Episode 26: Keza MacDonald (Author of Super Nintendo: How One Japanese Company Helped the World Have Fun)

Episode 26: Keza MacDonald (Author of Super Nintendo: How One Japanese Company Helped the World Have Fun)

Keza MacDonald [https://bsky.app/profile/mackeza.bsky.social] is the video games editor for The Guardian and most recently, she's also the author of 'Super Nintendo: How One Japanese Company Helped the World Have Fun', a deep dive into the rich, creative history of one of gaming's most important companies. We recorded today's episode in front of a live audience as part of Keza's book tour which happened to swing through Brighton last month and if you can forgive some dodgy audio, I think there's a lot to get out of this conversation as we examine Nintendo and why it's lasted the test of time in this particular moment, as much of the Western games industry is on its knees. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/peoplemakegames]

Episode 25: Maddy Myers & Zoë Hannah (Co-founders of Mothership)

Maddy Myers [https://bsky.app/profile/midimyers.com] & Zoë Hannah [https://bsky.app/profile/zoehhannah.com] just launched Mothership [https://www.mothership.blog/], a brand new site all about games, gender and identity. Their initial pitch promises a different kind of gaming publication "for her, them, and yes, him too", which feels surprisingly radical given the state of games coverage and, erm, the world, in 2026. In today's episode we discuss the retreat of feminist writing across the mainstream games media, whether "subscription fatigue" is a real concern for this new wave of independent outlets and how the pair feel about what happened to them at Polygon, a site they both quit following the mass layoffs that hit its editorial team after it was acquired by Valnet. Chris/Keza Interview in Brighton: https://luma.com/mkp59tca [https://luma.com/mkp59tca] Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/peoplemakegames]

Episode 24: Wesley Yin-Poole (Director of News at IGN)

Wesley Yin-Poole [https://bsky.app/profile/wyp.bsky.social] is in charge of the news desk over at IGN and has been reporting on the games industry for almost two decades at this point. He's also been a mentor of mine ever since our days working together at Eurogamer where he helped shape some of my very first stories, while he himself published some incredible work on the rise and fall of Lionhead Studios and its notorious co-founder, Peter Molyneux. Wes is one of the best games reporters in the business and I'm so happy to finally have him on the show. Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/peoplemakegames]

Episode 23: Jason Schreier (Author of Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, And Future of Blizzard Entertainment)

Jason Schreier is a games reporter for Bloomberg, best known for his extensive reporting on the volatile reality of AAA game development. On today's episode we'll be talking about his latest book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, And Future of Blizzard Entertainment and the frankly horrifying number of interviews he needed to complete over the course of his reporting. Despite having a young baby to look after and exactly two and a half hours of free time each day (when said baby is soundly asleep upstairs), I devoured Jason's book in less than a week. It's very, very good. Let's talk about it! Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/peoplemakegames]

Episode 22: Nicole Carpenter (Senior Reporter at Polygon)

Nicole Carpenter [https://x.com/sweetpotatoes] has been reporting on the games industry at Polygon for the last five years, where she's perhaps best known for her coverage of unions and the increasingly vital role they're playing in shaping the future of video game development. In fact, not only has she reported on this subject diligently over the last few years, she also wrote what is perhaps the defining piece of journalism on the subject: The Rise of the Video Game Union [https://www.polygon.com/23485977/video-game-unions-guide-explainer]. "....the type of journalism we're doing impacts people's lives in really tangible ways. And, you know, whether that's somebody we're writing about who did something bad, or people who are unionizing, or people who have been laid off. And that is a huge responsibility. And so it needs a certain level of investment and dedication and sometimes sacrifice to make sure you're doing your job, treating the work you're putting out, with the respect and care and responsibility it needs." Support the show [https://www.patreon.com/peoplemakegames]