True Avatars - A Queer Video Game Podcast

Episode 31 - They finally let a trans woman play the Nintendo Switch 2!

Please forgive me for that dorky, bad-joke title, True Avatars!
I’m just really excited because this week, I went to the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience event in Toronto and had the chance to test out the Switch 2 over a month before its official release!
I also got to play a bunch of games, including Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Metroid Prime 4, Drag x Drive, and so much more! Some of my opinions were changed, and others were cemented — hit that play button to hear all of my thoughts!
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:14 - General Event Info & Console Thoughts
00:14:28 - Mario Kart World
00:22:43 - Donkey Kong Bananza
00:27:43 - Metroid Prime 4
00:31:50 - Drag x Drive
00:36:12 - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
00:38:31 - Super Mario Party Jamboree + Jamboree TV
00:41:42 - Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
00:46:15 - GameCube NSO
00:48:47 - Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World
00:51:51 - Split Fiction
00:53:37 - Overall Thoughts
 
This episode was recorded on April 27 2025.
 
A couple of quick notes I missed while recording:
-  In Mario Kart World, the feather item I mentioned is designed to help you jump higher than normal
-  Jaggies are the rough, pixelated edges you can see on objects on the screen when the game resolution is lower than the screen resolution
-  It’s hard to explain, but the original Super Mario Bros game from 1983 is playable in Welcome Tour, but it’s played at its original, low resolution making it appear tiny in comparison to the 4K resolution of the screen. It appears as a tiny box and as you move through the level, the whole level stays on the screen as you progress, to show you exactly how big 4K is compared to the original NES’ resolution (it really is better if you see it)

Episode 30 - Final Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch, Mario Kart World Direct, The Last of Us Season 2 Premiere

Nicole joins me for this week’s double whammy segments: discussing that underwhelming(??) Mario Kart World Direct and the exciting premiere for The Last of Us Season 2. We share our thoughts, criticisms, and all the queer goodness.
It’s also a busy week for news: Dead by Daylight introduces the game’s first playable trans character, PlayStation Plus prices are going up in several countries, the final major patch for Baldur’s Gate 3 is now available on all platforms — and so much more!
Queer Game of the Week also returns, and I make a case for the Final Fantasy VII remake (soon-to-be) trilogy.
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:50 - News
00:17:00 - What We’ve Been Playing
00:22:30 - Mario Kart World Direct
00:45:21 - The Last of Us Season 2 Premiere
01:05:06 - Queer Game of the Week: Final Fantasy VII Remake + Rebirth
 
This episode was recorded on April 19 and 20 2025.
 
Sources:
https://baldursgate3.game/news/the-final-patch-new-subclasses-photo-mode-and-cross-play_138
https://x.com/lbabinz/status/1912572302556078316?s=46&t=sVUrhNeL5EXDMRDpzdemfQ
https://gamerant.com/playstation-plus-price-hike-canada/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZRGDZCl9pg
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/metal-gear-in-concert-coming-to-london-later-this-year/
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/niantic-is-laying-off-68-employees-after-selling-its-game-business-for-3-5-billion
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/the-witcher-4-beta-test-invites-are-a-scam-cd-projekt-red-warns/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZblwGH-C7eg
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/metal-gear-in-concert-coming-to-london-later-this-year/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq4uCJDwO9U
https://www.ign.com/articles/our-big-nintendo-switch-2-interview-with-nintendo-of-americas-bill-trinen

Episode 29 - Spilled! Impressions & Queer Headline Catchup

This week Amy-Lynn joins me to catch up on what we’ve been playing (and want to play)!
In particular, we discuss Spilled!, which is a recently released cosy game from a queer dev about cleaning up oil spills! It’s really good, and True Avatars is here with many of the reasons you need to check it out.
We also cover a bunch of queer headlines! The Last of Us TV series has been renewed for Season 3 early, Sims 4 receives a free queer content update, Hades II and Cyberpunk 2077 have some Nintendo Switch 2 news, and we discuss what’s going wrong with PlayStation’s upcoming concerts.
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:04:21 - What We’ve Been Playing
00:23:41 - News
 
This episode was recorded on April 11 2025.
 
Sources:
Spilled!: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2240080/Spilled/
https://x.com/lentegamedev/status/1909633823362417074?s=46&t=sVUrhNeL5EXDMRDpzdemfQ
https://x.com/naughty_dog/status/1909999973258719307?s=46&t=sVUrhNeL5EXDMRDpzdemfQ
https://www.gamingbible.com/news/tv-and-film/last-of-us-tv-not-extend-beyond-games-943649-20250401
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/hades-2-will-be-a-nintendo-switch-2-console-exclusive-at-launch/
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/04/switch-2-allows-players-to-create-per-game-controller-profiles
https://gaymingmag.com/2025/04/sims-4-release-new-pride-ful-items-for-create-a-sim-and-build-buy-modes/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXFGmnNbp5s
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2318330/Neverway/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xboxs-big-summer-showcase-is-officially-returning-in-june/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/playstation-the-concert-is-reportedly-cancelling-numerous-tour-dates-and-delaying-others/
https://bsky.app/profile/cyberpunk.net/post/3llw6kniz4s2f

Episode 28 - Interview with Endellion of Zorkie Studios: Encouraging Players to Make Ethical Decisions

Back in Episode 24, we played several game demos during Steam Next Fest. One of those demos was “Quality Dreams, Reasonably Priced,” a dystopian visual novel from Zorkie Studios with a surprising premise — what if you had the ability to approve or decline someone’s gender-affirming care?
That’s an oversimplification of the game’s narrative, but QDRP (as it’s affectionately called) is a game that’s queer through and through — and this week, I have Endellion, one of two developers making the game, here for an interview!
Endellion discusses their favourite games, what inspired QDRP’s story, how they’re designing a grim and futuristic world, and even expands the visual novel genre!
Plus, I have all the recent headlines, including the Zelda movie release date, how layoffs impacted a very popular (and recent) queer game, new accessibility tags on digital game storefronts, and the tariffs’ effect on the Nintendo Switch 2.
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:46 - News
00:22:31 - Interview with Endellion of Zorkie Studios
 
This episode was recorded on April 6 2025. The interview was recorded on March 25 2025.
 
Sources:
Zelda movie release date: Nintendo Today app
https://productionlist.com/production/the-legend-of-zelda/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoVfBvxKdm0
https://www.ign.com/articles/gamestop-plans-to-close-a-significant-number-of-stores-and-invest-into-bitcoin
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/tomb-raider-studio-crystal-dynamics-has-confirmed-several-layoffs/
https://aftermath.site/gdc-awards-deck-nine-laid-off-developers-life-is-strange-double-exposure
https://accessiblegames.com/about/
https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/introducing-the-accessible-games-initiative/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-delays-switch-2-pre-orders-in-the-us-due-to-trump-tariffs/
https://www.ign.com/articles/esa-responds-to-trump-tariffs-if-we-think-its-just-the-switch-2-then-we-arent-taking-it-seriously

Episode 27.5 - BONUS - Is Nintendo making a HUGE mistake with the Switch 2?

Nintendo’s Switch 2 directly finally arrived and we have all our initial thoughts and reactions in this bonus episode!
Joining me this week are Ekamy and game dev Zoe Straw as we discuss the specs, the games (which look awesome, and some of which are queer!), and the very controversial prices.
Could Nintendo be overestimating what fans are willing to pay? Are the games exciting enough to make us overlook the huge price increases? Tune in to hear our thoughts!
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:58 - Nintendo Switch 2 Discussion
 
This episode was recorded on April 3 2025.
 
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrTVeYm4iIM
https://www.sega.com/news/sega-announces-yakuza-0-director-s-cut-raidou-remastered-puyo-puyo-tetris-2s-sonic-x-shadow
https://x.com/wario64/status/1907588922424676623
https://x.com/lbabinz/status/1907842046246953352
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/04/the-switch-2-will-emulate-switch-games-because-it-shares-no-internal-hardware-with-its-predecessor

Episode 27 - Nintendo Direct News & The Playersexuality Debate

Nintendo surprised us with a last minute Direct, a livestream focused entirely on upcoming games coming to the original Nintendo Switch. Possibly the final Switch 1-focused direct.. ever. Ekamy and Lloyd_Lloydster join me to talk about all the announcements including Metroid Prime 4, Rift of the Necrodancer (feat. Celeste!), Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (which might have gay marriage?), and Virtual Game Cards.
In the second half, we debate the thesis of an article from Xtra Magazine: “The queer fantasy of playersexuality.” What is playersexuality? Does it make a game queer, or is it queer erasure? What does the future of queer romance in video games look like? Tune in to hear our thoughts on these questions and many more!
This episode went a bit longer than expected, so Queer Game of the Week will return in Episode 28.
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:04:17 - Nintendo Direct (March 26) Impressions
00:59:11 - The Playersexuality Debate
 
This episode was recorded on March 27 2025.
***MINOR SPOILERS for Pokémon Legends Z-A***
 
Sources:
The queer fantasy of playersexuality: https://xtramagazine.com/culture/playersexuality-gaming-queer-representation-270263
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OqoRxXUjGA
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/video-games/nintendo-apologizes-omitting-gay-marriage-tomodachi-life-n101861
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-small-print-suggests-some-switch-games-will-get-enhanced-switch-2-editions/
https://www.thegamer.com/best-playersexual-romance-games/

Episode 26 - Day of the Devs & Retro Game Collecting

This week was packed with news: there's an update on the Scopely-Pokémon GO purchase, Ubisoft has a team of lawyers ready to deter toxic gamers, and Life is Strange: Double Exposure wins an award… but nobody is there to claim it?!
Plus, Day of the Devs just had an event in San Francisco and there were some very exciting queer indie games shown off!
In the second half of the episode, I’m joined by my friend Shivani to talk about collecting retro video games, the importance of physical media, and Queer Game of the Week!
I also just want to apologize if I seem a bit more scattered than usual, it’s been a busy month for me and I think the exhaustion is catching up a bit.
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:18 - News
00:23:51 - Day of the Devs
00:36:33 - Retro Game Collecting w/Shivani
01:15:24 - Queer Game of the Week: Metal Gear Solid
 
This episode was recorded on March 22 & 23 2025.
 
***SPOILERS for Metal Gear Solid franchise***
 
Day of the Devs:
Altered Alma: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2190700/Altered_Alma/
Demonschool: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1900250/Demonschool/
Fishbowl: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1638070/Fishbowl/
Bugaboo Pocket: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1985740/Bugaboo_Pocket/
Building Relationships: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2666920/Building_Relationships/
Spilled!: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2240080/Spilled/
 
Sources:
https://insider-gaming.com/ubisoft-lawyers-shadows-harassment-plan/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/ps5s-star-wars-knights-of-the-old-republic-remake-is-still-in-development-studio-confirms/
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/lego-is-going-to-make-its-videogames-in-house-from-now-on-says-it-would-almost-rather-overinvest/
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/03/eight-months-after-gamestop-shut-it-down-game-informer-is-teasing-a-comeback
https://www.polygon.com/gaming/538959/blobun-lesbian-toggle-steam-lgbtq-option-setting
https://kotaku.com/life-strange-double-exposure-award-gdc-2025-layoffs-1851771282
https://www.polygon.com/pokemon-go/541768/scopely-niantic-interview-michael-steranka
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43041140/sale/DayoftheDevs2025SanFrancisco
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2awesomestudio/altered-alma/description
https://bugaboopocket.com/press/index.php

Episode 25 - Split Fiction: Queer Gaming with Your Partner

Two major topics this week, True Avatars!
Of course, we have a few smaller headlines, including the Steam Spring Sale (go pick up some queer indie games!) and the Silent Hill f reveal.
But then there’s the major headline: Amy-Lynn and Lloyd_Lloydster join me to discuss how Scopely, a predatory mobile game company that’s owned by a country with a certain concerning track record, has purchased Niantic, the owner of Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom, and Monster Hunter Now. How will Pokémon GO change under its new owners?
In the second half, I’m joined by my partner Nicole to talk about our experience playing Split Fiction together! We share our thoughts on the exciting new co-op game from the It Takes Two devs, and what it’s like to game with your partner in a queer relationship.
Don’t forget to listen to the end for the Queer Game of the Week!
 
00:00:00 - Intro and What We’ve Been Playing
00:08:43 - News
00:21:20 - Scopely Buys Pokémon GO
01:10:00 - Split Fiction
01:57:55 - Queer Game of the Week: The Quarry
 
This episode was recorded on March 14 & 15 2025.
 
***SPOILERS for the first 5 hours of Split Fiction***
 
The game mentioned by Amy-Lynn is Rise of the Golden Idol.
The game mentioned by Nicole is Strikers 1945.
 
Sources:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/03/chrono-trigger-to-celebrate-30th-anniversary-with-various-projects
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/powerwash-simulator-2-is-coming-this-year-to-ps5-xbox-series-and-pc/
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/593110/view/3694679839286985808
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag157nqMV0Q
https://deadline.com/2025/03/pokemon-go-video-games-niantic-acquired-by-scopely-billion-1236324110/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Monopoly_GO/comments/18wmfr4/this_game_is_so_predatory_its_put_me_off/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Monopoly_GO/comments/16grtwf/officially_done/
https://kotaku.com/pokemon-go-scopely-niantic-saudi-arabia-monster-hunter-1851769360

Episode 24 - Steam Next Fest: We Played Lots of LGBTQ+ Demos!

Ekamy and I played a lot of queer game demos this week, as part of Steam Next Fest!
This week's headlines include the future of “The Last of Us” series, tariffs affecting physical media, Fable got delayed, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is being given out for FREE (kinda), and much more!
Steam’s Next Fest is a big deal, because there’s always lots of upcoming indie games to try — which means brand new LGBTQ+ games!! We played a bunch of them and share our thoughts! See timecodes for specific games.
ALSO: I’ve introduced a new segment going forward: Queer Game of the Week! Tune in to hear all about Ekamy’s pick, and the criteria for what qualifies! Each week, the show will highlight a different queer game, so don’t miss it!
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:03:05 - News
00:36:56 - Steam Next Fest
00:39:04 - Truer Than You
00:43:50 - Paper Trails: A Scrapbooking Story
00:49:05 - Monster Prom 4: Monster Con
00:56:05 - Toward Dawn
01:07:15 - Quality Dreams, Reasonably Priced
01:17:00 - Tempopo
01:22:43 - A Pizza Delivery
01:28:21 - Couple Maker
01:31:25 - Queer Game of the Week: Tacoma
 
This episode was recorded on March 6 2025.
 
Sources:
https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/the-last-of-us-season-2-abby-video-game-changes-backlash-1236327786/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/trump-tariffs-threaten-the-future-of-physical-video-games-analyst-warns/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-trump-trade-war-deal-1.7476311
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-has-officially-delayed-fable-to-2026-its-definitely-worth-the-wait/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/warner-bros-is-reportedly-closing-three-game-studios-and-canceling-wonder-woman/
https://blog.playstation.com/2025/02/26/playstation-plus-monthly-games-for-march-dragon-age-the-veilguard-sonic-colors-ultimate-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-the-cowabunga-collection/
https://x.com/concernedape/status/1894884302552436799?s=46&t=sVUrhNeL5EXDMRDpzdemfQ
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/activision-taps-ai-for-sneak-peek-at-possible-guitar-hero-call-of-duty-and-crash-bandicoot-games/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sega-promises-fewer-new-games-but-deeper-investments-in-sonic-atlus-and-like-a-dragon/

Episode 23 - Pokémon Legends Z-A Hype Train

Pokémon Day finally arrived, and we’re REALLY excited for Legends Z-A, the Paris-inspired followup to one of the best Pokémon games in recent memory.
Amy-Lynn and Nicole join me as we talk about our favourite moments from the Pokémon Presents overall, plus a lot of speculation and theories as we digest our first look at gameplay for Legends Z-A.
Unfortunately, this week was super busy, so I’ll be back next week to discuss the Steam Next Fest and the other headlines I missed. Thank you for your patience, True Avatars!
 
00:00:00 - Intro and Pokémon Presents Thoughts
00:20:54 - Legends Z-A Discussion
 
This episode was recorded on March 2 2025.
 
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7FTkUFU7nw