Apologies for the re-send on this, but it looks like there was an audio goof on this that I did not notice while I was on holiday last week. It should be fixed now. Sorry!!! -pk

It’s been a minute, but Spawnpoint is back, featuring Patrick (Crossplay) and Keza (The Guardian). Patrick and Keza actually met up IRL recently, but neglected to record a podcast in-person! Total geniuses. Nonetheless, we walk through our (ecstatic!) reactions to the latest Nintendo Direct, Patrick’s oldest falling for the latest Super Monkey Ball, and Keza’s youngest trying to grasp Yoshi’s Crafted World. Elsewhere, they discuss what it means to design a game “for” kids, and how so many fall short. In the mailbag, a listener wrestles with trying to make user accounts for their kids.

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news

Timestamps:

* 00:01:30 — Long Flights

* 00:09:40 — Nintendo Direct Reaction

* 00:17:15 — Super Monkey Ball / Yoshi’s Crafted World

* 00:32:00 — What is Kid-Friendly Design?

* 00:51:25 — Mailbag

You’ve read Ash Brandin’s words on Crossplay, now hear from “The Gamer Educator'' in their own voice, as well. Ash joins Patrick to discuss what prompted Ash to start an Instagram account about helping parents navigate games, screen time, and technology, and in-between dodging school bell noises, the two discuss establishing digital literacy for young kids.

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news

Timestamps:

* 00:02:00 — How Patrick and Ash Met

* 00:06:20 — The Gamer Educator Origins

* 00:09:33 — Gamification in the Classroom

* 00:23:11 — The Morality of Screen Time

* 00:33:50 — The Old Internet

* 00:39:00 — Screen Anxiety

* 00:54:39 — Ash Is Writing a Book!

Spawnpoint is excited to welcome actor Abubakar Salim (Raised By Wolves, House of the Dragon, Assassin’s Creed Origins) for a touching conversation about Tales of Kenzera: Zau, a video game about processing the grief associated with the death of Abubakar’s father. A little more than a decade ago, Patrick Klepek’s own father died of a heart attack, and the two find common ground on the often lonely path to understanding what to make of such sadness.

Timestamps:

* 00:00:43 - What is Tales of Kenzera: Zau?

* 00:03:57 - Fathers and Video Games

* 00:08:75 - Why a Video Game?

* 00:16:45 - Grief as Game Design

* 00:22:30 - What Would Father Think?

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news