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Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 5)

Jason

with Alexander Hurezeanu (Host), Jason Boyd, Kevin Ghouchandra, Chelsea Russell Broadcast Date: 18 March, 2025 Writer: Alexander Hurezeanu (with Jason Boyd) Producer: Jeremy Andriano Disco Elysium is a unique role-playing game that blends thoughtful storytelling, detective work, and philosophical exploration. Set in a sprawling, crumbling city called Revachol, the player controls a hard-boiled detective who wakes up with amnesia and no memory of who he is. The game’s story revolves around solving a murder mystery, but its true focus is on the player character’s internal struggle and attempts to situate himself in the world of Elysium’s complex political, social, and … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 5)

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Overboard!

Jason

https://www.inklestudios.com/overboard/ Entry by Jeremy Andriano A. BASIC INFORMATION Creator(s): Inkle (https://www.inklestudios.com/) Jon Ingold (Writer & Director) Tom Kail (Development & Audio Design) Joseph Humfrey (Art Direction & Graphic Design) Anastasia Wyatt (Characters & Art) Emily Morganti (Marketing & PR) Creation Technology: ink, Unity Publisher: Inkle Date of Original Release: June 2, 2021 Platform(s): Windows, MacOS, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android Peripherals Required: Mouse or Touchscreen-enabled device, Speakers or Headphones ESRB Rating: T (Teen) Awards & Distinctions:  Apple Design Awards 2022, Delight & Fun Category Writers’ Guild Awards 2022, Best Writing in a Video Game Version Used for Entry: Apple iPad iOS, … Continue reading Overboard!

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Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 4)

Jason

with Chelsea Russell (Host), Jeremy Andriano, Kevin Ghouchandra Broadcast Date: 12 February, 2025 Writer: Chelsea Russell Producer: Jeremy Andriano In this episode, the panel discusses Doki Doki Literature Club, a Japanese style visual novel that disguises itself as a cute, light-hearted dating sim—only to shatter expectations with its disturbing psychological horror elements. Beneath the surface of poetry clubs and school crushes lies a game that manipulates not only its characters but also the player, challenging ideas about narrative structure, player agency, and the boundaries of digital storytelling. Doki Doki Literature Club‘s use of meta-narrative techniques, fourth-wall-breaking glitches, and psychological horror … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 3, Episode 4)

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The Stanley Parable and The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe

Jason

https://www.stanleyparable.com/ Entry by Jason Boyd A. BASIC INFORMATION Note: The Stanley Parable was originally released by Davey Wreden on July 31, 2011 as a free modification for Half-Life 2. This entry describes the 2013 ‘remake’ as well as The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe, which is not an extension or DLC of the ‘remake,’ but a remaking of the remake in Unity, with additional content.  Creator(s): Davey Wreden & William Pugh (Writers & Designers) Kevan Brighting (Narration) Collin Eddings & Jack Parsons (Additional Level Design) Jesus Higueras (Programming) Andreas Jorgensen (Modelling) Robin Arnott & Eduardo Ortiz (Sound Design) Blake Robinson, Yiannis … Continue reading The Stanley Parable and The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe

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Unpacking

Jason

https://www.unpackinggame.com Entry by Kevin Ghouchandra A. BASIC INFORMATION Creator: Witch Beam (https://witchbeam.com.au/) Wren Brier (Creative Director) Tim Dawson (Technical Director) Jeff van Dyck (Audio Director) Angus Doolan (Pixel Artist) Michelle Whitehead (Pixel Artist) Angela van Dyck (Audio Assistant) Creation Technology: Unity, Wwise (in-game audio), Aseprite (pixel art) Publisher: Humble Bundle Date (of original release): 2 November 2021 (Windows, Switch, Xbox), 10 May 2022 (Play Station 4/5), 24 August 2023 (iOS, Android) ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Platform(s): Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Play Station 4/5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One Peripherals required: Keyboard/mouse (PC); speakers/headphones Awards/Distinctions: BAFTA Game Awards 2022: EE Game of … Continue reading Unpacking

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Florence

Jason

https://annapurnainteractive.com/en/games/florence Entry by Kevin Ghouchandra A. BASIC INFORMATION Creator: Mountains (http://mountains.studio/)  Ken Wong (Director) Kevin Penkin (Composer) Kamina Vincent Tony Coculuzzi Sam Crisp 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: The Game Awards 2018: Best Mobile Game New York Game Awards 2019: A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game 22nd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards 2019: Portable Game of the Year Game Developers Choice Award 2019: … 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)

Diversity & Inclusion, Gameful Experiences, Higher Education & Scholarship, Playable Stories ArchiveLeave a comment

Venba

Jason

https://venbagame.com/ Entry by Leila Kazeminejad A. BASIC INFORMATION Creator(s): Visai Studios Abhijeeth (Abhi) Swaminathan (Lead Programmer, Designer, Writer) Shahrin Khan (Producer and Writer) Tatsuya Morita-Ahad (Programmer) Sam Elkana (Art Director) Rae Minos (Gameplay Artist) Danik Tomyn (VFX Artist) Nathan Pilla (UX Designer) Jason Roy (Character Designer) Cecile Richard (Logo Designer) Divya Vivekanandan (Recipe Designer and Food Consultant) Sashi Lavanya Appavuraj (Food Consultant) Vignes Ravi (Food Consultant) Alpha Something (Music Composer) Neha Patel (Sound Designer) Lynn Alexandria Morgan (QA Lead) Jace Hijazi (QA Lead) Creation technology: Unity Publisher: Visai Games Date of original release: 31 July 2023 ESRB Rating: T (Teen) … Continue reading Venba