Big Game Hunger is a weekly comedy show where Jenna Stoeber and friends craft the big next game every episode. Starting with a random genre, concept, and vibe, Jenna and a friend will take a game all the way from pitch, to slightly more developed pitch. By the end of the episode, they’ll have honed an IP so irresistible, you’ll be ready to risk $25 for it on Steam. Get ready to laugh about games you love, learn about game trends, and yearn for titles that will surely never make their release date. New episodes every Monday.
Last refreshed: ⓘ
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
Thank you for listening, and sorry! Check out the Big Game Hunger shirt on my DFTBA store: https://store.dftba.com/products/sonic-popsicle-big-game-hunger-shirt Listen to Burnt Cook Book Party, my hilarious time-looping actual play podcast: https://shows.acast.com/bcbparty Watch a video essay: https://www.youtube.com/@the_jenna Join a livestream on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/the_jenna/ or on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheJennaVOD Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/thejenn...
I'm going on hiatus over the summer! Sorry I pronounce hiatus weird, I don't know what that's about. Extended patreon post: Patreon.com/TheJenna DFTBA shop: https://store.dftba.com/products/sonic-popsicle-big-game-hunger-shirt See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
No episode this week! Apologies! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Marie Enger, artist and game designer, combats a fear of one of the prompts: Shrieking Worms GPS augmented reality phone game And they do that by making a game called Worm Calling, a geocaching-esque game where you must uncover a little worm friend using audio cues. Try to pinpoint a worm's location by following the audio trail on your phone - just make sure you beat the birds to it! Follow Marie on Bluesky @SoEngery , and check out their games, Death to the Wizard Kings and Casket Land ! Visit ...
Bree Paulsen, author and artist of graphic novels like The Firelight Apprentice, brings a lot of spooky scary coze to the podcast with the prompts: Cerebral Premise: a worker at a temp agency is mistaken sent to the underworld and has to ferry souls down the river styx and she must navigate it and figure out how to do that, Title: Charon is Caring 2D fighting game A spooky/cerebral experience grounded with the structure of a 2d fighting game leads to Grey, a smart and emotional game where you de...
Sophia Ricciardi, host of Moviestruck and member of Rolling with Difficulty, helps create an alibi for a totally new word: latibulative (to hide in a corner) Sidekick FMV point and click In Sideclick, you play as a hero's best friend, helping them on their day off... but finding a mystery where there is none! This extremely Philadelphia-based game sees you sneaking around the lairs of beloved Philly bullies like The Fowl and Ben Franklin, hoping to put a stop to their mayhem before it starts. An...
Charles Harte, Associate Editor at the newly returned Game Informer, get a little bit distracted by the Switch 2 business but eventually get down to task at hand with the prompts: Feral The Slenderman's Arms, an English Pub/Inn Mobile game who's gameplay is wildly different from the ads In Splended Man: Steamy Hills, things are less scary and more horny than you might expect. Within the halls of the local pub lies an eldritch being whose is as terrifying as he is underwhelmingly dressed. But you...
Haley MacLean, a video game lawyer and host of Pew Pew Bang, gets down to work with the prompts: Lovecraftian Blue collar job simulator Bleak Play-to-Lose, Papers Please-style In "Porous," you must track down the long sticky tendrils of Pore-Bearer, the elder creature clogging up the city's pipes. But that's not the greatest horror: you also have to do paperwork! Keep the city and your family safe from the pollution while clocking in and hitting the grind, and just maybe you'll land a cushy desk...
Emmett Watkins Jr, writer for VGU.tv and host of Player's Club Podcast, brings his expertise of traversal games to the prompts: Speedrun Optimized Cycle of life for a forest knowledge-gated progression A surprisingly environmentally-focused game, "Amazon Vine" sees you replanting a forest using sick stunts, and reaping the benefits in later stages of the forest. Plant a grove of bamboo to get height and bounce, encourage some birds to eat berries and spread the seeds, and take down the blimp ove...
Danny O'Dwyer, documentary maker and founder of NoClip, tackles some difficult questions, like how do you create truth in history, and some difficult prompts, like: Psychadelic A time-traveler arrives from the future to stop you from committing an unspecified act that leads to catastrophe on their timeline. The setting is flexible and can be determined by the adjective, but the player character should not have a conventionally powerful job or hobby, and the traveler should be as cagey as possibl...
Izzy Kestrel, indie game dev and Gexpert, tackles a special returning prompt with: borborygmic (“of or relating to a rumbling or gurgling sound caused by the movement of gas in the intestines) Surgery all control inputs are opposite The resulting game, "Reflections of a Surgeon: Control Issues," will test your patience as you work on patients in a number of mirror worlds. Start out with a normal keyboard layout, then be prepared to flip and turn it till you have mastered it in every direction! F...
Francis Zierer, creator of CreatorSpotlight, pulls us back together again as a people with the prompts: Sticky cursed game from the future maze game - tilting Play three different modes in "All the King’s Horses: A Terraforming Game"! As earth itself, trying to reform Pangaea and reset humanity down to a certain threshold, as a world leader trying to reform Pangaea and preserve human life, or as extraterrestrials trying to wipe out humanity (and reform Pangaea). Do you want to use tugboats or oc...
This episode of Big Game Hunger features D'Avekki Studios' Lynda and Tim, known for their FMV murder mystery games, who join Jenna to design a new game from random prompts: "wild," "mushroom hunting," and "phone game." They ingeniously blend these into "Professor Morel's Bad Trip," an FMV-driven app where players, as a student detective, solve the murder of Professor Morel, who died after consuming a mythical mushroom that delivers fatal enlightenment. The discussion covers unique game development, casting challenges, and the evolution of FMV.
Huld Martha, FMV actress and power-lifter, is ready to harness the power of science fiction with the prompts: Fierce movie tie in that should have happened Centrifuge Huld and Jenna pitch a very subtle tribtue to Galaxy Quest called "Cosmos Odyssey: Fred Kwan played by Tony Shaloub from Galaxy Quest and Literally Just Some Guy’s Zoo Day." In this multiplayer-game, one person controls the platformer Guy and another, the centrifuge-manipulating Fred. Journey from biome-centrifuge to biome-centrifu...
Sam Winkler, Narrative Director on Borderlands 4, helps Jenna break a curse with the prompts: shakespearean teaches you how to commit crimes moody indie platformer They make "William Shakedown: Bard from Entry," a moody edutainment game where William Shakedown has to break into manor houses and castle to find the material for his next play. Outrun guards, fans - and a bear or two - in this delightful platformer. Listen to Audio Maverick, a new 9-part documentary podcast about one of the most vis...
Jesse Galena, GM, writer, and Second Wind contributor, brings his RPG expertise to the prompts: shakespearean teaches you how to commit crimes timeloop In Cryptick, play as a junior spy trying to cover up the fact that they have lost their secret spy decoder key. Try to decipher strange clues and riddles to complete the necessary spy actions. But you can't let your spy master know that you messed up! You need this job! Check out Jesse's TTRPG and written work at RexiconJess.itch.io , follow him ...
Jay, an indie game dev and co-founder of Second Wind Group, and Jess, editor and creator for Second Wind Group, are the first ever DUAL GUESTS on the show! With significantly more brain power in their brain skulls, they tackle the terms: shakespearean teaches you how to commit crimes timeloop The cheekily named game Prophicide ;) features a surprisingly amount of soup related content for a game about murdering a king. But that's what you get with a timeloop! Soup in the first loop, soup in EVERY...
KC Nwosu, creator with Second Wind Group and a community moderator, is ready to dismantle some corrupt systems using the prompts: shakespearean teaches you how to commit crimes timeloop In "Revolt Report Repeat," play as an investigative journalist on the trail of a child sacrificing cult. Track down the identities of the five shadowy cultists, and quickly now - because they've all seen your face. Thankfully time isn't running out - because we're all stuck in a timeloop! Follow KC on Bluesky @Si...
Nick Calandra, editor in chief for Second Wind Group, melds his love of action films with Jenna's love of action films and the prompts: shakespearean teaches you how to commit crimes timeloop You're being hunted by the ultimate assassin, ane he's so good the only person who could him... is himself! "Recyclcide" forces you to maneuver henchmen around to trick an assassin into wiping himself before he can take you out. Thankfully with the power of timeloops in your hands, you have unlimited chance...
Jack Packard, GM for Adventure is Nigh and host of Red Letter Media, has got a sicko inside of him and he is not letting it stay dorment. Thankfully we've got a lot of space to play with the prompts: shakespearean teaches you how to commit crimes timeloop Play as an Elizabethean actor trying to break up an alliance the easiest way possible; by seducing one of the participants in a marriage between kingdoms! In "Love Labour's Crime," you'll have to figure out the best way to woo a princess - but ...
Phil Salvador, the Library Director of the Video Game History Foundation and returning guest, is ready to apply his archiving expertise to the prompts: taste-o-vision fourth-wall breaking QTE His grounded approach to game preservation keeps Jenna from making a vape game, which is truly for the best. And weirdly, his additional expertise in Frasier finds its own part to play in "Frasier: Dinner Roles." But for the record Jenna still thinks gamer Lik n Dip is a million dollar idea. Follow Phil Sal...
Marlowe Dobbe, artist and art director for MegaCrit and lots of other games, knows how to brainstorm like a professional, and you'll see it in action with the prompts: indie rock TOUCANS! Cat tower city builder They quickly cycle through about a dozen perfect ideas before settling on a cat-tower-builder with musical elements: "Harmony Cafe Sim: Cats vs Toucans." Keep the Toucans and Cats separate while building the biggest and best cat tree this broken down mall has ever seen! Follow Marlowe Dob...
No episode this week! Big Game Hunger will return next week for a normal episode, same big time, same big channel. In the meantime, a happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa for those who celebrate, and a happy Monday for those who don't. They say that absense makes the heart grow fonder, so if you miss this podcast in your life this week, consider subscribing at Patreon.com/TheJenna ! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-in...
Gabbyyyyy Darienzo, art director and dev of A Mortician's Tale, is ready to add a new layer to her creative themes with the prompts: Brutal randomized GENDER Combat? In my fashion game? Slayyyyy, a fashion-rouglike, take the feeling of coveting somebody's beautiful pants to the ultimate end: stealing their legs and putting them where your legs were so that you're now wearing their pants. And that includes anything that comes in the pants - it's a full package! Play A Mortician's Tale here and Su...
Alex Van Aken, video producer and creator of Viewpoints, is taking beautiful notes on how best to make a: Surreal dueling tiki bar Inscrutable, award-winning Eurogame They pile on mechanics in "Overproof," a game about exploring all the highs and lows of bar ownership. Lean into the theatrical intensity of tiki drinks with unique craft cards, and lure the most customers into your uniquely themed joint. But remember - play with fiery drinks and you might get burned! Follow Alex on bsky @itscanake...
Hamish Steele, creator of Deadendia and Dead End: Paranormal Park, tries out some variants on the prompts: sensual Vampire defense system point-n-click but you don't have a mouse to point with We never would have guessed that vampire defense system would have so many possible interpretations, and we explore them all to make "Love at First Bite." A vampire dating game where YOU are the vampire, trying to win over the love and approval of villagers so you can restore your vitality. Maybe love was ...
Joshua Rivera, freelance entertainment journalist, shows off the breadth of his vocabulary while tackling the prompts: waking up hungover after a long night of partying Paper-thin App Store money sink but it's Aliens (like the movie) Once they rid themselves of any good, thoughful, fun ideas, they really clear the runway for "Tailor Swift’s 21st era: Xenomorph murder casino," some truly soulless capitalistic slop. But as the great Joshua Rivera once said: We're not here to make art, we're here t...
Eric Silver, podcaster and GM, has a big game thirst for soda on today's episode, thanks to the prompts: Sweaty you have inherited the world's fizziest drink manufacturer rhythm game They make "Sweatin' Soda," a physical movement game about fizzical sodas. Build your soda or seltzer empire in this decades-spanning simulator, where everything is input with your body. I hope your soda-lifting muscles are warmed up, because you're going to be working them hard! Play Eric's new TTRPG, Model Our Nati...
John E Warren, game journalist and creator of VGBees, brings his adjacent knowledge of band management to a folklore-rich crime game based on the prompts: Subterfuge Local band management sim Okami 2 (folklore-rich zelda-lite) Despite the classy and restrained title, "Ballad of the Bands" is a down-and-dirty game about composing the best band.... through whatever means necessary. Check out the foot-pedal-controller at GLYDR at FeetLegal.com , a real website. Interstae 35, a moving and beautiful ...
Paul Luetkemeyer, co-star of Burnt Cook Book Party, returns to the podcast to find it exactly as he left it, no major changes or departures of any kind. Hey. Listen to Burnt Cook Book Party at BCBParty.com . Visit the DFTBA Big Game Hunger merch shop at bit.ly/jennamerch . Support this show, and submit your OWN random prompts, by subscribing at Patreon.com/TheJenna . Email the show at BigGameHungerPod@gmail.com . Big Game Hunger is part of the Multitude Collective of podcasts . Created and hoste...
