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Florence

Jason

https://annapurnainteractive.com/en/games/florence Entry by Kevin Ghouchandra A. BASIC INFORMATION Creator: Mountains (http://mountains.studio/)  Creation Technology: Unity Publisher: Annapurna Interactive Date of original release: 15 February 2018 (iOS), 14 March 2018 (Android), 13 February 2020 (Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch) ESRB Rating: T (Teen) Platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch  Peripherals required: Keyboard and mouse (PC), speakers/headphones Awards/Distinctions: Version used for entry: Android 1.0.9 B. GAME INFORMATION Game/eLit Genre(s): visual novel, puzzle Time to complete: Main Story, 2 Hours; Completionist, 3 Hours (from https://howlongtobeat.com/game.php?id=4010) Replay required/useful?: Not required. A single attentive playthrough will reveal the full story. Gameplay: The game features very little … Continue reading Florence

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Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 3)

Jason

with Jason Boyd (Host), Jeremy Andriano, Kevin Ghouchandra, Chelsea Russell Broadcast Date: 24 November, 2024 Writer: Jason Boyd Producer; Jeremy Andriano In this episode, the panel discusses Don’t Starve, Klei [rhymes with ‘play’] Entertainment’s quirky contribution to the survival game genre, first released in 2013. The game is an open-ended experience with a narrative arc and setting that has been developed in the years since its release through a variety of paratextual elements and game expansions. This evolving narrative arc, coupled with the game’s roguelike repetitions and open setting, provide a great “touchstone” for exploring emergent, play-driven storytelling in games, … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 3)

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‘Unarchived’ podcast panel at 2024 Humanities Podcasting Network Symposium

Jason

Members of the Playable Stories: Unarchived team (Jeremy Andriano, Jason Boyd, Patrick R. Dolan, Tanya Pobuda, Chelsea Russell) presented a panel on “Best Practices for Choosing Games (or Topics) for Episodes” as part of the Fourth Annual Humanities Podcast Network Symposium, “Best Practices,” held virtually on November 8th-9th, 2024. The team involved in the Unarchived podcast have a diverse range of interests and abilities when it comes to video games, and this can sometimes pose challenges when trying to select games for episodes and when trying to produce episodes: do enough team members have the necessary technology, the skillset, and/or … Continue reading ‘Unarchived’ podcast panel at 2024 Humanities Podcasting Network Symposium

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Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 2)

Jason

with Chelsea Russell (Host), Jeremy Andriano, and Patrick R. Dolan Broadcast Date: 28 October, 2024 Writer: Chelsea Russell Producer: Patrick R. Dolan A perfect game for a podcast episode during the spooky season, Supermassive Games’ 2022 addition to their Dark Pictures Anthology, The Devil in Me blends historical intrigue with an interactive, choice-based narrative and classic adventure game mechanics that let the player shape the outcome in unsettling ways. The Devil in Me is an emerging style of videogame that focuses on choice-based narratives and builds on traditions that can be traced to the LaserDisc games of the 1980s, like … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 2)

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Venba

Jason

https://venbagame.com/ Entry by Leila Kazeminejad A. BASIC INFORMATION Creator(s): Visai Studios Creation technology: Unity Publisher: Visai Games Date of original release: 31 July 2023 ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Blood, violence, use of tobacco Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 5 (PS5), XBox Series, XBox One Peripherals required: Keyboard and mouse (PC), speakers/headphones Awards/Distinctions: Version used for entry: PC B. GAME INFORMATION Game/eLit Genre(s): Visual Novel, Cooking Simulator/Puzzle. Time to complete: Approximately 2 hours (including all dialogue options in Chapter 3 and Chapter 7). Replay required/useful?: Not required. There are no other alternative plot lines or endings. Gameplay: Using the left … Continue reading Venba

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Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 1)

Jason

with Jason Boyd (Host), Patrick R. Dolan, and Tanya Pobuda (special surprise cameo by Elio the Cat) Broadcast date: September 23, 2024 Writer: Jason Boyd Producer: Jeremy Andriano Myst is a first-person, point-and-click graphic exploration/adventure game with mystery and puzzle-solving elements designed by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller. It was originally released for the Macintosh in 1993, and was distributed on CD-ROM. Myst was marketed with the tagline, “The surrealistic adventure that will become your world.” It created a sensation when it was released in 1993, and went on to become the best selling PC game until surpassed by The … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 1)

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Gone Home

Jason

https://gonehome.com/ Entry by Kevin Ghouchandra A. BASIC INFORMATION Creators: The Fullbright Company (https://fullbrig.ht/) Creation technology: Unity Publisher: The Fullbright Company and Majesco Entertainment (PlayStation 4/Xbox One), Annapurna Interactive (Nintendo Switch/iOS) Date of original release: 15 August 2013 (Linux, Windows, OS X) Platforms: Linux, Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Google Play Version used for entry: Nintendo Switch Ver 1.0.4 Peripherals required: Speakers/ Headphones Rating: ESRB Mature 17+ Awards/Distinctions: B. GAME INFORMATION Game/eLit Genres: Adventure, Mystery, Walking Simulator Time to complete: Main Story, 2 Hours; Completionist, 3 Hours (from How Long to Beat) Replay required/useful? A single attentive … Continue reading Gone Home

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‘Unarchived’ podcast featured on ‘Continuing Studies’ podcast episode

Jason

Playable Stories: Unarchived team members Jason Boyd and Patrick R. Dolan were guests on the Continuing Studies podcast broadcast on 16 September 2024. The episode, “Digital Narratives: Video Games in Literary Studies,” discusses the purpose of the Unarchived podcast and its relationship to the Playable Stories Archive. The Continuing Studies podcast explores the intersection of higher education and podcasting. Sponsored in part by the University Podcasters Network, this podcast delves into the uniqueness of university podcast production and podcast growth through the lens of seasoned podcasters across various higher education institutions. Listen to the episode. Continue reading ‘Unarchived’ podcast featured on ‘Continuing Studies’ podcast episode

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Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 7)

Jason

with Jason Boyd (Host), Jeremy Andriano, Patrick R. Dolan, Kevin Ghouchandra, and Chelsea Russell Broadcast date: July 15, 2024 Writer: Jason Boyd Producer: Patrick R. Dolan Time Index Might and Delight’s Book of Travels (2021-) deliberately challenges the expectations that players bring to the CRPG (Computer Role-Playing Game). It does not have the obvious and well-signposted quests or achievements that most open exploration-style games are structured by, and the larger stories about the world of the game have to be painstakingly assembled piecemeal. Book of Travels also has a number of features that complicate it as an object of study … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 7)

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Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 6)

Jason

with Kevin Ghouchandra (Host), Patrick R. Dolan, and Alex Hurezeanu Broadcast date: March 19, 2024 Writer: Kevin Ghouchandra Producer: Jeremy Andriano Shadow of the Colossus (2005; remade in 2018) is often cited as a seminal game that has gone on to influence many, many others. The quiet, picturesque landscape of the Forbidden Lands is the backdrop for the cruelty, loneliness, and death that pervades Wander’s journey as they locate and destroy the colossi, sixteen massive beings spread across the land. Join members of the Unarchived podcast team as they explore how a simple game premise provides so much depth.  All … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 6)