Gameplay is an award-winning narrative podcast about video games and the virtual worlds that power culture and community. Using long-form storytelling, Gameplay is a documentary style show that explores a variety of narratives from the world of games, and speaks to their ability to create immersive experiences and social connection. Winner - Best Gaming Coverage, Australian IT Journalism Awards 2021 and 2022
Show / series
Gameplay
Stories about games and the virtual worlds that power culture and community.
Series
Episodes
Firewatch
In 2016, indie studio Campo Santo released their debut title, the narrative adventure game Firewatch. Set in a national forest in the Wyoming wilderness, you play as a fire lookout named Henry. The game beautifully...
The Matrix Online
The Matrix is one of the biggest franchises in the world, with its universe spanning across film, animation, comics and video games. In 2005, more than a year after the original film trilogy concluded, The Matrix...
Animal Crossing: New Harmonies
Animal Crossing is one of the most beloved Nintendo franchises. The social simulator game is all about living your best life, and fans love the series for its colourful, cute art style and relaxed vibe. Central to...
Golf Club: Wasteland
Human life is wiped out. Earth is now a golf course for the ultra-rich. That’s the premise for Golf Club: Wasteland, a 2D puzzle-like golf game from Demagog Studio - but there’s so much more beneath the surface....
Stealth Gaming
If you were a high school student in the 90s or early 2000s, you were likely required to have a graphing calculator for math class. It was probably made by Texas Instruments and your parents complained that it cost...
The Gardens Between
In 2018, Australian studio The Voxel Agents released their fifth title, The Gardens Between, an adventure-puzzle game about memories, friendship and time. Combining a unique time manipulation mechanic with a...
Speedrun Science
For over 30 years, people have been in pursuit of the perfect run in Super Mario Bros. That is, completing the game in the fastest time possible, also known as a speedrun. Now in 2021, the current world record holder...
Esports
Competitive gaming tournaments have been around about as long as video games themselves. With the rise of professional esports in the 2000s, it was only a matter of time before esports made its way into universities....
Honk!
It’s a lovely morning in the village, and you are a horrible goose. That’s the premise of the indie hit Untitled Goose Game, a comedy/stealth/puzzle hybrid, developed by House House, and released in 2019....
Becoming Master Chief
For 20 years, Steve Downes has portrayed Master Chief, appearing in each mainline game of the Halo series to date. In this episode, Steve shares the story of his time voicing John-117, from Combat Evolved to Halo...
Final Symphony
Music plays an important role in many games, and even in the early days, the best composers were able to create incredibly expressive music, despite technical limitations. Dragon Quest composer, Koichi Sugiyama is...
Mind Games
For all the negative coverage and misrepresentation that video games receive, the reality is very different. For most of us, games are a hugely positive influence on our lives, particularly for our mental health and...
Photo Mode
Do you ever have moments when you’re playing a game that is so visually stunning, you feel compelled to capture it? You might take a quick screenshot, or use a built-in camera mode, and post an image to social media....
Augment Your Reality
In 2016, Pokémon GO was a global phenomenon. Millions of players around the world lived out their fantasies of being a Pokémon Trainer, venturing into the real world to find and collect their favourite...
Play & Preserve
A whole generation of games are at risk of being lost forever. Physical media like floppy disks and optical discs have a limited lifespan, and their time is running out. The growing trend of digital games too, many...
Good Game
In 2006 the ABC, Australia’s public broadcaster, debuted Good Game, a brand new TV show about video games - for gamers, by gamers. The program came about at the perfect time; when people still watched...
The Afro Hair Library
Computer-generated imagery and the algorithms that drive them are the technological breakthroughs that have seen our world recreated in digital form. But when it comes to representing humans, these advancements have...
Boomshakalaka!
NBA Jam is a memorable arcade game for many reasons, but the first thing that comes to mind for a lot of its fans is the game’s announcer, for iconic lines like “HE’S ON FIRE!”, and “BOOMSHAKALAKA!”. In this episode,...
NBA Jam
In 1993, Midway released the game-changing arcade basketball title, NBA Jam. At the height of Michael Jordan mania and the NBA’s rise to global popularity, Jam was a defining sports game of the era. In...
Culture, Remixed
Video games are not just for entertainment. They can also be a powerful tool for education, especially when combined with immersive technologies like virtual reality. Experiential learning is at the core of many...