The Secret Lives of Games

We're recapping the 2026 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 14). 

Laura, Jey, and Doug recap Episode 9 - the Reunion / Reveal! How did The Mole do it?

Thanks for listening this season!

Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and more.

Links:

Thanks Robin for our Mol guessing game website! Tip him here:
https://ko-fi.com/rbnvi

Every Game in this City podcast (S1, which includes L...

We're joined by Michael Brough himself for a bonus chat on the thrilling occasion of 868-BACK's release day. Don't worry, we don't spoil the new game at all (except to say it's fantastic! Go buy it now on Steam!!) We discuss Michael's journey to this launch day, how his process for making art has and hasn't changed over the years, how he's learned to care for himself creatively and otherwise amidst periods of illness, how he does (...

We're recapping the 2026 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 14). 

Laura, Jey, and Doug recap Episode 8 - the Finale! The Mole is finally unmasked.

That's about it for tourist season in Portgual (though big wave season starts around November!) but we'll be back next week for the Ep 9 reunion in Belgium.

Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with ...

We're recapping the 2026 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 14). 

Laura, Jey, and Doug recap Episode 7. Who is the Mole, and how does this elimination echo last season's Final Four?

Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.

Links:

Danny Hawk - Folk Games, Flash Communities and Tiktok
https://newrules.website/2021/01/12/danny-hawk-folk-games...

We're recapping the 2026 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 14). 

Laura, Jey, and Doug recap Episode 6. Who is the Mole, and who will play Juliet to Wout's Romeo?

Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.

Links:

Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol)
https://secretlives.games/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gi...

We're joined by Naomi Clark (NYU Game Center, Consentacle, A Game Design Vocabulary) and Frank Lantz (Q-UP, Universal Paperclips, also NYU Game Center) to discuss Corrypt, a totally normal block-moving game where nothing weird happens. It's the fifth installment of All Systems Brough, our yearlong special series exploring the playable arcana of Michael Brough.

This episode: Corrypt

Next Month: VESPER.5

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway...

We're recapping the 2026 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 14). 

Laura, Jey, and Doug recap Episode 5. Who is the Mole, and how will this episode's big twist echo throughout the rest of the season?

Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.

Links:

Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol)
https://secretlives.games/12...

We're recapping the 2026 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 14). 

Laura, Jey, and Doug recap Episode 4. Who is the Mole, and will Doug end up getting the lowest possible score in our Mole guessing game? (this isn't golf, Doug).

Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.

Links:

Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol)
...

We're recapping the 2026 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 14). 

Laura, Jey, and Doug recap Episode 3. Who is the Mole, and why was Yannis laughing so hysterically at some November rain?

Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.

Links:

Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol)
https://secretlives.games/122-finding-d...

We're recapping the 2026 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 14). 

Laura, Jey, and Doug recap Episode 2. Who is the Mole, and should they receive an Oscar for their duplicitous performance?

Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.

Links:

Four Wishes (independent Korean reality tv show)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLimMCLxaXz0Gj-2u...

We chat with Tonda Ros (Dogubomb) one year after the release of his genre-blending room-drafting puzzlebox sensation, Blue Prince. Our discussion covers Tonda's year as the game's representative in the world; his inspirations across digital, analog, and tabletop works; cultivating player appreciation for virtual spaces; managing player hunches through playtesting; balancing lore with puzzle mechanics; comparing game development wit...

We're recapping the 2026 season of our favorite tv show, Flemish De Mol (Season 14). 

Laura, Jey, and Doug tango with Episode 1 and share their Mole suspicions. 

Join us on the Discord for tips on how to watch, chat about the episodes, and to play a Mol guessing game with us.

Links:

Ep 122: Finding Decency in Reality with Gilles De Coster (De Mol)
https://secretlives.games/122-finding-decency-in-reality-with-gilles-de-coster-de-mol

We're joined by Chris Plante (Besties, Post Games), Hayden "Docky" Scott-Baron (Planet Coaster), and Rand Hall (voicemailer extraordinaire, Zaga-33 guide writer) for the fourth title in our year of All Systems Brough, a year-long exploration of the work of Michael Brough: Zaga-33. 

This episode: Zaga-33

Next Month: Corrypt (and Lost Levels)

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.

Discussed in this episode:

Zaga-33
https://mightyvision.blogs...

Recorded live from the Game Developers Conference 2026! They gave us time in the Official Podcast Box, so we made the most of it discussing the process of writing for the IGF Awards, reflecting on the culture of GDC, and even having a couple surprise guests drop in. Let's get loose!

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway

Discussed in this episode:

Scripto

https://scripto.liv...

Doug and Rob are joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis) and Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis) chat with Ben Rausch (Team Lazerbeam) and Anja Venter (Free Lives) about the Playtopia Festival for Indie Games & Immersive Arts that they help organize. They discuss some of the Festival's origins, the logistics of producing in-person games events, the state of alt-control/arts-focused games events around the world, the relationship between South ...

Rob and Zach chat with Joonas Turner (Downwell, Noita, Cult of the Lamb), Jukio Kallio (Fall Guys, Minit, Dave the Diver), and Jan Willem "JW" Nijman (Super Crate Box, Ridiculous Fishing, Minit) about their landmark twin-stick wasteland shooter, Nuclear Throne, and its recent blowout 10th anniversary update. They discuss reopening a project after a decade, balancing through play, the decision to not implement traditional invincibil...

We're joined by droqen (The End of Gameplay, Starseed Pilgrim), Liz Ryerson (musician, writer, podcaster), and Harry Lee Shang Lun (Earthrise One) for the third title in our year of All Systems Brough, a year-long exploration of the work of Michael Brough: Kompendium. 

This episode: Kompendium

Next Month: Zaga-33

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.

Discussed in this episode:

Kompendium
https://mightyvision.blogspot.com/2012/06/kompendiu...

Rob, Doug, Andy, and Sarah chat with Gabe Cuzzillo (Ape Out, Despelote) and Bennett Foddy (Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, QWOP) about their (with Maxi Boch) latest game, the multi-IGF-nominated open-world hard-walking manchild simulator Baby Steps. We discuss the game's in-house approach to voice acting, balancing challenge with humor, creating (and hiding) a looping environment, telling an honest story about masculinity, incl...

We're joined by droqen (The End of Gameplay, Starseed Pilgrim), Darius Kazemi (Tiny Subversions, Harvard Applied Social Media Lab), and Tara Macalister (mathematician, composer) to discuss Vertex Dispenser, the second game in our year-long exploration of the work of Michael Brough.

Next Month: Kompendium

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.

Discussed in this episode:

Vertex Dispenser
https://store.steampowered.com/app/102400/Vertex_Dispe...