Domino Club is a pseudo-anonymous internet collective that makes weird, horny, and genre perverting videogames. In this episode I’m joined by Domino Club card carrying members Emma (she/her), Nat (she/they), and Rose (she/her) to chat about the group’s origins, its unconventional approach to anthology projects, and how all these games are secretly just for them. We also dive into their latest jam, Humors & Humus, to discuss how each member approached the chickpea-less theme. You can find all of Domino Club’s games on itch and their website, and the group on Twitter @club_domino. Domino Club’s Cool Things to Share (more down below)- Rose: Cecil B. Demented (John Waters, 2000)- Nat: the films of Sarah Jacobson- Emma: people who have been inspired by Domino Club to make their own game groups Domino Club Games Discussed- HACKER//SUCKER//LOSER (Humors & Humus Jam, 2023)- Adverse Possession (Humors & Humus Jam, 2023)- Ziptie Choker (Humors & Humus Jam, 2023)- The Devil’s Imago (Humors & Humus Jam, 2023)- PISSED-ON PETITE PERVERT (Humors & Humus Jam, 2023)- Greaser (Metal & Flesh Jam, 2022) Other Things Discussed- Believeinthe.net- Garden’s of Vextro (vextro, 2022)- Donating My Body To Science (Heavens To Betsy, 1994)- FREEYOUTUBEMP3DOWNLOAD- Mutant Hunt (Tim Kincaid, 1987) Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi. View additional question answers from other Domino Club members on KRITIQAL.

Sam Machell (he/him) is half of indie game studio Sand Gardeners, known for provocative and unconventional games like Dark Kitchen, Memphis, Bubbleland, and Brownie Cove Cancelled. We chat about the studio’s origins as a webcomic collaboration, designing hostile environments, and the tragedy and possibility of unarchivable games. Later, Sam gives a brief eulogy for the Wii U, sadly taken from us too soon. You can play Sand Gardeners’s games on itch, and follow Sam on Instagram @sambehindglass. Sam’s Inspiring Things to Share- The tragically misunderstood Wii U Things Discussed- the Brownie Cove webcomic (partially archived on its facebook page)- Kentucky Route Zero (Cardboard Computer, 2016-2020)- Exhaustlands (Sand Gardeners, 2018)- Brownie Cove Cancelled (2018)- Kitchen For One (Sand Gardeners, 2019)- Dark Kitchen (2020)- Memphis, Bubbleland (2022)- Unpaid Serenade for Future Solution Group [2026 eCon Grief/Heartbreak Singalong Nightmare/Archive] (Sand Gardeners, 2021)- Feast Work (Sand Gardeners, 2023)- non-places (Marc Auge’s Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity)- non-time (Mark Fisher’s Ghosts of my Life)- non-endings (LeeRoy Lewin’s The Aleph Hustle)- co-open (lowpolis, 2021)- No shit, video games are political. They’re conservative. (Josh Tucker, 2019) Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

Lili Zone (she/they) is the experimental game designer behind works like Crypt World (2013) and Crypt Underworld (2023). She took some time to chat with me about Crypt World’s origins, the nearly decade long development of Underworld, and what she has planned for the future now the crypts are behind her. We also dig into the evolving conception of indie games, the “small games matter” PR amnesia cycle, and gaming’s ongoing embarrassment and adoration for Great Men™️. You can play Lili’s games on itch, and her personal site. Lili’s Cool Things to Share- The Blazing World (Margaret Cavendish, 1666) Things Discussed- Crypt World- Crypt Underworld- The Virtual Museum of Dead-Wifery (Lili Zone, 2020)- Room Map (Lili Zone, 2022)- Glorious Trainwrecks- Problem Attic (Liz Ryerson, 2013)- Indie Game: The Movie (James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot, 2012) Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

Canvas (he/she), aka bighandinsky, is the creator of crunchy, narrative driven scifi games A Forgetful Loop (2020) and A Day of Maintenance (2022). He’s collaborated with fellow writers and indie devs Freya Campbell and Elliot Herriman, and joined me on this episode to chat about integrating dense narration into mechanics heavy games, writing casual and circuitous conversations with robots, and the struggle of managing energy and stress during longterm projects. You can follow Canvas on Cohost @peterrobot, and play his games on itch. Canvas’ Cool/Inspiring Things to Share- Daily wordplay games Murdle and Redactcle- How much they appreciate their partner Things Discussed- A Forgetful Loop- A Day of Maintenance- Two Peas in a Pod (bighandinsky, 2021)- Ink by Inkle- Klara and the Sun (Kazuo Ishiguro, 2022) Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

Leah Case (she/her) is a writer and game developer who specializes in absurd Twine hacking. In our chat, she digs into why she loves Twine so much, how she approaches writing branching interactive fiction, and how collaborating as part of snotwurm lets her focus in on system building (in Twine, of course). She closes the show out by teasing a forthcoming visual novel strategy game, and recommending some further listening. You can follow Leah on Twitter @leahthecase, and play her games on itch. Leah's Cool Things to Share- C. J. Cherryh’s science fiction writing Things Discussed- Twine- Lysogenesis (Leah Case, 2022)- A Political Marriage (Leah Case, 2022)- SugarPhone, a SugarCube 2 Phone Engine (Leah Case, 2023)- Leaving, 2153 (Leah Case, 2020)- San Francisco, 2118 (Leah Case, 2019)- Snotwurm- GOOD DUNGEON (Snotwurm, 2021)- BAPY (Snotwurm, 2021) Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

Autumn Rain (she/they/it) is a prolific game developer whose work explores religious trauma, non-linear exploration, and getting lost in a maze of rats. We discuss games as miserable piles of secrets, the importance of indie dev communities, and why it’s actually fine and good to troll gamers. You can follow Autumn on Twitter @slitherpunk, on Tumblr @slitherpunk, and play her games on itch. Autumns's Cool Things to Share- Lunacid (KIRA LLC, 2022)- Cartomancy Anthology (Compact, 2022)- The Owl House (Dana Terrace, 2020-2023) Things Discussed- Sewer Rave (Autumn Rain, 2018)- Voidland Mystery Goodnight (Autumn Rain, 2022)- Be Not Afraid A.K.A. Seraphim Horror Show!? (Autumn Rain, 2020)- Artists of a Dead World (Autumn Rain, 2020)- Gardens of a New World (Autumn Rain, 2021)- Super Paper Mario (Intelligent Systems, 2007)- Code Coven- Haunted PS1 Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

Lily Valeen (she/they) is a game designer, writer, and artist who recently released BOSSGAME: The Final Boss is My Heart, a mobile action game about lesbian devil hunters. She joined me on the show to dive into BOSSGAME's development, the frustrating preconceptions around mobile games, and writing queer romance. Later on, we encourage you to befriend your cool mutuals. You can follow Lily on Twitter @ItsMeLilyV, and play her games on iOS, Android, and itch. Lily's Cool Thing to Share- Becoming friends with people on the internet (it's more likely than you think!) Things Discussed- BOSSGAME (Lilycore Games, 2022)- Collaborating with guest artists (full list of artists here)- A lost era of mobile games- Indie game marketing (spoiler: there's no secret)- Mobile -> PC -> mobile ports- Romances about couples that are already together- Mystic Messenger (Cheritz, 2016) Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting KRITIQAL on Ko-Fi.

Kate Barrett (she/her) is a game developer and comic artist best known for her playful, irreverent, and frequently copyright infringing design philosophy, best showcased by games such as Ready Player Fuck (2017) and Pottergame (2020). She joined me this episode to retrace her curiosity-turned-obsession with Earnest Cline’s novel, evangelize her suitably unorthodox commitment to Blitz3D, and discuss the freedom that comes with embracing Glorious Trainwrecks. You can play Kate’s games on itch and Glorious Trainwrecks. Kate’s Inspiring Thing to Share - Playing more videogames (and learning to enjoy them again) Things Discussed - Ready Player Fuck - Amy in Art Land (Kate Barrett, upcoming) - KateLabs (Kate Barrett, 2021) - Space Funeral 3D (spiders, krisekrise, 2021) - dream metro quadrilogy (bagenzo, 2021) - Gooshlands Gathering (Cubewell, 2021) - Dolphin Preserve RPG (Whales 2021) - Devourer: The Minigames (2021) - Blitz3D now-open-source engine Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

Content warning: this episode is primarily about porn Kenzie Shores (she/her) is a game developer and artist best known for the pornographic visual novel, Hardcoded. Nearing the game’s full release, Kenzie joined me to chat about Hardcoded’s origins, the challenge of monetizing porn, and why it really sucks to work on the same game for seven years. You can follow Kenzie on Twitter @yoplatz, support Hardcoded on Patreon, and download the free demo on itch. Kenzie’s Cool Things to Share - Using vegetable stock instead of water for rice (!) - The Erotic Poems of E. E. Cummings Things Discussed - Hardcoded - Why Patreon sucks for porn - Ladykiller in a Bind (Love Conquers All Games, 2016) - Ancient porn mods for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Manhunt (Gretchen Felker-Martin, 2022) - Content warnings in games (or the lack thereof) - Untitled sexy fantasy card game Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.

The year has come and gone in a Sonic hued blur, and as is now tradition, I reached out to prior Kritiqal Care guests to ask what their favorite gaming and/or gaming-adjacent memory was in 2022. The responses were truly incredible, spanning great games, communities, moments of personal growth, and surprising opportunities. This continues to be my favorite episode of the year, and I’m so glad to get to share it with you. Happy new year! Featuring Leo Bunyea | Aubrey Isaacman | Elaine Gómez | Kate Olguin | Kiki & Alicia of Transparency | Quinn K | Andrew of Indiepocalypse | Nicholas O'Brien | SKELETON | Taylor McCue | Hyacinth Nil | Nilson Carroll | Kat of Pixel A Day | Jeff Chiao | Jeremy Couillard | Karin Malady | Joel Jordon | Son La Pham | Adam Le Doux | Jason Bakker | Max Miller | Cosmo D Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nathalie, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one and supporting Kritiqal on Ko-Fi.