Hello, and welcome to another episode of Talk This! It’s Dangerous to Podcast Alone. This week, we’re talking about school in video games. I love doing my homework when it’s just a little minigame.
As always, you can listen to our podcast basically anywhere. Check it out on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, or Pandora (or head over to our episodes page for even more options). Or just listen below!
The Topic
How do games utilize school as a setting? How does it work narratively or mechanically? Why is it appealing to play as a student? Why are there so few games about being a teacher? Should the next Persona ditch the school setting? When will they make a Bully 2?
The Actual Discussion
We talk about the ways that school is used narratively in games as well as the ways that learning and teaching can be turned into game mechanics. We also talk about the way that the school experience changes over time, and how a series that’s always set in high school still changes as the times change. Also, we reflect on schools from a level design perspective in genres like horror. Finally, we debate the high school setting for adults vs the high school setting for kids, and why we don’t market games as Young Adult.
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Enjoy the episode! Tell us what you think in the comments or on social media. Make sure to check out last week’s episode and look forward to next week’s where we’re talking about SOMA and Road to Empress.