SPAWNPOINT

Gamer Dad vs. Game Developer

Patrick Klepek — Wed, 21 May 2025 21:25:29 GMT

Spawnpoint host and Crossplay editor Patrick Klepek is joined by Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred game director Brent Gibson to discuss playing and making games as a parent. Gibson, importantly, is the father to an 11-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son, but his day job involves working on a video game that has to be fun for a player who might have dozens of hours available every month, or in the case of most parents, only a handful.

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Spawnpoint, Episode 08: The Switch 2 Is Here

Patrick Klepek — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 19:09:00 GMT

Rumors of a new Switch have been floating around for quite literally years now, but later this year, a new Switch arrives. How much will it cost? We don’t know. What games are coming at launch and later? Nintendo hasn’t said. The more important question for Spawnpoint hosts Patrick Klepek and Keza MacDonald, however, is whether they’re buying one Switch 2—or a new Switch for everyone in the house. We unpack this and more, as we start to think about the Switch 2’s impending arrival.

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news

Timestamps:

* 00:01:00 — Uh Oh, Kids Are Growing Up

* 00:02:30 — Holiday Catchup

* 00:06:00 — Mario Party Party Continues

* 00:14:55 — Dress to Impress Invasion

* 00:31:33 — Switch 2 Revealed

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Spawnpoint, Episode 07: Mario Parties

Patrick Klepek and Keza MacDonald — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 16:00:00 GMT

For years, Keza has avoided bringing Mario Party into the home, worried how her children would react. Would they fight the same way she used to with her brother? For Patrick, could his children get over the fact that both of them can’t be Peach? All this and more on the latest episode of Spawnpoint, the official podcast of Crossplay, including discussion on our kids’ relationship with video games and gift buying.

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news

Timestamps:

* 00:01:02 — Keza finished her book!

* 00:02:41 — Journeys in e-learning/winters in Scotland

* 00:10:00 — Welcome to Mario Party

* 00:23:19 — Pokémon Trading Card Game

* 00:30:03 — Ad-infested knock off games for kids

* 00:43:34 — Video games, kids, and the holidays

* 00:54:19 — Mailbag

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Spawnpoint, Episode 06: Holding Hands

Patrick Klepek — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 15:00:00 GMT

Welcome back to another episode of Spawnpoint! Keza is back from visiting the Nintendo museum in Japan, while Patrick is playing a familiar game: allergies or cold? What they have in common, though, are children who are obsessed with Astro Bot, but they’ve struggled with playing the game in different ways. Plus, while Keza isn’t high on the new Zelda, her children are having a blast. We also talk about the weight jobs and careers have on being a parent, and how ours have impacted our kids.

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news

Timestamps:

* 00:01:00 — Allergies or sick?

* 00:04:30 — Nintendo’s new museum

* 00:07:30 — Getting into Pokémon cards

* 00:15:00 — Astro Bot + Zelda mania in the house

* 00:36:34 — It’s a Mario Party party

* 00:42:07 — The big question: careers and children

* 00:55:33 — Mailbag

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Even Busy Parents Love Dragon's Dogma 2

Patrick Klepek and Keza MacDonald — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:00:58 GMT

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.crossplay.news

It’s time for another Spawnpoint bonus episode exclusively for Crossplay subscribers, in which Patrick and Keza sit down to discuss one of the few very long video games they’ve played and finished this year, Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma 2. We’re both parents, but why did we prioritize finishing this over, say, any other game? Being a parent means picking and…

Spawnpoint, Episode 05: What Do We Want Governments to Do About Games?

Patrick Klepek — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 15:00:00 GMT

Spawnpoint returns, with Patrick Klepek (Crossplay) and Keza MacDonald (The Guardian) mulling over Turkey recently banning Roblox, increasing regulatory scrutiny over video games, and a growing panic among world governments about social media, to ask a seemingly simple question: what do we want them to do about? In the mailbag, we sympathize with a father simply trying to help his kid make reasonable purchases on an Xbox and having to fight through a load of red tape.

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news

Timestamps:

* 00:01:05 — Family vacations are complicated

* 00:10:08 — What today’s kids think of the games we played as kids

* 00:30:00 — The Big Question: What do we want governments to do to help us?

* 00:51:30 — Mailbag

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Spawnpoint Bonus: Making Time For Long Video Games

Patrick Klepek and Keza MacDonald — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:00:31 GMT

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.crossplay.news

Crossplay subscribers, you’re in for a treat: the first Spawnpoint bonus episode. This podcast is exclusive to paying subscribers at Crossplay! On Spawnpoint, Patrick and Keza rarely have time to talk about the games they’re playing, so now, one per month, our two hosts will get together to talk about what THEY’VE been playing—not they’re kids! What a c…

Spawnpoint, Ep. 04: Direct to the Heart

Patrick Klepek — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 15:40:25 GMT

Apologies for the re-send on this, but it looks like there was an audio goof on this that I did not notice while I was on holiday last week. It should be fixed now. Sorry!!! -pk

It’s been a minute, but Spawnpoint is back, featuring Patrick (Crossplay) and Keza (The Guardian). Patrick and Keza actually met up IRL recently, but neglected to record a podcast in-person! Total geniuses. Nonetheless, we walk through our (ecstatic!) reactions to the latest Nintendo Direct, Patrick’s oldest falling for the latest Super Monkey Ball, and Keza’s youngest trying to grasp Yoshi’s Crafted World. Elsewhere, they discuss what it means to design a game “for” kids, and how so many fall short. In the mailbag, a listener wrestles with trying to make user accounts for their kids.

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news

Timestamps:

* 00:01:30 — Long Flights

* 00:09:40 — Nintendo Direct Reaction

* 00:17:15 — Super Monkey Ball / Yoshi’s Crafted World

* 00:32:00 — What is Kid-Friendly Design?

* 00:51:25 — Mailbag

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

The Gamer Educator

Patrick Klepek and The Gamer Educator — Fri, 17 May 2024 15:00:00 GMT

You’ve read Ash Brandin’s words on Crossplay, now hear from “The Gamer Educator'' in their own voice, as well. Ash joins Patrick to discuss what prompted Ash to start an Instagram account about helping parents navigate games, screen time, and technology, and in-between dodging school bell noises, the two discuss establishing digital literacy for young kids.

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news

Timestamps:

* 00:02:00 — How Patrick and Ash Met

* 00:06:20 — The Gamer Educator Origins

* 00:09:33 — Gamification in the Classroom

* 00:23:11 — The Morality of Screen Time

* 00:33:50 — The Old Internet

* 00:39:00 — Screen Anxiety

* 00:54:39 — Ash Is Writing a Book!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Death of the Father

Patrick Klepek — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 15:00:00 GMT

Spawnpoint is excited to welcome actor Abubakar Salim (Raised By Wolves, House of the Dragon, Assassin’s Creed Origins) for a touching conversation about Tales of Kenzera: Zau, a video game about processing the grief associated with the death of Abubakar’s father. A little more than a decade ago, Patrick Klepek’s own father died of a heart attack, and the two find common ground on the often lonely path to understanding what to make of such sadness.

Timestamps:

* 00:00:43 - What is Tales of Kenzera: Zau?

* 00:03:57 - Fathers and Video Games

* 00:08:75 - Why a Video Game?

* 00:16:45 - Grief as Game Design

* 00:22:30 - What Would Father Think?

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Spawnpoint, Episode 03: The Strange Sadness of Theme Parks

Patrick Klepek and Keza MacDonald — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 15:00:00 GMT

Welcome to another episode of Spawnpoint, a podcast hosted by Patrick Klepek and Keza MacDonald, two parents trying to navigate the increasingly complex world of raising children and gaming. On this episode, we unpack navigating theme parks with children, after Patrick’s trip to Disneyland and Super Nintendo World, while Keza recounts visiting the Pokémon International Championships with her family and uncovers an old Pokémon childhood trauma. Lastly, we chat through our collective experiences dealing with the world of parental controls.

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news

Timestamps:

* 00:01:03 — British Accents

* 00:09:20 — Kids and Theme Parks (Disney/Nintendo)

* 00:27:23 — Pokémon International Championship

* 00:36:36 — Parental Controls

* 00:51:34 — Dragon’s Dogma 2

* 01:01:45 — More Spawnpoint?

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Finding New Games For Your Kids Is Weirdly Difficult

Patrick Klepek — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 15:00:00 GMT

Spawnpoint is thrilled to be joined by Andy Robertson, editor of Family Gaming Database, a wonderful website to sort through the thousands of video games released each year and figure out which ones are best for you and the kiddos in your life. Patrick and Andy chat about how their experiences as parents led them to creating Crossplay and Family Gaming Database, and how it’s had them confronting the many ways the video game industry doesn’t help parents.

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news, and you can visit the Family Gaming Database at https://www.familygamingdatabase.com

Timestamps:

* 00:01:00 - What Is the Family Gaming Database?

* 00:10:54 - Saying Yes (or no) to Roblox

* 00:20:27 - Playing Games With Older Children

* 00:29:25 - On Writing the book “Taming Gaming”

* 00:36:14 - Children Feeling Validated by Games

* 00:43:35 - The YouTube’ing of Children’s Entertainment

* 00:50:45 - The Future of the Family Gaming Database

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Spawnpoint, Episode 02: The Privileged Princess

Patrick Klepek — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 15:00:00 GMT

The second episode of Spawnpoint is here, with your gaming parents, Keza and Patrick, returning for another monthly chat. This time, Patrick’s daughter discovers (begrudgingly) how a demo works, and Keza puzzles over people worrying about her son’s Pokémon obsession. We also discuss the concept of boundaries in a world where it’s increasingly possible for parents to digitally snoop on their children, wonder whether our collective obsession with Balatro is a problem, and answer your questions. We also have timestamps for the podcast now!

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news.

Timestamps:

* 00:01:05 – Gloomy weather talk

* 00:07:38 – What are our kids playing? (Princess Peach: Showtime, Pokémon)

* 00:26:00 – The big question: digitally snooping on your kid

* 00:34:22 – What have we been playing? (Balatro)

* 00:45:40 – Mailbag

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Crossplay Podcast Interview: Jenova Chen

Patrick Klepek — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 16:00:00 GMT

Welcome back to another episode of Spawnpoint, the official Crossplay podcast. This week, an interview with Flower and Journey designer Jenova Chen about his popular online social game, Sky: Children of the Light. Jenova opens up about being a parent, and what it’s like running a massively multiplayer online game where you have to make difficult calls about harassment, bullying, and the private lives of children.

Crossplay subscribers get access to episodes early at https://crossplay.news.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Welcome to Spawnpoint

Patrick Klepek and Keza MacDonald — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 17:10:19 GMT

Crossplay founder and editor Patrick Klepek is joined by The Guardian’s games editor, Keza MacDonald, for the first episode of Crossplay’s new podcast, Spawnpoint. Patrick (father of two daughters, ages 7 and 3) and Keza (mother of 4 and 7-year-old boys, stepmum to an 18-year-old) discuss what it’s like parenting children in a world obsessed with video games, and what to expect from the future of this podcast.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Spawnpoint 4: comedy games and funny business with Dan Marshall

Patrick Klepek — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 15:56:09 GMT

The maker of Behold the Kickmen, Lair of the Clockwork God and others talks about the underappreciated art of comedic games and also games you can play while a newborn is sleeping on you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Spawnpoint 3: Happiness, Creativity and No Man's Sky ... with Sean Murray

Patrick Klepek — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 16:58:41 GMT

Spawnpoint is back with a great guest: Hello Games' Sean Murray, who talks about the pain and glory of running an independent games studio (and raising children). Making a game is hard enough - imagine trying to do it whilst also having three kids!

I talked to Sean about No Man's Sky and the maddening peaks and troughs that come with both creative endeavour and child-rearing.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

The return of Spawnpoint (and a very on-brand absence)

Patrick Klepek — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 09:34:51 GMT

Hello Spawnpoint listeners!

It's been a while! I have more interviews coming your way soon, but in the meantime I wanted to bring you up to speed on the reasons why I've been quiet. All is explained.

While I put the finishing touches to some great new episodes, please get in touch with me about all matters Spawnpoint by emailing hellospawnpoint@gmail.com and please, please get on the mailing list here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Spawnpoint 2: Indie dev parent life with Leanne Bayley

Patrick Klepek — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 04:00:00 GMT

I talk to Leanne Bayley about the maternity brain drain in development, how video games are an essential component of long-distance relationships but board games might be the answer for parents. Also, I recommend five perfect shorter games for people who can't commit to today's sprawling epics.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe

Spawnpoint 1: Nolan North and Troy Baker

Patrick Klepek — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 11:06:40 GMT

Welcome to the first episode of Spawnpoint, a podcast by and for gamer parents! I kicked things off with an interview with video game performance legends Nolan North and Troy Baker, who were delighted to chat about games, parenthood and their YouTube show, Retro Replay

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.crossplay.news/subscribe