Uploaded May 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Nearly every videogame has us doing the same general thing: gaining power and leveling up. Whether in The Witcher 3, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Halo, Minecraft, the power fantasy is omnipresent. It CAN be abstracted, but when it comes down to it, what's up with games CONSTANTLY using the power fantasy as both a mechanical and narrative crutch? Have we, as players, driven designers to this, or is there something special about the nature of games and the nature of power fantasy. Is the power fantasy itself just a natural offshoot of overcoming challenges? Join Jamin on this week's episode of Game/Show and find out!

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ASSET LINKS:

00:10
youtube.com/watch?v=Gete61IxkPo

00:47
youtube.com/watch?v=jfviGGM-x0w

00:48
youtube.com/watch?v=6lo1FemGyB4

00:50
youtube.com/watch?v=yjQypxtCsNE

1:20
youtube.com/watch?v=tOrqnxVAG9M

2:10
youtube.com/watch?v=pjWIlRplfe0

2:40
youtube.com/watch?v=7ncuaGUgUsY

3:52
youtube.com/watch?v=uZTpuHV0AmA

4:13
youtube.com/watch?v=KgS2AiBGky4

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Comment Links

GloppyCSP
youtube.com/watch?v=R70lbCbScNY&lc=z12ofvhaowfmglqn022ryhrjboujubins

Zachary Lusby
youtube.com/watch?v=R70lbCbScNY&lc=z12sidkbqkqnv15yr04cgvwxdsnfyxwjxxw0k

Kate Berger
youtube.com/watch?v=R70lbCbScNY&lc=z13gvxkbgtmrh3ryt04ci1fgwz3iz5tgl4w

George Cataloni
youtube.com/watch?v=R70lbCbScNY&lc=z13uc3xownv4vzbpi04cd51znkvnxxd4fkw0k


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MUSIC:

"Oh Damn!" by CJVSO
soundcloud.com/downpitched/cjvso-oh-damn

"Digital Sonar" by Brink

"Mindphuck" by Known To Be Lethal
youtube.com/watch?v=B-cyr7l9yBw

"After Hours"

"Lakes" by Chooga
youtube.com/watch?v=E8hnsQc9ST0

"Beautiful Days" by Extan
soundcloud.com/extandnb/beautiful-days

"Spectrum Subdiffusion Mix" by Foniqz
soundcloud.com/subdiffusion/foniqz-spectrum-subdiffusion

"Good Way Song" by Electronic Rescue

"Alice y Bob" by Javier Rubio and Parsec
archive.org/details/escala19_vvaa_escala_no_uniforme

"Sleet" by Kubbi
soundcloud.com/kubbi/kubbi-sleet

"Toaster" by Kubbi
soundcloud.com/kubbi/toaster

"Patriotic Songs of America" by New York Military Band and the American Quartet
freemusicarchive.org/music/New_York_Military_Band_and_the_American_Quartet/Edison_Amberol_457/cusb-cyl3890d

"Lets Go Back To The Rock" by Outsider
jamendo.com/en/artist/4402/outsider

"Run" by Outsider
jamendo.com/en/artist/4402/outsider

"Fame" by Statue of Diveo
jamendo.com/en/artist/352814/statueofdiveo

"Freedom Weekends" by Statue of Diveo
jamendo.com/en/artist/352814/statueofdiveo

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Hosted by Jamin Warren (@jaminwar)

See more on games and culture on his site: killscreendaily.com

Made by Kornhaber Brown (http://www.kornhaberbrown.com)