Real Time Strategy

IGN Co-Founder Doug Perry on Building a Gaming Media Giant

In our first two-part episode, Doug Perry, head of public relations at Pearl Abyss America, joins us to discuss his work as co-founder and editor-in-chief of IGN. He discusses his magazine journalism background, how IGN competed with print media, and his favorite stories from covering the N64, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360.

 

Timecodes:

0:00 - Intro / Getting to Know Doug (Favorite Games, Non-Gaming Hobbies)

10:38 - Doug’s Entry into Games Journalism at Next Generation Magazine

24:08 - Becoming Hire #2 at IGN and Launching IGN64.com

33:58 - Becoming Editor-in-Chief

39:10 - Covering N64, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360

50:23 - How IGN Competed with Gaming Magazines

1:01:26 - How IGN Survived the Dot-Com Crash

1:13:42 - Favorite Pieces of IGN Coverage

1:18:08 - Key Learnings from Working at IGN

Connect with Doug on LinkedIn here, and find his writing at IGN here. Follow the podcast on Twitter @RealTimeStrats, and email us questions at podcast@triplepointpr.com.

HBO’s The Last of Us Review with TV Critic Alison Herman

TV critic Alison Herman has not played The Last of Us. Hosts Kaitlyn Red Wing and Sam Mosher consider it one of their favorite games of all time. Together, the trio reviews HBO’s hit adaptation of the game and discusses its successful creative decisions, award-worthy performances, and what its popularity says about pop culture today.

 

Timecodes:

0:00 - Intro / Getting to Know Alison (Favorite TV Shows)

9:54 - HBO’s The Last of Us Review

13:06 - Favorite Moments and Episodes

17:54 - Why The Last of Us Succeeds as a Game Adaptation

29:02 - Emmy Predictions

33:25 - The Themes of The Last of Us

37:01 - Finale Spoilers

48:52 - Our Hopes for Season 2 (The Last of Us Part II)

50:55 - What Does The Last of Us’ Popularity Say About Pop Culture?

59:28 - What Can Other Video Game Adaptations Learn from The Last of Us?

Follow Alison on Twitter @aherman2006, read her work at The Ringer here, and find her review of The Last of Us here. Follow the podcast on Twitter @RealTimeStrats, and email us questions at podcast@triplepointpr.com.

Voice Acting with Gabe Kunda (Hi-Fi Rush, Valorant, Apex Legends)

Voice actor Gabe Kunda’s work is everywhere - video games, commercials, anime, and more. He’s the voice behind KAY/O in Valorant, Newcastle in Apex Legends, “rated PG-13” at the end of your favorite movie trailer, and Macaron in 2023’s surprise gaming hit Hi-Fi Rush. Gabe joins hosts Kaitlyn Red Wing and Sam Mosher to discuss his career, the voice acting process, and how he brings characters to life.

 

Timecodes:

0:00 - Intro / Getting to Know Gabe (Apex Legends, Valorant, Favorite Voice Actors)

9:15 - How Gabe Started Voice Acting

24:17 - Gabe’s Video Game Work

27:48 - The Audition Process and Taking Care of Your Voice

36:33 - The Recording Process

39:49 - Anime vs. Animation vs. Video Game Voice Acting

43:29 - Becoming Macaron in Hi-Fi Rush

55:12 - Advice for Aspiring Voice Actors

Follow Gabe on Twitter and Instagram @GabeKunda. Follow the podcast on Twitter @RealTimeStrats, and email us any questions at podcast@triplepointpr.com.

Bringing Your Voice to Games Writing with IGN’s Matt Kim

IGN senior features editor Matt Kim has written about games for over 10 years and has sharpened his skills through news, features, and freelance work. He joins hosts Kaitlyn Red Wing and Sam Mosher to discuss his new role at IGN, what makes a compelling feature story, and how to bring personal voice to writing about games.

 

Timecodes:

0:00 - Intro / Getting to Know Matt (Metal Gear Solid, Twilight Princess)

11:19 - Matt’s Senior Features Editor Position

16:08 - What Makes a Good Feature Story?

22:50 - IGN Fan Fest

29:13 - Matt’s Feature Ideas and Dream Stories

34:17 - IGN’s New Columns

38:19 - Matt’s Writing Voice

45:14 - Matt’s Games Writing Career

54:25 - Matt’s Favorite Stories

Follow Matt on Twitter @LawofTD, and check out his work here, including his stories about Asian American developers and how sneaker culture predicted console scalping. Follow the podcast on Twitter @RealTimeStrats, and email us any questions at podcast@triplepointpr.com.

Zelda, Game Boy, and Shadow Drops - We Review 2023’s First Nintendo Direct

Hosts Kaitlyn Red Wing and Sam Mosher are back and ready to discuss what Nintendo has been cooking for 2023. They break down the year’s first Nintendo Direct, including the latest on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Nintendo Switch Online. And with the 2023 shadow drops of Metroid Prime Remastered and Hi-Fi Rush, the duo asks when surprise releases work for a game.

 

Timecodes:

0:00 - Intro / Housekeeping

1:46 - Nintendo’s 24-Hour Direct Announcement

4:43 - Pikmin 4… And Then What’s Next from Nintendo?

10:14 - Metroid Prime Remastered

14:20 - Game Boy and Game Boy Advanced Games Coming to Nintendo Switch Online

22:25 - The Future of Nintendo Switch Online

26:32 - Other Nintendo Direct Highlights

37:30 - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

44:49 - Dissecting the Gaming Shadow Drop (a.k.a. Surprise Release)

Follow us on Twitter @RealTimeStrats, and email us any questions at podcast@triplepointpr.com.

We Attended The Game Awards for the First Time

TriplePoint reunited in Los Angeles to attend The Game Awards, and there are so many announcements, awards, and moments to discuss. Hosts Kaitlyn Red Wing and Sam Mosher are joined by fellow TriplePointer Zach Ferenchak to discuss the live production, 3+ hour runtime, their favorite reveals, and more.

 

Timecodes:

0:00 - Intro / Housekeeping

1:53 - Our History with The Game Awards

6:58 - The In-Person Game Awards Experience

16:32 - Pacing (How Long Should The Game Awards Be?)

23:40 - Our Favorite Reveals and Trailers

37:50 - Should All Game Publishers Participate in The Game Awards?

50:19 - This Year’s Balance of Awards and Announcements

Catch up on The Game Awards 2022 at thegameawards.com. Follow us on Twitter @RealTimeStrats, and email us any questions at podcast@triplepointpr.com.

IGN’s Dan Stapleton on Game Reviews and Busy Review Seasons

The IGN review is a staple of the games industry, and there’s a lot of work that goes into each one. IGN executive editor of reviews Dan Stapleton joins us this week to discuss his review process, review scores, and how IGN manages “review seasons” - jam-packed release periods with too many good games to play.

 

Timecodes:

0:00 - Intro / Getting to Know Dan (Marvel’s Midnight Suns, 2022 Games, Cocktails)

4:59 - The Review Process

15:22 - How Game Reviews Have Changed

21:39 - When is a Game Review Done?

25:40 - Game Scores and Why IGN Has the 10-Point Scale

31:58 - Why There Are So Many Positive Reviews Today

35:20 - How PR Representatives Can Best Pitch a Review

45:32 - The Review Editing Process

50:02 - How to Manage “Review Season” (a.k.a. Busy Release Periods)

Follow Dan on Twitter @DanStapleton, and check out his work here, including his Marvel’s Midnight Suns review and piece about confusing release dates. Follow the podcast on Twitter @RealTimeStrats, and email us any questions at podcast@triplepointpr.com.

Breaking Down The Game Awards’ 2022 Nominations

Best Adaptation, Best Indie Game, Best Narrative, and of course, Game of the Year… what do this year’s The Game Awards nominees say about the state of the industry? Hosts Kaitlyn Red Wing and Sam Mosher dig into this question and more 2022 gaming goodness.

 

Timecodes:

0:00 - Intro / Kaitlyn’s LA Move

4:15 - What Are We Playing? (Two Point Campus, A Little To The Left, Fortnite, Steam Deck, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Vampire Survivors)

19:13 - The Game Awards’ 2022 Nominations

25:11 - What Titles Are Most Likely to Receive a “Game of the Year” Nomination?

35:10 - The New “Best Adaptation” Category

46:48 - Indie Categories and What They Say About How The Industry Defines “Indie”

Find the full list of TGA nominations at www.thegameawards.com/nominees. Follow us on Twitter @RealTimeStrats, and email us any questions at podcast@triplepointpr.com.

Publishing as a Service with Popagenda’s Nick Verge

Popagenda is a publisher for hire. It offers services like business development, public relations, platform release support, trailer editing, and more to indie teams behind hits like Bugsnax, Cuphead, and Toem. Co-founder Nick Verge joins us this week to discuss publishing as a service, how Popagenda has built its brand, and how the company is growing.

 

Timecodes:

0:00 - Intro / Getting to Know Nick (God of War Ragnarök, Dome Keeper, Star Wars: Andor, The Bear)

17:13 - What is Popagenda?

23:22 - What does it mean to be a publisher for hire?

31:15 - How do you manage marketing expectations for indie studios?

34:13 - The origins of Popagenda

41:04 - How did the team choose the Popagenda name?

42:52 - Popagenda’s new job openings

50:13 - Popagenda’s indie brand

54:06 - Favorite examples of Popagenda’s work (Bugsnax, Toem, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course, Playdate)

1:01:04 - The future of Popagenda

Follow Nick on Twitter @NicolasVerge, and learn more about Popagenda at popagenda.co. Follow the podcast on Twitter @RealTimeStrats, and email us any questions at podcast@triplepointpr.com.

The Future of VR with UploadVR’s Skeeva

Between Realities podcast host and virtual reality enthusiast Skeeva joins us this week to discuss the future of VR, including exciting technological innovations, the metaverse, enterprise uses of VR, and the Meta Quest Pro.

 

Timecodes:

0:00 - Intro / Getting to Know Skeeva (Arizona, Favorite VR Games)

6:51 - Recommendations for First-Time VR Owners

13:54 - Dream VR Adaptations

20:41 - Body Haptics and Other Exciting VR Tech

26:00 - First Experiences with VR

32:58 - Meta Connect 2022 and the Meta Quest Pro

43:57 - Non-Gaming Uses for VR

52:03 - VR’s Importance to the Metaverse

59:41 - Skeeva’s Between Realities Podcast

Follow Skeeva on Twitter @skeeva, and follow the show on Twitter @RealTimeStrats. Email us any questions at podcast@triplepointpr.com.