May 29, 2020 scottcjones

Sarah Dietrich is Scott’s guest on HTFG. Sarah D. and her husband, Dave, were guests on S1: E5 of Heavily Pixelated, where they shared a painfully honest and super sad story. In fact, before you listen to today’s episode, you might want to listen to Sarah’s first appearance for context. You should bring some Kleenex with you. https://scottcjones.com/blog/?page_id=3473

How do S. & D. work from home, and tend to their two kids, and play video games all in the same day? Sarah offers parenting PRO TIPS for people like herself and Dave who are in the same (often poop-filled) boat.

SPONSOR: Today’s episode of Heavily Pixelated is brought to you by Coast To Coast Coffee, North America’s #1 coffee roaster. https://www.coasttocoastcoffee.ca

Use promo Code: heavilypixcoffeefix1 and receive $5 off your first order.
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Yes, this is DAVE, Sarah’s husband, standing next to the tombstone that Sarah left for him on their island in Animal Crossing. (Just look at the WHAAAAA? look on Dave’s face.) (It’s official: You’ve been pranked again, Dave!) (Sick burn, right?)

Sarah D. has been “buying” all of K.K. Slider’s albums in Animal Crossing, hoping the large-headed hound will eventually perform a live show in her village. No autographs, please!

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May 12, 2020 scottcjones

Alex is an IT professional in Toronto, Ontario. He spends his days helping coworkers and consumers solve complex technical problems (and bailing out daft noobs like Scott). Indeed, part of living in modern society requires us to talk to people, like Alex, on a fairly routine basis.

In 2016, Alex suffered a devastating loss. Kind/gentle Alex, during his grief and misery, somehow wound up playing one of the most over-the-top video games ever created: DOOM.

Can a notoriously violent video game help someone to grieve? That’s the question we explore in this episode of Heavily Pixelated.

Resources:

Feeling low? Go to this website to find help: https://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en/
Or call 1-833-456-4566, 24/7. People are waiting to talk to you.

Alex’s charity-of-choice is Eva’s Print Shop: https://www.evas.ca/what-we-do/print-shop/

Eva’s Print Shop is a terrific organization which supports homeless youth. Donate to Eva’s Print Shop here: DONATE

Need proof that Alex finished Doom 2016 on Ultraviolence? Here you go:

Alex Doom Stats

DOOM: Eternal is available now on practically every platform imaginable. https://bethesda.net/en/game/doom

iD Software: https://www.idsoftware.com/

Support our A-list Patreon here and gain access to tons of EXTRAS: https://www.patreon.com/heavilypixelated

BONUS! Here’s Scott chatting with Hugo and Marty at E3 2019:

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April 30, 2020 scottcjones

Meet Eve Crevoshay. Eve is the Executive Director of a terrific organization called TakeThis.org. TakeThis.org aims to decrease the stigma and increase the support for mental health in the video game realms. Their motto: “It’s OK to not be OK.” I am a big fan of the work that Eve and her organization are doing in the world — particularly during a trying time like the one we are living in right now.

On today’s episode, we travel via the Magical Internet into Eve’s home office on the West Coast and hear about her own personal self-care practices.

TakeThis: https://www.takethis.org/

Eve’s husband, David Edery, makes games: https://spryfox.com/

The International Game Summit on Mental Health: https://tigs.ca/

Follow Eve on Twitter: http://twitter.com/evecrevoshay

Eve’s family:
Eve Crevoshay & family

IGDA’s Game Development Crisis Conference: https://igda.org/resources/covid-19-resources/

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April 21, 2020 scottcjones

Meet Harold Goldberg. HG is one of the coolest cats on the planet. Harold’s an esteemed critic, talented scribe, a renaissance man, and a life-long New Yorker. He resides on the Lower Eastside of Manhattan with his partner, Helen, and a cat named Lazlow. You can find Harold’s byline in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and many other publications.

His book, All Your Base Are Belong To Us, is available on Amazon. Check it out at this link.

Follow Harold’s playful scribblings on Twitter: https://twitter.com/haroldgoldberg

There, you can see things like his infamous “Rocket Man potato” (WTF) as well as candid moments of his cat, Lazlow.
HaroldPotatoe

HaroldCat

Harold is also the founder of the NY Videogame Critics Circle. https://nygamecritics.com/

Here is a photo of Harold (at the podium) in the NY Game Critics Circle:
HaroldPodium

Seventeen artists in NYC share their perspectives from indoors. Note: Harold lives closest to this one:

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April 8, 2020 scottcjones 3Comments

The great Steve Tilley joins me for a revealing exploration of his own personal self-care habits in the “How To Feel Great” series. Steve, as many of you know, is a superb writer and editor who is a trusted, veteran voice of reason for the Toronto Sun. Steve also served as 50 percent of “Team Toronto” (*with Raju Mudhar) on Electric Playground and Reviews on the Run for a number of years.

Heavily Pix reached Steve in his apartment on an idle Saturday afternoon after an intense session of high-speed laundry-folding.

BIZARRE-O FACT: Steve lives underneath a convent of nuns for some unknown reason. (He really does.)

If you have a question for a future episode of HTFG, record it on your phone, then email it to heavilypix@gmail.com.

Rim World trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tDrxOASUog

Follow Steve on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevetilley

Q: Is Sea of Thieves the best pandemic game out there? https://www.seaofthieves.com/

Here’s a candid photo of the custom-built cabinet that houses all of Steve’s vintage gaming equipment:

Tilley_Cabinet

Steve calls this shot “smoldering intensity”:

Tilley

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March 22, 2020 scottcjones

The incomparable Ashley (Episode 3) returns to the Heavily Pixelated studios for a heavy duty conversation with host Scott C. Jones about her personal methods of self-care. Ashley is, as always, incredibly forthright about the ways that she’s still vulnerable — and she opens up about the practices that reliably keep her on the healthiest path possible. Also: There is lots of video game talk, a bit of nose-blowing (frown!), a smattering of animal-petting, and a wisp of stand-up comedy.

PODCAST BONUSES:
Gaze upon the opulent jewel that is Pancake. (*In this photo, Pancake is imagining you rubbing his belly.)
Pancake

The Movie Crypt Podcast link:
https://moviecrypt.libsyn.com/

Ashley on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ashleyjaycooper

Ashley on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ashleycoopercomedy/

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March 4, 2020 scottcjones 1Comment

We’re dropping a bold, brand new segment into the show, folks. It’s called “How To Feel Great,” a.k.a. HTFG. In HTFG segments, Scott talks to gamers about their best practices for finding balance in their lives.

For the inaugural episode, Scott speaks to the happiest man on the planet – the legendary Victor Lucas – who always seems to find a way to keep on smiling, despite the selfish machinations of the U.S. president, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the lack of a proper sequel for 2010’s Vanquish. Press that magical play button and learn exactly what Victor Lucas does to keep the light in his lighthouse burning bright. Warning: Self-care talk is imminent.

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February 16, 2020 scottcjones

Ah, the open roads of the old midwest. No bluer sky in the world than the sky in Ohio, I tell you. This week, a young big rig driver and gamer named Aaron tells Scott his story while he’s putting the pedal to the metal on Route 90, just outside of Toledo. That’s right: Scott interviews Aaron while he’s driving 40 tons of white-hot steel on a frozen roadway. Are there bumpy roads ahead? Indeed, there are. [WARNING: If you are sensitive to the subject of suicide, then you may want to consider skipping this episode.]

For more information about The Last of Us, go to https://www.naughtydog.com/.

The sequel, The Last of Us II, will be released on May 29, 2020.


Aaron and Erica




Joel and Ellie

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January 14, 2020 scottcjones

Elise is a woman from Montreal, Quebec. She grew up with a series of surreal health issues including celiac, chronic fatigue syndrome, and more recently, Crohn’s disease.

Despite her illnesses, and despite being home schooled (because of her chronic illnesses), Elise did not give up/give in. Elise found her voice. She discovered an inner strength that startled and amazed her. And she began to develop a sense of value, in part because of games.

Games helped Elise along her difficult, unconventional path. Despite her self-doubt, games encouraged Elise believe in herself. Elise’s story moved all of us. We hope it moves you, too.

Hellblade 2 trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNtenrRYZQo

Connect with Elise’s work here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/elise-favis/

Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/elisefavis

Senua

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December 3, 2019 scottcjones 2Comments

Marianne is a voice actor, producer, and writer based in Los Angeles, California. When Marianne was in her early 20’s, she and a friend traveled to Europe to see a bit of the world.

But something awful happened on the trip—something that Marianne has been trying to find a way to live with ever since.

Thankfully, games were there for her.

The characters in the classic RPG Dragon Age: Origins (2009)—along with therapy, of course—helped make Marianne whole again.

How exactly? Click the PLAY button to hear Marianne’s incredible story. Trust us: You will be in awe of the strength that this woman possesses.

Dragon Age Origins: https://www.ea.com/games/dragon-age/dragon-age-origins

RAINN: https://www.rainn.org/

Summerfall Studioshttps://www.summerfallstudios.com/

Dragon Age Origins Scene
“Have you ever…?”

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