So Many Bits

In the same vein as installation art, Seemingly Pointless - the team of James and Joe Cox - work on installation games that are experienced at festivals nationwide. Bill talks with them about their current project eCheese Zone, the unique challenges their work faces, and more!Plus, Di Billick returns so we can watch James Bond play a deadly video game in Never Say Never Again!Screenwatching: Never Say Never Again (2:15)Interview: James and Joe Cox (25:41)

Another check-in on the games being played, this week with Bliff and Cill, I mean Bill and Cliff! We're chatting Disco Elysium, the new character in Slay the Spire, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

The scope of retro has fully expanded to include the Game Boy Color, and Ashley's new action puzzler Petal Crash is a novel puzzler set in that style! Her fundraising included the addition of 3 characters to the game; hear her explain that process plus much more!Plus, Cliff Murphy and I revisit the lovely series Steven Universe during Screenwatching!Screenwatching: Steven Universe (4:37)Interview: Ashley (27:15)

The ancient world of Fodlan is full of mysteries; sometimes, one 80 hour playthrough of Fire Emblem: Three Houses isn't enough! Luckily, Bill is joined by Cliff Murphy and Alex Richmond to get into their favorite moments plus answer a few burning questions, like how does Byleth find room for 9 lunches in a day?

Shelby is welcomed back to the show that never ends! We talked about Pokemon Sword / Shield, Baba is You, Control, and Metro Exodus!

Frequent podcast guest Ian Beckman returns for an extended interview this week! Bill has chatted with Ian previously about his team Big Sir Games and their work on Cosmo's Quick Stop, but here they get into the games previous iterations, the challenges of marketing, and more!Meanwhile, frequent podcast Shelby Mongan subjects her and Bill to the craptacular wonders of Bibleman for this week's Screenwatching!Screenwatching: Bibleman (4:03)Interview: Ian Beckman (54:41)

A new week and some new games what we've been playing! Di and I discuss Dragon Quest XI, Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and more!

Instant messages and social media: Kyle Seeley's Emily is Away series is a whole different kind of "online gaming". He joins Bill to talk about maintaining the historical accuracy of Facebook, working as a solo developer, and other games that use online communication to tell their story!Meanwhile, Bill and Di Billick get a crash course in early-00's teenage sitcoms when they take on Drake and Josh for Screenwatching!Screenwatching: Drake and Josh (2:06)Interview: Kyle Seeley (24:12)Bill's Magic Minute (44:30)

Toss a coin to Brandon Shockney as he joins Bill this week to talk about their favorite games from 2019! Plus a special Screenwatching segment looking at the hot new Netflix series The Witcher!

Some games we've been playing! Happy Holidays! Games played: Borderlands 3, One Night Stand, Gato Roboto, Ringfit Adventure

The maturation of the video game industry includes the growth of game design education; this week, Bill is joined by Columbia College Chicago's David Antognoli to discuss it! We look at David's industry experience, his transition into the education field, and how he teaches such a rapidly developing field.  Did you know there was a Beetlejuice TV show? Did you know it had 100 episodes? Shelby Mongan is on this week to educate Bill on this early-90's marvel for Screenwatching!Screenwatching: Beetlejuice (1:20)Interview: David Antognoli (38:38)Bill's Magic Minute (1:11:30)

Once again it's time for games games games video games! Cliff and Bill discuss Terraforming Mars, accessibility options in Mario Kart, Titanfall 2, and Ringfit Adventure!

A potential standout in the Metroidvania genre, Starsoft's Savior is being made by an eclectic mix of people, and Weston Tracy explains to me the projects origins, his hopes for its story and message, and the scrapped (?) dancing mechanic!In Screenwatching, Cliff Murphy and Bill go over an Emmy winner in the South Park episode Make Love Not Warcraft!Screenwatching: South Park (3:45)Interview: Weston Tracy (29:15)Bill's Magic Minute (55:44)

For the 3rd year in a row Chicago's Logan Theatre held their Community Playtest Night, where local game makers are able to demo their work for indy game fans and theatre-goers alike. Listen in to this live event recording of several presenters on their amazingly unique work!Sashimi Slammers (1:39)Cold Calling (9:55)TP (19:40)Domesticate Hell (24:40)

We're back with Brandon to talk about the games we've been playing! We chat The Outer Worlds, Untitled Goose Game, Undertale, What the Golf?, Pinball Wizard, and Assemble with Care.

Chris Bashen has been a guest on So Many Bits several times to talk about video games, but did you know he makes them too? He's the guy behind the (digital) guy: he's been The Joker, Firestorm Shang Tsung, and more as a motion-capture actor with Netherrealm! We took a very cool look at the behind the scenes of the cutscenes in some of the past decade's most cinematically ambitious games.The Amazing World of Gumball had their own ambitious take on Final Fantasy VII, and Brandon Shockney and Bill talk about it in this episode's Screenwatching!Screenwatching: The Amazing World of Gumball (1:55)Interview: Chris Bashen (25:05)Bill's Magic Minute (59:16)

Di Billick is here to chat about some games! Games played: Habitica, Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Persona Q2, Trauma Team, Dicey Dungeons

Games were played and bits were made with Dan Schiffmacher! We talked about Gato Roboto, Box-Boy and Box-Girl, Resident Evil 0, and Fatal Frame.

Not one, not two, but six(!) unique movement mechanics are at the core of Zero Percent Juice's Worldline. The team's lead designer Trevor takes Bill through the team's formation, the plans for the game, and the challenges of a Kickstarter campaign.Given the podcast's motto of Have a Great Summer, Di Billick's choice of Phineas and Ferb for Screenwatching is perfect!Screenwatching: Phineas and Ferb (1:30)Interview: Trevor (16:08)Bill's Magic Minute (37:20)

Lucy Morris and Calliope Ryder are on this week to talk about the upcoming game Best Friend Forever from their studio Starcolt! Hear about the game design aspects of a relationship simulator, what it's like to be emailed by CNN at 3:30 in the morning, and the ethical consumption of Pokemon.Plus, Dan Schiffmacher helps Bill grunt through an episode of Home Improvement for Screenwataching!Screenwatching: Home Improvement (1:32)Interview: Lucy + Calliope (19:48)Bill's Magic Minute: (52:55)