Inspirations

Into the Aether and their low-key video game podcast vibe is my biggest inspiration, especially their attitude of humbly making something with little expectations of what can happen, as sustainably as possible alongside the rest of their lives. A number of other The Worst Garbage Online podcasts are also big influences, specifically Asynchronous, Trails through Trails, and Video Game Podtimism

The Besties shaped a lot of how I think about video games, and are the first people I heard grapple with saying "video game book club."

Lore Reasons is the most in-depth exploration of Kingdom Hearts I'm aware of from some of my favorite people in video games media, though none of them are still at Waypoint/Vice, so I'd more heartily recommend following the team's current projects. A More Civilized Age featuring Austin, Natalie, and Rob is a huge inspiration for this show, taking the deep well of Star Wars canon (starting with the Clone Wars animated series) seriously from a political and intellectual perspective. On Remap Patrick, Rob, and Cado are still covering games. And Friends at the Table features Austin and friends' excellent and imaginative world-building and role-playing.

And I Chews You featuring inaugural Heart2Heart Club guest Ben C. Montoya discussing cooking and eating pokemon with their friends deserves a shoutout as well, for proving that a video game podcast can really be anything.