Originally created as a response to the question "Are video games art?", Playing With Form is a painstakingly-produced sonic research paper appreciating the medium, and investigating what it has to offer.
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Another addendum to episode 11. The last one expanded the bug section, and this one expands the Monster Hunter section. Quotes from https://www.gamedeveloper.com/audio/producing-audio-for-halo , written by Martin O'Donnell. I've got a Bluesky now! Check out https://bsky.app/profile/playingwithform.bsky.social for show updates, and bonus content that doesn't make the podcast feed.
I haven't done this before, but I had too much in the episode 11 script, so I've decided to produce some cut scenes as little audio addendums. This one's about, surprise surprise, cicadas, and I got a ton more from my research than I was expecting. I used quite a few cicada sounds that I'd like to credit here. Cicadas at Broken Rock Falls 2016-06-11 5:12 p.m. by dan_keck --…
Tick tock, it's bird-o-clock. This episode, "Pandora's Squawks", is actually barely about videogames at all. Instead, I reveal dangerous knowledge about soundscapes, but hand in hand with danger comes power. And it all starts with that one time I heard a bird during Star Trek. This is the kind of show you can listen to out of order, especially this episode, but I'd recommend listening to the first…
Ready for action! This episode, "Where the Magic Happens", is all about small sound cues, how our brain processes them, and how a specific genre, and series, makes the most of them. This is the kind of show you can listen to out of order, but I'd recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make. And if you end up buying…
A late Halloween special, because I'm not great at time management. In this episode, "Behind the Closed Door", I talk about tools of the trade for horror writers, and we're getting Lovecraftian about it. Some things to look forward to: A house containing a bug of variable size, a completely normal hike through the woods, and me hamming it up the whole time. This is the kind of series you can…
Another one! In this episode, "Know Your Limits", I talk about a whole heap of things, but mainly save points. Some things to look forward to this time: A boss fight decades in the making, Link putting on pants, and a conversation between three thinkers who have never met. This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I'd recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It…
The triumphant return of Playing With Form! In this episode, "The Building Blocks of Life", I talk about composition. Some things to look forward to this time: Music written and performed on a Nintendo DS emulator, a suspiciously important 2 years of game design, and multiple literal interpretations of the term "worldbuilding". This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I'd…
Episode 6 has finally arrived! In this episode, "To See With Your Ears", I talk about the practical and philosophical merits of game sound. Some things to look forward to this time: Poetry from inside the womb, a commentated romp through the underworld, and repurposed film theory. This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I'd recommend listening to the first episode at some…
This one is a bit different. In this episode, "A Story About A Story About A Tree", I talk about games as human connection, unraveling a mystery from the late 90's, and airing my opinions on both Final Fantasy 7, and the entire internet. Some things to look forward to this time: Amateur philosophy and virtual film noir, all framed by the world's most boring Let's Play. This is the kind of series…
Episode 4 is here! In this episode, "Where to Draw the Line", I talk about music, and introduce the concept of nonlinear media. Some things to look forward to this time: A Final Fantasy X rant, the merits of virtual radio, and a Russian composer very much out of his element. This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I'd recommend listening to the first episode at some point.…
