For our last episode of 2024, we share our thoughts on The Game Awards and then have a good ol' fashioned GOTY chat on our favorite games of 2024!

Listen... if we're being real, we honestly didn't play *too* many games released this calendar year, but the ones we did play were bangers nevertheless! Including an undisputed choice for our joint Game of the Year. Join us as we give the girls their flowers and talk about what vibed with us the most.

Thanks for sticking with us through another year of G4P! We'll be back in your ears in 2025!

What Else We're Gay For this week:
Eric: Hundreds of Beavers (dir. Mike Cheslik)
Laurence: Doechii's Tiny Desk Concert, Gracie Abrams "That's So True", Kurt Vonnegut on Making Art

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Get in touch with us!

EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com

FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)

Twitter: @GayForPlayPod
Instagram: @GayForPlayPod
Twitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod

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CREDITS
Intro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)

Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)

MUSIC THIS WEEK:
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - Salmon's Theme (Bow Wow Wow) by Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki
I Am Astro Bot (ASTRO BOT Remix) by Kenneth C M Young

Laurence and Eric work in tandem as they are joined this week by their partners, Hector Barajas (first time guest!) and Gerry Tonella (returning from our Olympics episode) to hold space for the musical/cultural blockbuster event of the year – WICKED (part one). Full spoilers ahead for the movie, the stage musical, the book kinda, the source material (The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz) and the source material’s source material (another book) as we discuss all things swankified in the Oz, Shiz, and beyond. We *are* in queer media so, naturally we have an Emerald City’s worth of thoughts to share about this formative musical and its superb film adaptation.

Then later in the episode, we share tales of our respective recent couples’ vacations: Eric and Gerry recount their trip to Walt Disney World, and Laurence and Hector about their trip to Mexico City.

Put your pointy hats on and vogue on down to the Ozdust Ballroom & enjoy this episode!

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Get in touch with us!

EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com

FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)

Twitter: @GayForPlayPod
Instagram: @GayForPlayPod
Twitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod

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CREDITS
Intro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)

Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)

This week, on what is approximately our 4th(!) anniversary of the pod (we launched on Thanksgiving Day 2020), we gather to discuss the future of the pod, games we’ve been playing, the Game Awards nominations, theatre we’ve been holding space for, and ruminate on some of our favorite albums of the year as the year rapidly draws to a close!

Games discussed: Pokémon TCG Pocket, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Mario Party Jamboree, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, Metaphor Re:Fantazio
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Get in touch with us!

EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com

FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)

Twitter: @GayForPlayPod
Instagram: @GayForPlayPod
Twitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod

========
CREDITS
Intro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)

Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)

Bonsoir! Bienvenue à PARIS!
This week we set aside video games in favor of OLYMPIC games, as we are joined by the lovely Gerry Tonella (Olympic gold medalist in the sport of "being Eric's cutie-patootie boyfriend") to discuss the games of the 33rd Summer Olympiad in Paris, France! Collectively we found it to be our favorite Olympic games of recent memory, with soooo much to discuss! From Gaga and Celine to the extinguishing of torch, we dive into a little bit of it all in this episode!

We start with breaking down the breathtaking opening ceremony that took place along the Seine River, featuring Lady Gaga, a parade of athletes on boats, a dazzling display of French culture, a drag queen bacchanal, and a performance from the one and only CELINE DION (which is maybe *the* cultural moment of the year? decade even? We gagged over every second of it.)

Then, sports gays rejoice, we get into our favorite sporting events of the games: talking gymnastics, skateboarding, tennis, artistic swimming, and a whole lot more. We highlight some of the achievements from the record 193 openly LGBTQ+ athletes that competed this year, and discuss some controversies around the Olympics this year, from the lighthearted (big d*ck pole vault man) to the not so fun (the transphobic misinformation campaign around cisgender female boxer [and 2024 GOLD medalist mind you] Imane Khelif of Algeria.)

Lastly, with the Olympic flag now passed along to our neck of the woods in Los Angeles, California, we share our hopes and predictions for the 2028 games. (IOC/NBC Universal, hire us!) Plus, Gerry and Eric give us a little addendum to discuss thoughts on the Closing Ceremony!

WHAT ELSE WE'RE GAY FOR

ERIC: M. Night Shyamalan's Trap (2024)
LAUR: The Boyfriend - Netflix Reality Series
GERRY: The Wicked movie promo and LUSH collab, & the best summer floral
================
Get in touch with us!

EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com

FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)

Twitter: @GayForPlayPod
Instagram: @GayForPlayPod
Twitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod

Support the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON

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CREDITS
Intro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)

Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)

Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish,<3

MUSIC THIS WEEK:
Mon Truc En Plumes - Performed by Lady Gaga
Hymne à L’amour - Performed by Celine Dion

Are we still a video game podcast? Well, sorta kinda! That, pop culture, and beyond as we say, (with an emphasis on the latter two lately...) But still, it's a question we find we are asking ourselves lately! tbh, We find it a little difficult to care as deeply about video games when we are so busy living through major current events and existing in the context of all in which we live (& what came before us, as you will see in this time capsule of an episode)... alas in this episode we endeavor to anyway!

This week Eric and Laurence convene to the mics to discuss the remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, along with a good deal of other video games we've been spending time with us these past couple months. Then in the back half of the show, we share our feelings Charli XCX's brat as we unpack our own brat summers, and we yap at length about all of the other culture (music! live theatre! film! etc!) that we're gay for as of late! Strap in for this time capsule of an episode on Summa 2024~

Games Discussed:
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Kingdom Hearts (now on Steam!), Animal Well, Baldur's Gate 3, Lil Gator Game, Zenless Zone Zero, Overwatch 2, Lego 2K Drive

Pop girlies discussed:
Charli XCX, Tinashe (Stream "NASTY" on all platforms!!!), Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan

Theatre/Movies/TV Discussed:
Fiddler on the Roof, Urinetown, The Acolyte, The People's Joker by Vera Drew, Big Boys by Corey Sherman, Twin Peaks, Pokémon Horizons


================
Get in touch with us!

EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com

FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)

Twitter: @GayForPlayPod
Instagram: @GayForPlayPod
Twitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod

Support the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON

========
CREDITS
Intro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)

Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)

Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish,<3

MUSIC THIS WEEK:
"Excess Express at Dusk" by Yoshito Hirano, Yuka Tsujiyoko

We've been Nasty girls for sitting on this episode for a couple weeks, but we are back! This week we discuss Luca Guadagnino's bisexual fever dream smash hit CHALLENGERS, as well as Another Crab's Treasure - a cute undersea Souls-like where you play as a hermit crab trying to get his shell back, the Met Gala (which we kinda dgaf about but discuss a bit anyway), the recent layoffs in the video game industry, Spy x Family: Code White, some theatre we've been digging into lately, the pop girlies' summer hits ("Nasty" by Tinashe & "Espresso" by Sabina Carpenter to name a few) and more!

Later, in What Else We're Gay For this week:
ERIC: Baby Reindeer
LAURENCE: The Blank Check Podcast's series on Satoshi Kon, and Suzume by Makoto Shinkai

Plus at the very end, a surprise discussion on US Season 2 of Traitors

If you're in LA, come see Eric in Hollywood Fringe Festival this June! Tickets here https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/10356?tab=tickets

================
Get in touch with us!

EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com

FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)

Twitter: @GayForPlayPod
Instagram: @GayForPlayPod
Twitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod

Support the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON

========
CREDITS
Intro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)

Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)

Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish,<3

MUSIC THIS WEEK:
"Wii Sports - Tennis Results Theme" by Kazumi Totaka

Get in the robot, listener, it's time for another Gay for Play! This week we're joined by bestie of the pod and G4P alum, Sara Brown! We get deep and philosophical about the re-release (and first North American release) of The End of Evangelion in theaters and discuss why this film and its anime is still one of the most beloved and mind-boggling series ever made, as well as a show and film rich with queer under(and over)tones. We also get into the new Stardew Valley 1.6 update, chat all about the new features that continue being added to this modern perennial classic, and why we just can't stop returning to the farm. Before all that, we have to do a dive on the new Beyoncé album Cowboy Carter, as well as our stance on country as a genre and what comes next for Queen Bey and country music as a whole. All that plus more movies, games and culture on this week's episode!

It's a real life boogie AND a real life hoedown, so join us, won't you?


What Else We're Gay For:

Eric: Quiet On Set and I'm Glad My Mom Died
Sara: Baldur's Gate 3
Laurence: Problemista

================
Get in touch with us!

EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com

FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)

Twitter: @GayForPlayPod
Instagram: @GayForPlayPod
Twitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod

Support the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON

========
CREDITS
Intro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)

Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)

Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish,<3

MUSIC THIS WEEK:
Stardew Valley OST - Spring (The Valley Comes Alive) by ConcernedApe

It's all aces this week as Eric and Laurence chitchat about all the culture and games they've been playing this month. Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, the hotly anticipated follow-up to 2020's FF7 Remake. Rebirth reunites us with our favorite PTSD-addled twink Cloud Strife, as he and his gang of gay friends and divas leave the city of Midgar and embark on an open world adventure on their hunt for Sephiroth: fighting monsters, going on endless side-adventures, and playing countless minigames along the way (including a truly fantastic card game called Queen's Blood)
And speaking of cards, we've both been playing a ton of Balatro, a new poker-based deck-building roguelike that has us addicted like a couple of gamblers (sans any real gambling, thankfully) and has quickly made a name for itself as an early GOTY contender.

We also discuss some thoughts on the Oscars and some our favorite films from the award season, Laurence talks about how sexy Barrett Wallace is, Eric discusses Persona 3 Reload and Portal 1&2, plus we talk about Dune Part 2, the incoming albums from the pop girlies, and so much more!

What Else We're Gay For:

Laurence: Bottoms (2023)
Eric: Mexico City!
================
Get in touch with us!

EMAIL US at gayforplaypodcast@gmail.com

FOLLOW G4P (& Message us on any of our socials for a link to our Discord!)

Twitter: @GayForPlayPod
Instagram: @GayForPlayPod
Twitch: twitch.tv/gayforplaypod

Support the Show & Unlock Bonus Episodes on our PATREON

========
CREDITS
Intro and outro music by Connor Marsh (@connorjmarshmallow)

Show art by Benny Kessler (@retro.spectacle.studio)

Special thanks to our patrons: Blueberri Mary, Elijah Punzal, Trevor McTavish,<3