Advertise on podcast: The Two Vague Podcast

This week Ben recounts his first-day experiences at PAX West this year. Along with a pair of wonderful interview segments, this episode features a video game-centric soliloquy about team soccer, raising a child playing with blocks from twisted reality, a classically animated point-and-click adventure, a gaggle of clowns, and film noir-ish adventures in a floating 30s-era New York City.  *** 00:00:29 - An introduction, finding a museum, and exploring the Seattle Pinball Museum 00:03:48 - FreeStyle Football 2, a friendly face, a nostalgic booth, a large gift, and a description 00:09:07 - FreeStyle Football 2 interviews with Chan, Jay, and Brian 00:23:23 - Blocks for Babies, combined styles, meeting Dan and Noah, and a Steam summary  00:26:49 - War of the Western Deep, tickling brains, playing the demo, and Alex’s word ideas 00:31:00 - Clowntown, reluctant enjoyment, in the company of strangers, and joining a circus 00:35:36 - Aether & Iron, brief game details, and straight into the interviews  00:37:13 - Aether & Iron interviews with Jay, Gary, and Josh from Seismic Squirrel 01:04:37 - Fin *** Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com For show appearances and other inquiries, contact us at [email protected] -AND-  …for all of your PRI and 2VP merch, check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries *** References, Links, and Tags Seattle Pinball Museum https://seattlepinballmuseum.com/ FreeStyle Football 2 developed by Woore and published by Joycity https://store.steampowered.com/app/4004820/FreeStyle_Football_2/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_2nidtlWZ0 Blocks for Babies by BunkSoft Interactive LLC https://store.steampowered.com/app/2776770/Blocks_for_Babies/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVhTiO8xdXo War of the Western Deep by Sunsgrove Studios https://sunsgrove.games/war-of-the-western-deep https://store.steampowered.com/app/2976440/War_of_the_Western_Deep/ https://youtu.be/fbnTH5nK6tU?si=h7KwLMPRM2hCrqIW Clowntown from Batterystaple Games https://store.steampowered.com/app/3680200/Clowntown/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwtlgTF55-0 Aether & Iron by Seismic Squirrel  https://store.steampowered.com/app/1836560/Aether__Iron/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYkoQo3lJPE #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #SeattlePinballMuseum #FreeStyleFootball2 #Woore #Joycity #BlocksForBabies #BunkSoftInteractiveLLC #WarOfTheWesternDeep #SunsgroveStudios #Clowntown #BatterystapleGames #AetherAndIron SeismicSquirrel #PAXWest #PAXWest2026

Zine maker and brand new friend of the pod Sully (aka Kaiju Cabal on the socials) joins the program this week for a wrap-up of Ben’s PAX West 2026 attendance shenanigans! It’s rather serendipitous that Sully keeps a list of words, loves to pick things apart, is genuinely curious, and has tons of questions about stuff. After an introduction to Sully focusing on their late-age autism diagnosis and their chosen artistic medium, they explore the stacks of Polaroid photographs and piles of tchotchkes Ben collected for each day of PAX this year.  *** 00:00:20 - An introduction to Sully from the hotel studio, wet spiders, and a mom draws a line 00:04:05 - Diagnosed as autistic, food and spoons, invitations to engage, and Andrew’s project  00:11:14 - Sometimes making connections takes work, curious brains, and humble PAX origins 00:14:54 - Piles of stuff, Polaroid photographs, weirdly shaped potatoes, and pictures of dinner 00:17:57 - Clowntown time traveling, wanting to punch someone, and going on a no-fun run 00:21:56 - Appreciating the concept, fun allergies, Jackbox inspirations, and being whimsical 00:25:36 - Pandemic party game popularity, required skillsets, and feeding the hippopotamus  00:29:30 - Let’s talk about thumb drives, taking down the RIGHT system, and a miscalculation 00:34:18 - Ben’s audible, Blocks for Babies summary, some CPS concerns, and the Cenobites 00:40:07 - EpiPen for fun, War of the Western Deep, the Don Bluth style, and player choices 00:43:03 - Ether or Aether, Car Wars combat, Ben’s delayed answer, and meeting the team 00:52:40 - Reviewing day 2 materials, misidentifying an olive, and meeting some game legends 00:56:32 - Pinball legality, Dr. Pepper story, sailboat pinball, and niche Halloween costumes 01:01:06 - Super Cucumber, a husband and wife duo, collaborations, and being the arbiter 01:04:31 - The Fallout pinball machine, watching the show, the art, and testing the mechanics 01:09:44 - That never happens, not Mannequin, the Pinball 2000 concept, and George Gomez 01:12:52 - Intrigued by cult paraffinalia, Ladder Lad trailer impressions, and ladders on stairs 01:17:29 - Johnson and Dan, a BYOCRT console, and teasing the best business card winner 01:21:49 - Verb names, Sully’s description of Ty’s business card, and working-class symbols 01:23:55 - DESOLUS, architecture and portals, a layman’s trailer critique, and angel accuracy 01:26:59 - Flamecraft, Monster Couch’s focus, cute artisan dragons, and you had me at cats *** Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com For show appearances and other inquiries, contact us at [email protected] -AND-  …for all of your PRI and 2VP merch, check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries *** References, Links, and Tags Clowntown from Batterystaple Games https://store.steampowered.com/app/3680200/Clowntown/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwtlgTF55-0 Blocks for Babies by BunkSoft Interactive LLC https://store.steampowered.com/app/2776770/Blocks_for_Babies/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVhTiO8xdXo War of the Western Deep by Sunsgrove Studios https://store.steampowered.com/app/2976440/War_of_the_Western_Deep/ https://youtu.be/fbnTH5nK6tU?si=h7KwLMPRM2hCrqIW Aether & Iron by Seismic Squirrel  https://store.steampowered.com/app/1836560/Aether__Iron/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYkoQo3lJPE Super Cucumber by Cubicorn Games https://store.steampowered.com/app/522290/Super_Cucumber/ https://youtu.be/xaHBX25uFNc?si=XJBf7EK5egZzk3Na The Fallout pinball machine by Stern Pinball https://www.sternpinball.com/game/fallout/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SquqtbOZRw Ladder Lad by BUCK Games and Antfood https://store.steampowered.com/app/3871300/Ladder_Lad/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYoFajn-T00 A Corgi’s Cozy Hike by Scalisco  https://scalisco.com/ https://steamcommunity.com/app/2321250 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOugyq_-W_I DESOLUS by Mark J. Mayres  https://www.desolus.com/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1003460/DESOLUS/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39KXUVp9U4M Flamecraft by Monster Couch  https://www.monstercouch.com/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/3201730/Flamecraft/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c74E9d4LvKo #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #MicrocosmPublishing #PAXWest #MonsterCouch #Flamecraft #MarkMayres #DESOLUS #Scalisco #ACorgisCozyHike #BUCKGames #Antfood #LadderLad #FalloutPinball #SternPinball #SuperCucumber #CubicornGames #AretherAndIron #SesmicSquirrel #WarOfTheWesternDeep #SunsgroveStudios #BunkSoftInteractiveLLC #BlocksForBabies #Clowntown #BatterystapleGames

How’s it going, eh? Prepare yourself mentally and physically for Andrew and Ben to drop a lot of movie quotes this episode. You have been warned! After a little improvisational bit where they channel their inner Bob and Doug McKenzie, Andrew fills us in about his latest creative efforts and the recent suspension of his feud with Christopher Nolan, which he commemorated using a delivery of bark mulch to cover the former location of a rat-infested shed. Next, Ben talks about two very different games that he completed recently: Pragmata and Mixtape. When they FINALLY get into the word, they talk about the movie Strange Brew and how the story was inspired by a particular Shakespearean tragedy. To close the show, they reminisce about their former jobs at local and not-so-local coffee shops before Ben talks about playing the pumpkin spice latte-inspired game Strange Brew, developed by Electric Monk Media. *** 00:00:19 - Thrown by the buddy, all the bowling alleys, 24 hrs of productivity, and funding news 00:02:59 - The PAX octagon, Elvis Costello, finishing the anthology, and a guy has a meat hand 00:06:48 - A suspended feud, a little slapdash, wrangling snakes, on a list, and The Odyssey 00:09:53 - Palindromes in film, Robert Patterson, and the Christopher Nolan Feud Memorial 00:12:52 - Helen of Troy, sleepy noise, poems, stop yelling, and Andrew’s late rat shed update 00:18:04 - Ben finished Pragmata, pregnancy trends, and how video game electricity works  00:25:32 - Mixtape thoughts, internet opinions, an uninteresting trailer, and coming of age 00:32:47 - The Artful Escape, to a lesser extent, masquerading as nostalgia, and an impression 00:36:48 - Andrew tops off, Ben bought an electric kettle, grits, and a beer book for Andrew 00:38:56 - False expectations, fractions of caffeination, Cheyenne cheers, and Google changes 00:41:52 - Straight to Merriam-Webster, take that robots, and fomenting or contriving coffee 00:43:37 - Possibly offensive to verbs, generationally appropriate songs, and the theater kids 00:47:16 - As if, vending machine coffee, Ngram theories, amazing tees, and Strange Brew 00:53:25 - Percent Canadian, Clif and Marty’s Talking Pondo, and Shakespearean connections 00:59:53 - Using all the drinking water in Utah, the Claude AI incident, and meat-body bound 01:03:16 - Enough with the steeping, brew bros, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, and Mel Blanc 01:06:45 - The electric monk, a particular coffee place, and sometimes it’s just a mermaid 01:09:03 - Barista stories from Cuppuccinos, all the vaccines, the MacGuffin, and reasonable  01:15:08 - Andrew’s thoughts on the trailer, customer service, and pumpkin spice zombies 01:17:38 - Perpetuating your apathy, Andrew’s favorite game right now, and gamification 01:20:55 - Rolling dice in day-to-day life, the tea tannins, final quotes, and the joy of Biscoff 01:25:22 - More positive jazz numbers, Uncle John, and a baby CJ cuteness sign-off *** Follow Andrew / Partly Robot Industries on… His website: https://partlyrobot.com/ On Instagram: https://instagram.com/partlyrobot On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@partlyrobot On Substack: https://partlyrobot.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/partlyrobot.com On Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/partlyrobot On Microcosm Publishing: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/artist/andrew-coltrin On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/partlyrobot And his TREE o’ LINKS: http://linktr.ee/partlyrobot Check out Andrew’s latest book and supplemental card deck here… The ADHD FAQ: Understand and Embrace Your Brain, from Diagnosis to Everyday Life - https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/62918 ADHD Coping Skills Deck - https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/decks/69501 Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com For show appearance and other inquiries, contact us at: [email protected] -AND-  …for all of your PRI and 2VP merch check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries *** References, Links, and Tags Check out friends of the pod, Talking Pondo… but specifically, the episode that Ben and Andrew appeared on where they talked about the movies Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead and Strange Brew https://www.buzzsprout.com/2030901 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2030901/episodes/19420748-strange-brew-and-rosencrantz-guildenstern-are-dead-talking-shakespeare For more information about Strange Brew, developed and published by Electric Monk Media… https://www.strangebrewthegame.com/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/3499670/Strange_Brew/ https://youtu.be/QeRAidGynCY?si=CTeBKB9anQd7EzSC #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #MicrocosmPublishing #TheADHDFAQ #ADHDCopingSkills #NerdEmergencies #TalkingPondo #StrangeBrew #StrangeBrewGame #ElectricMonkMedia

Faith joins Ben this week to discuss the premise of the latest book she has been writing, which involves a pandemic-era social media scrolling phenomenon. The two Gen Xers talk about her origins in an assortment of social need-based therapy disciplines, her career development and research activities, and how she is working with Microcosm Publishing to help amplify neurodiverse voices and perspectives. They wrap up the episode with an exploration of the game Ultimate Grandma Simulator, a quick chat about how games have the potential to subtly teach in addition to providing entertainment, and a couple book recommendations. *** 00:00:20 - Twelve-year-old boy humor, Faith’s introduction, promises made, and promises kept 00:04:34 - Back when we funded things, conversion, community services potpourri, and books 00:09:46 - Connecting with Andrew, lived experience, ragtag band, and focus of the new book 00:12:43 - Moral injury forms, betrayal, indigenous ancestral origin, and liberation psychology 00:17:49 - Supporting community as a coping strategy, and focusing on what you can change 00:21:04 - The Intimacy Doctor, reframing shadow work, and keeping San Antonio quietly cool 00:26:25 - Dictionary choices, airplane fears unlocked, the 90s were amazing, and ticket costs 00:33:09 - Echo and the Bunnymen, angry philosophers, and the nuclear war fear of the 1980s 00:40:43 - Finding hope, piles of books & cats, and does doom get better or worse with age?  00:45:06 - A fond memory of critical thinking, simulating grandmothers, and avoiding vacuums  00:48:34 - Therapist feedback, a joke in a joke, learning from games, and a book suggestion 00:52:44 - Fiction is lying, Ben remembers, there IS cussing, people know, and a BONUS bit *** Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com For show appearance and other inquiries, contact us at: [email protected] -AND-  …for all of your PRI and 2VP merch, check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries Follow Andrew / Partly Robot Industries on… His website: https://partlyrobot.com/ On Instagram: https://instagram.com/partlyrobot On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@partlyrobot On Substack: https://partlyrobot.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/partlyrobot.com On Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/partlyrobot On Microcosm Publishing: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/artist/andrew-coltrin On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/partlyrobot And his TREE o’ LINKS: http://linktr.ee/partlyrobot *** References, Links, and Tags For more information about Faith Harper and her wonderful books (wherein she isn’t afraid to drop an f-bomb or twelve)… https://www.faithgharper.com/ https://microcosmpublishing.com/ For more information about Ultimate Grandma Simulator, developed by Circo and PlumPointTwo and published by We Don't Have A Studio…  https://store.steampowered.com/app/3511870/Ultimate_Grandma_Simulator/ https://youtu.be/A8fKlNNy_vM?si=ewSwZAcf8ARopOG9 #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #MicrocosmPublishing #TheIntimacyDoctor #FaithGHarper #UltimateGrandmaSimulator #Circo #PlumPointTwo #WeDontHaveAStudio

Christian from Imaginary Game Studios joins Ben for a conversation involving a very important aspect of video game promoting, advertising, and audience connections. To start it all off with a proverbial BANG, Ben talks about a couple of games that he has been playing recently, Monday Syndrome and RACCOIN, and Christian professes his undying love for Japanese coin-pusher machines. Next, the fellows discuss the recently announced DLSS 5 technology, how the “message” was received by gamers and developers, and the resulting spin from Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang. FINALLY… they explore the topic word as it relates to pop culture, Christian’s chosen line of work, censorship, various forms of art, advertising in a global economy, inducing laughter, and the unique games of SUDA51 and Grasshopper Manufacture. *** 00:00:20 - Various Gabbos, Schrödinger’s coming soon, early access, and NOT Constantinople 00:03:33 - Palpable excitement, props for an AI disclosure, and Ben didn’t enjoy his Mondays 00:06:41 - Perk and power tradeoff, Clippy’s replacement, game design love, and coin-pushing 00:11:39 - Better arcades in Japan, games for parents, falling pennies, and pushing marbles 00:17:02 - Cold hard cash, towers of coins, DLSS 5 technology, and the stuff of nightmares 00:22:23 - Addressing the wrong audience, an ill-advised CEO response, and a pair of TLDRs 00:30:37 - Excellent timing, Christian invents a definition, unknown origin, and spot reduction 00:35:02 - ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US, churning SIMS, and localization services 00:39:56 - The unspoken cost, censorship, dubs and subs, and anime and manga parallels 00:45:51 - Pixar localizations, Wuxia genre fails, missing tutorials, vigor, energy, spirits, and chi  00:50:59 - The biggest Dynasty Warriors fan, 1 vs.1000 soaps, and the California pizza chicken 00:54:05 - Eating your digits, a resurrection elixir, no movement, touching birds, and sucking  00:56:41 - Pondering purpose, art as a product, Ben’s job and the Street Fighter name swap 01:00:51 - Everyone’s favorite Darkstalkers character, Ben’s Dreamcast tip, and Scott Pilgrim 01:05:00 - The games of Goichi Suda, playing a patchwork quilt, and Shadows of the Damned 01:10:10 - Romeo is a Dead Man, growing bastards, and can game mechanics be localized? 01:14:22 - Ben always knew, the result of heating up water, and localizing in semaphore  *** Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com   For show appearance and other inquiries, contact us at: [email protected] For all of your 2VP merch, check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries   Follow Andrew / Partly Robot Industries on… His website: https://partlyrobot.com/ On Instagram: https://instagram.com/partlyrobot On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@partlyrobot On Substack: https://partlyrobot.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/partlyrobot.com On Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/partlyrobot On Microcosm Publishing: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/artist/andrew-coltrin On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/partlyrobot And his TREE o’ LINKS: http://linktr.ee/partlyrobot   Follow all the shenanigans of Imaginary Game Studios here… On their website: https://www.imaginarygamestudios.com/ On their Discord: https://discord.gg/YyDD7ECtdJ On their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@caxtnova Check out the Rogue Climber trailer here... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZbTXcHa3is Rogue Climber on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2673440/Rogue_Climber/ *** References, Links, and Tags For more information about Monday Syndrome, developed by hyesmo and published by Brightika, Inc, and Blackburne Games Studio FZ LLC... https://hyesmo.com/ https://brightika.com/ https://www.blackburnegames.com/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/3305970/Monday_Syndrome/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfPOcZ0okdU   For more information about RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike, developed by Doraccoon and published by Playstack https://www.playraccoin.com/ https://www.playstack.com/games/raccoin/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3eRZVM6o6k   #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #MicrocosmPublishing #NerdEmergencie #RogueClimber #ImaginaryGameStudios #MondaySyndrome #hyesmo #BlackburneGamesStudio #Raccoin #Doraccoon #Playstack

Erik from Imaginary Game Studios joins Ben this week for, to Norah's chagrin, a math-free conversation about curved paths. After discussing a little game design philosophy as it relates to the games Ben has been playing (Stellar Wander DX and the Pragmata Sketchbook Demo), chatting about Erik’s first viewing of the 1983 movie Brainstorm, and dispensing with the miscellaneous “what have we been up to” pleasantries, they move on to the definition accompanied by a brief homophone detour. In the video games segment, they apply the Kübler-Ross model for processing grief to Ben’s experiences with the multiplayer third-person extraction shooter developed and published by Embark Studios, ARC Raiders. To close out the program, Erik asks Ben to share the life lesson he learned from the 300+ hours he invested in playing the game.  *** 00:00:20 - Germ factories, the next project, cosmic horror gardening, and a dumb memory joke 00:05:45 - Getting older, an unorthodox method for attracting bats, and stale game mechanics 00:07:56 - Ship combat, pastry mining, lengthening, pushing buttons, and minimalist games 00:13:28 - Getting out of hand, Ben’s thoughts on the Pragmata demo, and production costs 00:17:57 - Crayon fingers, different big daddy, compact level design, and accidental purchase 00:22:01 - Douglas Trumbull’s divorce from major film directing, and renting a laserdisc player 00:28:39 - Tackling concepts in relatable ways, way too high, CQ, and not choosing favorites 00:32:16 - It’s a sled, a math-heavy definition, stocks, Canadian energy, and the homophone 00:40:04 - Watch-along videos, misunderstanding the premise, and lucrative retirement plans 00:44:25 - They prefer sandwiches, SURPRISING NO ONE, copyright law, and arc versus arch 00:48:46 - Erik’s excitement, Billy has depression, texts from Ben, and the Kübler-Ross model 00:52:27 - Denial, anger, 65 minutes versus 300 hours, Warframe, and exploring and collecting 00:56:27 - Erik gets Ben back on track, bargaining, industrial plumbers, and on to depression 00:59:34 - Acceptance, Buddhism, psychological healing, the Hairpin Bandit, and matching 01:03:04 - B.F. Skinner, public service message, back to bargaining, and session improvements 01:06:14 - ARC Raiders life lesson, Erik’s retort, a beefy Nicolas Coppola, and nothing positive  *** Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com For show appearance and other inquiries, contact us at [email protected] -AND- …for all of your PRI and 2VP merch check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries Follow Andrew / Partly Robot Industries on… His website: https://partlyrobot.com/ On Instagram: https://instagram.com/partlyrobot On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@partlyrobot On Substack: https://partlyrobot.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/partlyrobot.com On Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/partlyrobot On Microcosm Publishing: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/artist/andrew-coltrin On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/partlyrobot And his TREE o’ LINKS: http://linktr.ee/partlyrobot Please consider helping Andrew out with a pledge for or a purchase of Nerd Emergencies ...And Other Misunderstandings: A Comix Showcase of Neurodivergent Perspectives, his latest zine offering featuring the creative comic musings of dozens of neurodivergent artists and allies: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/partlyrobot/nerd-emergencies *** References, Links, and Tags Follow ALL the shenanigans of Imaginary Game Studios… 
On their website: https://www.imaginarygamestudios.com/ 
 On their Discord: https://discord.gg/YyDD7ECtdJ 
 On their YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@caxtnova Check out the Rogue Climber trailer here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZbTXcHa3is Rogue Climber on Steam - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2673440/Rogue_Climber/   For more information on Stellar Wanderer DX (developed by Dream Builder Studios and published by Leoful)... https://stellarwanderer.com/index.html https://store.steampowered.com/app/1401630/Stellar_Wanderer_DX/ #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #MicrocosmPublishing #NerdEmergencie #RogueClimber #ImaginaryGameStudios #StellerWandererDX #DreamBuilderStudios #Leoful #Pragmata #Capcom #ARCRaiders #EmbarkStudios

Jamie Stormbreaker from One More Game joins Ben this week to discuss game design philosophy and the amazingly zany and fun game SWAPMEAT—a third-person shooter featuring a unique part-switching mechanic. Jamie and his team are very excited to share their full “out of early access” version of the cooperative-focused roguelite with the world on June 17th, so there is a LOT of juicy conversational MEAT to consume. As a perfectly marbled audio morsel, no additional gravy is required or encouraged. *** 00:00:58 - Lawyer input, industry to independent, Saros is a seven, THAC0, and for all ten of us 00:07:00 - Swapping origins, Steam verification, meat quote despair, and the Pounding Fathers 00:15:19 - Beyond early access, listening to and engaging the community, and planet renaming 00:17:51 - In-office consoles, Alpha-driven development, and building games in public view 00:24:55 - Expectation reset, thoughts on sequels, RTS games, and playing with vs. versus 00:32:00 - Multiplayer roguelite challenges, talking to players early, and don’t roast Jamie 00:35:42 - Ben’s thought path, revisiting games as a dev, and balancing difficulty with empathy 00:40:51 - How loot is distributed in SWAPMEAT to minimize competition, and playful banter 00:43:34 - Solo play, early access perks, the definition of independent, and institutional support 00:48:30 - Fresh ideas, end-to-end enjoyment, Indies are the innovators, and taking risks 00:51:15 - AI concerns, no joy in average, automation, art is made by humans, and breaking art *** Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com For show appearances and other inquiries, contact us at [email protected] -AND-  …for all of your PRI and 2VP merch, check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries Follow Andrew / Partly Robot Industries on… His website: https://partlyrobot.com/ On Instagram: https://instagram.com/partlyrobot On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@partlyrobot On Substack: https://partlyrobot.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/partlyrobot.com On Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/partlyrobot On Microcosm Publishing: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/artist/andrew-coltrin On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/partlyrobot And his TREE o’ LINKS: http://linktr.ee/partlyrobot Please consider helping Andrew out with a pledge for Nerd Emergencies ...And Other Misunderstandings: A Comix Showcase of Neurodivergent Perspectives, his latest zine offering featuring the creative comic musings of dozens of neurodivergent artists and allies: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/partlyrobot/nerd-emergencies  *** References, Links, and Tags For more information on SWAPMEAT and One More Game shenanigans… https://www.playswapmeat.com/ https://www.onemoregame.com/games/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2790700/SWAPMEAT/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCKk5i2zueI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tGNHwQQljc #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #MicrocosmPublishing #NerdEmergencies #SWAPMEAT #OneMoreGame #JamieStormbreaker

Norah is visiting Tucson this week, so she has stopped by the studio to procure some Mango affection (via bribery) and make an appearance on the podcast! They were planning on doing a different word initially, but they are keeping it in the same wheelhouse to make a distinction between the two words—often used as synonyms. After a quick introduction where Ben talks about the game review code he received for the recent port of the N64 game Glover, Norah and Ben discuss their thoughts on the differences between retro and vintage, antique and vintage collections or items, and educational techniques that aren’t keeping pace with technological advancements. To close out the show, they share their Disneyland and Disney World experiences and critique a blog post about some historical menu items served at the parks. *** 00:00:20 - Hand gestures, cats with false teeth, nephews and book fairs, and Norah on-brand 00:03:15 - A line-segment of proofreaders, balls and gloves, and refurbishing “antique” games 00:07:08 - An unfortunate distinction, ball metamorphosis, a platformer relic, and ideas of fun 00:10:55 - Clash of the Titans, games out of time, Norah’s surprise, and everyone’s favorite ox 00:13:31 - Rifles in Indiana, items of high quality, wine diagrams, and hipsters or vino snobs 00:16:25 - Sommeliers, roasty coffee, Merriam-Webster chaser, and pondering the differences 00:20:41 - Literal organic word growth, the quality debate, art is neither, and Norah is an astute  00:25:52 - Coffins and ashes, collecting heirlooms, hobbies versus investments, and hipsters 00:29:16 - Antique educational methods, vaccines (NOT leeches), other ideas, and typewriters 00:34:04 - Vintage foods, impossible pies, Disney anecdotes, Ben’s favorite ride, and Epcot 00:38:34 - Listing food items, an historic chili cook-off, making Norah sick, and futuristic pies 00:42:53 - Not very pirate-ish, sea chicken sandwiches, an ill-advised pun, and unsurprising 00:45:34 - ACTUAL vintage foods, mincemeat pie, Spam dishes, arcade cabinets, and Pong 00:49:32 - Atari impact, do not eat the aunt, misgendered Mango, and inspired to be difficult  *** Follow Andrew / Partly Robot Industries on… His website: https://partlyrobot.com/ On Instagram: https://instagram.com/partlyrobot On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@partlyrobot On Substack: https://partlyrobot.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/partlyrobot.com On Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/partlyrobot On Microcosm Publishing: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/artist/andrew-coltrin On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/partlyrobot And his TREE o’ LINKS: http://linktr.ee/partlyrobot Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com For show appearance and other inquiries, contact us at: [email protected] For all of your PRI and 2VP merch, check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries Please consider helping Andrew out with a pledge for Nerd Emergencies... And Other Misunderstandings: A Comix Showcase of Neurodivergent Perspectives, his latest zine offering featuring the creative comic musings of dozens of neurodivergent artists and allies: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/partlyrobot/nerd-emergencies  *** References, Links, and Tags Check out all of the vintage console game offerings (including Glover) at the Piko Interactive website: https://www.pikointeractive.com/home/PIKO-Online-Store-c33087521 Glover (QUByte Classics) trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26WM8bODn8g #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #MicrocosmPublishing #Kickstarter #NerdEmergencies #PikoInteractive #Glover #QUByteClassics

Cheyenne joins Ben this week to talk about the myriad changes they both have been going through since his last appearance on the show. After a little bit of work-centric catch-up, they switch it up by front-loading the program with the video game chat a little earlier than usual. Cheyenne has been playing Fields of Mistria, Ben has been playing HAMSTERMIND, and they both have thoughts they are eager to share about these titles. Then by way of the definition, they TRANSITION into a more philosophical and anecdote-filled discussion about life, learning, the rise of PC usage, and current communication trends before closing the show with their final thoughts.    ***   00:00:20 - Big life changes, a fanfic magnum opus, and Cheyenne is a fancy-pants manager 00:04:11 - Ben needs a stock split, reflecting upon the year, and learning about management 00:07:14 - You can’t lead with vibes, monkey-cymbals moments, and taking accountability 00:11:30 - Espresso shot math, branded graduated cylinders, and the donut hole paradox 00:14:56 - Knighting ceremonies, boring frameworks, one-leg jeans, and Ben the fashionista  00:18:21 - Fields of Mistria, marry the pink cow, teaching humanoids to love, and bigamy-free 00:24:41 - Florists and bakers, the combat, HAMSTERMIND, trailer impressions, and no hints 00:33:02 - Catherine, a member of the media, using the Googles, and critiquing the definition 00:36:24 - Boy juice, Ben’s nitpicking, gender-affirming care for everyone, and a politicization  00:40:54 - Particle physics, Fermilab, 20-something and clueless, and discrete dating logic 00:45:09 - A rehash of the nouns, on the upswing, asking Jeeves, and more accessible PCs 00:50:14 - Users getting GUI, the Y2K scare, panic fatigue, and the next communication trend 00:54:46 - Relationship status, dating apps, removing chemistry, and making new connections 00:58:46 - Recognizing generational patterns, engaging curiosity, and healthy feedback loops 01:01:55 - Courtesy and friendliness, being judgmental, and pondering sociocultural shifts 01:06:35 - College words and phrases, the favorite part of the colon, and PowerPoint PARTIES 01:10:39 - Ben’s PowerPoint prejudice, keeping it spicy, that chipmunk song, and a new phase   ***   Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com   For show appearance and other inquiries, contact us at: [email protected] -AND-  …for all of your PRI and 2VP merch, check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries   ***   References, Links, and Tags   Fields of Mistria - Developed and published by NPC Studio  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ41ud74zB4 https://www.fieldsofmistria.com/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2142790/Fields_of_Mistria/   HAMSTERMIND - Developed and published by Righteous Tree Studio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo-iKwf79bU https://righteoustreestudio.com/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/3555520/HAMSTERMIND/   #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #FieldsOfMistria #NPCStudio #HAMSTERMIND #RighteousTreeStudio

We have double the guests for you this week for a show so special that it inspired a new and spicy 2VP T-shirt design—available on Andrew’s TeePublic storefront! In the first segment, Ben sits down with a visiting “aunt of the pod,” Norah, to discuss her first impressions from playing the demo of Black Jacket on the Steam Deck. The second segment features Jakub, the associate producer of this wonderful offering from Mi’Pu’Mi Games. The hosts have a discussion about the development of the game, Jakub’s role at Mi’Pu’Mi’ Games, the importance of variety as it relates to game development, and an assortment of other ramblings.  *** Black Jacket Demo First Impressions With Norah 00:00:20 - THE Norah is IN, preliminary thoughts on the demo, and Ben wants a larger font 00:02:53 - A wrinkled card game, story and game mechanics, and comparing it to other games 00:06:02 - Norah betting badly, happy to take all her money, and how Ben does introductions 00:09:51 - Too early to do stars, real voice actors, an explanation of next segment, and thanks  The Announcement Trailer for Black Jacket https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC4Mtfz0YN8 A Conversation With Jakub from Mi’Pu’Mi’ Games 00:12:04 - Jukub introduces himself, a tradition of puns, going to PAX, and a demo experience 00:15:02 - Black Jacket development timeline, oozing in a good way, and differences in demos 00:19:02 - Not spoiling the boss count, Mi’Pu’Mi’s focus, and the three pillars of the business 00:22:26 - A little James bondage, Barbara Broccoli, Jakub’s choice, and learning from variety 00:26:56 - Fully independent, Ben’s new management buzz phrase, and ignorant Americans 00:29:58 - A technical hiccup, radio face, the definition according to Ox Ford, and consistency 00:33:50 - Gameplay variety, games with too much stuff, maintaining balance, and Warframe 00:39:24 - Live-service games, barriers to entry, smorgasbords, and a Star Wars Christmas  00:43:18 - Variety shows in the EU, in Polish, attitudes on diversity, and similar worldly norms 00:47:34 - Traveling to and from Vienna, driving stereotypes, and riding two-wheeled vehicles 00:49:45 - Losing Jakub, Ben’s final thoughts, he’s back, and we covered a variety of topics *** Follow Andrew / Partly Robot Industries on… His website: https://partlyrobot.com/ On Instagram: https://instagram.com/partlyrobot On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@partlyrobot On Substack: https://partlyrobot.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/partlyrobot.com On Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/partlyrobot And his TREE o’ LINKS: http://linktr.ee/partlyrobot Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com For show appearance and other inquiries, contact us at: [email protected] -AND-  …for all of your PRI and 2VP merch check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries To add to Partly Robot Industries’ coffers and enhance Ben’s graphic design ego, pick up a “SPICY,” episode-inspired, Two Vague Podcast T-shirt here! https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/90605584-two-vague-spice-blend *** References, Links, and Tags For more information on Mi’Pu’Mi Games and Black Jacket… https://www.mipumi.com/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/3100370/Black_Jacket/ #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #MiPuMiGames #BlackJacket

Mango the pod-cat, joins Ben this week to meow about his favorite word, his upcoming appearance in Andrew’s latest zine, and other assorted nonsense. Ben’s grasp of the feline language is a little rusty, but he does his best to keep up. After Mango gets bored of chatting, he provides a little ASMR-inspired purring to close out the show. *** 00:00:20 - Mee Meow Meow Meowcast introduction, meow-meow me…ow, and right meow 00:02:02 - Meow, meow, final meows, closing the show, and Mango’s ASMR outro *** Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com For show appearance and other inquiries, contact us at: [email protected] -AND-  …for all of your PRI and 2VP merch check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries *** References, Links, and Tags #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #AprilFoolsDay #Meow

Autistic stand-up comedienne Holly Huff joins Ben this week to talk about her comedy club experiences, her future plans for utilizing her writing talents, and her thoughts on Batman movies. After an exchange of pleasantries and a discussion about Holly’s background and ambitions, they dig into the definition specifics and Ben’s favorite Google feature! Next, they take a brief detour through the subject of ice cream novelties before the video game shenanigans commence! Games discussed in this episode include Dispatch, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning, and Rocksteady Studios’ Batman and Batman-adjacent games.  *** 00:00:20 - Meeting Andrew, career hopes, telling Holly about the show's origins, and comics 00:04:14 - Holly introduces herself, challenges of comedy on the spectrum, and burnout 00:07:05 - A sensory issue at a venue, hearing that smell, going off script, and improvisation 00:09:46 - Ben’s strategy for managing anxiety, personal growth, and trending standup routines Holly’s Grateful Dead stand-up bit - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YsUG-80TQpE 00:12:07 - Holly’s focus, weird cartoon love, the ultimate goal, and the changing landscape 00:15:25 - No interest in being a humorist, first link, the definition, and THE four bodily fluids 00:18:31 - Ben brings it up... AGAIN, comedy mainstream, and the urge to make people laugh 00:21:11 - Authenticity, Zoltan Kaszas, laughing, a novelty ice cream truck, and soap flavoring 00:24:01 - Traveling for comedy, buyer's remorse, Telltale games, Batman tease, and licenses 00:28:31 - Holly’s Dispatch video thoughts, a gamer in denial, and your choices always matters 00:32:37 - Cheating at Choose Your Own Adventure, the nerdiest thing, and a fish out of water 00:34:19 - Using labels, autism things, dispelling the us vs. them mentality, and commonalities 00:40:28 - For example… Batman, it’s time for the feud, and Holly had some issues with Tenet 00:42:41 - Setting a higher bar, a different Ben gets snubbed, and multiple Batman universes 00:47:51 - Rocksteady Studios’ Batman, unwanted driving levels, and the Suicide Squad flop 00:51:29 - Urinating on The Flash, glitches can be funny, and Holly IS buying Skyrim 17 times 00:54:41 - Hilarious bits in serious games, no zombies for Holly, and an artist ruining horses 00:57:00 - Another pitch, reluctantly on TikTok, Gary Oldman, and a Christopher Nolan idea *** Follow Holly Huff on… On instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyhuffcomedy/ On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HollyHuffComedy On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holly.huff.2025/ On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hollyhuffcomedy?lang=en   Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com   For show appearance and other inquiries, contact us at: [email protected] -AND-  …for all of your PRI and 2VP merch, check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries *** References, Links, and Tags #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #MicrocosmPublishing #HollyHuff

Karen Morrison, program director of virtual events at the International Game Developers Association Foundation and narrative designer at Soda Den, joins Ben this week to talk about her adventures in Argentina and all of the wonderful things she and her peers do at IGDA and the IGDA-F to help passionate folks gain entry into the video games industry. After a quick Argentinian-flavored travelogue compliments of Karen, Ben talks about the game he’s been playing, ZOE Begone! Then it’s time to explore the endless expanse of the word and what it means—the sky’s the limit! To conclude the program, they discuss what IGDA and the IGDA Foundation do to grow and foster a diverse, welcoming community of video game industry professionals.  *** 00:00:20 - Needs more exuberance, a fellow “neato” person, way too swanky, and Argentina 00:02:52 - Anagrams, activities in foreign countries, Evita Perón’s grave, and pescatarianism 00:07:28 - Cool Hand Luke, not crying, the Broadway tie-in, and Ben is playing ZOE Begone! 00:11:41 - Arcade game energy, film editing mechanics, and playing Toem: A Photo Adventure 00:14:40 - The definition, another n-gram introduction, the aliens, and distracted by disco  00:17:18 - Word counter, science as a framework, endless creative pursuits, and robot dogs 00:21:50 - Rich person art, viewer and artist, synthesis and separation, and H.P. Lovecraft 00:25:53 - Becoming part of the zeitgeist, AI art impacts, and Mango’s spicy noodle interlude 00:30:12 - A Goldblum quote, paper plates collecting your information, and Arc Raiders’ AI use 00:34:15 - Slippery slopes, thoughts on "The Expert" short, and the value of design compromise "The Expert" - A Short by Lauris Beinerts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg 00:40:04 - How Dad handled errors, politics in Ben’s throat, and Karen shares positive stories 00:43:54 - Misdirected passion, crunch definition, burnout, work/life balance, and permission  00:47:00 - Marginalized individuals, Karen’s IGDA origin story, and a cross-learning cohort 00:51:28 - Process improvement metaphors, the word “moist," and the local chapters of IGDA 00:55:02 - Events and mixers, being awkward in groups, networking, and upcoming events 00:59:28 - Ben’s game idea, Double Fine’s involvement, Tim Schafer, and devious reasons *** Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com For show appearance and other inquiries, contact us at: [email protected] -AND-  …for all of your PRI and 2VP merchandise, check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries *** References, Links, and Tags Learn more about IGDA and the IGDA Foundation https://igda.org/ https://www.igdafoundation.org/ Check out Soda Den on Steam https://store.steampowered.com/developer/sodaden Click the links below for additional information on Retchy Games’ ZOE Begone! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=779Iu4YBFmA https://store.steampowered.com/app/1266610/ZOE_Begone/ #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #MicrocosmPublishing #IGDA #IGDAF #PMStudios #ZOEBegone #RetchyGames #SodaDen #TheExpert #LaurisBeinerts

Andrew joins Ben this week to celebrate their penchants for approaching things from a different angle. Lack of perpendicularity aside, they discuss the abundant number of neurodiversity irons Andrew has in the proverbial fire, along with strategies to navigate creative blocks and coping skills for mental burnout. Before doing a deep dive into Andrew's ADHD Coping Skills deck and how they navigate their emotions, they pit Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies deck against Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey. And OF COURSE, Ben will put on a perspective drawing clinic before describing (in excruciatingly painful detail) how 3D spaces are represented in various video games. Specific games mentioned this week include Ball X Pit, Arc Raiders, Dungeon Clawler, Abra-Cooking-Dabra, Arcane Eats, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, and Paperboy. *** 00:00:20 - Traffic on the 2s and 7s, Andrew’s cool stuff, and Ben is scheduling for the future 00:03:36 - Raiding arks, geometry adjacent, a pit of BALLS, and heavy ball propulsion variety 00:06:05 - Dungeon Clawler, CJ’s sleeping habits, maybe a baby carcass, and the pinkest pink 00:09:23 - Salvaging pegboard, concocting passive revenge strategies, and being a card cook 00:15:31 - Famous British cuisine, portable meats, not Ben’s cup of tea, and no Scrabble score 00:17:27 - The settee, lots of Geometry, grammatical cases, and Help for esteemed creators 00:24:01 - Three friends, usage in print, Brian Eno’s fault, script flipping, and Oblique Strategies  00:26:43 - Water, Ben counters with Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey, and more strategies  00:29:26 - Devo doesn’t need a reset, the ADHD coping skills deck, and usage instructions 00:32:06 - Circumventing patterns, performance metrics, requesting downtime, and tweaking 00:36:31 - Pigeonholing, different brains and conformity, an explanation, and openly autistic 00:40:28 - Talking Heads music, levels of impairment, and don’t be afraid to show empathy 00:42:38 - A Yoda quote, lessons learned, an autistic coping skills deck, and avoiding overload 00:46:01 - A new Shiny Shirt Ben appearance, breaking up tasks, and notes for Andrew’s agent 00:48:42 - Not bringing Steinbeck in, drafting memories, and perspective drawing nonsense  00:53:20 - THE one-way feud, a new Marvel-themed game, shadows and parallax scrolling 00:56:59 - Atari’s Paperboy, brief origin story, paper delivery experience, and Ebert over Siskel 01:00:15 - Transparencies, old presentation methods, cast changes for realism, and controls 01:03:28 - Buy my stuff, romancing the plant, getting sued by the N’s, and quit licking yourself *** Follow Andrew / Partly Robot Industries on… His website: https://partlyrobot.com/ On Instagram: https://instagram.com/partlyrobot On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@partlyrobot On Substack: https://partlyrobot.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/partlyrobot.com On Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/partlyrobot On Microcosm Publishing: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/artist/andrew-coltrin On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/partlyrobot And his TREE o’ LINKS: http://linktr.ee/partlyrobot Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com For show appearance and other inquiries, contact us at: [email protected] -AND-  …for all of your PRI and 2VP merch, check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries *** References, Links, and Tags Ball X Pit - developed by Kenny Sun and published by Devolver Digital https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU1voPpJkJA https://store.steampowered.com/app/2062430/BALL_x_PIT/ Abra-Cooking-Dabra - developed and published by Door 407 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5ytLD_sJO0 https://store.steampowered.com/app/3021530/AbraCookingDabra/ Arcane Eats - developed by Wonderbelly Games and published by Skystone Games https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFDxPvGfxmE https://store.steampowered.com/app/2640090/Arcane_Eats/ Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey https://deepthoughtsbyjackhandey.com/ #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #MicrocosmPublishing #ADHD #ADHDCopingStrategies #BallXPit #KennySun #DevolverDigital #AbraCookingDabra #Door407 #ArcaneEats #WonderbellyGames #SkystoneGames #DeepThoughts #JackHandey

Norah joins Ben this week to close out the last 4 games in our 2025 pile of review codes. These games revolve around a diverse assortment of actions: smithing, plundering, angling, and foraging. There’s sure to be a game to pique your interest here, so get cozy, sit back, and relax. *** Blades of Fire by MercurySteam SL - published by 505 Games 00:00:20 - Cozy game disclaimer, amazing details, and Ben says “system” instead of “steam.” 00:03:06 - Summary of the background story, Aran and Adso, and the blade-forging mechanics  00:07:33 - A mini-game critique, discovering resources, and engaging in combat with blades  00:11:02 - Mediocre narrative, becoming the circumference, resting respawns, and the acting 00:13:47 - Norah’s questions, chasing ravens, trouble with trolls, and a circling birds distraction 00:17:46 - Ben probably won’t find out, a suggestion, publisher “rankings,” and the closing    Trident’s Tale by 3D Clouds - self-published 00:20:36 - Pirates, Sea of Thieves, a bevy of licensed games, and lots of running and jumping  00:24:46 - No relation to Billy, the shortest distance, and a lackluster ship combat teaser  00:28:20 - That WAS a lot, underwhelming and generic, an annoying “puzzle,” and falling off 00:31:33 - Ship combat details, subpar voice acting, abrupt scene changes, and spoiled Ben 00:35:33 - Plain animations, connecting with novices, a benchmark, and a bone marrow idea Nice Day for Fishing by FusionPlay - published by Team 17  00:38:33 - Various husbands, Mango loves fish, catching fish in games, and Epic NPC Man 00:41:13 - Defining NPC for Norah, Baelin’s limited vocabulary, MMOs, and a DnD crossover 00:44:19 - RPG-inspired fishing mechanics, Norah’s trailer questions, and big boss fighting 00:48:29 - Character powers, the funny guys, perpetual hammer loss, and only horizontal 00:51:32 - Explaining DLC to Norah, Ben’s unexpected enjoyment, and the blind masters  Fruitbus by Krillbite Studio—published in conjunction with The Iterative Collective 00:55:17 - One of the two… or both, a food truck inheritance, talking to ashes, and picking 00:57:27 - Feeding tummies/souls, Norah is reminded of Donut County, and food prep realism  01:00:47 - Invitation-centric missions, children’s storybook style, buzzwords, and low stakes 01:03:47 - Angry customers, choppy animation, picking fruit with basketballs, and easy prep 01:06:02 - Favorite fruits, macerating peaches, no juicy bananas, and liking sweet veggies 01:08:44 - No animals were harmed, no more questions, and the price of this cozy experience  *** Follow Two Vague on… Our website: https://www.twovaguepodcast.com On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/two_vague_podcast On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twovaguepodcast On Substack: https://twovaguepodcast.substack.com/ On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/twovaguepodcast.com For show appearance and other inquiries, contact us at: [email protected] -AND-  …for all of your PRI and 2VP merch, check out the Partly Robot Industries store at TEEPUBLIC! https://www.teepublic.com/user/partly-robot-industries *** References, Links, and Tags Blades of Fire - https://youtu.be/_U8TncLXi3A?si=JyEdQ19o172-mPkG https://bladesoffire.com/en/ Trident’s Tale - https://youtu.be/KlQ4vLuVFuM?si=3wpYpSsxypRmHEAR https://store.steampowered.com/app/2541780/Tridents_Tale/ Nice Day for Fishing - https://youtu.be/RSGZiufPEro?si=DSeLB-SjfstJD4ns https://store.steampowered.com/app/2393160/Nice_Day_for_Fishing/ …and check out Viva La Dirt League’s other content at https://vivaplus.tv/en-usd Fruitbus - https://youtu.be/-XWZiSJp2L4?si=iSH4mFmzIuqTz2-- https://www.krillbite.com/fruitbus https://store.steampowered.com/app/2484130/Fruitbus/ #Podbean #DIYPodcast #ApplePodcast #VideoGames #Trivia #Comedy #Talkshow #2VP #TwoVaguePodcast #PodernFamily #InterviewShow #GamersofThreads #Gamer #PartlyRobot #PartlyRobotIndustries #TeePublic #BladesOfFire #MercurySteamSL #505Games #TridentsTale #3DClouds #NiceDayForFishing #VivaLaDirtLeague #VLDL #VivaPlus #FusionPlay #Team17 #Fruitbus #Krillbite #KrillbiteStudio #TheIterativeCollective