True Avatars - A Queer Video Game Podcast

Episode 47 - Payment Processors, Queer Coworkers, and Giving the User Experience Some “Juice”

It was a slower news week – speculation about Sony leaving the console business (maybe??), Dragon Age is probably not getting any remasters in the near future, there were layoffs because why wouldn’t there be, and Ratatan (the Patapon spiritual successor) has a new release date.
What wasn’t slower was all the news about the payment processors censoring video games. Hint: it’s escalating exactly as we expect.
But this week I’m joined by Zoe Straw who brings along her colleague Betty to discuss everything!
Betty and Zoe also give insights on the game they recently helped release into early access (Aloft), including the user experience and user interface side of things (Betty is a UI/UX designer!), advice for aspiring UI/UX designers, and what “juice” means in the games industry.
 
CONTENT WARNING: at the 20:35 mark there is a brief mention of suicide, and the payment processor discussion includes darker topics such as sexual assault and child abuse. We also discuss gender reassignment surgery briefly at the beginning of the show (non-explicit).
 
00:00:00 - Intro and What We’ve Been Playing
00:15:51 - News
00:35:49 - Payment Processor Censorship Update
01:05:10 - Queer Coworkers and Their Insights
01:34:27 - Queer Game of the Week: Disco Elysium
 
This episode was recorded on August 16 2025.
 
Sources: 
https://x.com/genki_jpn/status/1953483758667170146
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pd9OG3HmN0&ab_channel=MrMattyPlays
https://bsky.app/profile/mikebithell.bsky.social/post/3lvvmqk6r7c2b
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/patapons-delayed-spiritual-successor-ratatan-gets-a-new-early-access-release-date/
https://theintercept.com/2024/08/16/project-2025-russ-vought-porn-ban/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/1mkha72/russ_vought_is_behind_the_latest_push_threatening/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0noIS9lmR0Y
https://transnews.network/p/i-feel-violated-queer-creators-lose-livelihoods-in-itch-io-bans
https://krispycat.itch.io/
https://thisweekinvideogames.com/news/zoom-platform-games-payment-processor-rules-could-lead-to-further-delistings/
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7vl57n74pqo
https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/extending-our-built-in-protections-to-more-teens-on-youtube/
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/supreme-court-formally-asked-overturn-landmark-same-sex/story?id=124465302

Episode 46 - But can you see why the gays love Soulsborne Toast Crunch?

Cleo is back from episode 43 and this week we’re talking about something this podcast has sorely neglected: Soulslikes! I’m certain it’s just an oversight and not because the podcast hostess has a deep seated fear of difficult games…
We talk about Bloodborne, the recently released Elden Ring: Nightreign, Nintendo’s new Fromsoft exclusive (The Duskbloods), and why queer people play Soulslike games.
We also catch up on a bunch of headlines, including 2 Nintendo Directs, 2 indie gaming events, queer game updates for the Nintendo Switch 2, and an important update regarding the payment processor censorship scandal (we will probably do a weekly check-in going forward).
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:05:22 - News
00:59:48 - Soulslikes Discussion
 
This episode was recorded on August 8 2025.
 
Queer indies discussed:
Bits & Bops: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1929290/Bits__Bops/
Dead Finger Dice: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3512300/Dead_Finger_Dice/
I Write Games Not Tragedies: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3396670/I_Write_Games_Not_Tragedies/
Demonschool: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1900250/Demonschool
 
Sources: 
https://bitsummit.org/en/
https://store.steampowered.com/sale/bitsummit2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZoLrfLcIVg
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/08/tactical-rpg-demonschool-finally-gets-a-launch-date-and-its-real-soon
https://herdling.game/
https://www.ballxpit.com/
https://www.rpgsite.net/news/18109-neverway-nintendo-switch-pc-release-2026-indie-world-trailer
https://necrosoftgames.com/demonschool/#game-details
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/call-of-duty-workers-at-raven-secure-first-union-contract-with-microsoft/
https://x.com/borderlands/status/1947705151093084488?s=46&t=sVUrhNeL5EXDMRDpzdemfQ
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/07/assassins-creed-shadows-switch-2-rating-spotted-online
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/08/guilty-gear-switch-edition-update-and-dlc-arriving-fall-2025
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/08/apex-legends-switch-2-performance-and-resolution-upgrade-detailed
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/deltarune-topped-switch-2-digital-charts-in-june-while-mario-kart-world-dominated-in-active-players/
https://www.virtuosgames.com/news/adapting-for-the-future-of-game-development/
https://x.com/SuperMGames/status/1947650822768132211
https://www.ign.com/articles/splitgate-2-will-go-back-to-beta-to-undergo-a-massive-rework-amid-more-layoffs-and-splitgate-1-shutdown
https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-concedes-that-the-outer-worlds-2-retail-price-was-too-high
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/07/28/xbox-gamescom-2025/
https://www.ign.com/articles/sony-is-suing-tencent-over-shameless-horizon-knock-off-game-light-of-motiram
https://automaton-media.com/en/news/nier-creator-speaks-out-against-payment-processors-pressuring-japanese-adult-content-platforms/
https://bsky.app/profile/ebihimes.bsky.social/post/3luoe7z2zps2d
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/itchio-are-seeking-out-new-payment-processors-who-are-more-comfortable-with-adult-material
https://itch.io/updates/update-on-nsfw-content#addendum-faq
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/itch-io-is-relisting-free-nsfw-content-today-but-paid-content-remains-delisted-for-now/

Episode 45 - Misc. A Tiny Tale: Spoilercast with Michael Pearce (the Lead Developer!)

This week I have a less conventional interview — a spoilercast — with the lead developer of Misc. A Tiny Tale: Michael Pearce!
Misc. A Tiny Tale is the recently released 3D platformer-collectathon inspired by games like Chibi Robo and Super Mario Sunshine, and Michael is joining me to discuss everything we can fit into 90 minutes.
We chat about the “miscellaneous” character design, the narrator, game mechanics, music, speedrunning, the ending, and bringing his dream to life!
Plus maybe some hints at more tiny tales in the future…
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:24 - Spoilercast with Michael Pearce
 
This episode was recorded on July 9 2025.
 
***Also contains spoilers for the ending of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
 
Misc. A Tiny Tale: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1308940/Misc_A_Tiny_Tale/

Episode 44 - Interview with betalars (Frame of Mind: A game of thoughts): Your thought process transformed into gameplay — including real burnout!

This week I took a break from news (I’m moving!) and interviewed betalars, the lead dev behind Frame of Mind: A game of thoughts. This is a point-and-click cosy game about processing one’s own thoughts with a unique “mind board” style of gameplay. Neurodivergence, accessibility, and queerness are all very important elements in the design, too.
betalars has a lot of amazing insights, including what it’s like to develop games as a neurodivergent person, building a scene around music and ambience, and changing the gameplay to suit players’ needs.
There is also a very interesting gameplay mechanic that manifests as you progress through the story!
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:07 - Interview with betalars
 
This episode was recorded on July 20 2025.
 
Frame of Mind: A game of thoughts: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2515480/Frame_of_Mind__A_game_of_thoughts/

Episode 43 - Is this our last chance to play queer games on Steam?

This week, Steam was forced to removed a bunch of overly explicit games at the behest of Visa and Mastercard, the two most important payment processors that allow Steam to make money.
The games that were removed were not queer (they were of the much more “aggressive” variety) — but where is the line drawn? How long before queer games are equated in the same breath as games that are actually explicit? Will Visa and Mastercard force Steam to purge games with the LGBTQ+ tag?
This subject matter is heavy and this episode contains a content warning before the discussion.
In the first half of the episode, we discuss what we’ve been playing (including Donkey Kong Bananza!) and the news.
Headlines include: a release year for The Last of Us Season 3, Donkey Kong is getting his own movie, Nintendo has found their Link and Zelda for the live action Legend of Zelda movie, Cyberpunk 2077 got a surprise content update, some disappointing AI news, and much more!
Joining me for all of this is Lloyd_Lloydster and newcomer Cleo, who also brings our Queer Game of the Week.
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:06:08 - What We’ve Been Playing
00:28:00 - News
00:57:22 - Is this our last chance to play queer games on Steam?
01:43:19 - Queer Game of the Week: Tell Me Why
 
This episode was recorded on July 19 2025.
 
***SPOILERS for Unpacking (from 01:27:45 to 01:28:56)
 
Sources:
https://game8.co/games/Donkey-Kong-Bananza/archives/537239
https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/detailed-record/rmm_voyager_V01503556900000
https://deadline.com/2025/01/shrek-5-minions-3-release-dates-1236254122/
https://x.com/nintendo/status/1945433161124688335?s=46&t=sVUrhNeL5EXDMRDpzdemfQ
https://www.ign.com/articles/the-last-of-us-season-3-planned-for-2027-and-could-be-the-series-end-hbo-boss-says
https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/assassins-creed-live-action-series-netflix-1236463572/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/steam-games-disclosing-generative-ai-use-are-up-800-this-year/
https://mobilegamer.biz/laid-off-king-staff-set-to-be-replaced-by-the-ai-tools-they-helped-build-say-sources/
https://x.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1945287268748361864
https://www.youtube.com/live/aFLKoZaHak8
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/7-months-after-cyberpunks-last-update-yet-more-new-content-has-been-revealed/
https://www.reddit.com/r/GirlGamers/s/1iP8uKRjrc
https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/gettingstarted/onboarding
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/07/valve-gets-pressured-by-payment-processors-with-a-new-rule-for-game-devs-and-various-adult-games-removed/
https://www.newsweek.com/why-visa-mastercard-being-blamed-onlyfans-banning-explicit-content-pornography-1621570
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-whistleblower-says-mastercard-visa-failed-stop-payments-child-sex-abuse-2025-01-24/
https://19thnews.org/2024/08/project-2025-anti-trans-policies-impact-families/
https://www.vu.edu.au/about-vu/news-events/news/whats-happening-with-us-book-bans-under-trump
https://publishyourpurpose.com/blog/why-book-banning-bad/
https://hmd.org.uk/resource/6-may-1933-looting-of-the-institute-of-sexology/
https://www.them.us/story/stonewall-bisexuals

Episode 42.5 - REVIEW - Misc. A Tiny Tale

Thanks to Tinyware Games, True Avatars has received a review code for the mascot platformer-inspired Misc. A Tiny Tale.
Come hear Zoey’s thoughts on this adorable (and queer) game!

Episode 42 - Interview with Tanat Boozayaangool (Building Relationships): What If Your House had a Big Gay Love Life?

I got the amazing opportunity to interview Tanat Boozayaangool, the lead developer of Building Relationships — the dating sim where you play as a house who dates… other buildings?!
Tanat gives a clever and hilarious window into his thought process behind this wacky and adorable video game, including the reasons it’s so queer at its very core and what to expect from the full game when it launches this year.
In the first half of the episode, it’s just me as a I cover a bunch of headlines: The Last of Us Part II Remastered got an exciting update, Ghost of Yotei had a PlayStation State of Play, Gayming Mag hosted their annual Gayming Awards, Nintendo is sadly ending their Game Voucher program, and there was even a followup on the #StopKillingGames petition.
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:36 - News
00:25:30 - Interview with Tanat Boozayaangool (Building Relationships)
 
This episode was recorded on July 12 2025. The interview was recorded on June 19 2025.
 
Sources:
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/eu-lobby-group-says-law-forcing-developers-to-support-online-games-would-make-them-too-expensive/
https://tech4gamers.com/ubisoft-eula-destroy-all-copies-game-goes-offline/
https://www.eurogamer.net/everything-you-might-have-missed-from-eurogamers-pride-week-2025
https://aftermath.site/kotaku-sale-keleops-go
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/last-of-us-part-2s-latest-update-adds-another-way-to-experience-the-campaign/
https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Support/Nintendo-Switch/Nintendo-Switch-Game-Vouchers-FAQ-1560656.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgM6poO2JmY
https://gaymingmag.com/2025/07/heres-the-gayming-awards-2025-winners/
https://gaymingfoundation.org/

Episode 41 - Deltarune Deep Dive + Xbox Layoffs Shake the Industry

Devona (Heldevo) and Amy-Lynn are back this week for the big gay Deltarune chat! We talk about our thoughts, if it’s a good time for a newbie to jump in, and even carve out some time for spoilers (don’t worry, we kept the spoilers separate so they’re easy to skip).
We also discuss a bunch of headlines, including Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ second season renewal, Baldur’s Gate 3 actors haven’t seen more success since the game’s release, Naughty Dog creative leads are departing The Last of Us Season 3, the #StopKillingGames campaign is gaining momentum, and those disgusting, disappointing Xbox layoffs just keep getting worse with each new article.
Plus some good news: Queer Game of the Week is finally back!
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:05:48 - News
00:59:09 - Deltarune
01:22:10 - Deltarune - Spoiler Talk
01:50:41 - Queer Game of the Week: A Normal Lost Phone
 
This episode was recorded on July 5 2025.
 
Sources:
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/cyberpunk-edgerunners-is-officially-getting-a-second-season/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/there-isnt-much-sway-held-by-past-success-baldurs-gate-3-actors-reveal-it-hasnt-boosted-their-careers/
https://www.stopkillinggames.com/
https://x.com/accursedfarms/status/1940290324884332812?s=46&t=sVUrhNeL5EXDMRDpzdemfQ
https://x.com/naughty_dog/status/1940465773639880781?s=46&t=sVUrhNeL5EXDMRDpzdemfQ
https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-season-3-halley-gross-exit-not-returning/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1429723/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_0_nm_8_in_0_q_halley%2520
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2025/qa2506e.pdf
https://mynintendonews.com/2025/07/02/brazil-nintendo-is-now-facing-legal-action-over-ability-to-brick-switch-2-console/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/playstation-hit-helldivers-2-is-officially-coming-xbox-with-crossplay/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-confirms-layoffs-we-will-end-or-decrease-work-in-certain-areas-of-the-business/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sources-everwild-has-been-cancelled-as-xbox-layoffs-hit-rare/
https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/microsoft-is-closing-down-xbox-studio-the-initiative
https://variety.com/2025/gaming/news/perfect-dark-everwild-game-canceled-microsoft-initiative-1236446212/
https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/06/08/xbox-games-showcase-2025-recap-everything-announced/
https://x.com/beskinfinity/status/1940504572759548177?s=46&t=sVUrhNeL5EXDMRDpzdemfQ
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/john-romeros-next-fps-has-lost-funding-in-the-wake-of-the-microsoft-cuts/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/romero-games-now-completely-closed-following-microsoft-cuts-its-claimed/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-insists-boss-phil-spencer-is-not-retiring-anytime-soon/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-producer-criticised-for-suggesting-laid-off-devs-should-use-ai-for-career-planning-and-emotional-clarity/
https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/report-microsofts-2025-layoffs-revolve-around-its-desperate-usd80-billion-ai-infrastructure-investment

Episode 40 - Quantum Witch Review, ‘Press Gay to Play’ Showcase

This week it’s just me, Zoey, as I cover three main segments!
I start with the headlines, as usual, and it’s thankfully a lighter week (even if not all the news is good). Deltarune got a big patch, Drag x Drive and Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant DLC finally got release dates, Microsoft is doing yet another round of layoffs (a month after doing a major round of them), and Netflix is delisting several games (one or more might be queer!).
I also cover the ‘Press Gay to Play’ Showcase. This was an hour-long showcase focused entirely on queer games, which is perfect for this podcast! But there were so many games highlighted, that I had to narrow down a small list to cover on the show.
Finally, I was given the wonderful opportunity to review the recent indie darling, Quantum Witch! I’ve highlighted this game on the show several times, and even interviewed the developer, Nikki Jay — so I was beyond honoured when I received the first ever review code for True Avatars.
Spoiler alert for my thoughts: the game is amazing!!
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:06:01 - News
00:24:37 - ‘Press Gay to Play’ Showcase
00:27:59 - Hungry Horrors
00:29:49 - Don’t Wake the Beast
00:31:10 - Parcel Dash
00:32:13 - Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts
00:33:31 - Lady Dracula
00:35:27 - Light of Atlantis
00:37:02 - Find this Pixel Anomaly
00:38:47 - Whistle Pig
00:40:48 - The Well’s Blessing
00:42:18 - Banned Together
00:44:15 - High Times
00:45:48 - Reality Break
00:47:07 - Until Oblivion
00:48:38 - Winter Burrow
00:49:59 - Xochi’s Apothecary
00:51:28 - Honourable Re-mentions
00:52:38 - Quantum Witch REVIEW
 
The first half of this episode was recorded on June 29 2025. The review was recorded on June 27 2025.
 
‘Press Gay to Play’ Showcase:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pjyhnns-l0
Hungry Horrors: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3048840/Hungry_Horrors/
Don’t Wake the Beast: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3258580/Dont_Wake_the_Beast/
Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3119540/Scriptorium_Master_of_Manuscripts/
Lady Dracula: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3624840/Lady_Dracula/
Light of Atlantis: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2387740/Light_of_Atlantis/
Find this Pixel Anomaly: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3290400/Find_This_Pixel_Anomaly/
Whistle Pig: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3655760/Whistle_Pig/
The Well’s Blessing: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3637250/The_Wells_Blessing/
Banned Together: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3551960/Banned_Together/
High Times: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2251220/High_Times__DatingCooking_Sim/
Reality Break: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1473060/Reality_Break/
Until Oblivion: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3106660/Until_Oblivion/
Winter Burrow: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3008740/Winter_Burrow/
Xochi’s Apothecary: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379750/Xochis_Apothecary/
 
Sources:
https://x.com/UnderTale/status/1937113664886304822?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/netflix-is-delisting-20-mobile-games-next-month-including-hades-braid-and-monument-valley/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-is-reportedly-planning-another-round-of-major-layoffs-next-week/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/microsoft-announces-plans-to-lay-off-thousands-more-workers/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itAbXDWTbqQ
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-confirms-hellblade-2-enhanceds-new-features-release-date-and-ps5-upgrade-for-the-first-game/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v18WVA3NMJ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pjyhnns-l0
https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/chained-echoes-90s-jrpg-love-letter-with-queer-rep.906125/
https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/sable
https://gaymingmag.com/2025/05/rainbow-tech-fest-2025-a-pride-month-hack-a-thon-comes-to-twitch/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yangyangmobile/high-times
https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1ilf15n/reality_break_element_games_diablo_with/
https://nomron.itch.io/until-oblivion

Episode 39 - Interview with Nikki Jay (Quantum Witch): From Escaping a Cult to Killing Digital Gods

The first half of this episode is just me as I speedrun through the news. Queer headlines include a major update on Hades II, a release year for Deltarune’s next chapter, Misc. A Tiny Tale has some upgraded Switch 2 visuals, and information on a canceled Dungeons & Dragons game. In other news, Xbox has started to ramp up their next-gen plans while Nintendo gives us a better look at Donkey Kong Bananza!
I also found 3 more queer games in the Green Games Showcase.
In the second half, I have an exciting interview for you! Nikki Jay is here to talk about her brand new, hilarious, queer plot-former Quantum Witch!
Quantum Witch is a game all about unpacking and processing Nikki’s life experiences, including escaping a cult…? She talks in-depth on her thoughts, inspirations, life stories, all through an unfiltered lesbian lens.
 
CONTENT WARNING: During the interview, we briefly discuss the topic of suicide. It lasts about 25 seconds. If you'd like to skip this discussion, Nikki flags it just before speaking about it.
 
00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:39 - News
00:22:01 - Green Games Showcase
00:23:56 - Ritual of Raven
00:25:52 - FLICK SOLITAIRE
00:27:26 - Hawthorne
00:34:53 - Interview with Nikki Jay (Quantum Witch)
 
The first half of this episode was recorded on June 22 2025. The interview was recorded on May 22 2025.
 
Green Games Showcase:
https://store.steampowered.com/sale/GreenGamesShowcase
Ritual of Raven: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2066520/Ritual_of_Raven/
FLICK SOLITAIRE: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3690460/FLICK_SOLITAIRE/
Hawthorn: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3078150/Hawthorn/
 
Sources:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/06/hades-2-full-release-is-getting-close-as-development-enters-final-phase
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/06/deltarune-chapter-5-locks-in-2026-release-window
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/06/misc-a-tiny-tale-looks-super-smooth-on-switch-2-thanks-to-a-dev-hunch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOCtRanwXrA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVUidGTR8xg
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/footage-of-a-cancelled-dungeons-dragons-rpg-has-appeared-online/
https://www.tweaktown.com/news/105802/the-witcher-4-is-built-for-console-first-cdpr-confirms-60fps-not-guaranteed/index.html
https://gaymingmag.com/2025/05/queer-tarot-comes-to-flick-solitaire-on-june-1st/
https://kotaku.com/hawthorne-stardew-valley-skyrim-cozy-sim-rpg-trailer-1851668143
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-10-18/viral-new-indie-video-game-hawthorn-has-a-tragic-backstory
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/former-bethesda-and-bioware-devs-are-making-a-stardew-like-with-redwall-animals-and-oh-my-god-look-at-this-little-mouse-farmer-carry-a-pumpkin/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nearstudios/hawthorn