Matt Chat 257

Feargus is back one final time (for now!) to chat about Obsidian. We talk about the behind-the-scenes drama with these titles before getting into Dwarves, a game based on Snow White that was cancelled after a year of production. We wrap up with a discussion of being a boss, and how to reject somebody’s ideas without making an enemy.

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Matt Chat 256: Feargus Urquhart on the Fall of Black Isle

Feargus returns in part 3 of my 4 part interview. In this segment, we talk about the collapse of Black Isle in the wake of some questionable decisions on the part of Fargo and other execs–Interplay Sports, Engage, losing the D&D license, and some bad bets on consoles (Sega Saturn, anyone?). Despite the passage of time, Feargus is still quite emotional, and you can’t help but wonder what might have happened if the leadership had listened to him.

Games covered include Planescape: Torment, Fallout 3, Baldur’s Gate III, and Icewind Dale.

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Matt Chat 255: Feargus Urquhart on Baldur’s Gate, Shattered Steel, and Fallout

It’s a Matt Chat double header weekend!

In this segment, Feargus talks about his early days, starting off as a Quality Assurance guy and flying up the ranks to full-fledged producer. We chat about the Shattered Steel game, Baldur’s Gate (a name that Feargus came up with!), and a bit about Fallout.

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Matt Chat 254: Feargus Urquhart on Southpark, Pillars of Eternity, and More

Feargus Urquhart is the CEO of Obsidian Entertainment and one of the all-round coolest dudes in the videogame industry. In this first installment of our epic chat, Feargus and I talk about South Park, Pillars of Eternity, the planned sequel, and a zombie Western game that is possibly in the works…He also draws a line between the Skyrim fan and the potential audience of Pillars of Eternity. There’s a line in the sand for console vs. PC CRPG fans.

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Matt Chat 251: Yerzmyey on Atari Music

In this episode, chiptune maestro Yerzmyey talks about making music on Atari computers. We also chat about ZX81 music and how he composes his tunes.

NOTE: Yerzmyey himself has been reading the comments on these videos, so feel free to ask him any questions you have about his music or his platforms of choice. Check out his awesome music (for free!) here.

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Seduction of the Stupid?: Some Thoughts on GamerGate

Seduction_of_the_InnocentBack in 1954, a psychiatric whistle blower named Fredric Wertham published a book called Seduction of the Innocent, which made all sorts of alarmist claims about the comics book industry.  Unbeknownst to the general public, the supposedly kid-friendly world of comics was anything but, and were, in fact, dripping with filth and the vilest of themes, including excessively graphic violence and sexual obscenities.

While some of his claims seemed questionable then and now (Superman as a fascist? Batman and Robin as lovers?) Wertham did a marvelous job drawing the public’s attention to some of the worst excesses of the comics industry. The comics industry responded by adopting a “Comics Code” sanitizing regime that threw the baby out with the bathwater. These efforts stunted the American comics book industry, which soon lagged behind other countries in terms of art and themes. Serious comic book authors in this country either went underground, gave up, or produced childish, squeaky-clean stories purged of meaningful content.

My point is not that the comics industry needed no regulation–simply that the reaction went much too far, and ended up stifling creative freedom in the process. And, if we’re not careful, the same thing–if not worse–is about to happen to American video games.

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Matt Chat 250: Yerzmyey Part I

This week is all about music, but not just any music. We’re talking about chiptunes, Atari 8-bit, and Amiga music with musical composer Yerzmyey.

Check out Yerzmyey’s awesome tracks here:
http://yerzmyey.i-demo.pl/

Check out my GOG affiliate link here:
http://www.gog.com/?pp=12f0de3dc76e067d21ed85125716e02e9f1e69f0

Support Matt Chat with Patreon–it’s the best way to support the YouTubers you love: http://www.patreon.com/blacklily8

Download the mp4 here.