We welcome Steve McNeil to the show, video game comedian; former team captain in Dara O'Briain's Go 8-Bit; author of Hey! Listen!, releasing in April 2019.

In this episode we discuss the worst sidekicks in gaming; creepiest video game characters; and the concept of "goodness".

SHOW NOTES

Steve’s first book, Hey! Listen!, is available for pre-order now and will be released on April 16th 2019. On the first day of pre-release, the book became Amazon’s number one Bestselling PC & Video Games book, above titles on Minecraft, Fortnite, The Legend of Zelda and The Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition. Here’s the publisher’s blurb, lifted directly from Steve’s website:

A hilarious history of the golden period of computer games, From Pong to Playstation, from the creator of Go 8 Bit with Dara O'Briain.

It is fair to say Steve McNeil likes video games. When he took his Nintendo Wii on honeymoon (obviously), he played it so much he damaged an eye and had to wear an eye patch. The locals nicknamed him 'the pale pirate'.

Steve's obsession with video games can be traced back to the golden period from the late 70s to the mid 90s. In this book he will delve into these games - from the appallingly bad to the breathtakingly good. He will also take us through the nerdy geniuses who created them, their fierce rivalries and risks often leading to some of the most farcical moments in the history of entertainment.

This is a story of obsession, full of tales of Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Mario, Sonic, 3D Wolf, Lemmings and Worms. It will also answer important questions about the golden age. Questions like: Why did Namco feel they had to change the name of Puck Man to Pac Man because they were worried about graffiti, when Nintendo were more than happy to bring out Duck Hunt?

Joysticks at the ready. Let's Play!

If you’d like to see more from Steve, check out his highlights reel below featuring clips from Go 8-Bit, Game-On, Video Game Nation and more.

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CREDITS

The Conversation Hat is hosted by Ben Pierson and Liam Taylor, and edited by Laura Elmer.

Music by Liam Taylor.

Logo by Cheyenne Betts.

The Conversation Hat is an Odd Creative production.