Tag: literary studies

Gameful Experiences, Procedural Literacy & Creativity, Unarchived podcastLeave a comment

Kentucky Route Zero: Unarchived Season 4, Episode 4

Jason

with Jason Boyd (Host), Jeremy Andriano, and Riley Wilson Broadcast Date: April 9, 2026 Writer: Jason Boyd Producer: Jeremy Andriano Cardboard Computer’s Kentucky Route Zero is an episodic tale featuring an eclectic range of characters drawn into a truck driver’s quest to make a final delivery. The game is set along a predominantly rural stretch of Interstate 65 in Kentucky, which is the main road on the game’s map. The area covered by the map has as its centre Mammoth Cave National Park. The game essentially is in the form of a road trip, a quest, an odyssey. The work … Continue reading Kentucky Route Zero: Unarchived Season 4, Episode 4

Gameful Experiences, Unarchived podcastLeave a comment

Blue Prince: Unarchived, Season 4, Episode 3

Jason

with Jeremy Andriano (Host), Jason Boyd, and Kevin Ghouchandra Broadcast Date: 31 January 2026 Writer: Jeremy Andriano Producer: Jeremy Andriano Blue Prince by Dogubomb is an enigmatic and unique puzzle game that blends elements of classic point-and-click computer adventure games like Riven and Myst with the complex drafting and resource management systems found in many tabletop strategy board and card games. At the outset of Blue Prince, this unique combination of gameplay mechanics is structured over a whimsical (sometimes darkly whimsical) narrative framework. You play as a teenager who inherits a mysterious mansion from an estranged, eccentric relative. However, your … Continue reading Blue Prince: Unarchived, Season 4, Episode 3

Gameful Experiences, Playable Stories ArchiveLeave a comment

Dredge

Jason

https://www.dredge.game/ Entry by Kevin Ghouchandra A. BASIC INFORMATION Creator: Black Salt Games Nadia Thorne (Producer) Joel Mason (Programmer/Author) Alex Ritchie (Art Lead) Michael Bastiaens (3D Art/ Animation) David Mason (Composer/Audio Lead) Studio website: https://www.blacksaltgames.com/ Creation technology: Unity Publisher: Team17 Date of original release: March 30, 2023 Platforms: Windows; macOS; PlayStation 4/5; Nintendo Switch; Xbox One; Xbox Series X/S; iOS; Android Peripherals required: Mouse/keyboard, game controller  ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) Awards/Distinctions: Bitsummit 2023: International Award DoesItPlay? Awards 2023: Best Indie Game, Best Horror Game IGN Awards 2023: Best Indie Game PC Gamer Awards 2023: Best Setting SDHQ 2024: Best Indie Game … Continue reading Dredge

Gameful Experiences, Playable Stories ArchiveLeave a comment

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!

Gameful Experiences, Playable Stories ArchiveLeave a comment

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

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

Gameful Experiences, Higher Education & Scholarship, Playable Stories Archive, Unarchived podcastLeave a comment

‘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

Gameful Experiences, Playable Stories ArchiveLeave a comment

Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 3)

Jason

Death Stranding (Kojima Productions) with Patrick R. Dolan (Host), Jeremy Andriano, Jason Boyd, and Alexander Hurezeanu Broadcast date: November 21, 2023 Writer: Patrick R. Dolan Producer: Patrick R. Dolan As the weather gets colder, join Patrick, Alexander, Jeremy, and Jason as they trudge through the windy mountains of Hideo Kojima’s latest title, Death Stranding, its unique gameplay, perplexing story, and the aesthetics of its auteur developer. All audio clips in the podcast quoted from Death Stranding. Sources and Resources: Abe, Kobo. “Nawa” (“The Rope”). Translated by Tim Rogers. Medium, 1 Nov. 2019. https://medium.com/@108/nawa-the-rope-by-kobo-abe-19db9afa6dd3 Calandra, Nick. “Death Stranding Is Now One … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 3)

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

Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 2)

Jason

Revisiting Resident Evil: Resident Evil (2002) (Capcom) with Noah Pedinelli (Host), Julia Froio, and Alex Hurezeanu Broadcast date: October 24, 2023 Writer: Noah Pedinelli Producer: Jeremy Andriano Capcom’s Resident Evil series is one of the most popular and beloved horror franchises in contemporary popular culture. In the 2002 remake of the first game, players take control of Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield in order to uncover the terrifying mysteries of the Spencer Mansion. The original Resident Evil established the survival horror genre and the series’ subsequent remakes continue to shape and define the genre today. All audio clips in the … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 2)

Gameful Experiences, Playable Stories ArchiveLeave a comment

Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 1)

Jason

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo) with Taryn Rollins (Host), Patrick Dolan, Alex Hurezaneau and Chelsea Russell Broadcast date: September 12, 2023 Writer: Taryn Rollins Producer: Patrick Dolan In Nintendo’s 2017 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the player controls an amnesia-inflicted Link in an expansive and beautifully designed open-world conceptualization of Hyrule. The Zelda universe’s narrative power resides in its world-design and exploration-driven story. As with other Zelda games, Breath of the Wild utilises flashbacks to tell the story of the past. However, unlike the other games, in Breath of the Wild the player … Continue reading Unarchived (Season 2, Episode 1)