In this episode we’re joined by Wyatt Moss-Wellington and learn about benign violation theory and the role of psychological distance in creating humour out of tragedy and puzzles.

A little over a decade ago, indie developer Dennaton Games released the world’s most unlikely “reality simulator,” Hotline Miami.  A visually striking pixelated bloodbath set to hypnotic, pulsing Synthwave music, the game quickly ignited public fears about the connection between violent games and acts of violence. Concern about the games resurfaced with its sequel, Hotline Miami: Wrong Number, banned in Australia in 2015.In 2024, the game’s re-release on the Sony Playstation Network was quickly withdrawn from the Australian market. Yet after a decade of global availablity, Hotline Miami has yet to inspire a single documented act of copycat violence. Decades of longitudinal research studies have credibly shown no conclusive link between video games and violence. Why do these fears persist?

On this episode, Manuel Garin speaks to us about his book chapter “On Nintendo’s Visual Humour: Slapstick Cinema and Comic Theatre in Super Smash Bros.” We chat about sight gags across film and games, slapstick, and consider the relationship between Buster Keaton and Mario.

 “On this episode of the podcast we talk with Daniel Hessler about the relationship between puzzles, jokes, and humour’s role in narrative design. Plus you get to learn the answer to the age-old Finnish riddle “One pig, two snouts: what is it?” 

Revisiting the Mass Effect trilogy (BioWare, 2007-2012) provides a glimpse into the starry-eyed cultural liberalism of the early 2010s. It is a space opera molded into the shape of an action-RPG, depicting a multicultural galaxy resisting against annihilation by making peace across species and cultures. Since its release, a lot of scholarly attention has been paid to the worldbuilding of the trilogy, which is the basis of its representations of multiculturalism.

”On this episode of the podcast we sit down with Dooley Murphy and discuss humour in VR experiences, and how the cycle of suspense, curiosity, and surprise works across dramatic, action, and comedic gameplay through the concept of the ‘interactive gag’.

“Gags in games work for me because there’s no one there laughing at you, but it’s the game developer laughing with you.” - Dooley Murphy

This article explores the development of x-ode, an experimental online game inspired by Craigslist’s Missed Connections—a game that acts as a "time machine," allowing players to engage with past moments of serendipitous urban encounters.

Featuring Krista Bonello Rutter Giaponne, Tomasz Z. Majkowski & Jaroslav Švelch

This interview between TURBODRIVER, the creator of the popular SIMS mods WickedWhims, and Aurélie Petit, a PhD candidate at Concordia University specialized in animation and technology, explores what is at stakes behind adult mods’ responsible design.