Gold Microphone: Stories and Games

Jul 10 2024 10 ep. 66 mins 21
Gold Microphone: Stories and Games Podcast artwork

Drew Cook (and sometimes cohost Callie Smith) discusses narrative games past and present with a humanities and craft writing emphasis.

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Challenge, Mimesis and Parsercraft (Trinity continued)

Jul 10 2024 44 mins  
A long-form reflection on game design and parser craft theory continues with a discussion of Inform Design Manual 4's version of Graham Nelson's "The Craft of the Adventure." Particular attention is paid to mimesis, challenge, and, as Drew puts it, "cool stuff." Part of a series about Infocom's Trinity. Resources discussed in this episode: Gold Machi

The Craft of the Adventure: Trinity Part 2

May 18 2024 66 mins  
Drew returns to discuss a foundational work of game design craft, Graham Nelson's The Craft of the Adventure (1995). This is part of a larger, multipart examination of narrative friction in Brian Moriarty's Trinity (1986). Referenced content: Top Expert, Drew's blog about learning Inform 7 (and other things) Jimmy Maher's "The Neo-Classical Interactive Fiction

Reboot: Vampires and Trinity

Feb 22 2024 50 mins  
After nearly two years, host Drew Cook returns solo! This reboot episode lays out a framework for future discussions of Infocom's Trinity and Nacon's Vampire: The Masquerade--Swansong. The Craft of Adventure : Graham Nelson Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong on Steam (steampowered.com) Jimmy Maher's Trinity posts Gold Machine - Games as text, text as games (golmac

Episode 6: A Mind Forever Voyaging

Jun 22 2022 81 mins  
Callie Smith and Drew Cook welcome guest Aaron A. Reed to discuss his 50 Years of Text Games project as well as 1985's A Mind Forever Voyaging. Aaron's experiences as both reader and author lead us to some great exchanges and insights into Steve Meretzky's classic game about art, political witness, and as-yet unexplored possibilities in computer games. Aaron's current project, 50

Episode 5: Zork I

May 18 2022 79 mins  
Join Callie and Drew for a discussion of Infocom's best-selling game, Zork I. They'll talk about one of their all-time favorite video game characters, the thief, as well as its amazing (yet often overlooked) worldbuilding.  The games mentioned in Ian's email were "The Hobbit," "Hampstead," "Lords of Midnight," "The Worm in Paradise," and "A Mind Forever Voyaging." Notes publis

Episode 4: Journey

Mar 27 2022 78 mins  
Drew and Callie take a look at one of Infocom's least-loved games. Is it a complete flop? Or does it have something to offer? Full notes at https://golmac.org Email: [email protected] Drew Twitter: @GolmacB Callie Twitter: @golmac_Callie

Plundered Hearts: Follow Up

Feb 13 2022 45 mins  
Drew and Callie return to Plundered Hearts to discuss Anastasia Salter's 2020 article, "Infocom, Romance, and the History of Feminist Game Design," published in Feminist Media Histories 6.1. In this follow-up conversation, Drew and Callie revisit the critical narrative surrounding Amy Briggs’s classic Plundered Hearts, celebrating the ways in which Salter synthesizes a variety of

Episode 3: Enchanter

Jan 21 2022 80 mins  
Spell books, talking turtles, and the end of the world: Join Callie and Drew as they discuss one of their all-time favorite games--Enchanter! As discussed in the podcast, here are some links. A Note on Resources and Methods: links and advice for playing classic Infocom games Enchanter folio in poor condition (but still awesome!) Get in touch: email: [email protected] contact

Episode 2: Plundered Hearts

Jan 07 2022 70 mins  
Perhaps no Infocom game has risen, post-1980s, so much in the eyes of players than Amy Briggs's Plundered Hearts. At the time of its release, men were too manly to play it, and at least one prominent woman reviewer declared: "it's not feminist." How did a game that seemingly had nothing to offer anyone become so beloved? Join Callie and Drew as they discuss their very 2022 experien

Episode 1: Wishbringer

Dec 22 2021 69 mins  
In this first episode of Gold Microphone: A Gold Machine Podcast, hosts Drew and Callie talk about Infocom's 1985 classic game Wishbringer. Bonus: Drew's and Callie's Wishbringer unboxing video.