conference on Tuesday, June 15th @ 9am PDT / 12pm EDT ========
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
Join our lil pod community & support the show by joining our PATREON
Well folks, E3... certainly happened this year! Whether it was a hit or not is greatly up for debate, but nevertheless, the famous gaming showcase returned to 2021 in an all-digital format. Some hugely anticipated games were revealed & showcased for the first time, some press conferences were big flops, but you can't say there weren't games aplenty- from small indie devs and publishers, to titans of the industry like Xbox, Bethesda, and Nintendo.
We, being **highly-certified professional video game journalists**, watched pretty much every showcase E3 and Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest had to offer, and we're here to report to you on our highlights, most anticipated games, and all the corporate shenanigans these video game companies got up to this summer. So grab a cold drink, kick back, and hang with us as we get into it!
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EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
Join our lil pod community & support the show by joining our PATREON
Thank you for supporting this show for the past 7 months!
It’s the beginning of summer, it’s Cancer szn, and the time has come for us two Cali boiz to take our first little vacation!
In this unofficial “season 1 finale” episode, we’re once again in person together taking a look at the year in gayming so far- we talk our favorite games of the year up to now, our favorite non-2021 games we’ve played this year, and our most anticipated games of the months ahead.
We also take a look back at our favorite moments of the podcast so far and look forward to what's coming in the future. Don't worry, we'll be back-pack-back again in August with even more Gay For Play (and just as much jester-flop foolery). TTYL, love ya!!!
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EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
Join our lil pod community & support the show by joining our PATREON
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, & Martha Turner <3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Snack Break" by James Currier & Ryan Borbone
06 Aug 2021
Ep. 28: "Ain't No Anxiety Mountain High Enough" (Celeste)
01:04:26
Hiii listeners! We're back from our summer vacation and ooh ooh OOH it's just so damn hot that we needed to cool ourselves off with a nice little retreat to the snowy mountains of... CELESTE!
This 2018 indie platformer is considered by many (ourselves included) to be a modern masterpiece. It's themes of self-reflection, anxiety, and perseverance made for a story that queer and trans gamers saw their own journeys reflected in. We talk about why that is, and how the game retroactively served as a vehicle for lead developer Maddy Thorson's own exploration of their gender identity.
We also catch up on the summer bops we've been bumping, anime we (Laurence) have been watching, and we discuss the current conversation about pervasive sexism and working conditions in the video game industry, particularly in light of the recent sexual harassment lawsuit levied at gaming giant Activision Blizzard.
It's a packed ep! And we're incredibly glad to be back. So grab ya hiking boots and let's go catch those strawberries!
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EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
Join our lil pod community & support the show by joining our PATREON
Ep. 29: "There's a She-Wolf In the Twilight" (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)
01:39:14
~Awooo! Hi heroes, this week we're travelling back to Hyrule, joined by our show artist and bestie NICK ADAMS to revisit his (& Eric's) favorite Zelda adventure: 2006's The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Nintendo Gamecube/Wii! We discuss the game's beautiful, melancholic world-building, queer-coded characters, Link's masculinity (not to mention his sexy sumo wrestling scene), take an unhinged tangent on the Zelda-timeline after promising ourselves not to, and we attempt to answer the question every Zelda-fan must ask themselves- Water Temples: flops or no?
We also talk more about the ongoing discussion of sexism and harassment in the videogame industry, following up on the latest news from the Activision-Blizzard lawsuit, as well as the recent news about the toxic work culture at Fullbright Studios, creators of Gone Home & Tacoma (as reported on in this exposé by Polygon's Nicole Carpenter).
PLUS! We discuss Paper Mario, Hollow Knight, queer representation on TV, and so much more!
Find more of Nick's work on his art Instagram, @nickadams.art
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, & Martha Turner <3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Title Theme" by Toru Minegishi, Asuka Ota, Koji Kondo "Midna's Lament" by Toru Minegishi, Asuka Ota, Koji Kondo "Malo Mart" by Toru Minegishi, Asuka Ota, Koji Kondo
20 Aug 2021
Ep. 30: Ariana Grande, Fortnite, & the Inevitable Brand-Singularity Point
01:02:29
Where we dropping, gays? This week, Laurence and Eric discuss the recent Ariana Grande Rift Tour Fortnite concert: the latest and most ambitious virtual interactive concert by the battle royale shooter-turned-multimedia social gaming hub(?) We don’t quite know how to describe what Fortnite even really is these days. We talk about Fortnite’s history and what it has become: a massive multimedia global cultural phenomenon that hosts in-game concerts, events, and more branding deals than the eye (of the storm) can see. This of course, inevitably leads us to a conversation on one of our favorite topics here on Gay For Play: late-stage capitalism babyyy!
Do we have any ownership over any of the media we love? Can we still find genuine enjoyment out of the media we hold near & dear to us, even when we know we’re being constantly marketed and advertised to? Does a twink gaymer in an Ariana skin have any chance of winning a Victory Royale? How does Pokemon Unite and The Wachowski’s 2008 film Speed Racer fit into all of this?
We attempt to answer all of these questions and more on this week’s episode!
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EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
Join our lil pod community & support the show by joining our PATREON
Ep. 31: "Qatherine is Qamp" (Catherine: Full Body w/ Sara Brown)
01:33:28
This week we're joined once again by our friend Sara Brown: an iconic comedian & cosplayer who you may have previously heard on our Persona 5 Royal episode! She's back to talk about yet another ATLUS game, the super stylish, puzzle horror RPG Catherine: Full Body. And much like Persona 5, this cult classic misses the mark pretty heavily in regards to how it handles LGBT representation.
(CONTENT WARNING for transphobia in this game that we discuss at length about halfway through this episode)
We chat with Sara about Catherine's portrayal of straight culture, muse on authorial intent when it comes to characters with shitty opinions, and how ATLUS's attempt to course correct its transphobic content in the game's remake (Catherine: Full Body) resulted in a product arguably more problematic than the original.
PLUS Laurence talks about Boyfriend Dungeon & the online discourse that has developed since the game's release, and Eric talks about his recent Vegas trip and his experience at Omega Mart, Meow Wolf's newest interactive art exhibit in Sin City.
It's a jam-packed episode that'll leave you on the EDGE of your seat. Enjoy!
Follow Sara (@saraisnotfamous) on Instagram and Twitter, and check out her show, Super Dating Simulator on Twitch!
========
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
Join our lil pod community & support the show by joining our PATREON
Welcome to Rest Mode! Our Multimedia Culture Catch-Up Corner.
Listennnnn... We play a lot of video games here at Gay For Play, but we also consume a lot of other media! The thing about video games is that they are long and sometimes it's fun to talk about other things, so this week, the two of us sit down to talk about the TV shows, books, music, and yes, video games, that we've been enjoying lately.
We discuss, amongst many topics: the Drag Race All Stars 6 Finale, Netflix's Q-Force, our thoughts on Lady Gaga's Dawn of Chromatica, Tinashe's 333, Kanye West's Donda (unfortunately), Psychonauts 2, Ghost of Tsushima - Director's Cut, Arkane Studio's Prey, Cookie Clicker, and more! ========
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
Join our lil pod community & support the show by joining our PATREON
Ep. 33: "Why Won't Nintendo Let Us Play as Zelda?" (w/ Sam Weller)
01:32:39
Hey! Listen! Our guest this week is Sam Weller! the host & creator of one of our favorite L.A. comedy shows, Super Dating Simulator. He joins us to discuss making queer-centric comedy out of anime/video game/nerd culture, before we launch into our MAIN topic of the week, where we'll be diving into a hot button issue for Nintendo-stans
Why the **** won't Nintendo let us play as Princess Zelda??
We've talked about the Legend of Zelda series on this podcast often, but this week we're focusing on the titular Princess Zelda herself: who aside from a few Zelda spin-off titles (and Smash Bros.), has never been the playable protagonist of any of her games!
We discuss why we think Nintendo has always given the Princess of Hyrule the royal snub, how the Zelda-community has pushed forward the "Playable Zelda"-campaign, and how & when we might finally see her as the star of her own adventure. Plus we talk about how the franchise's themes of gender presentation & identity have had an impact on many of the fandom members' own identities (ourselves included, obvi!)
Later in the show, we discuss more games, anime recs, and dive into a mini discussion on MONTERO, Lil Nas X's radiant debut album.
It's dangerous to go alone, so come on over and enjoy the episode with us babe!
======== Find our guest Sam Weller (@yeahsamweller) on Twitter and Instagram Follow his show Super Dating Simulator on Twitch and Youtube As well as his comic account NerdYorkerComics on Twitter and Instagram
======== Be Our Friends!!
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
SUPPORT the show & join our pod community on PATREON You'll get access all of our bonus content by subscribing for just $1/month or more!'
Ep. 34: Mamma Mia, NOT this Mario Movie... (Nintendo Direct Recap!)
00:48:12
It's-a us! We weren't planning on releasing this episode this week, but after last week's Nintendo Direct presentation, we simply HAD to get on the mic and weigh in with our reactions to the incredibly chaotic cast reveal of the Super Mario movie.
Aside from that, there were also some cool announcements in this week's direct! We go over our favorite announcements from the event, but that being said, the Mario cast discussion makes up about the first 20 minutes of this episode, because truly how were our brains supposed to focus on anything else?
(This episode was originally planned to be a Patreon exclusive release! If you like episdoes like this, check out our Patreon page for more bonus episodes like this one, and let us know what kind of episodes you'd like to see from us in the future!)
======== Be Our Friends!!
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
SUPPORT the show & join our pod community on PATREON You'll get access all of our bonus content by subscribing for just $1/month or more!'
The Bugsnax are out of the bag, and we're FINALLY here to talk about them! This week we're discussing last year's smash indie hit Bugsnax, and how this cute Pokemon Snap inspired collect-a-thon about Grumpuses snacking on weird half-bug/half-snack creatures surprisingly has some of the most heartfelt queer representation we've seen in a video game in years!
Before that though, we do of course talk for about 15 minutes about our boy Sora from Kingdom Hearts miraculously making his way into Super Smash Bros Ultimate, because how could we not? But once we get that out of our system, it's Bugsnax all the way down baby. Enjoy!
======== Be Our Friends!!
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
SUPPORT the show & join our pod community on PATREON You'll get access all of our bonus content by subscribing for just $1/month or more!'
Happy October, listeners! The autumn air is crisp, Halloween is approaching, and we are smack dab in the middle of the fall video game season. There are just so so so many video games to play and discuss at this juncture in time, so this week, we're taking a look at two recent video game releases that we've been enjoying!
Eric talks about his spooky space adventures with Metroid Dread, while Laurence brings some vaporwave monkey marble madness to the table with Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania. We briefly discuss the history of these two franchises and what these new entries bring to their respective series in 2021!
These games also prompt us to discuss the recent Discourse™ regarding the usage of video game emulators & ROMs (Is it ethical? legal even? Well, it's complicated!)
Plus, we shout out Unsighted - a new indie Metroidvania action RPG developed by a team of two Brazilian trans women & released recently on PC & consoles. Check it out!
======== Be Our Friends!!
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
SUPPORT the show & join our pod community on PATREON You'll get access all of our bonus content by subscribing for just $1/month or more!'
Ep. 37: "Be Gay Do Crimes - The Game" (Night in the Woods)
01:09:13
🎃 Happy Halloween! 🎃
To celebrate the spooky season, this week we're discussing Night in the Woods (2017) - a story-driven, sidescroller adventure game where you play as Mae Borowski, a 20 year-old recent college dropout who has returned to her hometown of Possum Springs; a quaint autumnal town in decay along the American Rust Belt -- reconnecting with her family, neighbors, and her queer cohort of childhood friends over the course of a couple weeks in late October (including of course......HAalloweEeEeen!)
We have lots of thoughts to unpack about this really beautiful, honest, and very existentially spooky video game!
We also talk a bit about the Animal Crossing 2.0 update (along with a tip on how to save some coin$ with the pricey new Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pass), playing as Sora in Smash, and Eric's hottest L.A. Halloween recs (for da Angelenos out there!)
We really enjoyed making this week's ep and playing this week's game. Hope y'all enjoy it too!
======== Be Our Friends!!
EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com
SUPPORT the show & join our pod community on PATREON You'll get access all of our bonus content by subscribing for just $1/month or more!
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, & Martha Turner <3
MUSIC featured this week: "Title" by Alex Holowka "Food Donkey" by Alex Holowka
29 Oct 2021
Ep. 38: Halloqween Spooktaculqueer!
01:22:27
BOO! Surprise! we’re back for yet another HALLOWEEN-y episode of Gay For Play!
This week, we’re talking all about the video games that scared us; from recent titles like Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye, to classic childhood haunts like underwater levels in N64 games, creepypasta video game urban legends, and indie horror game titles that have chilled us to the bone.
We also discuss a bit of news, including the rocky launch of Nintendo 64 games on the Switch Online service, highlights from this week’s Playstation State of Play event, and the announcement of ConcernedApe’s Haunted Chocolatier: the brand new project from the creator of one of our all time faves- Stardew Valley!
And there’s so much more! This episode is jam-packed full of Halloween haunts and frights (not really, but we’ve got lots of spicy spooky takes to share!) Hope you enjoy the episode and have a wonderful happy Halloween!!
~LINKS~
Info on Dr. Bo Ruberg’s Keynote Presentation for USC’s First Forum 2021 Conference (a VOD of their Keynote Speech was not yet available at the time of this episode’s release; we’ll let you know if and when it becomes available!)
Ep. 39: Our Personal Canon! 5 Pieces of Media That Shaped Us
01:04:27
Hey y'all! This week, between travel plans and the distraction of the Animal Crossing 2.0 update, we didn't have time to record a brand-new episode this week, but fear not! We're re-releasing our favorite Patreon-exclusive bonus episode here onto our main feed!
In it, we pick 5 pieces of media (a TV show, Book, Movie, Album, and of course, a Video Game) that hold a special meaning to us and explain why our picks have helped shape us into the queer weirdos we are today. (Shouts out to the Triple Click Podcast, whom we graciously borrowed this idea from. They're a truly excellent video game podcast that we highly recommend checking out!)
If you're interested in more episodes like this, consider supporting our PATREON page! www.patreon.com/gayforplaypod
All of our bonus episodes are available to listen to for as little as $1/month.
And if you can't, no worries! You can still help us out by sharing the show with friends & leaving us a rating/review on iTunes.
Thank you so much for listening to our show every week y'all, we truly truly appreciate your listenership and support! Enjoy the episode!
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, & Martha Turner <3
12 Nov 2021
Ep. 40: Nier Autotomato
01:24:22
For the Glory of Podcast-kind!
This week we discuss NieR: Automata, the 2017 Action JRPG from the visionary mind of director Yoko Taro and PlatinumGames that has us a bit divided!
The game tells a rich story about a post-apocalyptic future where sexy battle androids are still fighting in the name of their ancient human creators. The game explores themes of identity, humanism, and philosophy through a really non-conventional gameplay experience that some consider a gaming masterpiece.
But what exactly is a "masterpiece"? What makes a game, or any piece of art in any medium, stand out amongst the rest. Does this game fit the bill for us? Let's discuss! . . Also , we share our early thoughts on the Animal Crossing 2.0 update, which we'll be discussing at LENGTH in a couple weeks in our upcoming anniversary episode! If you'd like to share some thoughts about Animal Crossing New Horizons, write to us or send us a voice recording of your favorite ACNH memories, what the game means to you, etc., and we'll include you in the episode!
Ep. 41: All Too Yass (90-Minute Version) (G4P's Culture Catch-Up Version)
01:28:41
Greetings Swifties and Swifties-in-the-making...
This week, ahead of our 1-year(!) anniversary next week, we're back with another edition of "Rest Mode" where we catch up on the video game and pop culture news that we've been digging into!
There is truly SO much to discuss this week: The Game Award nominations are OUT! GTA remasters are buggy as hell! Corporations like Meta and Activision-Blizzard are continuing to exhibit ghoulish evil flop behavior! New POKEMON games are here. Jen Shah is under ARREST on national TV. Britney's conservatorship is OVER! And of course... RED (Taylor's Version) is HERE and has shown us the light!!
All these things and more are happening while the yassification of society progresses at lightning speed. Stay safe and stay yasspilled, and join us on this absolute journey of an episode, dear listener...
LINKS
Reporting from the Washington Post and Polygon about the ongoing fallout from sexual-misconduct allegations at Activision Blizzard.
****If you'd like to share some thoughts about Animal Crossing New Horizons for next week's anniversary episode, write to us or send us a voice recording of your favorite ACNH memories, what the game means to you, etc., and we'll include you in the episode!****
Ep. 42: Anniversary Crossing! (ACNH Retrospective and 2.0 Discussion)
01:30:36
It’s the 1-year anniversary of GAY FOR PLAY!!! We’re celebrating by taking it back to the game that started it all for us: Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which fittingly, recently received a massive 2.0 update and DLC expansion with Happy Home Paradise. We discuss what’s new about the game, what the game has meant for queer players over the past year and a half, and how to get back into the game if you’re one of the many people who fell off of the game at some point (spoiler alert: it’s not too hard!)
We also discuss how our discussions of queerness on the show have changed over the past year, what the future holds for our show, and as always, what else we’re gay for this holiday season!
Whether you’ve been with us since day 1, or this is your first episode, we thank you so much for listening to this show! It’s been so fun to make and we couldn’t have done it without your love and support (well, we *could* have, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun.)
Studio Pixel Punk's Unsighted is a Queer, Zelda/Metroidvania-like indie game with engaging gameplay, an emotionally-rich narrative, and some really inspired game mechanics.
It's a real hidden gem that has quickly become a late-contender for one of our favorite games of the year!
And speaking of our favorite games of the year, we recorded this episode pre-Game Awards, but we have a special announcement on our own upcoming GOTY plans!
After our discussion on Unsighted (and a quick Pokémon BDSP-update from Larry,) we discuss Real Housewives, Selling Sunset, tick, tick...BOOM, theatre, and reflect on the magnanimous loss of Stephen Sondheim, the greatest musical theatre composer/lyricist of all time. Sounds somber, but really we're left feeling inspired and reflective, hope y'all do too <3
Ep. 44: The 1st Annual Video Game, Pop Culture, and Beyond Awards!
01:27:51
Coming to you LIVE from the Red Carpet, it's us! We are here to host and present the first ever VIDEO GAME POP CULTURE AND BEYOND Awards, where we will honor the best and brightest of 2021's video games, pop culture moments, (and beyond!) Move over, Game Awards, because it's our time to shine.
Spanning 33 prestigious categories including "Best Indie", "Biggest YASS of the Year", "Gayest Game of the Year", and of course, the highly coveted "Game of the Year" - Laurence and Eric will be presenting the list of nominees and awarding the winners with NFBs (Non-Fungible Bugsnax) all night long.
Will your faves be nominated and take home the crown? You'll have to listen to the VGPCBAs yourself to find out!
Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, & Martha Turner <3
MUSIC THIS WEEK: "Facility Preview" by Yasuaki Iwata, Shinobu Nagata, Masato Ohashi, Yumi Takahashi, Sayako Doi
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