this week's brew 🎧
​our discussion of Control this week + supplementary materials to help you dig deeper.

Okay, I’ll admit it. I hit my first (Hiss) wall at the very start of the Old Boys’ Club mission last week, but after that, it was smooth sailing - and flying! - through the halls of the Bureau. This week’s podcast is all about our descent into truly dangerous areas of the Oldest House, like the aptly named Panopticon: a prison complex housing Objects of Power…and a familiar face.
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The Panopticon (which was actually originated by Jeremy Bentham and later popularized by the philosopher Foucault for those who also happened to remember Sociology or Philosophy classes from school), originated as a “humane prison” based on the idea of constant, all-seeing, surveillance. Of course, there’s nothing really humane about permanent visibility, but especially in light of this week’s reflection question, it got me thinking. How are, in our minds, discipline, knowledge, power, and control intertwined? What are other ways to corral or control that don’t have to do with surveillance or punishment?
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We’re finishing up Control this week, so in addition to reflecting on that, we’d also love to hear your general thoughts on the game! Jesse’s journey, the style and design of the Bureau, your predictions for future installments in this universe, and more. Feel free to respond to this email, leave a voicemail, or post your thoughts in Discord!

Pour Over

Snag some pour-over coffee and pour over (heheh) these supplementary recs to expand your gameplay experience and understanding!

• Listen. Ever since finding this track while exploring the Research floor, I’ve had it on repeat. I am obsessed with the in-universe band, Old Gods of Asgard and their IRL counterparts, Poets of the Fall. Oh, and uh, within two minutes of listening, if you could answer this questionnaire, that’d be much appreciated…
• Play. While not directly Control-related, I wanted to shout out a free demo and the topic of discussion for our first Bonus Brew podcast in two weeks! Blue Prince is all about a shifting building and mysterious family history, so I thought it’d be perfect to play for this month as our bonus game experience (less than an hour, depending on how much you get into it!)
  • Also, get pumped: we’ll have our first guest of 2025 - Intelligame founder and GDOC organizer, Josh Boykin -stopping by to join the discussion (releasing Jan 28th)!

Reflection Question

As you play this week, take a moment and reflect on this question:

Have a response to the reflection question? Want to share other thoughts on the game? Leave a 60-second voice message and you’ll have the chance to be featured on a future podcast episode!

Next Week’s Brew: We’ll continue savoring and discussing Control! Play from “The Face of the Enemy” until the end of the game. The discussion episode releases on Jan 21st! Enjoy ~

the pastry case 🥐
​our grab-bag of topics related to the industry and other media we've engaged with.

“Video Games were never meant to look this good”

We had a bit of an impromptu discussion on a recent NYT article Joel saw — I’ve linked a paywall-free version here for you (scroll down and you’ll see it)!

The article proposes that one of the reasons for the game industry’s struggle in recent years is due to the pursuit of graphical fidelity: super realistic-looking games. While I agreed with the sentiment that pursuing more realism has led to diminishing returns, I felt this article missed the core of what is happening, and left many questions - and critiques - on the table that I would’ve loved to see explored more deeply.
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For example, this article doesn’t touch on leadership and the decision-makers of this process. Who makes the calls determining the budgets and timelines of these games? The core of the industry's issue is the rampant mismanagement the industry continues to see, which is exacerbated by the scale of AAA development. When we’re paying artists 60-80K a year and the Bobby Koticks of the industry multiple millions annually, frankly, I don’t want to hear about graphical fidelity being the problem.

Also, AI is very briefly mentioned as a potential avenue for studios to pursue hyperrealism, but there is little to no mention of the disastrous impacts that transitioning to widely using AI could cause the industry and the Earth itself.
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But, that’s some of what I think. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this as well (whether in the Discord or by leaving a voicemail we can play on next week’s podcast to follow up!)

This Weeks' Game Releases

Curated titles to keep an eye on ~

​Aloft | Jan 15​ Early Access Crafting Co-op Soar the skies in Aloft, the co-op sandbox survival game set in a world of floating islands. Build any island into a skyship, your home in the clouds. Find lost knowledge, cure the fungal corruption, and brave the hurricane to restore the ecosystem.

​Hyper Light Breaker | Jan 14​ Early Access Action-Adventure Co-op Enter the Overgrowth, a new realm in the world of Hyper Light. Play alone or with friends to explore open worlds, create new builds, rip through hordes and overcome the Crowns and the Abyss King.

Play/Watch/Listen/Read

Other media we've been getting into:

Jenny -

• Play: I’ve had little time to play anything else other than my upcoming game with the Soft Not Weak team, Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To (releasing Feb 3rd hehe slight self-promo time)
• Read: In the meantime, I’ve been re-reading Mistborn for a bit of nostalgia. It’s got an “Ocean’s 11 meets fantasy world” energy if you’d like to give it a try!
• Watch: Last weekend, I binge-watched season 1 of Severance to get ready for the waffle party shenanigans I’m gonna have this Friday when season 2 begins.
  • Also started Shrinking, a show about people coming together to help one another grieve and deal with other hard things. It took me a bit, but I’m enjoying it!

Joel -

• Watch: Began a new anime called Sakamoto Days about an (adorable!) dad drawn back into his past life as a hitman.
• Read: Finished reading Heavenly Tyrant (the first book is Iron Widow if you haven’t already checked it out)…
  • …and started reading Throne of Glass!

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

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Thanks for joining our digital café this week -- talk soon!

Jenny