Pages of Play

David, Caleb, and Erik venture deep into the archives of a codebreaking machine in search of a stolen book. Pages of Play podcast is a book club for gaming narratives, where the hosts discuss their personal experience with a game and its story via book club style discussion questions submitted by listeners. Please join our discord so that you can chat with the amazing Pages of Play community and ask discussion questions to be featured on our next episode!The wonderful music in this episode comes from the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out here.Contents:(00:00) Intro(04:08) Q1(18:18) Q2(26:14) Q3(39:15) Spoiler Wall: Story Recap(42:19) Q4(49:24) Q5(01:02:42) Q6(01:06:53) Q7(01:19:19) ClosingReferences from the show:My Perfect Console w/ Jon Ingold

Between the Lines (BTL) is a sub-series of the Pages of Play podcast where we explore hidden gem indie games. In this episode, Erik and Caleb interview Alfred Nguyen, the creative director at Throughline Games, about the studio's upcoming game, Forgotlings.Forgotlings releases on Steam February 17th, 2026. Wishlist the game here on Steam, or check out the developer's website for more details on the release dates across other platforms. The wonderful music in this episode comes from the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out here.Contents:(00:00) Intro w/ Alfred(02:22) Interview(01:02:17) Closing

The Meeting of Makers is a sub-series of the Pages of Play podcast where we bring together various content creators to discuss the art and craft of making content. The panel for this episode includes the following folks:John: Gaming in the WildJason: So Many GamesDave: Tales from the BacklogDan: The Greatest Story Ever PlayedMichael: Tiny Game ChroniclesRick: Pixel Project RadioThe wonderful music in this episode comes from the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out hereContents:(00:00) Intro(03:10) Panel(01:08:21) Closing(01:11:21) Outtakes

David, Caleb, and Erik take a look back on 2025 to discuss some of the standout moments and stories from the year. This includes reflecting on podcast highlights, disussing the Stories of the Year (SOTYs) submitted by listeners, and doing a deep dive into Clair Obscur: Expedtion 33.Pages of Play podcast is a book club for gaming narratives, where the hosts discuss their personal experience with a game and its story via book club style discussion questions submitted by listeners. Please join our discord  or find us on bluesky so that you can chat with the amazing Pages of Play community and ask discussion questions to be featured on our next episode!Also, please do us a huge favor and share your feedback on Pages of Play podcast by filling out this short survey:https://forms.gle/zjvQZ6Tv4k2vCSEG7The wonderful music in this episode comes from the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out here.Contents:(00:00) Intro & PoP 2025 Recap(18:56) SOTYs(52:11) Clair Obscur and Closing

David, Caleb, and Erik find themselves underneath a steel sky in the indie gem, Metal Garden.Pages of Play podcast is a book club for gaming narratives, where the hosts discuss their personal experience with a game and its story via book club style discussion questions submitted by listeners. Please join our  discord so that you can chat with the amazing Pages of Play community and ask discussion questions to be featured on our next episode!The wonderful music in this episode comes from the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out here.Contents:(00:00) Intro(04:05) Q1(12:18) Q2(21:23) Q3(34:34) Spoiler Wall: Story Recap(37:24) Q4(47:36) Q5(01:06:11) Q6(01:13:44) Q7(01:20:47) ClosingReferences from the show:Pixelated Playgrounds episode on Metal Garden

Between the Lines (BTL) is a sub-series of the Pages of Play podcast where we explore hidden gem indie games. In this episode, Erik interviews his children about the game, Stray, a 2022 adventure game developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive. The kids (6 and 3 years old) recap the story of the game, share their favorite moments, and explain why the narrative was so compelling. I had such a blast recording this episode because I had no idea what my kids were going to say on-air. They certainly kept me on my toes! I hope you find this episode as precious as my little ones are to me. The wonderful music in this episode comes from the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out here.Contents:(00:00) Intro(03:45) Interview(29:07) Closing

Off the Shelf is an interview format of the Pages of Play Podcast where we bring a guest on the show to talk about the following scenario: “Imagine you have a library full of books that represent to you the greatest video game narratives. If I were to pull 5 books at random off of those shelves, what would I find? How did each book earn a spot on your shelf?”This week, I am joined by Jason, the editor and chief of So Many Games. Below you will find a link to the So Many Game website as well as the developer interview that Jason mentions on the show. So Many GamesHorace InterviewThe discussion of each game contains spoilers, so please refer to the timestamps below to avoid those as needed.(00:00) Introduction & Spoiler Policy(09:16) The Alters(26:10) Horace(37:57) Journey(50:23) Spiritfarer(01:04:10) Citizen Sleeper 2(01:23:48) Closing CommentsIf you enjoy the show please join our discord to stay up to date on the podcast. Thanks for listening!

David, Caleb, and Erik point-and-click their way through one of the best game narratives of 2025. Pages of Play podcast is a book club for gaming narratives, where the hosts discuss their personal experience with a game and its story via book club style discussion questions submitted by listeners. Please join our discord so that you can chat with the amazing Pages of Play community and ask discussion questions to be featured on our next episode!The wonderful music in this episode comes from the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out here.Contents:(00:00) Intro(06:19) Q1(14:20) Q2(28:25) Q3(39:54) Spoiler Wall: Story Recap(44:54) Q4(58:22) Q5(01:10:29) Q6(01:24:49) ClosingReferences from the show:Sally Beaumont inteview on So Many Games podcast

Between the Lines (BTL) is a sub-series of the Pages of Play podcast where we explore hidden gem indie games. In this episode, Erik and Caleb shine a spotlight on an incredibly talented indie game developer, Interactive Dreams, and a few of their games. This episode is a combination of two game reviews and a discussion about the studio that made them. We hope this format helps more people discover the developer, which you can learn more about via the links below. Special thanks to Luis León for reaching out to me (Erik) and sharing his game dev story.We hope you enjoy the show! Interactive Dreams websiteInteractive Dreams itch.io pageA Dream About Parking Lots on SteamSwann's Song on Steam

Off the Shelf is an interview format where we bring a guest on the show to talk about the following scenario: “Imagine you have a library full of books that represent to you the greatest video game narratives. If I were to pull 5 books at random off of those shelves, what would I find? How did each book earn a spot on your shelf?”This week, I was joined by Rick from the Pixel Project Radio podcast. Below you will find the linktree for that show.Pixel Project Radio LinktreeThe discussion of each game contains spoilers, so please refer to the timestamps below to avoid those as needed.(00:00) Introduction & Spoiler Policy(06:51) Disco Elysium(24:21) Lisa the Painful(35:20) Outer Wilds(50:39) Xenosaga(01:05:41) Pentiment(01:21:14) Closing CommentsIf you enjoy the show please join our patreon to stay up to date on the podcast. Thanks for listening!

David, Caleb, and Erik take a virtual trip to Quito, Ecuador for a nostalgic conversation about the autobiographical game, Despelote.Pages of Play podcast is a book club for gaming narratives, where the hosts discuss their personal experience with a game and its story via book club style discussion questions submitted by listeners. Please join our discord so that you can chat with the amazing Pages of Play community and ask discussion questions to be featured on our next episode!The wonderful music in this episode comes form the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out here.Contents:(00:00) Intro(03:53) Q1(21:46) Q2(39:40) Q3(53:05) Q4(01:06:36) Spoiler Wall(01:07:19) Story Recap(01:09:40) Q5(01:17:30) Q6(01:29:57) Q7(01:34:31) Q8(01:47:20) ClosingReferences from the show:GameDeveloper.com Article

Setting aside classic narrative structures, Caleb and Lydia explore the incredible ability of video games to tell a story through experience while discussing the 1980 Atari hit Missile Command.  Caleb geeks out about environmental storytelling and meta-narrative, Lydia marvels at game cabinet design, and the two reflect on how this game played a role with one another in building a common language of game design.Dusting off the Cover is a subseries of the Pages of Play podcast where the hosts look back at older titles in the canon of video games to revisit, relive, and re-delight in game narratives from years past. Feel free to submit your ideas for future episodes at pagesofplay@gmail.comThe opening music is the track “Magic Tales” and the closing music is the track “The Call” by Kim Lightyear/Lightyeartraxx used with permission under the Pixabay license.  Find these and others at Pixabay and YouTube.Contents: (00:00) Intro(03:51) First Time Playing(05:56) Narrative Recap(07:13) Innovations(10:46) Influences(13:43) Narrative Through Play(18:04) What Makes This Game Worth Playing?(23:25) Closing

Off the Shelf is an interview format where we bring a guest on the show to talk about the following scenario: “Imagine you have a library full of books that represent to you the greatest video game narratives. If I were to pull 5 books at random off of those shelves, what would I find? How did each book earn a spot on your shelf?”This week, I was joined by Michael from the Tiny Game Chronicles Podcast. Below you will find links to that wonderful show. Please check it out, especially if you love short video games! BlueskySpotifyApple PodcastsThe discussion of each game contains spoilers, so please refer to the timestamps below to avoid those as needed. (00:00) Introduction & Spoiler Policy(07:25) Myst(34:30) The Witcher 2(53:49) Uncharted 2(01:13:45) Octopath Traveler 2(01:28:34) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33(01:44:02) Closing CommentsIf you enjoy the show please join our discord to stay up to date on the podcast. Thanks for listening!

David, Caleb, and Erik take a breather to discuss burnout in Wanderstop, a whimiscal yet surprisingly vulnerable tea-shop management sim by Ivy Road studio. Pages of Play podcast is a book club for gaming narratives, where the hosts discuss their personal experience with a game and its story via book club style discussion questions submitted by listeners. Please join our discord (https://discord.com/invite/jMzR6WdpTR) so that you can chat with the amazing Pages of Play community and ask discussion questions to be featured on our next episode!The wonderful music in this episode comes form the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.Contents:(00:00) Intro(04:50) Q1(08:20) Q2(16:28) Q3(27:30) Spoiler Wall(28:56) Story Recap(32:06) Q4(34:32) Q5(43:29) Q6(01:05:16) Q7(01:12:15) Q8(01:17:10) Q9(01:26:25) Q10(01:32:04) Q11(01:34:44) ClosingReferences from the show:Erik's Wanderstop ReviewPC Gamer ArticleDavey Wreden Presentation

Off the Shelf is an interview format where we bring a guest on the show to talk about the following scenario: “Imagine you have a library full of books that represent to you the greatest video game narratives. If I were to pull 5 books at random off of those shelves, what would I find? How did each book earn a spot on your shelf?”This week, I had the honor of interviewing John from the Gaming in the Wild podcast. Below you will find episodes from Gaming in the Wild that cover the games we discuss on this show:The Last of UsA Short HikeKentucky Route Zero (Act 1 of the community playthrough)Citizen Sleeper1000xResistThe discussion of each game contains spoilers, so please refer to the timestamps below to avoid those as needed. It’s a long episode, so feel free to skip around!(00:00) Introduction & Spoiler Policy(06:20) The Last of Us (Part 1)(24:52) A Short Hike(37:45) Kentucky Route Zero(54:25) Citizen Sleeper(01:12:36) 1000xResist(01:35:26) Closing CommentsIf you enjoy the show please join our discord to stay up to date on the podcast. Thanks for listening!

Between the Lines is a sub-series of the Pages of Play podcast where we explore gaming narratives that are several steps off of the well-trodden path.I am honored to read an essay about the game, My Child Lebensborn, written by cherised PoP community member, SlugcatStu! Many thanks to him for submitting this essay. Please join our discord (https://discord.com/invite/jMzR6WdpTR) so that you can chat with the amazing Pages of Play community and submit your gaming essays to be featured on the show! You can also reach me here: https://bsky.app/profile/dovetail.bsky.socialThe wonderful music in this episode comes form the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.Thanks for listening!

David, Caleb, and Erik sneak their way out from their cell in the latest game from The Game Kitchen. In this discussion, Caleb discusses game accessibility, Erik looks deep into Spanish Art, and David shares conspiracy theories.Pages of Play podcast is a book club for gaming narratives, where the hosts discuss their personal experience with a game and its story via book club style discussion questions submitted by listeners. Please join our discord (https://discord.com/invite/jMzR6WdpTR) so that you can chat with the amazing Pages of Play community and ask discussion questions to be featured on our next episode!The wonderful music in this episode comes form the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.Contents:(00:00) Intro(04:20) Q1(21:19) Q2(33:53) Q3(47:42) Q4(52:50) Spoiler Wall(54:06) Story Recap(57:46) Q5(01:04:04) Q6(01:11:04) Q7(01:29:23) Closing

Off the Shelf is an interview format where we bring a guest on the show to talk about the following scenario: “Imagine you have a library full of books that represent to you the greatest video game narratives. If I were to pull 5 books at random off of those shelves, what would I find? How did each book earn a spot on your shelf?”This week, I had the honor of interviewing Kate from the No Small Games podcast. Below you will find episodes from the No Small Games podcast that cover the games we discuss on this show:IndikaThirsty SuitorsVampire TherapistThe discussion of each game contains spoilers, so please refer to the timestamps below to avoid those as needed. It’s a long episode, so feel free to skip around!(00:00) Introduction & Spoiler Policy(06:33) A Good Gardener(29:58) Florence(49:43) Indika(01:01:48) Thirsty Suitors(01:19:18) Vampire Therapist(01:29:00) Closing CommentsIf you enjoy the show please join our discord to stay up to date on the podcast. Thanks for listening!

David, Caleb, and Erik roll the dice in the latest game from Jump Over the Age. In this discussion, Caleb details a game mod he built, Erik explains why he took over 40 screenshots of the game , and David forgets about everyone he met in Citizen Sleeper 1. Pages of Play podcast is a book club for gaming narratives, where the hosts discuss their personal experience with a game and its story via book club style discussion questions submitted by listeners. Please join our discord (https://discord.com/invite/jMzR6WdpTR) so that you can chat with the amazing Pages of Play community and ask discussion questions to be featured on our next episode! The wonderful music in this episode comes form the Jusant soundtrack by Guillaume Ferran. Check it out ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy.Contents:(00:00) Intro(09:26) Q1(20:33) Q2(44:30) Spoiler Wall(45:40) Plot Summary(47:50) Q1 Revisited(54:36) Q3(1:05:01) Q4(1:10:55) Q5(01:21:12) Q6(01:38:50) Closing

Off the Shelf is an interview format where we bring a guest on the show to talk about the following scenario: “Imagine you have a library full of books that represent to you the greatest video game narratives. If I were to pull 5 books at random off of those shelves, what would I find? How did each book earn a spot on your shelf?”This week, I had the honor of interviewing Jake from The Pre-Order Bonus podcast. Below you will find episodes of The Pre-Order Bonus podcast that cover the games we discuss on this show:PentimentA Plague Tale: InnocenceChained EchoesArcoUntitled Goose GameThe discussion of each game contains spoilers, so please refer to the timestamps below to avoid those as needed. It’s a long episode, so feel free to skip around! (00:00) Introduction(09:30) Pentiment(40:00) A plague Tale: Innocence(59:30) Chained Echoes(01:15:50) Arco(01:36:40) Untitled Goose Game(01:55:25) Closing CommentsIf you enjoy the show please join our discord to stay up to date on the podcast. I also made a guest appearance on Jake’s Indie Impression episode for Before the Green Moon here, if you want to check that out. Thanks for listening!