Best Sandbox Cooperative Podcasts (2024)

1
Co-op Mood: Announcement (2/2/2021) 1:40

3y ago1:40

1:40

An important announcement about the future of Co-op Mood. It doesn't involve GameStop, but it does involve work and family.By Sally Tamarkin, Shane Vaiskauskas

1
Co-op Mood 20: A Modern Ancient Epic 48:04

3+ y ago48:04

48:04

On this episode Shane and Sally talk about the announcement that Ubisoft is working on an open world Star Wars game and what the marriage of Ubi and a beloved franchise could look like. Then they dive into part one of their discussion on the action-adventure platformer, Raji: An Ancient Epic, the debut game from Nodding Heads Games, based in Pune, …

1
Co-op Mood 19: Welcome to the Murder Sandbox (Hitman 2) 58:41

3+ y ago58:41

58:41

On this episode Shane and Sally talk about their New Year’s gaming resolutions, and how they plan (hope?) to play games in 2021. Then they jump into part two of their discussion of io Interactive’s Hitman 2. They discuss being on rails in an open world, lateral thinking (murder) puzzles, and the agony and the ecstasy of mission stories. Of course, …

1
Co-op Mood: Codename 18 48:39

3+ y ago48:39

48:39

On this episode Shane and Sally kick things off by talking about the clusterfuck that is CD Projekt’s release of Cyberpunk 2077. Then they dive into part one of their two-part conversation about io Interactive’s Hitman 2. They discuss the gameplay loop, level design, and the pleasure of snappy gunplay and Jason Bourne-ing your way through the world…

1
Co-op Mood 17: God Mode 53:55

3+ y ago53:55

53:55

On this episode Shane and Sally discussed a recent WaPo story about how video game developers are creatively approaching difficulty settings in their games and the exciting things that are possible when devs think intentionally about playability and accessibility. Then they dove deep into their final impressions of the horny roguelike dungeon-crawl…

1
Co-op Mood 16: Hades, Thee Bisexual Thirst Trap 50:22

3+ y ago50:22

50:22

On this episode Shane and Sally talk “Project 007,” the upcoming James Bond video game by IO Interactive, the studio behind the Hitman games. Then they talk about about the gameplay and aesthetic of the horny roguelike dungeon-crawler, Hades. They also talk about games they’re playing right now, including League (season 11 patch), Breath of the Wil…

1
Co-op Mood 15: There’s No Crying in Blaseball 1:14:14

3+ y ago1:14:14

1:14:14

On this episode Shane and Sally make an official correction about the upcoming Uncharted movie. Then they talk once again about the design/appearance of the PS5. Then Shane is joined by Jon (@gurglespasm), co-host of One Shot network’s System Mastery podcast, to talk about the weird and wonderful world of Blaseball, including its best lore, and adv…

1
Co-op Mood Unlucky 13: Rise From Your Grave 48:44

3+ y ago48:44

48:44

On this episode, Shane and Sally discuss exactly why Tom Holland is the wrong hunk to play daddy next door Nathan Drake in the upcoming Uncharted movie, and who they’d cast instead. Then they talk about participating in One Shot Network’s Among Us stream and the zaniness that ensued. Finally, in tribute to Halloween week they, as two people of scar…

1
Co-op Mood 14: That's How It Could've Happened...But How About This? 57:35

3+ y ago57:35

57:35

On this episode, Shane and Sally talk about the PS5’s absolutely massive dimensions and whether it’ll fit in a typical entertainment center (jury’s still out). Then they talk all about multiple endings in video games, what functions they serve, when they work, and when they kinda ruin your fun. And they talk about the games they’re playing right no…

1
Co-op Mood 12: The Most Influential Consoles of All Time You Won’t Believe What Happens Next 55:39

3+ y ago55:39

55:39

With all the talk and excitement about next gen consoles, Shane and Sally decided to take a stroll down memory lane and talk all about their own experiences with consoles over the years, from ColecoVision and Atari 7800 to Sega Game Gear and N64, all the way up to current gen consoles. They also talk about the recent announcement that the 2021 Trib…

1
Co-op Mood 11: David Cage Remastered 1:07:48

3+ y ago1:07:48

1:07:48

Sally and Shane played the game that put David Cage’s name on the video game map: 2005’s Fahrenheit (or, as it was known in North America, Indigo Prophecy) and they’re here to talk all about it. They describe the game’s story and gameplay before diving into a discussion about the legacy of this very uneven game when it comes to today’s point and cl…

1
Co-op Mood 10: Detroit: Become Tabletop 49:24

3+ y ago49:24

49:24

In this episode Sally and Shane talk about Sony’s weird lottery system for preordering a PS5. Then they talk about the video games they’d like to play as tabletop RPGs and share their thoughts and ideas for just how to do that, from adapting lore and worldbuilding to implementing gameplay and mechanics. They also talk about games they’re playing ri…

1
Episode 100 | Creativity in the Age of Covid - Part 2 57:29

3+ y ago57:29

57:29

In the middle of navigating the coronavirus pandemic, people everywhere are trying to find creative ways to continue to create their work and develop community. We wanted to profile people who are finding creative solutions to keep moving forward in our new normal. Today’s episode is the second in this series. In Part Two, we talk with Matt Penz ab…

1
Co-op Mood 9: You Will Be Deceived 1:02:37

3+ y ago1:02:37

1:02:37

In this episode Sally and Shane talk about a few different news items (including Stardew Valley update 1.5 and a certain big company suing a certain giant company). Then they discuss the 2019 game Interrogation: You Will Be Deceived, from the noir mood and rotoscoped aesthetic to the mechanics and themes, as well as what worked and what didn’t. The…

1
Episode 99 | Creativity in the Age of COVID - Part 1 1:05:15

3+ y ago1:05:15

1:05:15

In the middle of navigating the coronavirus pandemic, people everywhere are trying to find creative ways to continue to create their work and develop community. We wanted to profile people who are finding creative solutions to keep moving forward in our new normal. Today’s episode is the first in this series. In Part One, we talk with Ben Grace and…

1
Co-op Mood 8: Tabletop Roleplaying Video Games 59:47

3+ y ago59:47

59:47

In this episode Sally and Shane talk about the Nintendo gigaleak, why it matters, and ask the question “Does anyone care about the plumber’s brother?” Then they talk about the tabletop roleplaying games they’d like to see adapted in video games and how those concepts would be executed. They also talk about the games they’re playing right now, which…

1
Co-op Mood 7: You Have My Divided Attention 55:01

4y ago55:01

55:01

In this episode, Sally and Shane talk about casual co-op games, when they work, when they don’t, why they’re great during the pandemic, and more. Then they discuss their all time favorites of the genre and also kind of change their definition of the genre. They also talk about speedrunning and Games Done Quick 2020 as well the games they’re playing…

1
Episode 98 | Pandemic Vacation 39:05

4y ago39:05

39:05

2020 has looked a bit different than we imagined, hasn’t it? As the coronavirus pandemic officially hit the United States, we were convinced we just needed to sit on the couch, wait it out, and watch Netflix - but our expectations of newly found free time turned into the hard reality of quarantine. In this episode we discuss our experience so far o…

1
Co-op Mood 6: Myers–Briggs, But Video Games 1:00:08

4y ago1:00:08

1:00:08

Sally and Shane talk about Quantic Foundry’s gamer motivation profile survey and how it attempts to distill gamers’ personalities and playstyles and recommend games. They talk about the benefits and the limits of the survey model and then discuss their own results. They also discuss Amazon’s new recent released (and more recently un-released) game …

1
Co-op Mood 5: The Best of Us 1:02:22

4y ago1:02:22

1:02:22

Sally and Shane talk mostly about Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 2. Although they skipped big story spoilers, there is plenty of discussion of how the game feels to play, the richness of the environments, and the exquisite storytelling. They also discuss whether video games have any place in high school curricula, the simple but deep joys of Min…

1
Drew G.I. Hart at Sandbox Cooperative (Live Event Revisit) 37:24

4y ago37:24

37:24

For today’s episode, we’re revisiting our live event with Drew Hart. To dig deeper, visit SandboxCooperative.com and click on the discussion tab. On May 7, 2017 we welcomed Drew Hart for one of our Sandbox Live Events. Drew is a Theology Professor, Church Anti-Racism Trainer, and Justice Activist and author of the book, Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing …

1
Co-op Mood 4: Jones in the Fast Lane 56:15

4y ago56:15

56:15

Shane and Sally open by talking about the Madden player who won the Madden bowl without having a QB or even throwing a single pass. Then they dive into the genre of games that includes Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing—known as “tend and befriend”—that are all about doing a job once your IRL workday is over. Read More: On anti-blackness and police…

1
Co-op Mood 3: Enter the Dungeon(s and Dragons) 48:31

4y ago48:31

48:31

Shane and Sally open the episode by talking about the billion dollar (billion! Dollar!) video game coaching industry. Then they talk about the video games that provide a damn good simulacrum of sitting around a table playing D&D with buddies. Read More: Bloomberg: Billion Video-Game Coaching Business Ramps Up During Lockdown Contact Us: Sally on Tw…

1
Co-op Mood 2: War is Hell (of a Good Time) 57:58

4y ago57:58

57:58

After discussing the Nintendo PlayStation and how weird and (apparently) valuable it is, Shane and Sally talk about how video games explore and portray war, from the jingoistic gun porn options to the games that are grounded in the brutal reality of combat trauma. Read More: Engadget: Bidding for the 'Nintendo PlayStation' prototype is already over…

1
Co-op Mood 1: Social Distancing Together 1:03:51

4y ago1:03:51

1:03:51

In the premiere episode of Co-op Mood, Shane and Sally talk about gaming in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. From game delays and Switch scarcity to the games that are bringing us comfort, joy, and immersion and all the co-oping we’re doing while sheltering in place. Contact Us: Sally on Twitter: @sallyt Shane on Twitter: @mundangerous Co-op Mood…

1
Episode 97 | Of Groundhogs and Seasons 24:56

4y ago24:56

24:56

A few weeks ago a groundhog told us how much longer winter would last, and that a new season is right around the corner. It got us thinking about seasons in our own lives, paying attention to where we are and what’s next. What season are you in? Are you in between seasons? What could be next in your story?…

1
Episode 96 | Thank You Notes 30:18

4y ago30:18

30:18

In today’s episode we talk about gratitude. What would it look like for us to practice gratitude more consistently? How might that shape our view of our lives and the world around us? Web comic, I’m Honestly Fed Up With All The Bad News, So I Illustrated 50 Of The Best Ones From 2019: https://www.boredpanda.com/positive-news-2019-illustrations-maur…

1
Episode 95 | Your Song to the World 54:06

4+ y ago54:06

54:06

Dale Fredrickson is a teacher and a poet. He is the author of multiple books and albums, most recently Blessed is the Man. Blessed is the man is the story of how men can grow their capacity for mutual love and become openhearted, emotionally expressive, and relationally connected. Through poetry and the sounds of banjos, mandolins, saxophones, viol…

1
Bonus | Holiday Break and a Poem 7:45

4+ y ago7:45

7:45

We hope you are all enjoying the holidays and have the chance to be rested and encouraged this season. We’ll be taking a short break from the podcast, but will be back in mid-late January. In the meantime, here’s a quick word from us and a gift of a poem, On This Night I Wonder, from our friend Dale Fredrickson.…

1
Episode 94 | One Coin Found 43:39

4+ y ago43:39

43:39

In today’s episode we talk with Emmy Kegler about her book, One Coin Found: How God's Love Stretches to the Margins. In addition to talking about the book, Emmy shared her experience of tension with the Bible and the Christian story, specifically in the ways scripture has been used to marginalize people based on sexuality, race, or beliefs. She hop…

1
Episode 93 | Story Time! 30:06

4+ y ago30:06

30:06

In today’s episode each of us share a story of an experience we had that was somehow important - one of those experiences that seemed to be full of life, where we truly noticed something special about what was happening. They’re all tied together, but maybe in surprising ways. Here are a few things to listen for in today’s episode. Why were these a…

1
Episode 92 | New Life Prison Ministry 33:20

4+ y ago33:20

33:20

For today’s episode, we share our conversation with Rick and Rose Admiral of New Life Prison Ministry in Pella, Iowa. We met Rick and Rose on our trip to Houston last summer and talked with them about their work starting a church inside a prison. They shared stories of hopefulness, encouraged us to consider restorative justice, and remind us of the…

1
Episode 91 | Decolonize Lutheranism 41:52

4+ y ago41:52

41:52

Today we’re excited to share a conversation we had with some folks from Decolonize Lutheranism. What started as an internet meme in response to jokes about Sven and Ole and Lutherans eating Jell-O has shifted into a movement advocating an expansive Lutheran tradition that includes and values the contributions of Lutherans from all cultural backgrou…

1
Episode 90 | Remember to Breathe 36:53

4+ y ago36:53

36:53

Today marks something a little something different here in the Sandbox as we interviewed Dave about his time away this summer. We had the opportunity to learn a little bit more about his travels and what he learned during his time of sabbatical. We talked about his study of celtic spirituality, the need for rest and taking time to step back, and he…

1
Episode 89 | Courage for Community 38:35

4+ y ago38:35

38:35

In this episode we share our conversation with Stephen Bouman, Director for Domestic Mission in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Stephen shares stories about a variety of experiences in his years as a pastor, church leader, and now with the ELCA, and encourages us to trust in the value of relationship and community to bring change…

1
Episode 88 | Kindling Communication 41:26

4+ y ago41:26

41:26

In this episode we talked with Ruthie Kolb, owner of Kindling Communication, about how to have healthy conversations around human sexuality and our sexual identities. Using researched-based best practices in sexual health education, Ruthie facilitates strengths-based, interactive, age-appropriate, and inclusive conversations about sexuality that ar…

1
Episode 87 | Weaving Voices Together 24:26

5y ago24:26

24:26

In today’s episode, we’ll hear from two women who represented the Women and Justice social statement at the National Youth Gathering in Houston, Texas last summer. We had the chance to sit down with them and learn a lot about the process of creating a social statement and why this one is especially important. As you’ll hear in the episode, in the E…

1
Episode 86 | Water to Thrive 35:05

5y ago35:05

35:05

Many of our conversations over the last several months came from our trip down to Houston last summer. One of those conversations was with an organization called Water to Thrive, a faith-based American nonprofit that funds the building of wells in eastern Africa and spreads awareness about the African water crisis. We had the opportunity to meet wi…

1
Episode 85 | Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Poorly 27:30

5y ago27:30

27:30

In our world we see a lot of perfection, end result, and final product, but not a lot of the process of the people and things that inspire us. That might lead us to think our own work isn’t good enough if it doesn’t match someone else’s standard of success. But maybe something is worth doing just because of the joy it brings - even at our own level…

1
Episode 84 | Acts of Wisdom 23:56

5y ago23:56

23:56

Have you ever thought: “You know what somebody should do…? Somebody should…” Could it be that the “somebody” you are talking about is you? Last summer we had the opportunity to meet with Brad Otto, the founder and president of Acts of Wisdom, a non profit organization dedicated to assisting people in rural Africa in their quest to obtain quality, r…

1
Episode 83 | Immigration and Seeing the Other 42:11

5y ago42:11

42:11

In the final episode of our immigration series, we connected again with our friends from St. Michael’s in Albuquerque, New Mexico to see what they have learned over the last 9 months or so since we had our initial conversation. With new developments on the southern border, St. Michael’s has expanded their work in immigration to meet the need, and o…

1
Episode 82 | Immigration and Sanctuary 37:04

5y ago37:04

37:04

As we continue our series on immigration, we’ll share our conversation with Marian Bock. We had the opportunity to connect with Marian through David and Joe, who shared about their community, St. Michael’s, in our last episode. Marian is a member of the Albuquerque Friends Meeting House, a quaker community in Albuquerque providing sanctuary for a w…

1
Episode 81 | Immigration and Community 45:52

5y ago45:52

45:52

The conversation on immigration is incredibly heated in our culture. But we believe the conversation can change when we begin with the dignity and value of all people - and our guests today showed us just that. As we continue our series on immigration, we’ll introduce you to the community at St. Michael Episcopal Church in Albuquerque. We felt an i…

1
An Introduction to Immigration 35:56

5y ago35:56

35:56

We are about to enter into yet another election cycle, and once again immigration issues are at the forefront of it all. We are no experts on the matter, but we wondered - what does the conversation look like if we start with the worth, value, and dignity of all people? In future weeks these episodes will include conversations we had in New Mexico …

1
Episode 80 | You Are Good, Just As You Are 22:17

5y ago22:17

22:17

About a month ago we asked the question, “What do you wonder about?” We invited listeners to message us and let us know. In today’s episode we heard from a listener named Kelly. She was wondering what it means to live as a person of belief in a pluralistic society. What does it mean to maintain and strengthen relationships while still remembering t…

1
Episode 79 | Generation Justice 37:52

5y ago37:52

37:52

While we were on a road trip we met leaders from Generation Justice in Albuquerque, New Mexico who taught us that love, listening and honoring people’s stories can change the world. Generation Justice is a multi-racial project that centers race equity to train youth to harness the power of community through leadership, media, narrative, and critica…

1
Episode 78 | I Wonder What The Preacher's Daughter Said 41:39

5+ y ago41:39

41:39

In this episode we talk with writer and organizer Carla Godwin and musician Ben Grace about a new song they co-wrote called “Preacher’s Daughter.” The song sparked conversation on a wide range of topics from creativity, to faith, and to discovering, claiming, and using your voice. About Ben Grace Australian singer-songwriter Ben Grace’s impeccably …

1
Episode 77 | Mowing Snow 28:41

5+ y ago28:41

28:41

Have you ever experienced a change in your life, your relationships, your work… and just plowed ahead like everything is fine and nothing is different? How do we acknowledge when a season has changed and lean into a new reality? In this episode we will explore these ideas and consider some ways to get unstuck, to look up, and live into the “new thi…

1
Bonus | Holiday Break and What Do You Wonder About? 6:15

5+ y ago6:15

6:15

With Christmas and New Year’s coming, we are taking time to pull some new stories and podcasts together for 2019… and there is a whole lot of exciting stuff to look forward to: St. Michael's Church in Albuquerque, Generation Justice, and more conversations from our time in Houston last summer. But between now and then, we want to hear from you… Wha…

1
Episode 76 | Sharing the Meal 25:21

5+ y ago25:21

25:21

A lot of our holiday traditions revolve around food… but maybe none more than Thanksgiving with its iconic turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes and gravy. As we enter this season current estimates are that more than 800 million people - or 11% of the world’s population - are hungry. Thankfully, there are organizations working to change this every …

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