With a Terrible Fate

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Infinite Narrative Lessons

This week on With a Terrible Fate's podcast on the storytelling of video games, we kick things off with a discussion of Dan's recent journeys through Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, only to discover the game as a surprisingly illuminating throughline for a rich diversity of reflections on the structures of serial video-game stories, the interpretation and analysis of our personal experiences within video games, and the evolving culture of expectations around major upcoming releases! Listen in for a conversation exploring the gamification of The Odyssey, the methodology behind interpreting a playthrough, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's lessons about demos, and maybe even a lesson from Assassin's Creed III, 12 years later.

Articles Cited:

• Dan Hughes, "Understanding Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts 2"
• Dan Hughes, "Solving the Puzzle of Roche in Final Fantasy VII Remake"
• Aaron Suduiko, "The Missing Soulmate in Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch"
• Aaron Suduiko, "How Elden Ring Turns Its Player into an Outer God"
• Aaron Suduiko, "Time's Arrow: Chester Burklight in Tales of Phantasia"

Video Game Analysts' Journey Across Japan

On the latest episode of With a Terrible Fate's podcast, Dan Hughes and Aaron Suduiko fire up the mics two weeks after their vacation in Japan to share stories from their journey and reflect on how their latest adventure through the cultural progenitor of so many video games has informed how they think about the medium! From stumbling upon the mythological origin of the Triforce to witnessing the inseparability of politics from religion in temple and shrine tours, this episode has something for every thoughtful gamer. Later on, Dan shares his first impressions of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and Aaron offers a spoiler-free reflection on his playthrough of Inscryption, which he finished in the early morning hours ahead of the recording! Happy Belated New Year, and welcome to the 2024 edition of With a Terrible Fate's audio home for the literary gamer.

What Do We Do When We Talk About Games?

This week on With a Terrible Fate's podcast about the study and culture of video-game storytelling, we take a reflective look at the good, bad, and ugly of what it means to talk about games. Where does lore analysis end and literary interpretation begin, and how can streamed "book clubs" of games help create good-faith homes for a positive mode of analysis among common fans and thinkers? How might a game award show need to look different than film awards by virtue of differences in the medium? How can bad-faith internet personalities take advantage of the personal, experiential nature of games to lower standards of evidence in discussions with real stakes? What the heck do avatars have to do with the aesthetics of agency in gameplay? Buckle up: it's an overloaded podcast this week where we tackle all these questions and more!

Awards, Holiday Gaming, and Demos!

With the last month of the year upon us, join the With a Terrible Fate podcast for December-themed game reflections! From the culture developing around the Game Awards, to analyzing what counts as a "holiday gaming experience," to reflecting on evolving standards around game demos, spoilers, and recommendations, this episode is stuffed with plenty of gifts for the literate gamer.

Ludic Gymnastics

Do you find yourself bouncing back and forth between multiple games, or running a few different playthroughs at the same time to support different mindsets or moments throughout your day? Take a listen to this latest podcast episode, in which Dan and Aaron explore the many reasons for which we might bounce gymnastically between multiple games, and the many consequences (good and bad!) this might have for our playthroughs. From seres like Persona 5 and Tales of Arise featuring multiple explorations of the same characters, to games like Tales of Graces f and Ni no Kuni II offering timely pictures of modern struggles, to motivations like "reading," "grinding," and "bedtime routine" guiding our game curation, this conversation offers something for every sort of gaming moment—just as games themselves do!

Products & Artworks; JRPGs & Ghostbusters

Welcome to the latest incarnation of With a Terrible Fate's podcast: unstructured, organic conversations about current gaming experiences, how they inform our understanding of the world, and how they relate to the broader language of video-game storytelling! In this inaugural episode, Dan Hughes and Aaron Suduiko discuss their recent adventures in the Tales and Pokémon series, and they wrestle with the difference between series that lose touch with their identity through productization and series that enhance our experience through robust, thematically grounded networks of content. There's even a bit of GOTY talk, so you may walk away with some new—or very, very old—game recommendations to add to your own list!

A Very Special Halloween Gaming Podcast

On the spookiest day of the year, join With a Terrible Fate in a free-wheeling conversation about the past, present, and future magic of horror storytelling in video games. In a brand-new podcast episode, Dan Hughes and Aaron Suduiko haunt you with reflections on the good, bad, and ugly of scary interactive stories, including:

• Old and new glitches, from MissingNo. to headless Marvel heroes
• Dan's six-year-old ire for Five Nights at Freddy's, juxtaposed against his reception of the brand-new Five Nights at Freddy's film
• The role of horror moments in non-horror video-game genres, such as the JRPG
• The "Silent Hill" era of retelling old horror stories in a new light like campfire stories inspired by oral histories, including such works as Resident Evil and Silent Hill remakes, as well as Lies of P
• Recommendations for what you should play and watch this Halloween

Don't be afraid, and buckle up for new podcast content in the near future!

Works cited:

• Dan Hughes, "Does Five Nights at Freddy's Belong in the Video Game Canon?"
• Dan Hughes, "Does Dead Rising Belong in the Video Game Canon?"
• Dan Hughes, "Does Silent Hill Belong in the Video Game Canon?"
• Dan Hughes, "Does Silent Hill 2 Belong in the Video Game Canon?"
• Dan Hughes, "Does Silent Hill 3 Belong in the Video Game Canon?"
• Dan Hughes, "Does Silent Hill 4 Belong in the Video Game Canon?"
• Dan Hughes, "Does Undertale Belong in the Video Game Canon?"
• Lauren Spohn, "The Outset Island Effect"
• Aaron Suduiko, Tales of Praxis
• Aaron Suduiko, "Bloodborne, Lovecraft, and the Dangerous Idea"
• Aaron Suduiko, "The Horror of Code Vein is You"
• Aaron Suduiko, "Guilt & Inequity in Silent Hill 2"

Pokémon Rose Episode 17: ”What’s That On Your Shoulder?”

This Friday the 13th of October on Pokémon Rose: from MissingNo. and a skeletal Kabutops to Drifloon and Gengar, take our hand on the spookiest day of the year and wander with us through the pokégraveyard. Stay on the lookout: if we're unlucky enough, we may just be visited by the origins of ghost stories, Ghost Pokémon, and the spooky folklore that wove its DNA into the Pokémon series and early-2000s internet gaming culture alike.

Pokémon Rose Episode 16: ”The Legend of Arceus”

This week on Pokémon Rose: an exposition of mythopoeia, a study of the Pokémon world's perennial quest for meaning and explanation in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, and how mechanics of exploration, Pokémania, and myth equip players to confront one burning question: "How do we dream in a shapeless void?"

Credit to Qumu Music for the music in this episode.

Pokémon Rose Episode 15: ”Welcome to Sinnoh”

This week on Pokémon Rose: an introduction to Generation 4 of Pokémon (Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum), the value of taking your childhood passions seriously as you grow up, and the surprising perspective of falling in love with a game as an adult only because you chose not to play it in your childhood.