Pac-Man's Search for Meaning https://pac-mans-search-for-meaning.pinecast.co Pinecast (https://pinecast.com) en-USPan and Hanna Pan and Hanna subtlefrequencies@gmail.com no Pac-Man's Search for Meaning https://pac-mans-search-for-meaning.pinecast.co https://storage.pinecast.net/podcasts/covers/c6fea0b9-25c0-437b-a720-706a2968929c/panman_search_for_meaning.jpg episodic Copyright 2026 Video game discussions for and by geniuses. S1E7 - Citizen Sleeper: Labor-intensive Impoverished Gay Space Capitalism, The Game https://pinecast.com/guid/7c6594e8-e93c-4e1b-be52-2c11e2559e7a Sat, 18 Feb 2023 13:58:36 -0000 01:54:24 Finally learn what if feels like to be owned by a corporation... https://pac-mans-search-for-meaning.pinecast.co/episode/7c6594e8/citizen-sleeper-labor-intensive-impoverished-gay-space-capitalism-the-game SPOILER WARNING: I usually do this further down, but this is a relatively new, relatively short game, and I think it's real good and everyone should play it. And we very much spoil all of it in this episode. So here's Citizen Sleeper. It's a lot like like a TTRPG, but it's on your computer or tv. Also, unlike some TTRPGs, it has some really wonderful art. And, unlike all TTRPGs that I've ever heard of, it has a killer soundtrack. It has a lot to say about capitalism and how much it sucks.

]]> Citizen Sleeper: Labor-intensive Impoverished Gay Space Capitalism, The Game no 1 7 S1E6 - Papers, Please: Could There Be Negative Aspects of Border Security? https://pinecast.com/guid/8d70b3df-0272-43a9-b546-947e6782ffd9 Sat, 11 Feb 2023 13:51:03 -0000 01:14:27 The game about borders might have something to say about borders?? https://pac-mans-search-for-meaning.pinecast.co/episode/8d70b3df/papers-please-could-there-be-negative-aspects-of-border-security- Papers, Please (2013) is arguably the most straightforward game we have discussed so far. It's a game where you play as an immigration inspector at a border crossing, and, believe it or not, the game explores the nature of that work, the ethical questions one might face when working in such a position, and the ethics of closed borders in general. Other cool themes include: the dehumanizing effect of bureaucracy, totalitarianism, and revolution. Or at least that's the stuff we think the game is about. List to us ramble about it and let us know where we got it right or wrong.

SPOILERS just for this game, and the outcome of the Cold War

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]]> Papers, Please: Could There Be Negative Aspects of Border Security? no 1 6 S1E5 - Celeste: Mental Illness Is Hard and So Is This Game https://pinecast.com/guid/6a3fcb98-ca2d-4f19-b75b-a1cb0068f06e Sat, 04 Feb 2023 13:05:00 -0000 01:22:35 This game probably won't cure your depression, but it might help https://pac-mans-search-for-meaning.pinecast.co/episode/6a3fcb98/celeste-mental-illness-is-hard-and-so-is-this-game Alright. Enough with the games about gruff badasses. It's time for some more down-to-earth indie games. First up, we have Celeste, which was way harder than I expected but was otherwise a very lovely experience. Check it out if you like hard things, or if you like to think about depression and anxiety.

SPOILERS for just Celeste I think?

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]]> Celeste: Mental Illness Is Hard and So Is This Game no 1 5 S1E4 - The Witcher 3 pt 2: A Game About Surprising Outcomes https://pinecast.com/guid/3030b3a0-1146-40ee-b1b8-e896afb3642e Sat, 04 Feb 2023 13:03:00 -0000 01:01:03 Pt 2 of 2. You just never know what Geralt will do next! https://pac-mans-search-for-meaning.pinecast.co/episode/3030b3a0/the-witcher-3-pt-2-a-game-about-surprising-outcomes More witcher talk. Guaranteed to be 20% smarter than pt 1.

Obviously more SPOILERS for anything witcher related

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]]> The Witcher 3 pt 2: A Game About Surprising Outcomes no 1 4 S1E3 - The Witcher 3: A Game About Dads https://pinecast.com/guid/e204239f-1ce5-48cf-bf0a-a83b98397aba Sat, 04 Feb 2023 13:02:00 -0000 01:25:12 Pt 1 of 2. Lotta dads in this one https://pac-mans-search-for-meaning.pinecast.co/episode/e204239f/the-witcher-3-a-game-about-dads "the witcher is a video game adaptation of that movie pitch from always sunny about a scientist who can smell crime" -@kelibacy on twitter

Yes, we're starting with the third game in a series. It's just that this game is much better than the first two. It's also just as much about being a dad as it is about being a witcher.

**SPOILER WARNING FOR: pretty much anything about the witcher, including all games, some of the books, and the netflix series

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]]> The Witcher 3: A Game About Dads no 1 3 S1E1 - Metal Gear Solid: The Least Politcal Game Ever https://pinecast.com/guid/f0497d56-5975-43cf-ac68-66358116f8ee Sat, 04 Feb 2023 13:00:00 -0000 00:50:30 Part 1 of 2. Definitly no politics in this one https://pac-mans-search-for-meaning.pinecast.co/episode/f0497d56/metal-gear-solid-the-least-politcal-game-ever It's our first episode, and we're starting with one of the greatest games of all time: Hideo Kojima's masterpiece Metal Gear Solid. This game is packed with big ideas from one of the greatest developers to ever... develop. Tune in.

Spoilers for Kojima's entire body of work, and a bunch of other stuff

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]]> Metal Gear Solid: The Least Politcal Game Ever no 1 1 S1E2 - Metal Gear Solid Pt 2: Starting to Suspect That There Might Be Some Politics Here https://pinecast.com/guid/db8912b7-6c4d-4394-8820-850a68ac15ee Sat, 04 Feb 2023 13:00:00 -0000 00:52:25 Pt 2 of 2. This whole game smacks of politics https://pac-mans-search-for-meaning.pinecast.co/episode/db8912b7/metal-gear-solid-pt-2-starting-to-suspect-that-there-might-be-some-politics-here There's too much happening here for just 1 episode, so here's pt 2. Tune in to see if we can understand the mind of Kojima, and understand all of his funny little tricks.

Spoilers Again, we talk freely about the plots of all of Kojima's games

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]]> Metal Gear Solid Pt 2: Starting to Suspect That There Might Be Some Politics Here no 1 2