Sacred Symbols+, Episode 234 | The Heroic Gene Park (Patreon)

Please welcome Washington Post journalist Gene Park back to Sacred Symbols+. First and foremost: Gene has gotten through chemo, and he looks to be on the upswing. There's a fight ahead, but things are certainly looking up, and we talk all about it. And then: Our show itself. The topics are manifold. We get into the weeds with Xbox's and PlayStation's ongoing war over Activision-Blizzard, and the often-conflicting intersection of creativity and money. We also discuss some of this fall's biggest games, particularly Gotham Knights, which -- controversially and confusingly -- is launching on PlayStation 5 at 30 frames. How can this be? (Gene says it's "an L.") We've also witnessed a significant erosion of games media in the past week, with the destruction of the likes of Fanbyte and G4. Where does bad management and decision-making end and poor talent performance begin, as this game of musical chairs continues at speed? And then there's the small matter of authoritarian money in games, pouring in by the billions from Saudi Arabia and China, places that frankly share none of our cultural or societal values. But the cash is green all the same. Come join me (Colin!) and Gene for a deep-dive into our industry, with more hopefully to come.