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In this week’s episode of Rag-NERD-rok, we discuss some of our favorite independently published video games, the current market for new intellectual properties, and the future of video gaming. We’ll touch on some of our favorite indie titles, such as Braid, Limbo, Minecraft, The Binding of Isaac, and Dwarf Fortress in order to examine the ways in which independent game makers are changing the face of the industry. Later, we each pitch an idea for a new Choose Your Own Adventure style web comic so that you, the listening audience, can choose which one you would like to see produced. Finally, we round off our episode with a word from our sponsor, Big Al’s Quantum Quik-Fix!
(Show notes after the break.)
I. Cold Opening: Meyer’s Premature Labor (00:00:00)
Meyer and Ryan discuss the logistics of alien births while Alex listens in. Will the larval extractors from the moons of Drag’agne be able to deliver Meyer’s baby? (In all honesty, nobody wants to know.)
II. Introduction (00:01:00)
Have you ever looked around and realized that you were living in a real hole? Well, now you can take that statement literally by moving in to Lord Zardak’s spacious chasm! (Now with cold running water and free goats!)
III. Main Topic: The Rise of Indie Video Games (00:02:45)
Some of the games we touched on include:
(Also, be sure to check out the entertaining saga of Boatmurdered, from the wonderful folks at SomethingAwful.)
IV. Web Comics Pitches (00:32:05)
In this segment, we pitch our ideas for a Choose Your Own Adventure web comic, and you get to pick which one you’d like to see us produce! Vote for your favorite idea in the poll on the sidebar; voting will remain open until December 18, 2011!
ERIK: Space Ninja in the World of Today – An off-the-wall story about a ninja from the future who is flung back in time and must now assimilate into our world. The series would follow the light-hammer wielding Space Ninja as he struggles to overcome the challenges of ordinary life.
MEYER: Untitled Fantasy Project – This episodic comic will follow several characters who live in a fantasy realm, such as the hero who’s sick of saving the princess, a knight who must care for the family of the dragon he slayed, or an explorer on an eternally fruitless search for the Fountain of Youth. Listeners would choose which characters the comic focuses on each week.
RYAN: Morality Play – In the near future, an FBI agent must infiltrate a virtual reality game that has been destroying the lives of its players in order to discover the identity of the shadowy figure who runs it. Can he bring down the mad Overseer, or will the game drive him insane? The readers would act as the agent’s moral compass, helping him navigate the game world without losing his mind.
ALEX: Untitled Alien Project – An alien crash lands on earth…and that’s where you come in! Help our alien friend fit in while he waits for rescue or help him conquer the world by impregnating every woman on Earth–the choice is yours! The first strip will begin with the ship crashing and the readers take it from there.
[poll id=”6″]
V. Sketch: A Word from Our Sponsor – Big Al’s Quantum Quik-Fix (00:50:10)
Dan Peniscinder made a fool of himself at his best friend’s wedding. If only there were some way he could go back and change things! Big Al Calavicci has the answer to Dan’s prayers.
VI. Outro (00:53:11)
On the next episode of Rag-NERD-rok, we’re going to sit down with artist Joe Hogan for a chat about making Star Wars art. Plus, Will, Chris and I will eat some Ghost Pepper Chili Flakes and record the results for your amusement! Be sure to look for it on December 6, 2011!
As per usual, should you wish to comment on anything in this episode, feel free to get in touch with us by leaving a comment below, hitting us up on Facebook or Twitter, sending us an email, or calling our voice mailbox at (516) 362 – NERD [6373].
Featured Music / SFX:
SFX courtesy of Robinhood76, payattention and gelo_papas of Freesound.org.
Quantum Leap sound effects and music courtesy of Al’s Place.
Quantum Leap Theme written by Mike Post
All QL characters, effects and music belong to Belisarius Productions and NBC Universal, and are used here, without permission, for the purposes of parody. Please don’t sue us.
Copyright:
Rag-NERD-rok Podcast by Alex Costello, Edward Cress, Erik Dickash, Ryan Mannix and Billy Meyer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available by contacting info@ragnerdrok.com.