It's time for an AI check-in! Maddy, Kirk, and Jason catch up on how they're feeling about generative AI in 2026, what it's doing to creativity, how it's impacting the job market, and of course, how it's affecting video games. 

One More Thing:

Kirk: Dungeon Crawler Carl (Matt Dinniman)

Maddy: Slay the Princess

Jason: American Pastoral (Philip Roth)

LINKS:

Adam Neely’s video “Suno, AI Music, and the bad future”

“AI As Normal Technology” by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor  

Astrophysicist Minas Karamanis’ blog post “The machines are fine. I’m worried about us”

“Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted?” by Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz for The New Yorker

“Fabienk” and “Sarniezz” by Angine de Poitrine from Vol. II, 2026

Watch Angine de Poitrine live on KEXP

The NYT reviews Dungeon Crawler Carl

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Jason, Maddy, and Kirk open up the mailbag to take some of your questions on all sorts of things. How do you deal with a creatively unfulfilling job? Why don't more game studios allow employees to work remotely? And is it worth buying a Switch 2 now before it inevitably gets more expensive, even if you're on the fence?

One More Thing:

Kirk: Weapons (2025)

Maddy: “Iran,” Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2014)

Jason: People of Note

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What's the deal with Early Access? What are the pros and cons? Kirk, Jason, and Maddy sit down for a wide-ranging conversation about all the ins and outs of what it means to sell an early, unfinished game, from Baldur's Gate 3 to Star Citizen and so much more.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Contrapoints on Saw (YouTube)

Maddy: Beyond Good & Evil (2003)

Jason: Wonder Man (Disney+)

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Esoteric Ebb: bad name, great game. Jason, Kirk, and Maddy dive into this new Disco-like where you play as a cleric tasked with investigating the explosion of a tea shop in a fantasy world where the voices in your head are D&D attributes. It's a lot of fun.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir) (Ray Porter Audiobook)

Maddy: 30 Rock

Jason: Void Stranger

LINKS:

“Norvik” from Esoteric Ebb composed by Anders Bach, Brian Batz, and Kristian Paulsen

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Is it just us, or has this console generation been... weird? Kirk, Jason, and Maddy assess the current state of console gaming on the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X/S, and the Nintendo Switch 2. They talk about diminishing returns on graphics, the huge leaps in pricing, and why it'd be bonkers if the PS6 came out next year.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Resident Evil 4 Remake

Maddy: Pokopia

Jason: Ratcheteer DX

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Kirk, Jason, and Maddy open up the listener mailbag to answer some of your questions! When should you let kids start playing video games? What gaming terms should be more mainstream? And what do you do when you're just too old for this shit?

One More Thing:

Kirk: Hunchback (Saou Ichikawa)

Maddy: How To Get To Heaven From Belfast

Jason: Pokopia

LINKS:

"Cereal In My Mouth," archived from dog.gawker.com

NYT coverage of the couple who got married at Bad Bunny’s halftime show

Kirk’s theme song for “The Distraction” - Bandcamp/YouTube

“It’s Too Late” by Bob Mould from Black Sheets of Rain, 1990

“Go” (Last Week Tonight Theme) by Valley Lodge from Use Your Weapons, 2013

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The Triple Click gang pull out their blood harvesters for a trip into Resident Evil Requiem, the latest entry in the longrunning horror-action-goofball series. They talk about playing as Grace and Leon, exploring the care center and all the shades of Resident Evil 2.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Your Name (2016)

Maddy: “The Pill” by Meg Elison

Jason: Esoteric Ebb

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Kirk, Maddy, and Jason dive into the year's biggest gaming news so far: Xbox boss Phil Spencer retiring. They talk about what led to this big shakeup, discuss whether new boss Asha Sharma really needs to be a gamer, and try to figure out if there's any way to salvage the Xbox brand.

One More Thing:

Kirk: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO)

Maddy: Icebreakers (New Yorker documentary)

Jason: Under the Island 

LINKS:

"Inside Microsoft’s big Xbox leadership shake-up" (Tom Warren / The Verge) https://www.theverge.com/tech/883015/microsoft-xbox-new-ceo-shakeup-notepad

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Fresh off their interview with Mewgenics co-creator Edmund McMillen, the Triple Click gang dives into the game itself. They talk about the gross-out humor, the brilliant combat, and that truly spectacular soundtrack. (All of my nights, I'm chasin' rats!)

One More Thing:

Kirk: Suno, AI Music, and the Bad Future - Adam Neely, YouTube/Nebula

Maddy: Overwatch update

Jason: Lost Lambs (Madeline Cash)

LINKS:

“Eatin’ Rats” by Ridiculon from the Mewgenics OST, 2026

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Jason, Kirk, and Maddy bring on veteran game designer Edmund McMillen (Binding of Isaac, Super Meat Boy) to talk about his latest game, Mewgenics, which was first announced in 2012 (!) and is out this week. They talk about the long development cycle, why McMillen parted ways with his Team Meat partner Tommy Refenes, breeding cats, and much much more.

One More Thing:

Kirk: Cairn

Maddy: Code 3 (2025)

Jason: The Chair Company (HBO)

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Jason, Maddy, and Kirk dive into Dragon Quest, one of the biggest video game franchises in Japan. What's special about it? What makes it so popular? And what's the deal with this week's release, Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined?

One More Thing:

Kirk: Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Maria Semple)

Maddy: Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator

Jason: How I Met Your Mother

LINKS:

“I Am Jack Bauer” - Japanese 24 Advertisement

“Dragon Quest Theme” by Koichi Sugiyama, from DQ7 Reimagined (2026) and recorded by the Tokyo Strings Orchestra, 1986

“Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is the best way into Dragon Quest” by Michael McWhertor, Polygon

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