ITU Playcast

• 7: Steam, platform game economics, Banana

  Steam is unique among the online stores and platforms where players buy and play digital games. In this episode we discuss the unique features of Steam that have enabled the phenomenon of Banana—a super successful game that has no apparent game play or other features usually associated with video games. So, what is Banana and how did it become the second most popular ‘game’ on Steam? Hosted by Rune Nielsen, Paweł Grabarczyk, and Eik Boelt.This is the seventh episode of ITU Playcast, a podcast by the Center for Digital Play at the IT University of Copenhagen. Each episode, we have a chat about one academic paper and one game. For some reason Rune says “Steam wallet” instead of “Steam account” a bunch of times this episode. Notes: Sky, AestheticSpartan, O'Brian. (2024). Banana [PC]. Sky. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2923300/Banana/Thorhauge, A. M., & Nielsen, R. K. L. (2021). Epic, Steam, and the role of skin-betting in game (platform) economies. Journal of Consumer Culture, 21(1), 52-67. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469540521993929 

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• 6: The Hero's Journey, Stray

  The Hero's Journey has been overused and abused in videogame writing for decades. We discuss Stephanie C. Jennings' tracing of the authoritarian heart of the monomyth from a reading of Horizon Zero Dawn to GamerGate. We also talk about one of the most hyped games of the last few months, the cyberpunk cat game Stray. Hosted by Dom Ford and Paweł Grabarczyk. This is the sixth episode of ITU Playcast, a podcast by the Center for Digital Play at the IT University of Copenhagen. Each episode, we have a chat about one academic paper and one game. Notes: Jennings, Stephanie C. (2022). 'Only You Can Save the World (of Videogames): Authoritarian Agencies in the Heroism of Videogame Design, Play, and Culture'. Convergence, vol. 28, issue 2. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565221079157 BlueTwelve Studio. (2022). Stray. Published by Annapurna Interactive.

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• 5: Robert Maxwell and the Early UK Videogames Industry, Inscryption

  We see how the early stages of the UK (and international) videogames industry came to be by following Alex Wade's account of eccentric media mogul and fraudster Robert Maxwell, and talk about the weird and wonderful hit game, Inscryption. (This episode may sound different and be a little quieter than others - this is due to technical problems. Apologies.) Hosted by Dom Ford and Paweł Grabarczyk. This is the fifth episode of ITU Playcast, a podcast by the Center for Computer Games Research at the IT University of Copenhagen. Each episode, we have a chat about one academic paper and one game. Notes: Wade, Alex. (2021). 'Red Threads: Robert Maxwell and the Early UK and International Videogames Industry'. Game Studies, vol. 21, issue 4. http://gamestudies.org/2104/articles/wade Daniel Mullins Games. (2021). Inscryption. Published by Devolver Digital.

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• 4: Digital Doors, I Expect You To Die 2

  Ever wondered what's going on with doors? We try to collect all the different doors in Stefano Gualeni's recent playable essay, and talk about the sedentary VR escape-the-room spy game I Expect You To Die 2. Hosted by Dom Ford and Paweł Grabarczyk. This is the fourth episode of ITU Playcast, a podcast by the Center for Computer Games Research at the IT University of Copenhagen. Each episode, we have a chat about one academic paper and one game. Notes: Gualeni, Stefano. (2021). Doors. https://doors.gua-le-ni.com/ Schell Games. (2021). I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy and the Liar. Published by Schell Games.

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• 3: Videogame Objects, Unpacking

  When is a bunch of pixels an object rather than a picture of an object? Can I unpack these digital objects into a series of homes and apartments? Find out now, as we discuss Jesper Juul's latest playable essay on videogame objects, and Witch Beam's charming new game Unpacking. Hosted by Dom Ford and Paweł Grabarczyk. This is the third episode of ITU Playcast, a podcast by the Center for Computer Games Research at the IT University of Copenhagen. Returning after a little while, we're trying out a simple format: each episode, we have a chat about one academic paper and one game. Notes: Juul, Jesper. (2021). 'The Game of Video Game Objects: A Minimal Theory of When We See Pixels as Objects Rather than Pictures.' https://www.jesperjuul.net/text/gameofobjects/ Witch Beam. (2021). Unpacking. Published by Humble Games. https://www.unpackinggame.com/

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