The video game world is buzzing with the release of Street Fighter IV.  It is a franchise that helped usher a generation of gamers into the fighting genre, and arrives greeted by a wave of emotionally-charged expectations.  Further complicating any attempts at objective analysis further is the fact that Street Fighter is rooted in the arcade tradition.  With the game's release comes peripherals (by the way, it looks like Jorge was right: MadCatz is the pricey one!) that capture the arcade feeling.  Mitch Krpata of the site Insult Swordfighting raises the important question of how to analyze games that rely (either implicitly or explicitly) on peripherals.  We trace a brief history of non-controller pad input devices and muse on their effects on the games that use them.  As always, feel free to jump in with your experiences and thoughts.

Some discussion starters:

-Should Street Fighter IV be reviewed a specific way (either arcade stick or control pad)? 
-How much focus should the hardware have in game analysis?
-What do you think of the "fairness" argument: Should games have a standardized control scheme to ensure a level playing field?  Should developers ensure that third party peripherals do not undermine this?

To listen to the podcast:
- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking the title. 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:

-Run time: 28 min 19 sec
-Mitch Krpata's article: "A Peripheral Concern "
-Music provided by Brad Sucks

Hello readers and listeners.  This week Scott and I branch off of neat panel discussion Stephen Totilo held with Ken Levine of 2k Boston and Todd Howard of Bethesda Softworks.  Each panelist was asked to comment on their game endings, Bioshock and Fallout 3 respectively.  We take their comments and run with them, discussing our thoughts on cut scenes, interactive conclusions, and more.  As always, we encourage you to take a look at the original article and footage in the show notes.  Comments are appreciated and we've got some discussion starters just below if you need some momentary inspiration.

Some discussion starters:
- Do traditional game endings feel like a payoff? Have you ever cheated and watched an ending online?
- What do you think the future holds for videogame endings? Do you think there is an easier or better way to end games?
- What have been your favorite and least favorite videogame endings

To listen to the podcast:
- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking the title. 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:

-Run time: 31 min 12 sec
- Original MTV Multiplayer article with footage from Ken Levine and Todd Howard Comic-Con panel.
-Music provided by Brad Sucks

This week will see the release of thatgamecompany's unique new title, Flower. In an interview with MTV Multiplayer, Jenova Chen, the co-creator of thatgamecompany, explained that he hoped that Flower will feel "like therapy" to players. This got us thinking about the ability of games to act as stress relievers and how both the mechanical and narrative techniques in games affect our mindsets. We also talk about the traditional notions of why some games are considered relaxing, and we explore the soothing possibilities of games that normally would not be considered calming. We invite you to relax, take a deep breath, and then jump in with your thoughts!
Some discussion starters:
-What games, if any, do you use as "therapy?" Do they fall into one genre, or are there any you think are "surprisingly" calming? -Is there a contradiction between a therapeutic game and one in which the player partakes in destructive in-game behaviors? -What kinds of themes and imagery do you think of when you here about a "therapeutic game?" -Does a genre of meditative or Zen gaming need to exist, or can it be encompassed within larger categories?
To listen to the podcast:
- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed. - Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking the title. 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:
-Run time: 25 min 43 sec
-Patrick Klepek's article with excerpts from Jenova Chen: "‘Flower’ Should Make You Feel Better About Yourself, Argues Creator"
-Music provided by Brad Sucks

Be they breaking a sweat playing a mean game of Wii Tennis or squeezing their "mind grapes" learning a foreign language, students are incorporating videogames into their educational curriculum. This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I take out our chalkboard, calculators and pen protectors to talk about videogames in the classroom. We branch off two Kotaku articles available for your perusal in the show notes. Let us know your thoughts on the subject in the comments section and free to answer the questions available below.

Questions of Interest:
- How have you used videogames as learning devices, if at all?
- What do you think are the limitations of videogames in the classroom?
- Is there anything you learned from videogames you still use, or could use, today?

Show Notes:

-Run time: 26 min 18 sec
-Kotaku article: Wii in PE
-Kotaku article: Learning English on the DS
-Music provided by Brad Sucks