PAX West Convention And Indie Gaming With The Indie Informer - Jill Grodt

Welcome to another episode of The Gamerheads Podcast! Get ready to virtually walk the buzzing floors of the fan-driven PAX West with us and our seven-time guest club member,  The Indie Informer - Jill Grodt, as we recount our wonderfully wild experiences. We're promising you an insider's look at the unique ambiance, from the extraordinary cosplay to the best games we've played. There's no need for badges or passes; we've got you covered.

In this episode, we're traversing the exciting terrains of indie gaming conventions, inviting you into the captivating world of unique games like Dungeons of Hinterburg and I Doesn't Exist. Hear firsthand about the adrenaline-pumping adventure in Mirthwood, and join us as we try to crack the code on why indie gaming is where innovation lives.

But that's not all. We're also taking a deep dive into the immersive world of VR gaming with Journey to Foundation. It's not just a podcast episode. It's a gaming convention in your ears!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hi, I'm Celia Shilling from Yacht Club Games.

Speaker 2: 0:03

Hey, this is James from Mega Cat Studios.

Speaker 1: 0:05

Hey, this is Matt AK Stormageddon from Reignite Screensnark and the Fun and Games podcast. This is Stephanie from the Boss Rush podcast and the Boss Rush Network.

Speaker 2: 0:15

Hey, this is Mark and Keon from Bonta Off-Ald. Hey, this is Sebastian with theproteonerreportcom and the Single Player Experience podcast.

Speaker 1: 0:23

Hi, this is Chris, mike and Garrett from Daylight Basement Studio. Hey, this is Todd Mitchell from Code Right Play.

Speaker 2: 0:30

Salutations. This is Mike Carroll from Stroll Art. Hey, this is Jeff Moonen from Fun and Games podcast.

Speaker 1: 0:36

Hey, this is Patrick from the Backlog Odyssey. Hey, this is Roon from Roonick Codes. Hi, this is Andrew from Spalada Birds. Hi everyone, Jill Grote here from the Indie Informer. Hey, this is Brimstone and you're listening to Roger Reichardt on the Gamer Heads podcast.

Speaker 2: 1:02

Hey everybody, it is the last day of packs and I am so excited because I have seven time guests. Well, no, you're more than seven time guests.

Speaker 1: 1:13

No, I have eight. Oh, I got it.

Speaker 2: 1:15

You have a badge, I have a special badge. Yeah, yeah, special badge there's no video. There's no video.

Speaker 1: 1:21

Unfortunately, no one can see it, but I have a very special gift here that I was greeted with on my first day.

Speaker 2: 1:29

I know.

Speaker 1: 1:30

I ran into and it's a seven time guest club and it's a little golden. It's not, it's an oval.

Speaker 2: 1:40

I don't know, I don't know, I should attach it it kind of looks like a gold medal. Well, that's that was the idea that I was hoping that you would think oh my gosh, is this a solid gold.

Speaker 1: 1:49

Can I sell it? I was under that impression until right now. Roger, you've broken my heart.

Speaker 2: 1:57

Or you could try to sell it.

Speaker 1: 1:57

Is it real?

Speaker 2: 1:58

No, it's not real.

Speaker 1: 2:00

So yeah, now you have to change it because it's eight.

Speaker 2: 2:02

Well, you're more. Jill Grote, by the way is on the show.

Speaker 1: 2:06

Hi everyone. Indian Informer.

Speaker 2: 2:08

Yeah, I think you're like 25 time guests on the podcast, but like there has to be a threshold, we just keep crossing it out, yeah. I figured like there has to be like a threshold, like you know, like even though, like on Center and Live right there's the five host club or whatever, they'll get jackets. So I figured like there has to be a threshold of like seven.

Speaker 1: 2:31

Seven is lucky. Seven is lucky, yeah. In, like your ways are past seven yeah, so this is perfect. Yeah, so it's got a little holes in it too, so I could probably thread.

Speaker 2: 2:41

Yeah, that was not intentional.

Speaker 1: 2:43

No, but like it's perfect now it's got the logo on it everybody, there's some work that went into this.

Speaker 2: 2:50

I was 3D printer.

Speaker 1: 2:51

Yeah. And so I just you didn't carve this.

Speaker 2: 2:56

Yes, I carved it out of gold.

Speaker 1: 2:58

I actually melted it. My day keeps getting worse and worse, I know, I know, I know I pour it.

Speaker 2: 3:02

I like got some. I actually had. I used to have a gold wedding night and then I had to melt it down for this? Yes, and then I had to go get a new one. But, yes, yes, I was super excited to give you this, this gift. It was not the jacket that Phil promised you.

Speaker 1: 3:18

I know, but I'll stitch this on. I assume the jacket is still in the mail, so I'll stitch this on. It's like a patch.

Speaker 2: 3:24

I think I got lost in the mail. It's unfortunate Because it's on its way.

Speaker 1: 3:28

Shipping is still kind of backed up, that's true.

Speaker 2: 3:30

That's true. It's on one of the barges out here in Seattle, I'm pretty sure.

Speaker 1: 3:34

It'll come with my hard copy of tunic, manual. Oh, eventually.

Speaker 2: 3:42

So it's the last day of packs.

Speaker 1: 3:43

It is the last day of packs. My feet know that very well.

Speaker 2: 3:46

This is your first packs.

Speaker 1: 3:47

Yes, this is my first packs experience. I am finding it very interesting. Like all conventions, it has an energy to it, like I don't know how I am doing some of the feats that I am doing, because every night I go home and I'm like I'm never going to get out of this bed again. And then I get up and I'm like go, go, go.

Speaker 2: 4:07

There's excitement.

Speaker 1: 4:08

You have to be ready and you just look at what you're going to do. I'm so lucky I get to do all of this. But packs is very different from most of the stuff I do, Because most of the stuff I do is very industry focused. Packs is definitely fan focused, which puts a lot of. There's a lot of weirdness to that. I mean there's a lot of cool stuff. You're walking around and you see, like you and I were sitting down just for a second so we could, like have our give our feet a rest.

Speaker 2: 4:41

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 4:42

And we saw, like we kept seeing things go by and I would be like what is?

Speaker 2: 4:46

that my favorite.

Speaker 1: 4:48

Ok, good, it's a oh my God, that would have been the worst.

Speaker 2: 4:52

My favorite was when you're like there's a creature over there.

Speaker 1: 4:55

What is that creature? What is that? What is that? What is that tail creature?

Speaker 2: 4:57

And I'm like I'm too short to see it, because they're going up the escalator and I had to stand up and I'm like what, what, what, oh yeah.

Speaker 1: 5:03

I can see it in here. I can see it in here.

Speaker 2: 5:05

I think it was Eevee.

Speaker 1: 5:07

It was Eevee, I think. I think so too. And then my favorite that session was Beetle Someone dressed as, oh my gosh, did you see Addison too?

Speaker 2: 5:14

Yes, oh, that was so cool. Yes, I did oh.

Speaker 1: 5:17

I wanted to rush up and like help hold the sign, but I'm like how many people have done that?

Speaker 2: 5:22

I know, I know. I saw the person dressed up as Beetle too and I was like, oh, that's great costume.

Speaker 1: 5:28

I mean the dedication it takes to like wear because anybody who's listening it's like. I wish I could explain it fully, but they had the entire pack and like all sorts of like little things and doodads and I'm like when they went down the escalator they had to turn sideways because they were too large.

Speaker 2: 5:47

I know, I saw that too and I was like well, I feel so bad, Like how do you get?

Speaker 1: 5:52

on the. I mean the dedication that that takes.

Speaker 2: 5:54

Yeah, that's crazy. And to get on a plane yeah, with all that too, like that's crazy, which is really cool. They actually have a room here that you can like fix yeah, you can fix things you can fix things.

Speaker 1: 6:05

So if a strap breaks or something, you can go up and fix it. So that stuff is awesome. Yeah, it's weird, though, because I'm just not used to it. I'm used to like I'm one of the lesser dressed up people. Like I'm not dressed up in business or something.

Speaker 2: 6:23

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 6:24

So, yeah, it's like seeing people around and seeing the energy and see how exciting, excited people are. They're downsides, though. I feel so bad if I'm like if I have an appointment, I know and I'm on the show floor. I know Because normally when you have an appointment, there's some sort of set side space or you're going to not even the convention center, you're going to some kind of meeting room or something, but PAX is almost 100% for me on the show floor, which is unusual. Usually I have to set aside a time to like go to the show floor.

Speaker 2: 6:59

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 6:59

Yeah, they'll just like either kick someone off or like tell the next person in line who's been waiting for like two hours to play this game. Yeah, it's like sorry media. Yeah, I'm so sorry you, I'm, I'm.

Speaker 2: 7:17

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 7:18

I do have an appointment in half an hour, so I kind of have to join but I'm so sorry.

Speaker 2: 7:22

That's the thing, right, because it's like, like you, the same thing, like you have another schedule right after that, and it's like I have to meet this time so I can play this game. So I can, you know, write up my preview for it. Um, sometimes some of the boosts do have, like, a separate media.

Speaker 1: 7:37

Yes, like a little room.

Speaker 2: 7:39

Yeah, like a little room.

Speaker 1: 7:40

Sometimes they're just carting off, or I did have one I can't remember who it was, but they like opened a wall.

Speaker 2: 7:50

Is it?

Speaker 1: 7:50

I do know what you're saying okay it could have been okay. So I was just like I didn't see, like it was literally in the middle of the line, so for like there were people waiting down the block and they had to like part the line, to like open this wall.

Speaker 2: 8:05

Wow, it was like Moses parting.

Speaker 1: 8:07

Yeah, yeah, I was like Okay cool, but it was like a nice size and they, they, you get comfy in those rooms.

Speaker 2: 8:15

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 8:17

They can be a little small. Yeah but I'm so grateful because I I the other thing about having to cut in line essentially is like now people are are are mad at you because They've been waiting in you just walk in a bald skin To sit down. Now they're watching you play a game. Oh, I know they're already like disposed to think poorly. Yes and you're like I don't know what I'm doing.

Speaker 2: 8:43

That is so true. Yeah, I told you this story yesterday. I had. I had the opposite where I was at a Station.

Speaker 2: 8:51

Now, if they didn't have a media station, Right, it was just a station where I was just playing the game and I was talking to the developer and he was showing me some options and stuff of that and about the game and they keep with the controller down, to be fair and he was just chatting with me in some and I was standing in line, just barge between both of us and said excuse me, want to play this game. I don't even know if you said excuse me. I think you just said I want to be in the lighter.

Speaker 2: 9:23

And we just looked at each other because, like he didn't know who I was right, he didn't know who this other person was like the developer, right, and and the other thing is like I get it because they're here to hustle their, their game to.

Speaker 1: 9:35

They want people to play.

Speaker 2: 9:37

Right, so I was just like you know. Whatever I don't write to this.

Speaker 1: 9:40

To this jerks mind, it was just two guys standing in front of the game. Yeah, I've been sitting in line.

Speaker 2: 9:46

I paid my badge. These two people are just blocking the game and get on my way.

Speaker 1: 9:51

But, like the thing is, you texted me this and I was so I was so frustrated for you. I wanted to go punch this person Because, like, I understand the frustration and like wanting to Tell people like, hey, you're like, to my mind, you're not being polite, but he could have said hey, excuse me, is it okay if I? You know like there's no reason for him to have Pushed you aside. I'm assuming like I'm building it up in my head like he Like he, like you know, shoulder yeah. You're limping your bandage Halfway.

Speaker 2: 10:30

I actually am limping. Yeah, that is a true, that's a true, that is a true, all of us are.

Speaker 1: 10:35

That is no no want of a lie there. I don't know how I'm still.

Speaker 2: 10:43

Me. I will say, though, you know, because I'm from the Midwest, right, I found it really rude that he like bought in front of us, but also from the Midwest. I'm not gonna say anything to him either, so I'm just like okay.

Speaker 1: 10:55

You know, like I would have been. Like what's your problem? I'm walking here. I Didn't know my voice got to that register.

Speaker 2: 11:09

Okay, so what were some of the games?

Speaker 1: 11:11

okay, yeah, no, we should probably get to that. What were some?

Speaker 2: 11:13

of the games that were, you were like Hi, I'm like, these are like, like and I how to see if I've seen them yet? So I don't know.

Speaker 1: 11:20

Okay, so there are. I have a lot of appointments today, so it's very possible I could find my show. Yeah game show today.

Speaker 2: 11:26

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 11:27

Um, and Some of the games that I played are fantastic, but I've already played them so I'm not gonna shout them out. Yeah, I want to shout out ever deep Aurora was one of the first games I played. No, it's got like a Gameboy advanced aesthetic.

Speaker 2: 11:41

Oh cool.

Speaker 1: 11:42

Very Mixture between very cute and like terrible. You play is like a little cat creature in a little robe.

Speaker 2: 11:52

Okay, love you?

Speaker 1: 11:53

Oh no, I'm a flowy. Okay, Okay and While she was sleeping on a bench this is how it was explained to me. Okay, while she was sleeping on a bench, her mother Like, walked off, do whatever this cats do. This cats do, yeah, and and she slept through like the apocalypse of the world, oh, like a world of pockets cats Probably would yeah and she woke up with this note in her pocket from her mom being like hey, come find me, you know where I am Like you, where we normally hang out or whatever.

Speaker 1: 12:25

I'm like I don't know. I'm not a cat. So the the world Apocalypse manifests in all of the cities and all of the people. All of the sentient beings have moved under a ground.

Speaker 2: 12:43

Oh.

Speaker 1: 12:44

And the only way to get to anything is to drill. Oh so you, you walk around on the surface for a bit, find a lovely friend who's name is River, because he's a frog.

Speaker 1: 12:56

Sure, it's adorable yeah he gives you a drill and then the whole game is just a vertical Like you are drilling down like, like dig dug type yeah, like you're drilling down and like maybe you'll run into an NPC here, like I found An NPC who's got like a garden but they need water, so I need to go find water to help the garden.

Speaker 1: 13:19

But then I ran into an NPC was super rude old lady who was like what are you doing in my place? But I really need a bouquet for my granddaughter's like birthday or whatever. So I'm like I just met someone with a garden, so if I can find water to get the garden to do that. Yeah, I Don't know what's gonna happen when I get this is probably another goose chase, but like it was really fun and really cute. I I hadn't had any idea of it before and that was like a Game Boy.

Speaker 2: 13:51

You said it looked like a game boy. It's a Game.

Speaker 1: 13:53

Boy aesthetic.

Speaker 2: 13:54

Okay.

Speaker 1: 13:54

Yeah, but it's coming to modern consoles and everything like that. Um, I did see dungeons of Hinterburg. I got to play it. That's going to be fun.

Speaker 2: 14:08

I think you were. You talked about this game before, right? Yes, Okay.

Speaker 1: 14:12

I got to see it. It was revealed at Summer Game Fest.

Speaker 2: 14:16

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 14:17

But it was only like a hands-off. No one got to play it, so this is the first hands-on experience.

Speaker 2: 14:22

Oh.

Speaker 1: 14:23

So watch the IndianFormercom for that one. Nice, I hope that comes out soon and so, just so I don't like talk about every single thing that I played, let me end with I doesn't exist and that's coming out in, like, I think, next week. It is essentially like a old school text adventure Interesting.

Speaker 1: 14:48

Like go pick up the key. So you start out the adventure and there's an aerator and the narrator is doing the normal narrator, like if you need to go forward, go ahead and type, go forward. But then you start to get some personality in there or like being patronizing me, like I literally cursed at it. I should have probably been a little more professional, don't patronize me. I was like, oh, great job, you typed, pick up the key. That's very creative.

Speaker 1: 15:21

Like no, it's not, it's literally the thing that you told me to pick up the key. And then another character enters the field of vision and it's literally the character you're playing Interesting. So they're like do I have to? Well, I've done this before. We pick up the key, we go to the door, we go to the safe. Can we just go to the safe? So like it's a very like as it progresses, it got very like Westworld-y.

Speaker 2: 15:49

Weird.

Speaker 1: 15:50

And I was like, yeah, so I was told. As you go farther, you start to more and more get into like the power dynamics of you playing this character. Who's like sentient, who's like doesn't like you? They have to do what you type they can't not.

Speaker 2: 16:09

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 16:10

But trying to like get through the world. I'm like this is so cool. And then a step up above that. They're like they are using like machine learning while you're doing this, so that the game is learning Seriously.

Speaker 2: 16:23

Wait for real.

Speaker 1: 16:24

Maybe I'm not using the right term, no, no, but that makes sense. Yeah, like as you're typing, like the example they used was like maybe you have to put out a fire, and instead of typing put out fire, you say Douse Fire, and at first, like the game doesn't know what Douse Fire means, but then it learns over everybody, kind of playing the game, that Douse Fire is a correct way to deal with the situation. So it's another layer on top of it, intentionally for this like like machines and humans interacting.

Speaker 2: 16:58

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 16:59

I'm like that is such a cool that is really cool concept.

Speaker 2: 17:03

So, oh, my gosh everyone should be checking. What is this?

Speaker 1: 17:06

It is called I doesn't Okay, hold on, I doesn't exist.

Speaker 2: 17:11

I doesn't exist and it's coming out next week.

Speaker 1: 17:12

It's like next week I think it's September the 12th oh my gosh Right. So it's crazy. Yeah, I know, and they were so excited and like thrilled for me because I was very I've been keeping my eye on this, I saw it some some time ago and they were thrilled when I was like I'm specifically here to see this game. I'll see a couple other ones, but like I'm very excited and like that's great, Like it's hard to like explain this game.

Speaker 2: 17:40

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 17:41

So having a journalist actually be interested in it. That's why it's so good to cover these because they're so excited when you are interested in their weird thing. Yeah, and like, weird thing is what I do.

Speaker 2: 17:51

Yeah Well, in, in, in, in. You won't see that kind of game anywhere, but Indy in the Indy world Right. Like because nobody's going to take a risk on something like that, right.

Speaker 1: 17:59

How do you even explain that? If they can't explain it to me as your journalist, coming in and like starting to play it?

Speaker 2: 18:06

Yes.

Speaker 1: 18:07

Like, how do you pitch that to people who like trying to give you money? Or like the like the suits.

Speaker 2: 18:12

Yes.

Speaker 1: 18:13

So, yeah, those are some of my favorites. I am hitting a couple. Like I said today, right after this, I'm hoping to go run and catch Merthwood, which is my game throws at that booth right now. And hopefully I'm I make it in time because he's leaving quite early in the morning. So, yeah, I could find a game that tops it.

Speaker 1: 18:36

And I'm like, oh, I wish I could go back and talk to Roger about it but yeah, those are ones that stick out, and I have like 20 plus games at this point on that list. Yeah, so hopefully we get through it and I am hopefully going to start releasing that content soon. Luckily for me, I I work for myself.

Speaker 2: 18:55

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 18:56

So I'm not having to rush back in like every in between every appointment, like start typing and then I'm like I'm not going to be able to get stuff out immediately. So I have time to kind of marinate on what I saw. And yeah, it's been, even though it's been a different energy than I'm used to. Like the games have all been really good. So, yeah, yeah, how about you? Have you seen anything you like? Absolutely in love with.

Speaker 2: 19:22

Oh yeah, merthwood.

Speaker 1: 19:24

Yeah, oh, oh, you saw it.

Speaker 2: 19:26

I did. I played it yesterday. That's where I met Mike, because it was it was really funny.

Speaker 1: 19:29

I was trying to. I was trying to be helpful because we went me and Roger were at an event and like he was like oh, I miss meeting out on Mike, I'm like you should have come that hot. So I was so excited. And another instance we were all in the same room and I called Mike over to like introduce them and they're both like we met like an hour ago. It's fine, dang. I was trying so hard.

Speaker 2: 19:52

Oh, Mike is so wonderful.

Speaker 1: 19:53

He's a lovely woman.

Speaker 2: 19:54

Oh, my goodness.

Speaker 1: 19:55

Mike is so worried for him health wise because he's like I assume hasn't eaten anything except for energy drinks.

Speaker 2: 20:03

Oh, yeah, he's so funny, he's lovely. Oh, because the event that we saw last night was the trivia game, yeah, and he was one of the panelists on that and he was very funny. He was with Dave Proctor from Mighty Yell, very funny. And yeah, like that was a very funny, they came in last. They did.

Speaker 1: 20:21

We were cheering for them. I want to make sure everyone knows Mike didn't win Very important.

Speaker 2: 20:29

But he was very entertaining.

Speaker 1: 20:30

Yes.

Speaker 2: 20:30

And that's why I told them yes. Points for entertainment.

Speaker 1: 20:34

He got a single point, just based off of his fashion choice for that day, which was an amazing Sonic shirt.

Speaker 2: 20:40

Yeah, and then he went over to did you see that he posted? He's like I'm in Nintendo World with my Sonic shirt, which I thought was really funny yeah.

Speaker 1: 20:48

He's very funny, I like to eat them up.

Speaker 2: 20:51

But uh, but Marthwood to people, to people develop this game.

Speaker 1: 20:56

Oh, okay. I was like when is this going? Two people came up and beat me up.

Speaker 2: 21:00

Yeah, yeah, it was like they're good off this game. It was like what I'm just here. I got a media badge.

Speaker 1: 21:04

Don't care yeah.

Speaker 2: 21:08

This is the greatest game I've ever. Yeah, uh, it's awesome, like uh. So so you are timed, yeah, um, and the way I it's. It's an open world RPG and it looks all hand drawn. I needed to ask the developers I didn't ask them that I'll steal it and pretend that I can do that question.

Speaker 2: 21:28

Yeah, there you go there you go. It looks all hand drawn and the characters are 2D but the background is all in 3D. It's all built in Unity, which is really cool to see that in the lighting and everything Like. You'll love that because it's just like so cool looking.

Speaker 1: 21:43

Now I'm like let's end this and I need to go play.

Speaker 2: 21:46

Yeah, hold on, we're gonna press pause the show's gonna go. So the picture they gave me it's Stardew Valley meets the Witcher, and so you start off and you start exploring around and you can find items like equipment and stuff like that One was a bucket so you can put it on your head like a wooden bucket. Yeah important, yeah. And then the next one was a jack-o-lantern I found, so I put that on my head.

Speaker 1: 22:11

On top of the bucket. No, I took the bucket off. I took the bucket off.

Speaker 2: 22:15

But your character's walking around with this jack-o-lantern on his head. It's hilarious. I did end up finding this really cool robe and stuff like that, which is really cool.

Speaker 1: 22:23

Did you also put that on your head?

Speaker 2: 22:25

I did not with the jack-o-lantern was off.

Speaker 2: 22:27

I had the jack-o-lantern off, but I put the robe on over my head and, oh, I looked really cool. I did hear, which is really interesting, because I just explore, I'm just like walking around, I don't like because they give you a quest, but then you find all these people, like these random people, and you can build relationships with them and you can greet them, and when you greet them, they greet you back and then you can have, like, ask them rumors and stuff like that. I should say this take a step back when you create your character. The character depth is pretty cool, the character creation is pretty cool, so you can like obviously make what your character looks like. There's not as many options, but there's plenty.

Speaker 2: 23:06

But then it's like what do you want your background to be? Do you want to be a noble? Do you want to be, you know, like a peasant? Do you want to be whatever? And then, what is your profession? Do you want to be a bard? Do you want to be an actor? Whatever, the case is like and it gives you different stats based on that, and then so then that helps you with like when you're talking to different people and you're trying to like get information out of them, like you can joke with them, you can tickle them. Oh, I couldn't tickle them because my character apparently didn't know how to tickle.

Speaker 1: 23:35

Your character is like this big whole king thing and it's like huh.

Speaker 2: 23:40

There goes one guy. So when you meet the different characters, you meet the different NPCs, they have stats of like, how happy they were. And there's one guy was sad and he's like you need to tickle.

Speaker 1: 23:49

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 23:50

But I couldn't tickle him, so I told him a joke instead. You can tell dirty jokes, I did not tell him a dirty joke because they didn't seem like the dirty joke type of person.

Speaker 1: 23:57

So we're not on that level.

Speaker 2: 23:58

No, no, we weren't on that level.

Speaker 1: 23:59

Did he get happy?

Speaker 2: 24:01

A little bit. He happy enough that he shared some quest with me. Okay, yeah, I asked him some rumors, he gave me some rumors. I found this quest. And this was the cool part, because I heard the devs talking behind me. They're like, oh, he found that. And I'm like, oh, that's cool. And I went into this little area and I found this little note and it said head north. And blah, blah, blah. So I went north on this other place and that's where I found my. Well it was, I'm not gonna tell you because you gotta play it Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know spoiler's, roger, that's where.

Speaker 2: 24:29

I found my robe and that's where they're like. Oh, he found it, and that was really cool.

Speaker 2: 24:32

And then you go into this town because that's really what the main quest is and there's tons of NPCs you can just talk to. They give you a quest if you ask them for quests. One woman said my husband went off missing. He went north somewhere so I was like I'll go find him and then I ran into this guy with this huge sword and I ran back and like that's who killed your husband. I'm pretty sure that was the.

Speaker 1: 24:54

Is your husband the guy with the big?

Speaker 2: 24:55

sword.

Speaker 1: 24:57

Because it's either him or your husband's dead.

Speaker 2: 24:59

One of the two. One of the two. There's a morality system, so there's gonna be some choices you have to make. So I spent so much time, though, just like interacting with the whole area I think they give you like five minutes or something like that and they said, do you wanna play some more? And I'm like I do, and then they reset it for me. It was so cool. Oh, I love it, and I just couldn't believe, first of all, that they've been working on it for three years, and I think they told me that at first I started out as part-time two people and I mean, I've been dabbling in unity for my job actually. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and I'm like I can't do anything.

Speaker 1: 25:39

Yeah, I know, I definitely started it up being like I wanna understand a little bit more and I was like, nope, can't even figure out how to make out a wall, so I'm gonna stop this.

Speaker 2: 25:53

I know I can talk sometimes. I mean, like, can you tell me about the lighting and the? Did you have to do any baking of your lighting and they're like do you know a? Little bit of unity. I'm like a little bit.

Speaker 1: 26:02

I learned that term.

Speaker 2: 26:07

So that was a really cool game. Have you played long days gone? No, long gone days, long gone days.

Speaker 1: 26:13

I have not. I was next to it but, then someone was like doing an interview and I'm like I wanted to check that out. But, hopefully I got like today's my day, hopefully to like clean up anything that I haven't seen yet. So, that's on my list.

Speaker 2: 26:29

That is a really cool game.

Speaker 1: 26:30

Tell me about it.

Speaker 2: 26:32

So it's an RPG, turn-based RPG but you are a sniper that joined this army and the artwork is, first of all, to say, amazing. And the amount of detail. So there'll be like, when you talk to different characters, just like any other, like it's all pixelated art, but when you talk to the characters, it has them actually as the real anime character, right, but they actually show emotion, their lips move and so that, like they could have got away with not doing that, but they did it, which was awesome. So it starts off in the future Well, I shouldn't say in the future, it starts off in this time where it seems like you're rebelling against this faction that used to be part of and somebody's telling you their guards, the people are coming in, you have to take them out. So you have to take a little. Like you have a little target thing or whatever. I don't know what that was called. What is that called? Crosshairs, crosshairs. Thank you.

Speaker 2: 27:28

And you take out the enemies and then they come in and you have to take them on, and then it's like turn-based RPG, but they're facing you, so like it's like first person perspective.

Speaker 1: 27:40

Okay.

Speaker 2: 27:41

And then there's different abilities you can do, and then it goes flashback to how you joined the army. It's a very short demo. It's not very long. You get to kind of explore a little bit, but the artwork is really good. The pixelated art is so fantastic. There's a moment where you run into a character and she becomes impatient and her foot's just tapping, like I'm like I told them like the amount of detail you paid attention in this game is so incredible and it's such a lovely game.

Speaker 1: 28:10

Three people three people made that game. It's a lot Amazing. I know Y'all be working too hard, I know.

Speaker 2: 28:17

And then I guess the last game I'll just mention here is a VR game, so journey to the frontier, I think it's called. I have to look it up. It's based on a book and so this book was written in the 60s through the 80s by apparently I should know this person because I actually took English classes in sci-fi Like. That was like the only thing we focused on was sci-fi stuff and I didn't know what they were talking about. But this guy wrote this book in the 60s and 80s about this thing that happens way in the future and it's like this whole faction, this whole like story about like this empire is falling apart, blah, blah, blah. So then they took that as their background and then they added on to that story. So the story like expands over thousands of years, but they were able to just, you know, focus in on this one part of the universe.

Speaker 1: 29:16

There's somebody out there who's listening to this. Who's like yelling I know, I know. They're like what are you doing?

Speaker 2: 29:24

And so what's cool about, though, that in the book they talk about the powers that these special people have, right, and one of them is to like set people's minds. So you're like one of this, like you're part of, like this, this group that's that has like special powers, and they were able to incorporate those powers into the, the gameplay itself. So cool. The thing that I've never played before. And I told them this. I said I don't think I've ever played a VR game that is story driven, that has branching narratives and stuff like that. And they said, yeah, they didn't, they they. They also said, like we think we're the only first people have done that.

Speaker 2: 30:05

And I asked them how do you balance the amount of time that people spend in VR and trying to tell a story? Right, because only like I can't spend that much time in VR. I get I get motion sickness. And they said, yeah, that's one thing that they focused on like there'll be like chunks of like 20 minute story parts, right, and like those are good breaking points that you can like stop, put it down, but if you feel, fine, you can keep going with it. The game felt really great, like you can go around and explore. It was on a PS VR to. I've never played on. I have a medic quest at home, medic quest two, so it looks fantastic, I'll say that, and I do like how the headset feels. Much better than that a medic quest to, but it has wires.

Speaker 1: 30:47

Yes.

Speaker 2: 30:48

And I'm not used to that and I'm used to playing in a big area like a draw my area You're like going around in? Circles. Yes, there's one point where you know, push a button and I punched the guy and I was like, oh my God, I'm so sorry. And he was like, no, no, it's fine, it's fine. I mean, I didn't hit him hard, I mean.

Speaker 1: 31:06

But it was dead now.

Speaker 2: 31:09

The medics came. It was really embarrassing. It was really embarrassed. I do have a funny story about that Embarrassing moment, though.

Speaker 2: 31:16

Oh yeah, that was embarrassing too that I hit the guy, but but I told him. I said I don't think I've ever played a game so polished like this in VR is fantastic. It is really good and, like I know, there was a PSVR two that I was playing on and the graphics are just unreal. It just it looks really great and they said they are coming out on the quest as well, so I'm excited to try that on the quest. But the story was story was super compelling. It just drew me in right away. It was cool. I loved it.

Speaker 1: 31:46

Awesome. Now I have one more thing I can get from my PSPR to yeah, you have a PSPR to.

Speaker 2: 31:53

Oh, what do you have? So, what games do you have on it?

Speaker 1: 31:58

It's technically my partners, Because he is a huge fan of horizon. So we were like we need to play the horizon game.

Speaker 2: 32:07

Okay.

Speaker 1: 32:08

And I, like he, loved it. Yeah went through the whole thing, replayed it. You know I played the first half an hour and. I had to stop because I'm like, I am so dizzy.

Speaker 2: 32:20

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 32:20

I'm gonna, I'm gonna literally throw up in this thing.

Speaker 2: 32:23

Yeah, yeah, I get that way to you. There's a few games that there is. It was interesting, sorry, side side, side quest.

Speaker 1: 32:32

Side quest.

Speaker 2: 32:33

But I was talking to a developer about that and I said I usually get motion sickness, but when I played their game I did not get any motion sickness. And this is a game where you're running around the this area and you're shooting. And he said, yeah, like there's no reason you should get motion sickness, like it's not that hard to figure it out. And I was like, oh, he's like, yeah, you just have to like, focus on the. You know how you're building it and that shouldn't be a problem. That should never happen to people.

Speaker 1: 32:58

Yeah, no, it happens. I know, I know, I know me the other one, the one I haven't gotten motion sickness in, is before your eyes.

Speaker 2: 33:06

Oh yeah, you told me about that. If you have, I don't, I don't know if it's come out on everything VR. But if it has, I'm not sure.

Speaker 1: 33:17

That's one of my, because I played it originally when it came out. Yeah, on just PC with like a camera, yeah, but VR is really the place to do it. If you're going to everyone, I go out and watch that, even though that's not. That's not a pack thing, that's totally off topic.

Speaker 2: 33:33

I will. I will just throw this out here. This is a pack thing.

Speaker 1: 33:35

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 33:37

A night in the attic. If you have not played that game, I've not played that game. That's a mighty yell game.

Speaker 1: 33:43

Okay, they're here.

Speaker 2: 33:44

Yeah, and they, they have. It's so interesting. They did the big con, which is like an action, like game.

Speaker 1: 33:54

It's like it's if you are a child of the 90s. Yes, some of us in this podcast.

Speaker 2: 33:59

Yeah, not me.

Speaker 1: 34:00

It is a 90s cartoon.

Speaker 2: 34:01

Yeah, it is. It is so good. It's like Doug. It looks very much like Doug right, okay, I mean, I'm assuming that's a cartoon, I don't know, yeah, that's a cartoon.

Speaker 1: 34:10

Oh my gosh Doug playing.

Speaker 2: 34:12

You guys are playing Rugrats.

Speaker 1: 34:13

Yeah, we were playing Rugrats and Rogers Like I don't know who. Any of these characters are. Which one is this? I'm like that's Tommy Pickles, Sir.

Speaker 2: 34:24

I was like who are the twins? And you guys are like oh my gosh, well, who are you? And I'm like I'm an old man. Did you guys watch Looney Tunes?

Speaker 1: 34:32

I saw some Looney Tunes.

Speaker 2: 34:37

Tom Boat, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that was a game that I played a lot of or cartoon I watched a lot of. But anyway, Night in the Attic is very good, but it's just interesting that they went from the big con to a VR game and I asked them that and like that seems so different. And they're like that's what's cool is like we can try a bunch of different things, right? Yeah? Yeah, Can I tell one? I think I told you the story, but I'll tell you it again.

Speaker 1: 35:02

The embarrassing story. I'm ready.

Speaker 2: 35:04

So I'm old.

Speaker 1: 35:05

Okay.

Speaker 2: 35:06

And there's past injuries that tend to come back after you get old. Like after you hit 40, like these things come back.

Speaker 1: 35:16

Too bad, I'm already at that stage.

Speaker 2: 35:20

So I must have hit my, hurt my hip when I was younger and now it's. It's back and at full, full scale and like my body doesn't heal like it used to anymore. So it's really hard for me to sit down on really low things because it's hard for me to get out.

Speaker 1: 35:36

You did tell me that, so they had a beanbag and I'm like.

Speaker 2: 35:41

I don't know, sir. So I sat down in it and I'm getting up and I'm like I don't know. So I'm like trying to like boost my wife up and I accidentally knocked one of the side. No, no, and the guy was like oh, I'm so sorry, I am so sorry, I am so sorry, I was so embarrassed. That was my first interview at Max to.

Speaker 1: 36:07

I was so that's through your, off your game.

Speaker 2: 36:08

Yeah, I'm gonna fall my game yeah.

Speaker 1: 36:10

And I was when I heard this story the first time.

Speaker 2: 36:12

I'm like you should have just taken the beanbag and become part of it I know Rolled around, people would have assumed it was like cosplay or something.

Speaker 1: 36:20

It's like who is that guy? Oh, is it you from the anime? Yeah, oh, my gosh, that's a deep cut. It's like Embers' new clothes that everyone just pretends to know. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 36:30

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, the beanbag guy.

Speaker 1: 36:32

Yeah, yeah, yeah you don't know the beanbag guy. I mean, I know that guy, it's classic. Yeah, he just rolls around in a beanbag.

Speaker 2: 36:38

He's old and he rolls around in a beanbag. It's great.

Speaker 1: 36:41

Yeah, like I really appreciate the developers who are trying to give people a space to sit. Yeah, because it is a lot of standing on like. For us it's less, because a lot of the times we do have like a special couch to sit on or something. So bless everybody who's coming in here and standing in giant lines just to play this game, but yeah.

Speaker 2: 37:05

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 37:05

I feel like I had something. I was like oh, you know what I want to say, but I've totally lost it. No, so that's unfortunate. I'm going to remember in, like two minutes after we end the podcast, I know.

Speaker 2: 37:16

And well, you know what I'm going to do a after show, so that you'll be like I'll come on. Just for a second. Yeah, Just be like. Oh yeah, I remember that thing.

Speaker 1: 37:25

Jeff Funney is really cool. I ran away.

Speaker 2: 37:28

Oh hey, Jill's here, Jill, what was that one thing.

Speaker 1: 37:31

And then I'll forget again and then I'll be five minutes. No, I think it had something to do with the physical. Something was happening.

Speaker 2: 37:45

Well, we can wrap it up here, because, like it's 10 o'clock and I don't, well, it's almost 10 o'clock.

Speaker 1: 37:49

No, it's 940. And I need to like run down and bother yeah.

Speaker 2: 37:53

Yeah, and actually I wanted to because I have something for that game. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 38:01

Do I get to see?

Speaker 2: 38:02

it Sure. Well, I think you've seen it already.

Speaker 1: 38:03

But I'm sharing with the audience, or is it just me?

Speaker 2: 38:07

So I made these best of packs.

Speaker 1: 38:11

Oh my gosh, congrats to from the gamer heads.

Speaker 2: 38:17

Yeah, I know it's. It's kind of hard to read.

Speaker 1: 38:18

I know.

Speaker 2: 38:19

I tried. What I did was so for listeners who can't see this, obviously, but I did post it on my social media so people can go check that out. What I did, was I took. So I do a lot of miniature painting, mm, hmm, not a lot. I'm getting into miniature painting, I should say, and then I had like this it's called like a wash, so I try to make it so like any kind of shadows stand out. It didn't turn out as great as I thought.

Speaker 2: 38:42

I thought it turned out great Well no, actually I didn't do the wash on yours, so yeah.

Speaker 1: 38:46

Well, I can read mine really well. Mine's great. Maybe they should have gotten a gold, one Silver.

Speaker 2: 38:55

Well, this is hard because there's a lot of writing here.

Speaker 1: 38:58

If Mike, if I am there to see this exchange between Mike, I'm going to make sure Mike sees mine's gold. I feel like I pick on him so much.

Speaker 2: 39:10

But this is platinum, which is higher than gold.

Speaker 1: 39:16

No, no, that's silver.

Speaker 2: 39:18

This one's gold, this has color, this has green, it's thicker, it is thicker. I didn't, actually I didn't realize that Until after I started printing them, because what happened? So this is really funny. I had actually a different design for these plaques. I think I showed you. They were like longer and it said like congratulations from the GamerHeads podcast and it was like well, that's long, like people can't see, but probably like a person Just imagine like a fish. Yeah, like a fish. Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2: 39:43

Like I don't care how big, like everybody tells you how big it was about this long right and but it took like 20 hours to print that.

Speaker 1: 39:51

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2: 39:52

And I was like that only took me like six hours to print that. So then I was like, well, I'm just going to take that design and then redesign this. But then I didn't realize that.

Speaker 1: 40:01

Oh, so mine's the original, yours is the original.

Speaker 2: 40:03

Yeah, yours is the original.

Speaker 1: 40:05

Fancy.

Speaker 2: 40:05

Yeah, yeah, and there's only one, only one person.

Speaker 1: 40:09

Yeah, nobody else has. There's only one person who's been seven time guest club member.

Speaker 2: 40:13

Yeah, I don't. I'm going to tell you this. I don't know why you keep coming back, because everybody else, like I, invited back and they're like oh, thank you but no thanks, oh you get it out of here.

Speaker 1: 40:22

So how should I ask you to have been on sometime?

Speaker 2: 40:25

Twice.

Speaker 1: 40:26

Okay, first's been on. It's just me, it really is just you.

Speaker 2: 40:32

Yeah, I think you might have yeah. I think there was a couple of people that were like we'll be on, and then I never heard from them again.

Speaker 1: 40:37

They were never seen again.

Speaker 2: 40:41

But most people are just like, oh, thanks for the offer, and I never hear from them again, so I guess, thank you, that's why you have the medallion, I have the medallion. That's what will convince other people. Now they'll know.

Speaker 1: 40:52

Yeah, like what they get when they go on.

Speaker 2: 40:54

That's right.

Speaker 1: 40:55

And they'll be like we have to get to the seventh time guest club.

Speaker 2: 40:58

Yeah, yeah, yeah, and waiting until you're at the hundred time. Guest club.

Speaker 1: 41:01

Oh my gosh, who knows what that prize will be?

Speaker 2: 41:03

It's going to look just like that. It's like that's a say a hundred time guest club, it'll be actual platinum. Well, let's wrap it up, Jill, how can people find you on social media and read your stuff about?

Speaker 1: 41:18

PACS. Yeah, I'm going to be putting my PACS stuff up on my website. It is theindianformercom. Go and check that out and you can find me on socials. It is indie underscore informer for the Indian former and for me personally is at finnruin F-I-N-R-U-I-N.

Speaker 2: 41:37

Can I ask you a quick question? Yeah, what is that? Why Finnruin, what is that?

Speaker 1: 41:40

It is a very nerdy way to give myself a very common nickname.

Speaker 2: 41:46

Oh OK.

Speaker 1: 41:47

I'm a huge fan of Tolkien and, as I was reading this somewhere, some people may know that there is a appendix in the back that has some, some like elvish breakdown of words and things.

Speaker 2: 42:00

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 42:00

So Finnruin translates roughly to like redhead. Oh interesting. It's like hair is the first part in red, flaming red, interesting. So it's a nickname just to say I don't know if I got red hair.

Speaker 2: 42:16

Did anybody else ever ask you that?

Speaker 1: 42:18

I've had maybe one person, but I'm surprised the amount of people who are just like, yeah, I'll go with it. That's just a string of words I don't understand. So there you go.

Speaker 2: 42:29

I will say not many people read this in Merleion, so kudos to you.

Speaker 1: 42:34

I love it. I reread it every once in a while Do you really? I'm a big. Yeah, I went to school for mythology and, well, technically, like Roman everything.

Speaker 2: 42:45

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 42:46

So like I'm sort of big into that sort of thing, I went to school for mythology?

Speaker 2: 42:50

Yeah, you did, but I'm not into that it's so cool.

Speaker 1: 42:54

It's a little.

Speaker 2: 42:55

Yeah, no, my background is miscreation or creation of myths.

Speaker 1: 43:01

Which is what the Somerian is, so you should read it. I'm so affected now.

Speaker 2: 43:09

Mine was more like the religious side of.

Speaker 1: 43:13

Yeah, it's legitimately like the Tolkien religious myth of.

Speaker 2: 43:17

Middle.

Speaker 1: 43:17

Earth. Go read it, it's okay.

Speaker 2: 43:20

I'm going to do that right after this podcast.

Speaker 1: 43:22

As I'm playing Murphwood.

Speaker 2: 43:23

Yeah, listeners, you can obviously find us on our social media and to Gamerhead's pod, you can also find us. Thank you, by the way, for the blue sky invite.

Speaker 1: 43:32

Oh yes, you can find us at blue sky now, woo.

Speaker 2: 43:35

At Gamerhead's podcast. Actually, I have a couple of invites, so if people need invites, yeah, hit me up too.

Speaker 1: 43:40

I think I might have some stored up at this point.

Speaker 2: 43:42

Because, like, they give you one a week or something like that.

Speaker 1: 43:44

And then it seems like everyone got one and I was like I have all these.

Speaker 2: 43:48

Also I don't have a parent. A lot of friends that need.

Speaker 1: 43:51

I had a lot of people writing on my things originally Like if. I had a code, I would do it and I'm like I don't know if I still need it. And I don't want to be that person who's like here.

Speaker 2: 44:01

I have codes for you, yeah, yeah, I don't appreciate the fact you gave me a code, because I was like Jill. If you have, a code?

Speaker 1: 44:06

Yeah, I knew you would be interested.

Speaker 2: 44:07

Yeah, and then obviously you can find us at our website, at Gamerhead's podcastcom. Leave us a review if you like this podcast, if you don't like this podcast.

Speaker 1: 44:17

Still five stars.

Speaker 2: 44:18

Sure yeah, or don't tell us yeah, or you can just tell me.

Speaker 1: 44:22

You can just leave the five stars and not say anything.

Speaker 2: 44:24

That's true. That's true too. Or you can leave a one star and tell me really great things about the podcast.

Speaker 1: 44:30

That'd be weird. That'd be weird. Don't do that. Don't do that, don't do that.

Speaker 2: 44:33

That's the back story for you. Yeah, but thanks everybody for listening. Take care, stay safe and game on, and we'll talk to you next time. Bye, bye, bye. Yay, we did it, we did it.