Post Games

Visit patreon.com/postgames to get bonus segments, early access, and exclusive monthly episodes like "The birth of Pokémon: 30 years ago, a young game critic imagined the biggest franchise on the planet" for $5Visit post.games to get full episodes for free, including links to all games and stories referenced in today's showThis week on Post Games: How video games and anime took over pop culture together.Act 1: Anime in your video gamesAct 2: Video games in your animePatreon bonus: The anime every gamer should watchAct 3: News of the WeekLast year, I helped oversee the first major national survey of anime consumption in the United States. Before the survey, I knew anime had achieved pop culture status, with characters from Dragon Ball appearing in Fortnite and musicians like Megan Thee Stallion wearing over a dozen anime cosplays. Even still, the numbers surprised me.Nearly half of Gen Z watches anime once a week. And a quarter of millennials. 44% of anime viewers have had a crush on an anime character. And 65% of anime viewers find the form more emotionally compelling than other forms of media. Anime fans claimed to watch for escape and comfort. But also for strength, a tool to prepare them for a big test or a challenging day at work.We ran this survey at Polygon, a site broadly focused on video games, because while games and anime are two different mediums, they have for decades influenced and elevated one another. And the line between the two is blurrier and blurrier, with shows inspiring games that inspire more shows.How did we get here?To find out, I reached out to Geoff Thew, the founder and host of the hit anime YouTube channel, Mother’s Basement.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Visit patreon.com/postgames to get bonus segments, early access, and exclusive monthly episodes like "The birth of Pokémon: 30 years ago, a young game critic imagined the biggest franchise on the planet" for $5Visit post.games to get full episodes for free, including links to all games and stories referenced in today's showUPDATESBefore we get to this week’s episode, I have two important updates!Post Games mailbag returns: I’m collecting listener voice notes for my final mailbag episode of 2025. I’d love questions reflecting on 2025 or looking forward to 2026. But you’re welcome to ask anything related to games! Here’s how to email me audio using a smartphone and any voice notes app.The First Official Post Games Movie Screening: This Friday, I’ll be hosting a screening of Mortal Kombat (1995) at The Frida in Santa Ana, CA. I’ll have some rare Post Games shirts and hats on sale. I’d love to see you there, so if you come, please say hello!THIS WEEK ON POST GAMESThe Game Awards isn’t the Oscars. It’s not the Tonys. If we’re being generous, it shares the same pop cultural status as the modern MTV Music Video Awards. But even if the show is a bit embarrassing and largely serves as an advertisement for future games, it matters.It matters to big game publishers and tiny developers alike. All nominees stand to not only get a healthy dose of public praise, but a burst of press and a spike in sales. Especially if they win.With more games released in 2025 than in any other year, awareness is invaluable. The Game Awards claimed a 2024 audience of 154 million streams, which would mean more people watched it than the Super Bowl. Even if the audience is actually half that number, then The Game Awards remains one of the most widely seen annual broadcasts in the world.So this week on Post Games, we take The Game Awards seriously. My guest is the only year-round Game Awards beat reporter and analyst, Polyon’s Oli Welsh.Act 1: The history of The Game AwardsAct 2: How The Game Awards actually workPatreon bonus: What The Game Awards got right… and very wrongAct 3: The news of the weekSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get video versions of every episode, bonus segments, and monthly exclusives for $5 at patreon.com/postgamesGet free show notes at post.gamesThis week on Post Games, “Life Before and After Releasing Blue Prince”:Act 1: The Days Before Blue PrincePatreon bonus: The Magic site that made Blue Prince possibleAct 2: The Days Before The Game AwardsPatreon bonus: Blue Prince: The Movie? Blue Prince 2?Act 3: News of the WeekSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get full show notes for free at post.gamesGet bonus and video episodes, extra segments, and more for $5 at patreon.com/postgamesWelcome to The Inaugural Post Games Thanksgiving Special!I’ve invited 19 people from across video games to share what they’re thankful for. They could celebrate a game, a person, a place, a trend, an idea, or whatever else inspires them. Our guests come from across the entertainment and media industries, including award-winning indie game designers, a former executive from a AAA publisher, brilliant text-based critics, beloved audio-only hosts, a contract-securing union leader, and a good ol' fashioned movie star. Here's the party's guest list!Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. GordonKirk HamiltonChristian DonlanJenny Jiao-HsiaLucy JamesAustin WalkerChris NovakTina Sanchez O’HaraBlessing Adeoye Jr. Sarah ElmahlehGiovanni ColantonioNajay GreenidgeChris BrattNina FreemanFrank LantzKitty Calis and Jan Willem NijmanEvan NarcisseBecause this episode is a holiday special, and because we have so many guests, there are no acts and no news of the week. Instead, what follows are nearly twenty notes of gratitude from our brilliant guests. And Patreon subscribers get an extra-long personal note from me, in which I talk about what I’m grateful for this year: the games, the movies, the books, the music, the people, and most importantly, the opportunity to do this show.We have so many delicious dishes to plop on your plate, so let’s work our way around the buffet!This week on Post Games: The Thanksgiving Special19 guests share what part of video game culture they’re thankful forWhy I’m grateful for change and how you can create your ownOn the Patreon - Only $5!!!Bonus segment: Why I’m thankful for change (and how you can create your own)Plus, the films, movies, books, ideas, and other things I’m thankful forEarly access to ad-free episodesVideo versions of new episodes!Five hour-long episodes of Video Game Journalism 101, including the new episode on storytellingFree game of the weekThis week in video game linksWhat else I’m enjoyingAll of that and more for only $5 a month!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Get extra segments, video episodes, bonus episodes, and early access at patreon.com/postgamesGet full episode notes for free at post.gamesI was stunned when I first saw Cave Crave, a VR game in which the player squeezes through dark tunnels, the gaps so tight that the character must hold their breath, causing red light to pulse. As your virtual lungs empty, you see the blood vessels in your eyesTo my surprise, the dark, suffocating caves of Cave Crave were just the beginning of both its terror and its depth.This week on Post Games: A trip into a real cave that became a tombAct 1: The game that traps you in a dark, tight holeAct 2: Recreating the infamous Nutty Putty CavePatreon Bonus: A history of the Steam Machine and the “living room” PCAct 3: News of the weekSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.