Geeks & Grounds is an asynchronous, monthly game club where we play video games and brew good conversation, together! ☕ Each week, receive a newsletter with a reflection question and curated materials meant to help you thoughtfully connect with the games we play.
Introducing Kentucky Route Zero [Geeks & Grounds #105]
this week's brew 🎧
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Before I hop into the usual newsletter musings ~ I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for your patience and flexibility. The end of January and this first half of February has been a particularly challenging one, with the loss of a friend and then of my dear cat, Rosie (who many of you have seen over the last years on videos, streams, and even in this newsletter). It's hard to even know what to write, but at the very least, I wanted to convey that I truly appreciate everyone who has sent over kind words, pictures of their own pets, flowers, and even food to help us get through the last few weeks. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
This week, we're doing a belated kick-off for Kentucky Route Zero, and introducing the incomparable Katie (of Katie and Catburger). Please check out her video essays on YouTube, say hi on Bluesky, and consider supporting her on Patreon!
As someone who's described herself as "obsessed" with Kentucky Route Zero -- and the creator of one of my favorite video essays on the game -- Katie was the first person I thought of as someone who'd be able to bring thoughtful conversation and insight into the surreal world Kentucky Route Zero presents: one of melancholy, grief, debt, and isolation.
In today's episode, we break down some of concepts we think would be helpful to understand going into this game -- magical realism, sceneography, Southern Gothic, and even Kentucky's labor history, to list a few -- to paint a picture of what KRZ encompasses in it's five acts. I hope you enjoy listening, and please be sure to check out all the links below to dive deeper into what we discussed (both regarding the game as well as other media we chatted about).
Listen to the episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts!
The Pastry Case:
Our grab-bag of media we're engaging with outside of our game of the month.
What we're excited about:
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Katie:
- I’ve been reading The Ambiguity of Play, this 90s book about all the different ways we try to justify playing games. For example, well kids play to learn life skills or football is just a simulation of warfare. And it breaks down where those ideas come from and how they affect us.
- I just rewatched Andor, and watching a depiction of fictional fascism has been a really cathartic experience for this particular moment in history.
- I just started a Perfect Tides: Station to Station, a visual novel about a girl studying writing in college in 2003 with a long distance relationship that is not going well, and it’s hilarious and so uncomfortably real, and I’m really enjoying the writing and conversation mechanics. Lots of fun so far.
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Jenny:
- I’ve been going back and forth between the silly turn-based battles of Hermit & Pig – a game about a socially anxious Hermit, his companion pig, and a town getting ready to fight against a company takeover – and then the beautifully challenging Cairn. Cairn, as a climbing game, has surprised me with how much I’ve enjoyed it, and it’s got me thinking about the ways we dedicate ourselves to the crafts we love.
- Badly in Love has been my wholesome, cheesy, reality dating show guilty pleasure.
- I’m deep into reading Fight Like Hell, which has been super inspiring in terms of learning about the history of the labor movement and how we can use that in our work today.
Introducing Kentucky Route Zero
Let's make our way to the Zero.
"Do you have any debts? I owe some people some apologies." The prevalence of debt, in a variety of forms, pervades Kentucky Route Zero. And as you explore this version of Kentucky and the Zero, you'll see the ways that debt impacts each individual you come across. Conway's antique delivery business is failing, homes are repossessed by the banks, children are deciding to move West and cut off family, payday loans are gaining traction. These struggles are not new, not unfamiliar, and even with the surreal moments throughout the game, Kentucky Route Zero never strays from the more mundane challenges we face.
This is a reflective, dark game -- a melancholy game -- that illustrates what happens to communities trapped in this sinkhole of debt and disrepair. But, amidst this darkness, there are other people you find to take this journey with you. A dog in a straw hat. A woman in search of her cousin. And on top of that, music (beautiful music!) guides the way.
This game takes about 10-13 hours to play, and it's not one to rush. Like a poem or a painting, it's meant to be savored, reflected on, discussed, and -- as time allows, revisited to gain deeper meaning and appreciation for the layers present. This'll be my first playthrough, and Katie's been through the game before, so our discussion episode (releasing on February 24th) will encompass both perspectives.
Before you play, take a look at the resources below. Some are more lighthearted and tangentially related to the game; others provide additional direct context for the many references within KRZ. If you find more you'd like to share, or want to join the conversation about the game, please feel free to hop into the Discord!
We'll have our community hangout (in Discord) to discuss our thoughts on this game on February 28th!
Reflection 💛
Share your thoughts, questions, and reactions with the wider community! You can do that by writing back to this email, submitting a voice recording to be included in the next episode, sharing experiences in the community Discord, or simply pondering as you play. Here's a question to get you started:
- Kentucky Route Zero is filled with explicit references to other works of art. It’s almost like the game is part collage! What references did you uncover while spelunking?
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As with any media, pay attention to the details like:
- What colors are being used (or avoided) – how does it set the tone? Take screenshots of any that really strike you.
- How does the soundtrack or sound design add to (or detract from) your experience?
- Are there any quotes or lines that really resonate with you? Write them down (or take screenshots!)
Pour Over ☕
Here's a list to get you going with additional resources to expand your experience with Kentucky Route Zero:
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Listen to the phone hotline that Cardboard Computer dedicated to keeping their community in the loop about the release status of Kentucky Route Zero (sadly, the number doesn’t work anymore).
- Fun Fact: Many of the messages people left were transcribed and included in Act IV!
- Read Cardboard Computer’s reflection on releasing the game, indie game development, and life (via Polygon).
- Enjoy the soundtrack, by Ben Babbitt (via Bandcamp)
- Play the free collection of games, the Triennale Game Collection (via Steam), where Cardboard Computer submitted Neighbor.
- Kentucky Fried Zero is a series annotating many of the references to other works of art in Acts 1, 2, & 3
- Opened World is an insightful series of 5 articles by Miguel Penabella on Acts 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5. (via Haywire Magazine)
- Check out the act 5 intermission, live action version! (via YouTube)
- Read Cruel Optimism, a book Katie mentions was a core theme in coming to understand what KRZ was trying to say
- Watch Death of a Salesman. This is the Lee J. Cobb version that's free via YouTube, but I also love the version with Dustin Hoffman as well if you can find it!
Stay in the loop -- listen to the weekly podcast on Spotify and Apple, hang with the community in Discord, and find us on Instagram!
Take care, and talk soon!
🌻 Jenny
Jenny | Geeks & Grounds
Geeks & Grounds is an asynchronous, monthly game club where we play video games and brew good conversation, together! ☕ Each week, receive a newsletter with a reflection question and curated materials meant to help you thoughtfully connect with the games we play.
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