Stefan H. Simond

The Konami Code

U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, B, A – an abstract sequence of inputs that is deeply ingrained into cultural memory. We explore the history of the Konami Code, with lots of fun trivia and gimmicks to try yourself! Shownotes The Story Of The Konami Code And Early Days Of NES Development (Aria) Nintendo…

Read More

Trauma in Video Games (with Thomas Spies)

Oh no, your family has been abducted and your village burnt to the ground! Better start a bloody vendetta…or so the story of many video games starts out. Our guest, Dr. Thomas Spies, argues in favour of more complex and differentiated trauma representations. Here’s our conversation about titles such as Max Payne, Distraint, The Last…

Read More

Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII – Reunion

Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII – Reunion has been out for some time now, and Dan has really sunk his teeth into a game he’s already pretty familiar with. Join him and Stefan as they talk about how the Remaster stacks up to the original, and what it means for the FFVII Franchise moving…

Read More

How to Find a Research Topic

This is one of our monthly plus episodes. You can access it by subscribing to Studying Pixels Plus. You will then receive an individual plus feed that you can add to your favourite podcast app. Finding an interesting research topic can be tough, especially when a mandatory thesis looms large. But fret not: here are our…

Read More

10 Predictions for 2023

Merry Christmas! As is tradition, we come together to evaluate our predictions from last year and put up a bunch of new ones for 2023. Will we be even remotely correct? – Join us to find out!

Read More

The Callisto Protocol

Great expectations were set for The Callisto Protocol. Is it going to bring back space horror in a major way? Well, it might not, because in our review we discuss how the game is impressive at first sight, but in itself conceptually torn. Shownotes Plus 6. The Rise and Fall of Visceral Games (Studying Pixels)

Read More

Game Awards 2022

The Game Awards have become a mainstay in the annual cycle of marketing and industry celebration. We go over our high- and lowlights of the show! Shownotes The Game Awards 2022 Winners: The Full List (Logan Plant) The Game Awards 2022: Everything Announced (Adam Bankhurst) That Guy Who Interrupted the End of The Game Awards Has Been…

Read More

Worst Mistakes to Make as a Student

This is one of our monthly plus episodes. You can access it by subscribing to Studying Pixels Plus. You will then receive an individual plus feed that you can add to your favourite podcast app. University life can be hard. Don’t make it harder for yourself, then! Here are some of the worst mistakes to make…

Read More

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Ah, a new Pokemon game. Scarlet and Violet have quickly shown up on our Switches and have generated some controversy around it’s performance issues. Is all the vitriol really warranted? Kind of. But! It’s also one of the best Pokemon experiences to date. Join Stefan and Dan as they break down why that is!

Read More

True Sight (with Sarah Stang)

Seeing beyond what seems to be real, seeing a ‘truth’ obscured from others—there seems to be a proper fascination with this exclusive gaze. We explore the notion of true sight in video games such as The Cat Lady and Fran Bow with Dr. Sarah Stang, Assistant Professor of Game Studies at Brock University in Canada. Shownotes Madness as True…

Read More