Tag: Critical Distance

Eric Swain External Sources

Critical Distance Confab – Back to the 2015

On the last day of 2015 I released our end of the year podcast. No epic length to wade through. Just me, Kris Ligman, Alan Williamson and Riley MacLeod handing out on Skype chatting about some stuff that happened in the year. Not a whole lot to say about this one. No minisode this month, though we do talk about some of our favorite games/game related things of the year so there you go. Also, please tell me someone gets that title. I struggled to come up with anything and I’m not too sure how much of that title comes through. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

This Year In Video Game Blogging 2015 – Post-Mortem

Year six of This Year In Video Game Blogging. There is a point every year in the December where I end up shouting at myself for having the stupid idea of doing the Critical Distance end of the year projects. This year was no different. While I didn’t break into tears this time, I was in no less full-on panic mode by the end. So, understand that this is coming after a time of calming down long after the things I had in my head to say are no longer organized nor as volatile as they were when fresh. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Critical Distance Confab – Minisode 08 – Breaking the Mold and Cultural Musings

And so is published the last CDC minisode of the year. This time I managed to wrangle Austin Walker to co-host with me. I enjoy this podcast. In fact, it’s a particular favorite of mine. I get to simply chat. There’s something about hearing someone talk in their own voice that changes everything you thought you knew. I like doing that. I like being able to talk and have fun. The plan is continue with them next year, which means I’m going to have to fine a whole new crop of games to talk about that no one has ever heard of before. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Critical Distance Confab – Everthing’s Better Embed

And so ends this year long interview series on video game criticism publication authors and editors over at Critical Distance. There are plenty of other books still yet to come and I’m sure an online magazine or two that I missed. Not to mention the books by people I have nowhere near enough clout to ask to come on to the podcast. Still, it was super fun to talk to Cara Ellison, a writer whose skill at the craft I have so much respect for. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Critical Distance Confab – Minisode 07 – Horror Games

It was October, so of course, I had to do a theme minisode on Horror Games. This was the hardest minisode to set up yet. Mostly because October is a notoriously difficult month for people to schedule time, because every game publisher decides now is the right time to release their game. Way back in the beginning of the year, March I think, when I was recording the first minisode with Danielle Riendeau I mentioned that I wanted to see how long I could go without having another cis-straight white guy on as a co-host. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Critical Distance Confab – Minisode 06 – Relationships and Forward Motion

Minisode 06 with the lovely Gita Jackson joining me. That title took some work coming up with. The second half at least. Forward Motion may have been stretching things a bit, but I could not come up with anything else. Also, this is about when my well of games to recommend is running rather dry. There are plenty of games I would love to recommend because they don’t get what I feel is their due, but they have criticism (not much and easily missed) and therefore fall outside the scope of this experiment. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Critical Distance Confab – Minisodes 05 – Text Games, Far Away Places

Another minisode, this time I managed to rope my boss, senior curator Kris Ligman, into joining me last month. I’m getting a feel to how I want these minisodes to work. I think Aevee Bee was on the right path with giving an idea of what we would like to read about these games. I wish I had grasped onto this harder during this episode. It might have been a better idea instead of trying to explain Unrest on my own terms in a short amount of time. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Critical Distance Confab – Minisode 04 – Wandering Around and Feeling

A new minisode for the CDC podcast is up on Critical Distance. I would like to thank Imran Khan for answering the call and appearing on the podcast on short notice. He was a great guest to have on and a wonderful voice to edit.1 Another 6 games, and another month of hoping that this little project is doing something. This is the fourth episode and I feel like I’m getting into a sort of rut with them. I don’t want them to become routine, but I don’t know what else to do with these minisodes. | more