LISTEN TO THE PLUGGED IN SHOW, EPISODE 198
We spend plenty of time at Plugged In reviewing and talking about movies, which might be what we’re best known for. But we also keep our finger on the pulse of many other pop culture and entertainment “beats,” as we call them. And this week we’re focusing on a new video game and a song on The Plugged In Show.
The M-rated fantasy role-playing video game Baldur’s Gate 3 takes place in a popular Dungeons & Dragons setting. And plenty of fans of that table-top gaming franchise have said this new game is among the best digital D&D experiences ever created. Its game mechanics will feel very familiar to anyone who has ever rolled a 20-sided die.
Unfortunately, that M-rating means it has a ton of content to navigate, too, depending on which settings you use for the game. But if you’ve got teen gamers chomping at the bit to dive into this digital D&D world, you’ll want to listen to what our resident game experts Bob Hoose and Kennedy Unthank have to say about it first.
Speaking of listening, we did some of that in our review of Olivia Rodrigo’s new song “Bad Idea Right?” Though she’s talking about a toxic romance, the question she asks in this song’s title might apply equally to young fans putting this popular track on repeat. Kristin Smith tells us everything parents need to know about this 20-year-old singer’s worldview.
Beyond those topics, we’d love to hear your thoughts about both Plugged In and our weekly podcast, The Plugged In Show. What would you like us to cover? How have our resources impacted you and your family? Tell us! We’d love to hear from you, and we might even feature your comments or stories in a future episode.
You can do that a couple of different ways. The comments section below is one way. Or, shoot us an email at [email protected]. And if you head over to our podcast homepage, thepluggedinshow.com, you’ll also find a black ribbon on the right-hand side of the page where you can leave us a voicemail with your thoughts. Of course, Facebook and Instagram are options, too.
Finally, join us for our weekly Plugged In Show Aftercast live on Instagram at 3:00 pm MT every Monday. We’ll answer your questions, talk about this past week’s podcast episode and box office results and also give you a preview of what’s to come on the next episode of The Plugged In Show.
2 Responses
-Hubby was a big fan of Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 (and its spinoff series Icewind Dale 1 and 2, which he actually kinda likes better cuz you can more customize your party). So he was pretty excited to hear about BG 3. While the inappropriate additions were a bit of a disappointment, he’s thankfully mature enough to navigate the troubled waters of one of his favorite fantasy series.
He is a bit weirded out about how mainstream it’s gotten, though. These used to be niche segments of culture and people like us (nerds, geeks, whatever you want to call us) were often bullied and teased for playing RPGs and watching anime and now to see it being so celebrated and embraced by society at large is still rather… jarring. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, I guess. It means producers will be making more of it. But we are a bit worried pop culture will start pushing itself even further into properties where they’re not wanted. Properties created as an escape from the “normal”, not meant to conform to it. They’ve already taken over comic books and trading card games like MTG. RPGs and anime may very well be next. But I hope not.
-Sadly, that’s just how the entertainment industry works, co-opting niche subcultures and ruthlessly replicating them until they lose everything that made them fresh and unique.
Remember when comic books and punk rock belonged to outcasts and the uncool? Now we have the Disney/Marvel industrial complex and corporate-sponsored pop/punk festivals that represent everything The Clash despised.
The only solution is to reject nostalgia, create something entirely new, and savor it before the corporate suits catch on.