The Experience Points Podcast
A weekly video game podcast from the co-writers of ExperiencePoints.net

I ran over a deer today in GTA V and I felt nothing. What monster have a become!? This week on the podcast, we're inspired once again by a Gameological Q&A to discuss our animal-killing ways. Join as we talk about tiger royalty, scarcity, cute baby animals, and so much more. As always, we encourage you to hop into the comments and let us know your strategies for making people feel guilty for the slaughter of digital creatures.

Show notes:

- Runtime: 27 mins 28 secs

- "Why Can't We Be Friends?", via The Gameological Society

- Music by: Brad Sucks

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_248_-_Animal_Lovers.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:46pm PDT

We have plenty of heroes in the video game world, but how many of them are likeable?  That's the question the Gameological Society staff recently discussed.  We run through their picks and throw a few of our own personal picks in the mix.  It turns out that there are plenty of video game heroes that range from a bit annoying to downright terrible.  Join us with your picks as we talk about sociopaths, 90s baditude, and the Gorton's fisherman.


- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes

- Find the show on Stitcher

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed

- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.

- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.


Show notes:


- Runtime: 28 min 40 sec

- "The Heroes We Don't Deserve," by via The Gameological Society

- Music by: Brad Sucks

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_247_-_The_Heroes_We_Hate.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:00am PDT

The Master Chief has been floating in space for the past four years, but the entire time, the folks at 343 Industries were busy thinking of ways to reinvigorate the franchise without pissing off millions of fans. This week on the podcast, with a healthy heaping of post-release distance, Scott and I discuss the much anticipated Halo 4. As always, we give ample spoiler warning for those cautious about the narrative, so hop on in and let us know what you thought of 343's first efforts and making Halo their own!

Show notes:

- Runtime: 36 min 58 sec

- Music by: Brad Sucks

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_246_-_Halo_4_Debrief.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:10pm PDT

Technically, you could play GTA without breaking any laws, but wouldn't that be like playing <em>Mario</em> without jumping? This week, thanks to Mitch Krpata's article about verbs in games, we talk about the gap between the theoretical potential of a game's rules and the practical realities of the actions you can take. Along the way, we do a check in on some recent open world games we've been playing, as that genre seems particularly prone to tension between what you could do and what your available actions steer you towards. We're not here to get in the way of your action, so feel free to jump into the comments with your thoughts.

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes
- Find the show on Stitcher
- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.
- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

Show notes:

- Runtime: 31 min 28 sec
- "Verbs," by Mitch Krpata, via Insult Swordfighting
- Music by: Brad Sucks

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_245_-_Taking_Action_in_Open_Worlds.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:27pm PDT

Valve is shaking up the games industry again with a set of three recent announcements (none of which were Half-Life 3 unfortunately). Leaping bravely into the Next Gen Console space, Valve will soon release their very own operating system, set of customizable Steam Machines, and controllers, all to make playing games in your living room easier. While the news was a long time coming, the mix of the three may actually cause quite a stir. Join us this week as Scott and I discuss Valve's endless money-making loop.

Show notes:

- Runtime: 34 min 17 sec

- News from Valve here.

- Music by: Brad Sucks

Direct download: EXP_Podcast__244_-_Steam_Machines_-_Hot_Air_or_Hot_Commodity.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:00pm PDT