Pixel Therapy Podcast

Get cozy – this is Pixel Therapy.

We believe that video games can serve as tools for understanding ourselves, each other, and the world around us— and we celebrate gaming in its many contexts: as a hobby; as an art form; as therapy.

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The Emotional Benefits of Gaming with Counselor Jamiere Leslie – Pixel Therapy Pod

Y'all been hitting that pandemic wall lately? Us too. Spencer's coping by working through half the Assassin's Creed series, which just HAPPENED to be super on sale in the Playstation Store, and getting elbow-deep in the lore. Meanwhile, Jamie's cleansing her palate from 200+ hours of Persona 5 with Aegis Rim: 13 Sentinels, a reality-altering JRPG starring high schoolers jumping into another reality for turn-based fights– wait a minute. Here's a follow-up article on the Ubisoft diversity debacle Jamie mentioned from 2020: https://kotaku.com/head-of-ubisoft-announces-plans-to-shakeup-the-company-1844252024 Then we're joined by Jamiere Leslie, a counselor based in Massachusetts's south shore who's rediscovered her love of gaming during the pandemic. How can you tell if you have a gaming addiction? Can Animal Crossing cure depression? What's the deal with therapy? All this and more awaits you. Follow Jamiere on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayTeeEll17. Looking for a therapist in MA? Check out Northeast Health Services: https://www.northeasthealthservices.com/. SIDE QUEST Support the global organization working to end white supremacy and creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy: https://blacklivesmatter.com/ Our February Patreon-Exclusive Co-Op Mode episode is out now. Visit patreon.com/pixeltherapypod to unlock bonus episodes for $2/mo! We're also going to be LIVE at Uplink 2021 on February 20th, 2021, at 6-7 pm EST! If you're interested in the convention, get your tickets on our website: pixeltherapypod.com. This episode is sponsored by the following Patreon supporters: Yinka Araromi About Pixel Therapy New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Learn more at pixeltherapypod.com or follow us on social media @pixeltherapypod. We're proud members of the But Why Tho? Podcast Network: visit ButWhyThoPodcast.com for everything pop culture in an inclusive geek community! If you like what you hear, please take a moment to rate us, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts (or your listening app of choice) & subscribe! Want more? Join our little community over on Patreon! Support this podcast

Nice things folks have said about us

It’s really opened my mind thinking about how queerness and gaming can intersect.
5-Star Listener Review

This podcast is absolutely amazing. I have never heard people talk about this aspect of video games.
5-Star Listener Review

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💬 What game do you have a strong emotional connection with?

💬NEW! Y'all been hitting that pandemic wall lately? Us too. Spencer's coping by working through half the Assassin's Creed series, which just HAPPENED to be super on sale in the Playstation Store, and getting elbow-deep in the lore. Meanwhile, Jamie's cleansing her palate from 200+ hours of Persona 5 with Aegis Rim: 13 Sentinels, a reality-altering JRPG starring high schoolers jumping into another reality for turn-based fights-- wait a minute.

We’re going live this weekend from @uplinkcon 2021, the largest virtual conference dedicated to retro gaming culture! We’re excited to be a part of this celebration and to participate in a convention - setting intentions and looking forward to more future opportunities to connect w community off the air 💕You can learn more about UPLINK 2021 and purchase tickets if you’re interested at uplinkconvention dot com or on our website - link in bio! Thank you!! 😄

Our February Patreon-Exclusive Co-Op Mode Episode is out now! ⚔️PATREON.COM/PIXELTHERAPYPOD 💕 We’ve been floored by the support lately and are excited to keep bringing you the best show we can. We’re working hard to grow the show, and a goal of ours is to get up and running on Twitch! To do that we need to invest in better laptops and video equipment on top of our hosting fees and maintenance costs. What’s in it for you?! $2/mo gets you access to an exclusive monthly bonus episode where your co-hosts deep dive on various topics we don’t have time to cover on the show. They’re also slightly more...let’s say...unhinged 😂 With your support we’ve done so much fun stuff already: we’ve joined an awesome network @butwhythopc, we’re hosting a featured panel on February 20th at UPLINK 2021 with @liretro @uplinkcon (more info coming to our website soon!), and we debuted on Apple Podcasts charts in the US, India, Sweden & more ❤️ We are SO GRATEFUL to you for being here, regardless of whether you’re interested in Patreon or not! Thank you 🙏🏼😭

Oh, parents. 🙃 Also, gender of the day is Commodore 64. 👾

One of the games we chat about this week: KNIGHTS & BIKES! ⚔️🚲🍬🧨 This hand painted co-op action/adventure game by the fine folks at @foamswordgames is overflowing with character and has been a spot of joy in these midwinter pandemic doldrums. There’s a big heart beating at the center of this rollicking, punk music-filled nostalgia trip - we can’t help but fall in love with Demelza, Nessa, and Captain Honkers 💕 Play it alone or with a friend on PS4, PS5, Switch, PC, Mac & Linux!

🎙“What fandom is doing is a lot of what queer theory is doing, which is taking a text and looking at it in entirely new ways and essentially multiplying the text. ... And that really points to the fact that a story doesn't exist until it's listened to.”

About the show

We’re a bi-weekly podcast bringing you new perspectives on video game culture and current events while centering the relationships queer folks, trans folks, people of color, disabled folks, and other marginalized players have with games. We offer fresh takes on video game culture with folks who may or may not identify as gamers– from streamers and industry folks to artists and activists, everyone deserves a little pixel therapy. Launched September 2020, we have fun, we go deep, and we explore the love of games within a broader social and cultural context while challenging conventional notions of what it means to be a “gamer”— and who gets to call themselves one. Pixel Therapy Pod is hosted by Spencer Icasiano (they/them), a queer and trans, mixed Filipinx writer and designer, and Jamie Siebenaler (she/her), a queer, white cis theatre and film professional.