RPS didn’t go to GDC. Leigh Alexander did. So we thought it a good idea to get her on the yap-machine to ask her about her experiences. Bit of an experimental RPS-cast this one, being done over Skype. Will the sound quality be enough for the audiophile RPS listeners? I think it’s okay – did some noise-reduction and leveling which seems to polish it up, though there’s a smidge of drop-out right near the end. Ah, that internet wireless. Anyway – you can download it direct here, it has an individual net-home and here’s the iTunes page, while the full running order – in case you want to skip past the bits where Leigh insists on talking about consoles – is beneath the cut…
0:00: Hello!
0:45 Kieron continues to be in denial about Alcoholism.
1:00 Introduction to what we’re actually going to talk about this podcast.
1:30 A little zoo talk. Yes.
2:00 GDC: “What was it like?” Insightful questions by Gillen again. Leigh tells him, with words.
3:50 What’s the big trends coming out GDC? Mobile gaming! Digital downloads! I-phone! Alternative channels.
5:15 Kieron remembers Develop last year. The webgame goldrush.
6:00 A portrait of Gillen domesticity.
6:20 The Gold Rush continues. Problems with finding quality in the Iphone.
7:30 What games were interesting and compelling to Leigh? Prototype games.
9:10 Kieron fails to pronounce Achron correctly and asks Leigh about it. Leigh is scared of the terrain.
10:40 Kieron forces Leigh to play namedropping. She has met all the cool kids, proposed to Suda and hails the funniness of Double Fine.
12:40 The GDC award ceremonies!
14:00 The DRAMAS! Is Pixeljunk Eden indie or not?
15:40 Kieron’s problem with the IGF, apart from the fact he was a shit judge: it gives awards for unfinished games.
19:00 Kieron realises he’s being really rude making Leigh talk about something she’s got a little conflict of interest in. But Leigh is fine!
19:45 What was Leigh’s stand-out presentation of GDC? Hideo Kojima, obviously. Man, this has gone totally non-PC.
21:30 Leigh talks about the Art of Brutal Legend presentation.
22:30 Leigh talks about the panel she was on, the Burned By Friendly Fire: Game Critics Rant panel. She did about an ecosystem of negativity between journos, press and the audience. Here’s some coverage of the whole thing.
23:45 Some very skillful editing from where Kieron had to run to let his girlfriend into the house, as she’d forgot her keys. Oh noes!
24:30 Heather Chaplins’s controversial “Games aren’t immature. Game Developers are immature toe-rags” rant.
26:15 Kieron tells Leigh to fuck off and die. Out of love! Then back to the Developers Immaturity argument.
28:00 Kieron understands Heather’s urge to scream. Leigh thinks it better to be constructive.
28:35 Kieron segues into the Lionhead Homophobic Abuse law suit, wondering whether it could be a good example of developer cultural immaturity which Chaplin was talking about.
31:00 Kieron’s problem on Xbox Live For Windows. Sounding like a tiny girl.
32:15 Leigh asks Kieron about the Zoo. Kieron very quickly goes into a horrific poo-based monkey story. RPS-bestiality porn. Skip this bit if you’re at all sensitive. Somehow Lee manages to turn it into a metaphor for Videogames. Go Leigh!
34:00 Our plans for GDC next year: Performance Games Journalism.
35:00 There was meant to be less press this year at GDC. True or false? Was the atmosphere different? Leigh talks about the joy of actual access to developers.
38:05 Kieron laments never having been to GDC. There are bars there, apparently.
38:47 Leigh talks about the GDC parties. This is turning into Hello magazine.
40:00 Kieron tells a story with all the details removed about how a friend of his got into a GDC party.
41:30 Kieron realises how sickening they are.
42:00 “We probably should wrap up shortly”. We totally don’t.
42:05 Kieron starts talking about the Path.
43:15 Interpretations of the Path. Going to ponce-factor nine. And spoilers abound, so be careful.
44:30 The most important thing about the path: it’s an art game which is available through a major distribution channel for money.
47:20 Some people being scared of the path: threatened by the unfamiliar.
48:20 And we wrap it up quickly. They’re out!
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@Hopper
Probably, but that’s because the statistics show that men play more then girls(sorry all the gals) so of course its going to be aimed more then men.
Ok Muzmans comment got me interested so i gave it a listen.
Much better than the last one with Leigh (which i shut off after 5 mins). Some interesting chat subjects.
Let me start with a few complaints though.
Note to all Americans (ok this only really applies to Leigh and Nela from the Engadget podcast) Please . . . stop directly following up the word ‘Yeah’ with the word ‘No’. It’s quite simple. It’s very, very annoying. Even last weeks South Park episide (the one on the economy) had a douchy banker oiling up his lips saying “yeahh no, no no yeah, yeah no”.
Just stop it ok. If you are going negative then say ‘No’. If you are going positive then say ‘Yeah’. Do not say “Yeah no”. AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggggggggggghhhhhh!!!!!!
Also, can we please make a rule that only people who are within one year of (over) the legal age for buying alchahol should be able to do the sneer laugh whenever they mention ‘drinking’ in any way. So, that would be 22yo in the USA and 19yo in the UK. (and i guess any age at all in Soudi Arabia).
Ok, for a while, say between 13 and 17 it’s ‘rebel’ and ’street’ to give the nod and wink code to mates that you ‘drink’ (or even shag for that matter) but can’t we grow out of that within a few years of those things becoming a legal, normal part of our lives. Drinking or getting wasted is a legitimate thing to boast about to our friends when we are teens because being imature is acceptable at that age.
I’m not saying don’t drink or shag. I’m just saying please stop ‘referencing’ it and expecting to get a ‘cred’ hit from it. You arn’t hardcore when you drink or shag. You are just someone doing something that everyone else does. No big deal.
Nice segue onto the imaturity in games theme. Well, That lady’s rant at GDC was interesting. How does she know it isn’t that the devs are not imature but in fact savvy and that it’s the average gamer that is immature? I’d say that was the case. I’ve always said that the slightly more mature gamer opts for a PC experience and the immature ones gravitate towards consoles.
The devs are just giving people what they want. Sort of survival of the fittest game girls ‘f’y'know what I mean nudge nudge. The console games that don’t have massive knockers don’t sell as well so over time the markeet shapes the future games as much as the devs.
Does she really think that women are being ‘kept out’ of games jobs by an old boy network. Purleeeeeeeeeeeeze. If women were interested enough in the scene and became great at their job i doubt most devs would care what sex they were.
Everyone else is getting shags? Dammit!
I am so alone.
Always a helpful poster around to illustrate your point for you.
Thanks for another great podcast! Looks like Skype worked fine for you.
I dunno, I think I’d veer towards Heather’s point of view and say that there are problems to do with the maturity of developers. I mean, on the art front there’s a lot of technically talented artists who just get hung up on robots and babes, and certainly a lot of game writing is crushingly immature.
More RPS slash/fic!?! It’s only a matter of time until a full story is produced. Just no podcasts of it, ok?
I do really like these podcasts with Leigh. She’s very insightful and I enjoy hearing her opinion. If I were to meet her, I’d definitely have to give her a hug. And propose. Just so I could tell people that I proposed to Leigh Alexander.
Any chance of a full RPS & Leigh podcast? I look forward to the awkward silences from John/Alec due to a girl! ;)
You start from un-sexy and work your way up.
No seriously, What? I don’t get it.
@Muzman: I think he’s beeing ironic and wants to say that you are sexist towards men, citing your characterisation of men as beeing sexist, rude and homophobic as an example.
Ah, perhaps that’s it.
Well, observations about social and cultural trends tend to be needlessly long if you don’t generalise a little or have to qualify it every time you do. Kinda goes with the territory.
In the words of the great Nigel Tuffnal: “What’s wrong with being sexy”?