Hello everyone! Our first episode of April is a different one, if something we've been meaning to do for a while, more than talking about a game, it's a studio, so join us as we talk about Bethesda and their games! Jumping off from our mention of Bethesda games and their connection to mods last month, and Leon's previous writing on Skyrim, we decided to dive properly into their games and their "style". We talk of narrative and engagement with the world, alongside what are some ways their big franchises of Fallout and Elder Scrolls succeed and fail to create interesting political and social ..read more

Hello everyone!! As we're rounding out March, we offer a different kind of conceptual HBM episode! We take a look at videogame mods, what they are, what they can be, and what's so damn interesting about them! Join us as we talk about the difficulties involved in modding, the relationship to game companies, and how mods, at their best, can express an immense passion and creativity, in an anarchic and decentralised way. Have fun! And please support our Patreon if you're interested and want access to early content and the bonus Reading Corners!! Big things are coming! https://www.patreon.com ..read more

Hello everyone!! As a logical continuation of Leon's writings on Rockstar and GTA, we both revisited a game (not a franchise, mind you), which enrages and frustrates us both Max Payne 3. In a game where you relentlessly shoot poor brown and black people and play the "American Hero" cop, we dive into what this game does with this setup and what it doesn't believe in. For as Leon put it before, there is little it believes but pure raw Hatred.  Obviously, we have to talk about it, from the terrible representation and use of Brazil, to the awfulness and pointlessness of this game more broa ..read more

Hello everyone!! For this final February episode, we, talk about when Cyberpunk... goes awry, to put it mildly, it's time to see the issues of Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk Edgerunners! We dive into what happens when one tries to recreate just the aesthetics of a genre, and the effects of cutting out the politics. And so we turn to this hollowness at the heart of a "cyberpunk" that has left out all that was remotely punk about it. It is what Walter Benjamin calls politics rendered aesthetic, it is what fascism does. So join us with the limitations of these products and how they could have bee ..read more

Hello everyone!! We continue well into February, as we bring in the incomparable Labor Kyle to talk about... one of the best games of all time. It's time to talk about Disco Elysium!! Join us as we dive into the real genesis and formation of revolutionary character that can happen in Harry DuBois, and then, with no less gravitas, about the intersection of this game with Walter Benjamin's "Thesis on the Concept of History". How Harry himself can be History amidst the Ruins strewn about that we can, in-game, interact with and ponder over, as we, maybe, act as a detective. It's a special game ..read more

Hello everyone!! Happy 5 year anniversary of the Left Page!! This is a huge achievement and one I still can't believe is here, and yet, it has been a wonderful journey so far, and we're not thinking about stopping anytime soon! To celebrate such a date, Leon and I spoke about a book foundational to my entire research, the 1516 book by Thomas More: Utopia. We delve into some of its history, the tradition of utopian literature, problems and interesting aspects of the very first literary utopia and plenty more. Thank you so much for listening everyone and for being here for these 5 years, whet ..read more

Hello everyone!! For our last January episode we dive into an excellent recent trilogy of games, Hitman: World of Assassination, and think about how good these games are, as they embrace strong silliness. Alongside advancing Frank's ideas and arguments for the silly, we look into the protagonist of Agent 47 and how his hypercompetence is both related to, and changed, by the silly aspects of the game. It's both a very fun show, and one that explores an interesting combination of the serious and the silly to the benefit of the two, and to the game itself. Have fun! Please support our Patreo ..read more

Hello everyone!! Kicking off 2024 for the Left Page we have a very special episode with dramaturgist and debut novelist Emma Hinds, as we talk about her, as of this episode's release, published book The Knowing! Via this gothic, queer, historical, and violent story, Emma joins us as we dive into some of the ways both the book, and ourselves, try to engage with Art: how to create it, understand it, and critique it. Further still, we think about the many ways Art connects with us personally, and how, a lot of the times, learning about ourselves and where we stand lets us enjoy and go deeper in ..read more

Hello everyone!! To kick off 2024 we consider some of our different plans for the pods, our big ideas and the things we have in store! And, of course, we chat a bit about upcoming media we're interested in, some which interests us and some which uhhh concerns/frustrates us. It's a new year with a whole lot more to read, watch, play, and talk about! Have fun, and hapy new year! Please support our Patreon if you're interested and want access to early content and the bonus Reading Corners! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Intro Music: Home, by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Outro Mu ..read more

Hello everyone!! To finally wrap up 2023, we stop for a moment and think back on both the things we saw/watched/played and even recorded this year, to review how it went. And overall, we're pretty happy with what we've done and are planning to do next year!! Thank you so much for a great year, especially, especially our Patrons, and here's to another fun and full of great conversations 2024! Thank you and see you soon! Please support our Patreon if you're interested and want access to early content and the bonus Reading Corners! https://www.patreon.com/leftpage  Intro Music: The ..read more