this week's brew 🎧☕
what we discussed in this week's episode!

We’re playing Final Fantasy X this December! Check out the playthrough guide here.
📅Mark your calendars for December 20th at 3 pm PT for the final hangout of 2025!

In today's podcast ~

Dave Jackson, host of Tales from the Backlog, returns to share his thoughts on the second half of Final Fantasy X!
The Pastry Case: Our grab-bag of news + media we're engaging with outside of our game of the month:
- 2026 Geeks & Grounds Selections are here! You voted, and six (of the twelve) games we'll play next year have been selected: Look Outside, The Outer Wilds, Kentucky Route Zero, Unbeatable, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, The Roottrees are Dead.
  - Looking for a deal? Pick up titles during sales (like the Steam Winter Sale kicking off on December 18th) to get titles at a discount.
  - Budget is tight but you'd still love to participate? Please reach out by emailing me! Occasionally I'll have limited funds and/or keys that I can provide to anyone who wants to play and discuss, but isn't able to pick up a game at the moment.
- What We're Excited About
  - Jenny: Playing Bits & Bops, watching Pluribus, finishing my Undertale cross-stitch (and now starting a Howl's Moving Castle piece).
  - Dave: Playing Dragon Quest 11 and Ghost Trick; cancelling Spotify and listening to Trigg & Gusset, reading Gardens of the Moon and The Road.
Discussion: Final Fantasy X! We've arrived to Zanarkand, and it's time to conclude our pilgrimage. The group's faith has been tested, and it's time to see if they're able to defeat Sin once and for all.

Listen to the episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts!

2026 Geeks & Grounds Community Selections ✅
Here are six of the games we'll be playing next year, selected by you!

From L to R: The Outer Wilds, Unbeatable, Kentucky Route Zero, Look Outside, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, The Roottrees are Dead

As I mentioned above, the six titles you've selected via ranked choice voting as a community are (in no particular order):

I'm still determining the order for the year as a whole -- and reaching out to potential guests -- so I'll be able to share more details when we kick off 2026 properly, but my goal in letting you know these titles sooner is so you can start plan out your 2026. Which games will you chose to pick up? Are there any titles you'll need some extra time to beat? And if you're extra excited: perhaps there are games you want to hop into already!

Part of the fun for me is that through Geeks & Grounds, we get about half the titles from you and the other half I get to select specifically. The extra fun challenge this year, I think, will be to make sure to supplement what are some pretty beefy games (I'm looking at you, Yakuza) with games that have shorter run-times to help make sure we have some variety and avoid "long-game fatigue". Tbh? The hardest part is narrowing down my ideas. 😁

While I'm still finalizing my own picks for next year, and will probably leave at least one month as a "wild card" for a bit of flexibility, I can share the first three titles of 2026 to help you sort out your Q1 of Geeks & Grounds, including my first curated selection which will kick off January:

If you'd like to get started during our break, you can, but also: no rush! I'll be officially introducing Gas Station Story -- it's context, the playthrough guide, and kick-off reflection question -- when we return with our January 6th episode, and you can absolutely start playing then and still be on track.

For now? I hope you all have an incredible holiday season! I can't believe that we've just concluded Year Three (ahhh!! 💗) of Geeks & Grounds! I feel so fortunate and thankful that you all continue to show up, share, and get excited about games in this space, and I can't wait for all the discussions we'll be having next year.

Now, it's time for one final reflection question of 2026 ~ let me know by responding to this email or by sharing your thoughts in the Discord!

Reflection

Today's question is for you to enjoy reflecting on what you played this year! I'd love to see your response, whether via email or by sharing in the Discord. If you don't tell me, consider sharing with a friend!

What was YOUR favorite game to play this year, and why? It doesn’t have to be a Geeks & Grounds brew (although if it is, wonderful!) and it doesn’t have to have been released this year. I’d just love to hear what title made an impact on you and why!

Stay in the loop -- listen to the weekly podcast on Spotify and Apple, hang with the community in Discord, and find us on Instagram!