PODCAST · leisure
Quest Markers
by Quest Markers
A monthly-ish podcast about video games and the stories they tell.
Episodes
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EP 48 | What is Music Mastering?
Award-winning mastering engineer and sound designer Jordan Fehr (Guild Wars 2, Pacific Drive, Donkey Kong Country Returns) joins Marina Ryan to demystify the final step in the music making process. They talk about the differences between music mixing and mastering, topics like loudness and sound...
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EP 47 | How Live Orchestras Get Recorded for Games
Grammy-winner Brooke Vlahos (Destiny 2, Halo Infinite, Shadow of Mordor, Guild Wars) joins Marina Ryan to talk about live music recording for AAA games, how she got into live recording, the various roles that she holds (scoring stage engineer, stage manager, front of house engineer), what makes…
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EP 46 | Working On Your First Video Game
Musician and sound designer Ryako joins Marina Ryan to talk about the music and sound for The Spirit Lift, a ghostpunk, roguelike game. They dig into Ryako’s journey into game development, how her experience as a music producer has helped her with sound design, and what it’s like working on your...
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EP 45 | The Art & Science of Game Development
Parker Hartzler (Resident Evil 4 Remake, Forza Motorsport, New Tales from the Borderlands) joins Marina Ryan to talk about motion capture, lighting, and technical art in video games. They dig into each discipline and discuss what game developers are responsible for as motion capture technicians,...
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EP 44 | The Journey of Becoming a Voice Actor in Video Games
Abigail Carey (Morbid Metal, Mecharashi, Liminal Point) joins Marina Ryan to talk about the journey of becoming a voice actor for video games. They touch on various topics, from auditions, to equipment, to growth and overcoming failure. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * *...
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EP 43 | A Studio Lead's Best Practices for Remote Work
Dr. Miko Charbonneau joins Marina Ryan to chat about best practices for remote work, how to prioritize the team’s wellbeing and happiness, and the path that took Miko from working on Minecraft to starting her own studio. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS: (00:00:00)...
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EP 42 | Answering your questions about games publishing
Rachel Heleva is back on the show to answer your questions about video game publishing! Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!* * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:(00:00:00) Intro(00:03:20) How Rachel got into the games industry (00:07:22) “What should I talk about when presenting a pitch deck?” (00:19:40)...
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EP 41 | How a Comic Book became a Video Game
Tangleworm joins Marina Ryan to talk about the journey that led him to develop NOMIA, a tactics roguelike game. They delve into how fantasy and sci-fi can help us imagine a better world, how playtesters can shape the development of key game mechanics, and techniques to stay motivated while…
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EP 40 | From solo dev to studio lead with Archangel Softworks
Mike from Archangel Softworks joins Marina Ryan to talk about his game development journey and upcoming title, Highway Noir. They delve into what it’s like going from a solo developer to leading a team, managing complexity on larger-scale projects, the importance of prototyping, cohesive art...
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EP 39 | Appealing Video Game Worlds with Merlino Games Founder Antonio Freyre
Antonio Freyre joins Marina Ryan to talk about his game development journey that led him to developing his upcoming title, As Time Surrenders.They delve into topics such as ambient storytelling, using art as a way to engage in conversation, how mechanics and symbols can be used to tell game...
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EP 38 | Grammy-Nominated Cody Matthew Johnson on Life, Creativity, & Getting Into Video Game Music
Cody Matthew Johnson is back! He joins Marina Ryan to talk about his path into video game music, his recent Grammy nomination, his plans for 2026, and advice he has for new video game composers. They also delve into topics such as embracing failure, choosing action over hesitation, and decisive...
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EP 37 | From Resident Evil to Star Wars: How Cody Matthew Johnson approaches music making
Cody Matthew Johnson joins Marina Ryan to talk about his creative process in making video game music. Cody has worked on everything from Resident Evil to Bayonetta, to most recently Star Wars: Outlaws, which landed him a Grammy nomination (congrats, Cody!!!). They delve into the differences…
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EP 36 | How indie game Shroom and Gloom drove 125k+ wishlists
Ben Lazerbeam joins Marina Ryan to talk about the development of Team Lazerbeam’s upcoming roguelike double deckbuilder, Shroom and Gloom. They delve into the game’s design and balancing, art and implementation, and the marketing strategy that led them to 125,000+ wishlists on Steam! Grab a…
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EP 35 | How do indie horror games get made?
Vincent Adinolfi joins Marina Ryan to talk about the development of his survival horror game Heartworm. They delve into the inspiration behind the game, Vincent’s development journey, the game’s OST, visual identity, production, accessibility, and so much more. The episode is chock-full of great...
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EP 34 | How do indie studios get funded?
Rachel Heleva (Akupara Games, Spiral Up Games, Strange Scaffold) joins Marina to talk about her games publishing and development journey.They delve into how game publishers work, what it means to be a game scout, the importance of production, and Rachel gives tons of advice for up-and-coming...
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EP 33 | Video Game Writing, Narrative Design, and Feeling our Emotions - A Game Dev Chat with Kate Gray (Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Moonstone Island)
Kate Gray (Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Moonstone Island, Dimensional Double Shift) joins Marina Ryan to talk about her game development journey. They delve into what it’s like being a games writer and narrative designer, player agency and dialogue writing, the challenge of writing item...
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EP 32 | Video Game Writing, Narrative Design, & Resident Evil - A Game Dev Chat with Anna C. Webster
Anna C. Webster joins Marina Ryan to talk about her game development journey. They delve into what it’s really like being a games writer, how narrative design roles vary from studio to studio, their love of the Resident Evil series, and much more. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * *…
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EP 31 | Creative Direction & Curiosity - A Game Dev Chat with David Kazi (Hollow Knight, Exo One, Ember League)
David Kazi (Hollow Knight, ExoOne, Ember League) joins Marina Ryan to talk about his game development journey. They delve into what it was like working on Hollow Knight, the challenges that came with working on orbital physics for Exo One, and David’s journey in co-founding his own game studio,...
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EP 30 | How We Write Music, Talent vs. Skill, Music Theory, & More - A Chat with Terran (Outbound Drift)
Terran joins Marina to talk about writing video game music.They delve into: how they start a new piece of music, overcoming writer’s block, talent vs. skill, iterating and acting on feedback, the importance of music theory, and more.Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat!* * * * * * *...
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EP 29 | Solo Dev, Streaming, & Community Building - A Chat with Fletch (Xtris, Canyon Crisis, & more)
Fletch joins Marina to talk about working on games, streaming, and community building. They delve into: the importance of creativity, getting into game development and streaming, building safe communities, and the importance of game vision, player experience, and accessibility. Grab a coffee, and...
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EP 28 | Craftsmanship, Curiosity, & Teamwork in Game Dev - A Chat with Paul Dean (Pacific Drive, Magical Kitties Save the Day, & more)
Paul Dean joins Marina to talk about working in creative roles within the gaming industry. They delve into: creative practices, habits, and techniques, what it’s like to work on a game dev team, the importance of feedback, following one’s curiosity, and time, privilege, access, and opportunity in...
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EP 27 | A Studio Lead, Games Journalist, and Composer Walk Into a Room...
The Souls Squad is back! Sherveen, Jack, and Marina are back again to talk about the intersection between games and their disciplines in the gaming industry.They delve into misconceptions about their work, the importance of feedback and iterating, cohesion between music and game systems, some of...
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EP 26 | Chatting with a Localization Game Dev (ft. Blue)
We’re back! Happy new year! Blue joins Marina once again to talk about the games they’re playing and what they’re looking forward to playing this year. They also delve into Blue’s area of expertise: video game localization, what it entails, and what game does it really, really well. Grab a…
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EP 25 | Elden Ring - Shadow of the Erdtree: Compassion, Ascension, & Abandonment (with Sherveen and Jack)
The Souls Squad is back! Marina sits down with Sherveen and Jack to talk about Elden Ring’s DLC: Shadow of the Erdtree. They talk about the expanded lore of the Land of Shadow, their favourite narrative themes, their DLC builds, and their favourite bosses and music. Grab a coffee, and join us for…
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EP 24 | Side Quest: Games We're Playing (with Rachel)
(Note that this episode was recorded back in August 2024) Marina sits down with Rachel - who’s worked as a producer at game studios and in game publishing - to talk about the games they’re playing, and what they want to play next. They talk about games of all sizes and genres, including beloved...
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EP 23 | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (with Myleah)
Marina sits down with Myleah - Founder of Lumikha Cosplay Resale - to talk about Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. They chat about the game’s charm, sarcasm, and cheekiness, robots gaining sentience, and why Vivian is so amazing. Grab a coffee, and join us for a chat! * * * * * * * TIMESTAMPS:...
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EP 22 | Side Quest: Games to Play in 2024 (with Ren)
Marina sits down with returning guest Ren to talk about the games they’re currently playing. They talk about collecting mermaid items in Animal Crossing, how the Elden Ring DLC feels like an entire sequel, Stardew Valley’s similarities to the original Animal Crossing, the cheekiness of Paper…
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EP 21 | Xenoblade Chronicles 2 & 3: A Focus on the Future (with Xander’s Cut)
Marina sits down with Xander from Xander’s Cut to talk about Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and 3. They talk about the importance of foreshadowing, whether Xenoblade 2’s DLC was better than the base game, their thoughts on Xenoblade 3’s ending, and their favourite musical pieces. * * * * * * *…
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EP 20 | Resident Evil 5-8: Re-Invention and Returning to its Roots (with Thomas Roland)
Marina sits down with Thomas Roland to talk about the second half of the mainline Resident Evil series. They talk about why it matters to have character-driven stories in the horror genre, their favorite moments and twists, and what game they think is the scariest in the entire series. * * * * *…
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EP 19 | The Sims: Comfort and Chaos in Player-Led Narratives (with Leminnie)
Marina and Minnie sit down to talk about one of the most beloved games of the last 2 decades: The Sims. They talk about player-led emergent narratives, the stories they crafted for their Sims, how differently they played the games, the chaos of co-op mode, the first time they saw the Grim Reaper,...
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EP 18 | Nier Automata: Mastery in Misdirection (with Zack Parkerson)
Marina sits down with Zack Parkerson to talk Nier once again, but this time, we’re trading in Replicant for Automata. We talk about Nier Automata’s masterful narrative design, how it misdirects the player until the very end, our favourite side quests, and why we love this game so much. Grab some...
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EP 17 | Story Predictions for Upcoming Games, Currently Playing, & Community Questions (Side Quest)
Marina sits down for a solo episode and the first one on our new segment, Side Quest! She answers some community questions and dives into Elden Ring’s new DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, FFXIV and Dawntrail, FF7 Rebirth’s upcoming release, Baldur’s Gate 3, Bloodborne, and Resident Evil 7. A HUGE…
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EP 16 | How Video Game Music Shapes Narratives (with MarcoMeatball)
Marina sits down with professional opera singer-turned-voice actor MarcoMeatball to talk all things video game music. We talk about how FFXIV and Granblue Fantasy: Relink blend genres, the sadness in Bloodborne’s soundtrack, how vertical music sequencing is used in Nier Automata, how ambient…
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EP 15 | Elden Ring: Lore, Loss, & Difficulty as a Tool for Storytelling (with Jack & Sherveen)
Marina sits down with games journalist Jack Alex Roberts and game dev Sherveen Uduwana to talk about our Tarnished journeys in the Lands Between. We talk about our love of Elden Ring’s lore, narrative design, music, how we got into the Soulsborne genre, what builds we played, our favourite…
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EP 14 | Life Lessons from Video Games
Marina Ryan sits down to recap Quest Markers’ first year – and the life lessons that video games can teach us. We talk about community, grief, love, finding meaning in life, overcoming despair, becoming your own saviour, and so much more. Hope you enjoy! * * * * * * * (00:00) Introduction (02:07)...
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EP 13 (PART 2 OF 2) | Majora’s Mask: Humility, Community, and Having the Courage to Try Again (with Kinsey)
Marina Ryan sits down with Kinsey for part 2 of Quest Markers’ anniversary episode! Thank you for 1 year of conversations, coffee, and laughs 🖤 Grab your ocarina and let’s fall into Termina for the sequel to our very first episode with our very first guest. We talk about how Majora’s Mask tells…
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EP 13 (PART 1 OF 2) | Majora’s Mask: Healing, Grief, & Responding to a Terrible Fate (with Kinsey)
Marina Ryan sits down with Kinsey for Quest Markers’ anniversary episode! Thank you for 1 year of conversations, coffee, and laughs 🖤 Grab your ocarina and let’s fall into Termina for the sequel to our very first episode with our very first guest. We talk about how Majora’s Mask tells a story of...
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EP 12 | Resident Evil & Why Survival Horror isn't Meant to be Difficult (with Thomas Roland)
Marina Ryan sits down with Thomas Roland for a special Halloween episode covering the Resident Evil series. This episode covers Resident Evil 0 through 5 Remake. Grab your green herbs and get ready for a dive into RE’s characters, the themes of fleeting hope and becoming your own saviour, and why...
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EP 11 | Existentialism, Free Will, and Why Androids Wear Blindfolds in NieR: Automata (with Marina Ryan)
Marina sits down for another solo episode to talk about the game she hadn’t stopped talking about for 2 years straight: NieR: Automata. This episode goes in-depth on NieR: Automata’s story, how its game elements come together, why its use of narrative design is masterful, how it explores...
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EP 10 | Hope, Despair, and Finding Meaning in Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers & Endwalker (with Marina Ryan)
Marina sits down for her first solo episode to celebrate Quest Markers entering our episodic double digits, Dawntrail’s announcement, ARR’s 10th anniversary, and her finally getting caught up in MSQ after 1.5 years of playing FFXIV. This episode goes in-depth on Shadowbringers and Endwalker lore,...
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EP 9 | A Link to the Past: Trust, Secrets, and Betrayal (with Scott Clark)
Marina sits down with Scott from The Gaming Outsider to talk about Scott’s favourite Zelda game: A Link to the Past. We talk about community, trust, secrets, betrayal, why King Zora is the funniest character, and whether the game holds up after all these years. Enjoy, and have a great day! * * *…
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EP 8 | Hollow Knight: Tragedy, Irony, & the Meaning of Not Being Hollow (with Sherveen)
Marina sits down with Game Director and Designer Sherveen to talk about the unexpectedly deep lore and narrative of Hollow Knight. We talk about the Hollow Knight’s tragic life, quirky characters we meet in Hallownest, the sad story of the Abyss’ vessels, and willing things into existence. Hope…
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EP 7 | Pokémon Gold & Silver: Paving your own Narrative, Dark & Creepy Themes, and Finally Evolving Pikachu (with Jack Alex Roberts)
Jack sits down with Marina to talk about Pokémon Gold & Silver! We talk about the darker themes explored in this story, the controversy of Slowpoke tails, this generation’s lack of fire Pokémon, the glorious pink dog that is Snubbull, why Lavender town is so creepy, and finally being able to…
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EP 6 | Breath of the Wild: Freedom in Story and Design & Hopes for Tears of the Kingdom (with Ren)
Ren comes back and sits down with Marina to talk about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, just before the release of Tears of the Kingdom. We talk about Zelda’s desire for freedom, Fi’s significance, our favourite emotional moments, and BOTW’s open-world design. We also speculate about...
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EP 5 | NieR Replicant: Souls, Sapience, and the Endbringer (with Zack Parkerson)
Zack and Marina sit down to talk about… what would happen if humanity was faced with its own demise? In talking about NieR Replicant, we explore the topics of protagonism, sapience, willpower, and more. Hope you enjoy! * * * * * * * Follow Us: Quest Markers: https://twitter.com/questmarkerspod…
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EP 4 | Xenoblade Chronicles: The Art of Foreshadowing and Misdirection (with Snugboy)
Snugboy and Marina sit down to talk all things Xenoblade Chronicles. In this episode, we talk about the art of foreshadowing, earnest protagonists, misdirection as a narrative tool, and the true power of friendship (Cringey to say? Yes. True, tho? Also yes). We hope you enjoy! * * * * * * *…
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EP 3 | Final Fantasy VII & Remake: Identity, Destiny, and Tragedy (with Billy)
Billy and Marina sit down to chat Final Fantasy VII – both the original game and Remake. In this episode, we talk about identity, destiny, Zack Fair, Sephiroth (obviously), and a theory that may be more tragic than the events of the original game. Enjoy! * * * * * * * Follow Us: Quest Markers:...
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EP 2 | Metroid Dread: Fear, Isolation, and the Justification of Samus' Anger (with Ren)
Ren and Marina sit down to talk all-things Metroid Dread. In this episode, we talk about our love of the Metroid series’ environmental storytelling, Samus Aran’s history, accessibility in gaming, and why we love Samus’ broad shoulders. Hope you enjoy! * * * * * * * Follow Ups: • Can I Play That...
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EP 1 | Ocarina of Time: Community, Sorrow, and Growing Up (with Kinsey)
Join Kinsey and Marina for the first episode of Quest Markers! In this episode, we look at Ocarina of Time’s narrative, characters, music, and what makes this adventure a classic. Is OOT the saddest Zelda game in the series? Why do we love Sheik so much? Is the Water Temple our least-favourite...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Quest Markers have?
Quest Markers currently has 49 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Quest Markers about?
A monthly-ish podcast about video games and the stories they tell.
How often does Quest Markers release new episodes?
Quest Markers has 49 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Quest Markers?
You can listen to Quest Markers on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Quest Markers?
Quest Markers is created and hosted by Quest Markers.
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