When I was younger, I used to play online games with strangers. By the end of the match, I’d add them to my friends list, and we’d become close friends—even if they were absolute jerks to me. That almost never happens anymore.
Why is that?
Today I am happy to announce a project helmed by Kotaku staff writer Gita Jackson and me: Fave This, a new podcast/YouTube show. No, we won’t really be discussing the latest in gaming news—there are enough people out there doing that. The idea is for us to open up a space to chat about internet culture, fandom, and the unusual things people do in video games.
In this first episode, I talk about an awkward Nintendo Switch moment that made me reflect on why it’s harder to become friends with strangers online now, and Gita discusses what can go wrong when fans ship real people together (such as famous YouTubers).
Watch us on YouTube in the video embedded above, where you can see the horrendous Splatoon 2 outfit that I mentioned on the last episode of Splitscreen. Please don’t make fun of me!! And yes, that is Rihanna playing an Xbox 360 game in the top image / thumbnail. Here’s the description on Getty Images:
Pop sensation, Rihanna relaxes while playing some of her fans as part of the latest Xbox Live Game with Fame. During the game, Rihanna chatted with countless fans via Xbox Live prior to celebrating the release of her sophomore album A Girl Like Me.
I bet Rihanna misses the old days of Xbox Live, too.
Alternatively, you can listen to the episode below:
You can find an MP3 of this episode here, and check out our RSS feed here. We’ll be on iTunes soon!
For the next episode, we’d love to take some reader submissions for topics. Feel free to email me with comments, questions, or topic suggestions via email, patricia@kotaku.com, with the subject heading “Fave This.” We’ll have a mailbag segment during the next episode.
Image credit: Scott Gries/Getty Images for Xbox.