Mark and Skylar Hinnant talk about Skylar's work at Bethesda Softworks in QA, some misconceptions around QA testing, and why it's important. Let us know: What do you want to know about QA testing? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social Threads: @QuickPlayPo…

Mark talks about the new Nintendo Music app and gives his ranking of the 17 retro game soundtracks currently available. Let us know: What’s your go-to soundtrack on Nintendo Music? What do you want to see added? Nintendo Music Playlists Quick Play's Quintessential Retro Tracks Quick Play Ep 97: Every Song Mentioned Follow us on the proper socials: …

Mark and Dalton Fuller talk about the games that clear their minds, why it's nice to shift into lizard brain mode, and how sometimes that can be difficult.Let us know: What is your favorite "lizard brain" game?Follow us on the proper socials:Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Bluesky: @quickplaypod.bsky.social Threads: …

In this part 2 of 2 episodes, Mark and Jake Martin and Landry Smith talk about their hopes for the future of gaming and if truly new games are even possible. Let us know: Do you have hope for the future of video games? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Qui…

In this part 1 of 2 episodes, Mark and Jake Martin and Landry Smith talk about the seismic shifts forward in gaming from years past, why the progress has slowed, and how we got to this point.Let us know: What's the last truly new game you've played?Follow us on the proper socials:Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Liste…

Mark and Jordan Leithart talk about the use of generative AI in video game development, how it can used well, and where it falls short. Let us know: Is there a place for AI in game development? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Quick Play Email us: quickpl…

Mark and Kurt Weisheit talk about the best and worst uses of a heads-up display and their own preferences. Let us know: Are HUDs good or bad or somewhere in between? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Quick Play Email us: quickplaypod@gmail.com If you enjoy…

Mark takes a look back at the games of Q3 2024, along the results of Metacritic Golf to see how we perceived games matches up to their ultimate review scores. Visual charts & results: ⁠man i love charts⁠ Make your shots in Metacritic Golf Q4: ⁠⁠shoot your shot Let us know: What was your favorite game from Q3 of 2024? Follow us on the proper socials…

Mark and Jake Martin talk about genre similarities between video games and music, and assign every video game genre to a music genre. Let us know: What video game genre / music genre pairing just makes sense to you? Full list of genre pairings (spoilers): view the list Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod…

Mark and Elizabeth Coats Bowen talk about why they're drawn to licensed games, some of their favorites over the years, and what makes for a great licensed game. Let us know: What's your favorite licensed game? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Quick Play E…

Mark talks about the games he's replaying, coming to terms with not being "productive" by playing new games, and the benefits of having a comfort-food game. Let us know: What game are you replaying (or have replayed, or will replay) just because you want to? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @Quic…

Mark and Jordan Leithart talk about how gaming history is approached, some of their favorite examples, and what's actually worth remembering. Let us know: What's your favorite gaming history thing (book, museum, documentary, etc.)? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick …

Mark and Kurt Weisheit talk about their favorite wordless and word-lite games, the uniqueness of these games, and why we don't see too many of them. Let us know: What's your favorite wordless (or word-lite) game? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Quick Pla…

Mark and Landry Smith talk about the perception of 2D games, the cause of those perceptions, and a few of their favorite 2D games. Let us know: are 2D games worth $60? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Quick Play Email us: quickplaypod@gmail.com If you enj…

Mark and Jake Martin talk about their first impressions of the Steam Deck, how it's fit into their habits, what they've been playing on it, and just a few nitpicks. Let us know: What’s been your impressions of the Steam Deck? Would you get one? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen o…

Mark and Nate McKeever talk through the three—nay, four—major video game companies and score their XP stats in five categories: development, publishing, hardware, services, and storefront. Let us know: Which video game company is performing the best? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Li…

Mark rambles about his shift from playing games on Xbox to Steam Deck, how handheld works better nowadays, and gives a brief eulogy for his time with Game Pass. Let us know: Does Game Pass fit in your gaming habits? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Quick …

Mark and Nate McKeever talk about the upcoming changes to Xbox Game Pass, what may have led to that decision, and where that puts Microsoft/Xbox in the landscape. Let us know: What do you think of Xbox’s changes to Game Pass? Listen to the Bitesized here. Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPl…

Mark and Billie Cox talk about the other video game podcasts that they're into, what they look for in podcasts, and how they interact with them. Let us know: What other podcasts do you listen to? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Quick Play Email us: quick…

Mark and Landry Smith talk about the current state of video games reviews, the legacy of film critic Roger Ebert, and the impact that a critic like Ebert could have on games journalism. Let us know: Which reviewer is doing criticism really well? Make your shots in Metacritic Golf Q3 (by July 15): ⁠⁠shoot your shot Follow us on the proper socials: T…

Mark takes a look back at the games of Q2 2024, along the results of Metacritic Golf to see how we perceived games matches up to their ultimate review scores. Visual charts & results: man i love charts Make your shots in Metacritic Golf Q3 (by July 15): ⁠shoot your shot⁠ Let us know: What was your favorite game from Q2 of 2024? Follow us on the pro…

Mark talks about the games he's "shelved" on the GG app, why he stopped playing them, and if he'll ever actually get back to them. Let us know: What’s that one game you keep on meaning to get back to? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Quick Play Email us: …

Mark and Billie Cox reconvene to talk about their picks of interest from all of the game fests, showcases, directs, and states of play from the past few weeks. Let us know: What are your highlights from summer game fest? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Q…

Mark and Jake Martin and Landry Smith talk about how they would make an abridged game and if they'd even want to play abridged versions of games. Let us know: Would you play an abridged game? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Quick Play Email us: quickplay…

Mark and Billie Cox talk about their hype level going into Summer Game Fest, the role of the events, and the state of Xbox and Nintendo heading into the Fest. Let us know: What is your hype level going into Summer Game Fest 2024? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Pl…

In this Big Discourse, Mark and Billie and Elizabeth and Jordan and Kurt and Landry and Nate discuss, argue, and establish the 12 Games to Rule Them All. Let us know: What are your 12 games to rule them all? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Quick Play Ema…

Mark talks about the recent Xbox/Microsoft studio closures, how they make him reconsider his relationship with Game Pass, and the challenges facing Microsoft moving forward. Let us know: Would you miss Xbox if it disappeared? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play R…

Mark and Justin and Matthew of Watcher Gaming talk what they do when starting a new game for the first time, how that's changed over the years, and why we form these habits Let us know: What is your new game ritual? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Quick …

Mark and Landry Smith and Jake Martin and Parker Deal draft their picks for a hypothetical lineup of ✨Nintendo Selects✨ Switch games, along with a brief discussion on the likelihood of Nintendo Selects returning and a potential price point. Vote for your favorite lineup of selects (this link is also your spoiler warning) Let us know: What game do y…

Mark and Billie Cox talk about the controversy around Palworld vs. Pokemon, the differences between what is inspired by something vs. ripping it off, and why we see so many games copying each other's homework. Let us know: What is the biggest ripoff in video games? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|…

Mark and Jake Martin talk about the ways video games can uniquely present their story, a few different categories for stories in games, and what we hope to see from video game narratives in the future. Let us know: What do you want to see in narrative from video games? Play Metacritic Golf QUARTER 2: ⁠⁠shoot your shot⁠ Follow us on the proper socia…

Mark and Jake Martin talk about the lack of truly good video game protagonists and how the medium itself creates a challenge to write great characters. Let us know: Can we ever get a truly great video game protagonist? Play Metacritic Golf QUARTER 2 by April 15: ⁠shoot your shot Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @Qu…

Mark takes a look back at the games of Q1 2024, along the results of Metacritic Golf to see how we perceived games matches up to their ultimate review scores. See the charts: i wanna see the charts Play Metacritic Golf QUARTER 2: shoot your shot Let us know: What's your favorite game from 2024 so far? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @Quic…

Introducing the Second Opinion: a brand-new format of revisiting an old topic with a fresh perspective. Mark and Nate McKeever of The Backlog Breakdown talk about the continual shift towards digital media, the potential pitfalls and concerns, but also why not getting up from your couch is nice. Missed the original episode? Listen to Ep. 54, The Dig…

Mark and Justin and Matthew of Watcher Gaming talk about the use of time limits in video games, when they're implemented well, and when they're just the worst. Let us know: Do you like time limits? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Quick Play Email us: qui…

A real quick podcast about video games. New episodes go up on Wednesdays. What happened to 11 & a Half Minutes to Talk About Video Games? We never left. We just found a little bit more time. Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @QuickPlayPod Instagram: @QuickPlayPod GG|: @QuickPlay Listen online: Quick Play RSS: Quick Play Email us: quickplayp…

Mark and Sarah Erickson talk about the collaborative games they've played, loved, and tolerated, and how they relate to each other through cooperative games. Let us know: What's your favorite collaborative game? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @11point5minutes Instagram: @11.5minutes GG|: @11point5minutes Anchor: anchor.fm/11point5minutes…

Mark and Jake Martin talk about the stories around and behind their favorite games and consider what it would take to have a new favorite game. Let us know: Why is your favorite game your favorite game? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @11point5minutes Instagram: @11.5minutes GG|: @11point5minutes Anchor: anchor.fm/11point5minutes Email us…

Mark and Nate McKeever of the Backlog Breakdown talk about how exclusive games (or the lack thereof) brand a console, particularly when it comes to Xbox. Let us know: Should we have console exclusives? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @11point5minutes Instagram: @11.5minutes GG|: @11point5minutes Anchor: anchor.fm/11point5minutes Email us:…

In this booster pass-sized episode, Mark and Sarah Erickson talk about playing through all 96 courses now in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and their individual and collective best and worst courses. View the full rankings here (and complete your own rankings!) Let us know: What are your top 8 courses from Mario Kart 8? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitte…

Mark and Billie Cox talk about games where you're a tiny character in a big world, why there might be so many of these games, and what they'd like to see from from tiny games. Let us know: What is your favorite tiny game? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @11point5minutes Instagram: @11.5minutes GG|: @11point5minutes Anchor: anchor.fm/11poi…

In this Big Discourse, Mark and Billie and Elizabeth and Henry and Jordan and Landry and Parker talk about some of their favorite games they played in 2023. Let us know: What is your own game of the year? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @11point5minutes Instagram: @11.5minutes GG|: @11point5minutes Anchor: anchor.fm/11point5minutes Email …

Mark talks through the results of 2023 Metacritic Golf, how we perceived games would turn out vs. how they were critically received, and announces the big winner(s). Let us know: Did this year’s games measure up to what you expected? Check out the charts ⁠here⁠. Participate in 2024 (Q1!) Metacritic Golf ⁠here⁠. Follow us on the proper socials: Twit…

Mark and Landry Smith talk about the oft-reviled CGI trailer, how they impact the discourse around upcoming games, and why they're maybe not so bad after all. Let us know: Do you like CGI trailers? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @11point5minutes Instagram: @11.5minutes GG|: @11point5minutes Anchor: anchor.fm/11point5minutes Email us: 11.…

Mark and Jake Martin talk about when they find themselves listening to video game music, some of their favorite soundtracks, and why we like listening to this music. Let us know: What’s your favorite video game soundtrack? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @11point5minutes Instagram: @11.5minutes GG|: @11point5minutes Anchor: anchor.fm/11po…

Mark and Billie Cox talk about the continual shift to digital media, what we lose with that shift, and what opportunities there are in an all-digital landscape. Let us know: Are you okay with an all-digital future? (Will that ever actually happen?) Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @11point5minutes Instagram: @11.5minutes GG|: @11point5minu…

Mark and Elizabeth and Tyler Bowen talk about the Bowen's recent trip to Japan, including Nintendo World at Universal Studios in Osaka, the 84 Hashi Cafe, and a whole bunch of other cool places. Let us know: What would you do in Japan? Have you been to Japan? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @11point5minutes Instagram: @11.5minutes GG|: @1…

To celebrate 50 episodes, Mark reviews 50 video games in a single episode. Let us know: Give your quickest game review! Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @11point5minutes Instagram: @11.5minutes GG|: @11point5minutes Anchor: anchor.fm/11point5minutes Email us: 11.5minutespod@gmail.com If you enjoy this podcast: subscribing, rating, reviewin…

Mark and Jordan Leithart of LuxCor Studios talk about how Jordan came about founding the studio, the challenges of game development, and what gamers should know about the development side of the industry. Let us know: What questions do you have for game developers? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @11point5minutes Instagram: @11.5minutes G…

Mark and Landry Smith talk about Landry's recently-developed appreciation for the classics, what NES games have to offer modern gamers, and how to overcome the challenges in playing these games. Let us know: How many NES games have you played this year? Follow us on the proper socials: Twitter: @11point5minutes Instagram: @11.5minutes GG|: @11point…