Side Story

34: It's Important That We Explain What Chex Mix Is

After telling us for months that we needed to play and talk about Kingdoms of Amalur, Jack has made good on the threat. But is it a threat? Isn't Kingdom's of Amalur a cl

33: Developing Relationships With Marbles

Today, Janine and Ali go to a little world of catboy couriers and witches with high standards: Go-Go Town!, a frenetic city builder that splits the difference between Ani

32: The Gnome Is Going Into the Shredder

It's music week on Side Story! Keith, Jack, and Sylvi kick off a conversation around music creation game Offbeat, a game about using a toy keyboard and a bunch of input c

31: Putting the Player in the Kiln

We talk about friction a lot here on Side Story. Friction as difficulty. Friction as texture. Friction as erotics. But today, as the gem slides onto the lathe, as the cla

30: A Game About Shitheads

Gather up your ore nuggets, bind quicksave to an easy to reach button, and prepare to be killed in one hit by a level 1 mole creature because this week, Jack and Austin d

29: The Ship Is Like a Piano to Me

Go check out the Special Edition 10th Anniverary Marielda Vinyl Album!  Begin. Motion. D4. Nav 3 R4; gather all. D4. D3. Nav 1 R3; Motion. D5. Nav 3 R5. Interface. Scan

28: The Abstraction Gap

We've all been there. You sit down and break the seal on a new pack of cards, you smell the new card smell, you deal out a starter hand of Solitaire -- and then it dawns

27: The Machine Needs the Blood

Stop. Take a breath. Make the decision: Which Pokémon would you choose as your roommate. Could Voltorb help you keep the electricity bill down? Would Houndoom make you fe

26: The Juice Is in the Ambiguity

With spring turning into summer, Art, Jack, and Austin have found that it's time to once again drink the Potion of Liking Baseball. Well, no, it's not that broad: It's th

25: Submerged in Fish Medication

Have you heard the news? There's a new Postman in town, and a new Fairie Queen in the court. I hear the Postman keeps bringing her big palettes of wood, and she's using i

24: A Key Part of the Gloop

Somewhere between Goo and Glue and Goop, is Gloop. And that's the stuff that makes up the middling (and middle-ing) parts of many vast, open world RPGs. Flat but enjoyabl

23: Everybody Remembers the Big Boulder

Happy Side Story anniversary! To celebrate our first year of the show, Austin, Janine, and Jack get together to talk about the year they've spent playing Nine Dots' RPG-m

22: I've Got an Open Friend Mouth

With too many games coming out recently, Austin, Sylvi, and Dre had to determine a metric to decide which ones to cover on this week's episode. What makes the most sense?

21: Eat the Spaghetti and Leave

With Austin separated from his microphone because of a snowstorm, Janine and Ali (who herself had to record on a travel mic) return to chat about the rise of Devices. You

Announcement: ICEBREAKER - A Fundraising Marathon for Immigrant Justice

On Sunday 15th and Monday 16th of February 2026, we're going to be hosting ICEBREAKER, a two day fundraising marathon on twitch.tv/friendsatthetable to raise money for th

20: Being a Dude vs Being a Guy

The winter is here and our love of warmth means that we're stuck inside, dreaming of greener pastures. Greener pastures like: "A train that you can make prettier" and "A

19: Silent Hill f Spoilercast

Happy 2026! We're kicking the year off (a little belatedly) with what would've been Ali's 2025 Main Story Award winning Silent Hill f. She's joined by Keith and Jack as t

The 2025 Main Story Awards 05: The Purpose Of Gameplay Is To Hide Secrets Award and More!

Welcome to the inaugural Main Story Awards, Side Story's end-of-year sendoff to the games and topics that captivated our attention this year. Look forward to a new short

The 2025 Main Story Awards 04: The Yes Nostalgia! and No Nostalgia! Awards

Welcome to the inaugural Main Story Awards, Side Story's end-of-year sendoff to the games and topics that captivated our attention this year. Look forward to a new short

The 2025 Main Story Awards 03: The Best-Yet Version of a Game That Isn't What I Truly Want Award

Welcome to the inaugural Main Story Awards, Side Story's end-of-year sendoff to the games and topics that captivated our attention this year. Look forward to a new short