This half-length episode needs to suffice for two weeks' worth of podcasts. Luckily, we have Bonnie Ruberg and Evan to make it special.
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"So Bonnie, what do all girls think about X?"
This is a very unusual episode for a couple of reasons. First, we are pleased to welcome Bonnie Ruberg to RFN as a special guest. A former contributor to Nintendo World Report, Bonnie now freelances for The Village Voice, The Onion, and even Playboy. Her blog, Heroine Sheik, showcases the intersection of gaming with sex and gender issues. Bonnie also holds two dubious honors: she is the first-ever female guest on the podcast (it only took two years!), and she appears on the first episode in quite a while that we nearly lost to technical difficulties.
In fact, we did lose the second half of the show, in which Bonnie led us through a fascinating and surprisingly somber discussion of sexuality in games. We talked about past and present games with sex scenes or allusions to sex, and we also pondered whether games can evolve into a sophisticated storytelling medium with the current stigmas and policies against sex. Unfortunately, you'll never get to hear this great feature discussion because part of the audio was permanently lost. It's nobody's fault (well, maybe Steve Jobs), but it's a damn shame.
While deciding what could be done with the remaining New Business segment from Bonnie's show, we moved on with our regular schedule for the following episode. Evan Burchfield, RFN co-founder and jeweler to the stars, joined us after a long absence from the show. Sadly, misfortune struck again when Jonny's Internet went down after only a few minutes of recording. We decided to abandon this week's episode and start fresh next time, but there was one bit worth preserving: a Chibi-Robo retrospective between Evan and Jonny, as requested by DAaaMan64 - (Winner of the Most Terrible Username Award) from the forums. Sadly, even this discussion was lost to technical problems, as Evan's audio was recorded at such a high speed that James couldn't slow it down for synchronization. Instead, you'll hear a few comments from Evan at Chipmunk Speed, just for laughs.
We'll be back next week with a real, full-length episode. Until then, enjoy this Frankenstein-esque stopgap.
Credits:
This podcast was edited by James Jones.
Music for this episode of Radio Free Nintendo is used with permission from Jason Ricci & New Blood. You can purchase their new album, Rocket Number 9, directly from the record label, or download it from iTunes, or call your local record store and ask for it!
