Steve

Tone Control 28: Karla Zimonja We've been through a lot together, Karla and I. And now, in what seems a fitting series finale for Tone Control, my business and creative partner sits down with me at the Fullbright office for a long conversation about her background in TV animation, how we came to cross paths in the games industry, and what we've made together. That's it, folks. Thank you for listening. Games Discussed: Grim Fandango, The Neverhood, Asheron's Call, Asheron's Call 2, World of Warcraft, Zoo Tycoon 2, BioShock, BioShock 2, Minerva's Den, Gone Home, Tacoma Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Tone Control 27: Derek Yu Derek Yu has been making video games for almost as long as he can remember. In that time he's helped build thriving indie game developer communities, created more than one classic indie game, and called Jack Thompson's bluff. Now he's on to his next adventure: fatherhood, and reflecting that experience in the upcoming Spelunky 2. Learn all about Derek's life work, and where he's headed next, in the penultimate episode of Tone Control. Games Discussed: Aquaria, I'm O.K., UFO 50, Spelunky, Spelunky 2 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Ha, yeah, I hope it came off OK! I think it can be like that, trying to speak well in someone else's cultural territory without embarrassing yourself... but I hope it was an interesting conversation worth having!

Tone Control 26: Robert Yang Robert Yang is awesome. Educator, advocate, and subversive game developer all in one, his work focuses on issues of gay culture, sex and sexual politics, consent, surveillance, and the absurdity of digital eroticism. He also does great talks at conferences like GDC, where I caught up with him this year to chat about his work and outlook on what games can be. Games Discussed: Counter-Strike, Half-Life 2, the Radiator mods, Hurt Me Plenty, Succulent, Cobra Club, Stick Shift, The Tearoom Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Tone Control 25: Siobhan Reddy Due to some scheduling requirements, we take a break from our GDC chats to visit sunny London, England! While I was in the UK for BAFTA, I sat down with longtime Media Molecule Siobhan Reddy to talk about her time spent helping run her parents' skate shop in Australia (!), the world of mid-'90s web design (!) and working on Discworld Noir (!!) before her time as a producer on the Burnout series, and her years at Media Molecule helping lead creativity-focused productions like Little Big Planet and the upcoming Dreams. Games Discussed: Discworld Noir, Burnout 3, Burnout Revenge, Little Big Planet, Tearaway, Dreams Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Tone Control 23: Richard Lemarchand Naughty Dog Month is completed by my interview with Richard Lemarchand! One of the sweetest, most thoughtful and supportive folks I know in game development, Richard charts... ;) his course from jolly olde England to the sunny shores of Santa Monica, California, going from a kid growing up on ZX Spectrum and arcade games, to helping create one of modern gaming's most iconic series. Games Discussed: A bunch of old ZX-81 and Spectrum and arcade games, The New Zealand Story, X-Com, the Soul Reaver series, the Uncharted series Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Tone Control 22: Bruce Straley Naughty Dog Month begins on Tone Control! This time I'm talking to former Dog Bruce Straley about his long and storied career-- starting with a Sega Genesis X-Men game I played as a kid (!) all the way through his work as a game director on the Uncharted series and The Last of Us. Join us on a trip across console generations, with a view into how some of Naughty Dog's most iconic series came to be. The Games Discussed of Us: X-Men (Sega Genesis), Generations Lost, Gex, Gex 3D, Jak & Daxter, Crash Team Racing, Uncharted series, The Last of Us Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Ahh, I'll try to keep it in mind! This was my first session after not having recorded one of these for a number of years, so maybe I got more into the flow as I recorded more this season. Thanks for the note!

Hey, thank you so much for the kind words (on all fronts!) Yeah, as much as on some level I really do Tone Control for myself (as an excuse to talk to cool people in the industry about Real Stuff we usually wouldn't chat about) I hope people are listening to S2 and enjoying it as well! Thanks for saying hi

Tone Control 21: Meggan Scavio Anyone who's been to GDC knows, it's a massive, vibrant, overwhelming, inspiring event. As a game developer, it's one of the most important weeks of the year-- and holy hell, it seems like a lot to manage, generally! So I spoke to Meggan Scavio, longtime General Manager of GDC (who's now moved on to be President of the AIAS, running the DICE conference instead) about her years helping to shape what GDC is, and how she came to run some of the biggest and most exciting game development events in the world. Topics Discussed: Omaha, Nebraska; teenage hardcore shows; antique roadshows; printed circuit board gatherings; SAVOR; etc. Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Tone Control 20: Davey Wreden A thirteen-foot-tall octopus named Edward Scissorhands rampages into your life and destroys everything you love. What do you do? If you're me, you interview him! This hellish creature, also known as Davey Wreden, is the creator of two of the most mind-bending indie story games in recent history, The Stanley Parable and The Beginner's Guide. Discover how his life and outlook, and his propensity for eight-armed havoc, led to the creation of these modern indie classics. Games Discussed: The Stanley Parable, The Beginner's Guide, Gone Home, Tacoma, games that include a copy of Infinite Jest in them Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

HARBY!

Tone Control 19: Harvey Smith Harvey Smith is a mensch. Not only has he been a lead or director on some of the most inspiring and foundational Immersive Sim games of the last 20 years, he's also just a sweet, friendly, thoughtful guy who's great to talk to and has a wonderful southern accent. And lucky you, last time I talked with him, I had my recorder turned on! Hear insight on everything from the advent of the System Shock and Deus Ex series, up through modernizing those concepts into Dishonored, and beyond. Games Discussed: System Shock (in VR!), Deus Ex, BioShock and BioShock 2, Osmosis, the Dishonored series Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes

Hah, thanks so much! Yeah it was a fun conversation and yeah I ruin people's language, unfortunately. Nina is not on the Idle Thumbs forums as far as I'm aware, but pinging her on twitter would be the way to go! Thanks for listenin

Tone Control 18: Nina Freeman It's like rain on your podcasting day. It's when a train goes by, and you can't hear what I say. It's the hammer blows, that ruin your take. And who woulda thought, it figures. Despite a variety of exciting sonic interruptions, Steve and Nina soldier on to talk through her work a s Nuovo Award-winning indie game designer of titles like how do you Do It?, Cibele, and Lost Memories Dot Net, and her experience becoming a level designer on Tacoma at Fullbright. Pull up a chair, settle in, and don't let the distant hooting throw you. Games Discussed: Myst, Final Fantasy X-2, how do you Do It?, Cibele, Kimmy, Lost Memories Dot Net, Gone Home, Tacoma Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes