Scandalous Games

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Ryan Weaver. Together, we figure out exactly why a 5+ year old game attracted the brunt of the blame for what was then the worst mass shooting in U.S. history and, in the process, we learn about the amazing games that came out between 1998 and 1999. In doing so, an old Scandalous Games foe returns.

Content warning: discussion of a school shooting (40:17 - 40:39)

Topics Discussed Include: dragging video game characters before Congress, that time when Babbages crossed...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends, but sometimes the month gets away from you. As edits are still ongoing on the next installment in our deep dive into DOOM and its relationship to the Columbine shooting, we're taking a break and we celebrating the halfway mark through the series with a fun conversation Kate Lynch, Ryan Weaver, and Kevin had during our most recent recording. Be sure to tune back in for the next episode in the DOOM series on November 3, 2026.

Topics Discussed Include: upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Andy Hunter and Phil Thomas. In a Very Special Episode of Scandalous Games, we finally turn to one of the most influential events in shaping the public perception of video games in the United States: the April 20, 1999, mass shooting at Columbine High School near Littleton, CO. Kevin, Andy, and Phil examine how DOOM became the poster child for blame after the shooting, and the discourse among public figures over the game's alleged role in the massacre. We also share our personal experiences being in high...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Matt Shoemaker. In part two of our three-month series on DOOM, we address the relatively muted moral backlash to id’s legendary title between 1993 and 1999.

Topics discussed include: GenCon is fun and you should try to go if you can;  recollections on Washington, DC’s loudest critic of violent video games: the late Joe Lieberman; everyone’s favorite 90s educational computer game; taking advantage of 90s computer game companies; and DOOM threatens an even more sacred value than the moral wellbei...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Matt Shoemaker who is a tabletop gaming historian and author of Gathering of Gamers. We continue our long celebration of five years of Scandalous Games by starting a deep dive into one of the, if not the, most famous controversial video games: the legendary 1993 sci-fi FPS: DOOM. In part one of our three-month series, we examine the origins of DOOM, its creators, and the monumental impact the game had on both gaming and tech,

Topics discussed include: the long shadow th...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends, but we like to take it easy during the summer months for Scandalous Games Summer, where we offer a syncable audio commentary track of a video game related movie. This month, we wrap up the 2026 edition of Scandalous Games summer with the 1995 adaptation of Mortal Kombat (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113855/). Join us as we discuss Johnny Cage's reports on Outworld in the dailies, children (and at least one adult) traumatized by the soul-sucking antics of Shang Tsung, and Steven Seagal's failed run in...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends, but we like to take it easy during the summer months for Scandalous Games Summer, where we offer a syncable audio commentary track of a video game related movie. This month, in light of the recent (as of the recording) passing of Double Dragon creator Yoshihisa Kishimoto (https://www.ign.com/articles/yoshihisa-kishimoto-creator-of-double-dragon-and-renegade-dies-at-64). Kevin, Kate Lynch, and Ryan Weaver have some fun riffing (and offering historical context) for the silly 1994 adaptation of Double Dragon (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106761/). Listen along and learn just...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends, but this time it's special because it is the fifth birthday of Scandalous Games! In honor of five years of wild advertising campaigns, colorful characters, and panics of all shapes and sizes, we go back to the well of the Clown Prince of Anti-Simulated Crime...Mr. Jack Thompson. Join Kevin as he performs a dramatic reading of the statement Thompson wanted to read in protest of his 2008, one he never got to deliver because the judge wouldn't let him, prompting him to storm out of...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch, Ryan Weaver, and special guest Jay Brandstetter from the internet history podcast I'm From the Internet. We bring you the thrilling conclusion of our look at Jack Thompson's personal war against Rockstar and Take-Two and, subsequently, his legal career. This time, the publishers of Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, and Bully take the fight to Jack, preemptively suing him to keep him from blocking the release of Manhunt 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV. We also cover Jack's disbarment and reflect on his legacy as...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch, Ryan Weaver, and special guest Jay Brandstetter from the internet history podcast I'm From the Internet.  This time around, as we await the long-anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI, we go back to the well of stories about infamous anti-video game lawyer Jack Thompson and take a closer look at his legal feuds with Rockstar and Take-Two.

Topics discussed include: we nerd out over the Saints Row series, Bully, and early 2000s wrestling; the corrupting influences of Dennis the Menace a...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Phil Thomas. We wrap up our look back at the year in controversies that was 2025 with a deep dive into the gaming exploits of everyone's favorite (?) 4chan-pilled, billionaire oligarch/1337 gamer: Elon Musk. We dissect Musk's claims that he is a high-level player in several competitive games, how he handles when people call those mad fly skillz into question, and where his alleged gaming prowess fits into the larger world we find ourselves in.

One production note: this will be our...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friend/partner, Kate Lynch. We interrupt our regularly-scheduled second episode on 2025 in controversies to take one more look back at the anti-woke paid award show The Real Game Awards, which, against all odds, aired a new edition on February 23, 2026. Join Kate and Kevin as we review the awards and their (lack of) impact so you don't have to.

Topics discussed include: Paying $150 to watch a YouTube video at a Dallas Dave & Buster's, the AI slop garbage pile that was their opening sequence, the coveted...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friend, Andy Hunter. We take a look back at a controversy from the previous year, examining how the announcement of a remastered version of Halo: Combat Evolved inspired an AI-generated meme-off between GameStop and the Trump Administration. We also keep ourselves sane by sharing our favorite games of 2025.

Topics discussed include: people trading in taxidermy animals for $5 in store credit, GameStop's meme king CEO, Sony's representative at the Xbox-PlayStation peace meetings, Nintendo looks the other way, and a certain former Florida attorney makes an...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Andy Hunter. Just in time for the latest installment of the Real Game Awards, we finish our look back at the first installment of the anti-woke game awards show made by gamers courageous enough to give Stuttering Craig Skistimas money. This time, we wade into the role of Warhammer 40,000 and the Real Game Awards and examine the show's impact (or lack thereof).

Topics discussed include: literally betting on a game getting a good review score, imperial cheeseburgers, the complicated meanings...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Andy Hunter. For our first-ever fully in-person recording, we continue our look at The Real Game Awards, the paid game awards show targeted at folks in the anti-woke gaming community. This time around, we tackle their fears over the alleged "uglification" of female characters in video games by looking at the darling of The Real Game Awards: Stellar Blade the 2024 action game by ShiftUp (https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/stellar-blade/).

Topics discussed include: who got snubbed for Best Jiggle...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Andy Hunter. We continue our look at The Real Game Awards, the alternative gaming awards show/business venture of former Screw Attack co-founder Craig "Stuttering Craig" Skistimas. This time around, we take a closer look at their "Worst Game Journalist" category and the moral panic over Sweet Baby Inc., a small, Montreal-based games script doctoring company/possible corrupt shadow organization manipulating all of video games. 

Topics discussed include: the horrors of body type B, getting mad at games that don't e...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Andy Hunter. We start 2026 with a closer look at the Real Game Awards, the alternative awards show/moneymaking scheme to Geoff Keighley's Game Awards created by former Screw Attack founder turned anti-woke gaming commentator Craig "Stuttering Craig" Skistimas. 

Topics discussed include: we launch our own paid awards show (not really), who is the real gamer (and how does that involve giving us money), the veritable rogue's gallery that was TRGA's presenter lineup, and how much would you pay us for A...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Elford Stephens, Phil Thomas, and Ryan Weaver. In our thrilling conclusion to our remastered version of our 2022 episode on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas "Hot Coffee" mod, we examine the fallout and the lasting legacy behind arguably the most infamous mod in the history of video games. 

Topics discussed include: the grandma who saved her grandchild from the M-rated game she bought, Take-Two runs afoul of the city of Flint, MI, the slapdash remastered editions of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy, and h...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Elford Stephens, Phil Thomas, and Ryan Weaver. We're taking December off for the holiday, so to help you through the season (and hopefully soften the blow of the recent news that Grand Theft Auto VI won't be coming out until November 2026), here's part one of a remastered edition of our Pulitzer Prize nominated episode on the most infamous mod in gaming history: the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas "Hot Coffee" mod. 

Topics discussed include: fans find some steamy secrets, fans rally to Rockstar's d...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Matt Shoemaker, whose new book, Gathering of Gamers: Dungeons & Dragons and Other Games Through Gen Con, is available now through Play Story Press (https://playstorypress.org/books/gathering-of-gamers/). If you're interested in the history of North America's largest gaming convention or the history of Dungeons & Dragons, this is the book for you!

Matt joins us for the conclusion of our look at Patricia Pulling and her personal war on Dungeons & Dragons during the 1980s. We look at the impact of...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch, Phil Thomas, and Matt Shoemaker, whose new book, Gathering of Gamers: Dungeons & Dragons and Other Games Through Gen Con, is available now through Play Story Press (https://playstorypress.org/books/gathering-of-gamers/). 

We continue our deep dive into anti-Dungeons & Dragons moral activist Patricia Pulling, founder of Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons (BADD), how she became an alleged expert on the occult, and the types of groups who were receptive to her declarations of the alleged hazardous effects of tabletop roleplaying games. 

To...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch, Andy Hunter, and recently-published author Matt Shoemaker, whose new book, Gathering of Gamers: Dungeons & Dragons and Other Games Through Gen Con, is available now through Play Story Press (https://playstorypress.org/books/gathering-of-gamers/). 

We continue our look at moral panics over Dungeons & Dragons by taking a closer look at Patricia Pulling, the founder of Bothered About Dungeons & Dragons (BADD), and the terrible tragedy that sparked her personal crusade against D&D.

Content Warning: Discussion of suicide. (3:17-3:24)

I...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch, Andy Hunter, and Phil Thomas. We are also joined by a special guest: Matt Shoemaker, who is a game designer, librarian, game historian, and author of the new book Gathering of Gamers: Dungeons & Dragons and Other Games Through Gen Con, which is available now through Play Story Press (https://playstorypress.org/books/gathering-of-gamers/). 

In the spirit of his new book, Matt joins us as we talk about the 1980s panic over Dungeons & Dragons, specifically the one-woman moral crusade of Patricia "Pat" P...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Andy Hunter. We finally wrap up our look at legendary (?) video game movie director Uwe Boll's attempt to make a sequel to his 2007 adaptation of Postal we his ill-advised, ill-conceived 2024 Indiegogo campaign to finance Postal 2. 

Topics discussed include: Uwe Boll vs. Alex Jones: the Fight of the Century we were denied, leave Gary alone, and Vince Desi actually has a good point.

For the full track of Uwulous-B's 2024 single, "Sonic the Hedgehog," check out "Uwulous-B is back with a...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Andy Hunter. Having learned about Uwe Boll's 2007 adaptation of Postal, we pivot into his attempts to make a film sequel to Running with Scissors' flagship/only game franchise, starting with Uwe's 2013 Kickstarter campaign to finance Postal 2.

Topics discussed include: how Veronica Mars inspired Uwe Boll to make more movies, Uwe needs someone to tell him he's great, paying Uwe to work for him, and what movie would you watch with Uwe Boll? 

Guinevere Turner's account of writing the s...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Andy Hunter. We wrap up our discussion of Uwe Boll's 2007 film Postal by examining the film's critical and audience reception at the time of its release. This will help set the stage for Uwe's multiple attempts to make a sequel to the video game movie audiences didn't seem to hate as much as his other movies. 

Topics discussed include: Uwe gets big mad at critics, Uwe should probably get a new publicist, Kevin's lukewarm takes on an 18-year-old flop, and w...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Andy Hunter. For our first episode coming off Scandalous Games Summer, we stick around the world of movies and take a closer look at Uwe Boll's 2007 film Postal, Uwe's raunchy, satirical comedy adaptation of Running with Scissors' only franchise. This time, we look at its development, production, and its very, very poor box office showing. 

Topics discussed include: Kevin bravely doesn't bother Running with Scissors on social media, Uwe Boll vs. Billy Zane, and which doomed Postal: political correctness or a...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri usually shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends. However, we're taking a few months off for the second annual Scandalous Games Summer, where we offer syncable audio commentaries for video game related movies. 

This time around Join Kevin, Andy Hunter, Phil Thomas, Lauren, and Kate Lynch as we trust the fungus and talk over the 1993 debut of licensed video game films, Super Mario Bros. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108255/), directed by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton and starring John Leguizamo, Samantha Mathis, and the late great Bob Hoskins and De...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri usually shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends. However, we're taking a few months off for the second annual Scandalous Games Summer, where we offer syncable audio commentaries for video game related movies. 

Join Kevin, Andy Hunter, and Kate Lynch as they talk over the 1989 coming of age tale/100-minute Nintendo commercial The Wizard (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098663/). Together, we tackle some aggressive product placement, reminisce on Nintendo video games from days gone by, and contemplate why several main characters do not end up dead in the Utah d...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Andy Hunter. We bring you the thrilling conclusion of our look at John DeCamp, the disgraced former politician/conspiracy monger who sued the games industry following the Columbine shooting. We look at John's associations with some very fine people and how he tried to get to the bottom of a bunch of other conspiracies leading into his massive suit against violent video games. 

Topics discussed include: John's nigh infinite supply of secret information on essentially every conspiracy, the surely gripping c...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch and Phil Thomas. As a new wrongful death lawsuit levied against a video game company looms, we take a closer look at Sanders v. Acclaim, the 2001 lawsuit filed against the video game industry alleging games like DOOM, Redneck Rampage, and Final Fantasy (?!?) trained the Columbine High School shooters to kill. To that end, we examine John DeCamp, an eccentric Nebraska politician, lawyer, and conspiracy monger who filed the suit on behalf of one of the Columbine victims. Along the way, we untangle the...

In today's installment of Scandalous Games Theatre, Dr. Kevin Impellizeri, PhD, recites Jack Thompson's "A Modest Video Game Proposal," delivered via open letter on October 10, 2005, in which the self proclaimed "only certified sane lawyer in the State of Florida" offered a $10,000 charitable donation in the name of then Take-Two CEO Paul Eibeler if a game company developed and distributed a game in which all Jack's personal enemies were brutally killed. However, when a company came forward to develop the game, titled I'm OK: A Murder Simulator (Thompsonsoft, PC, 2006) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_O.K_%E2%80%93_A...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch, Phil Thomas, and Elford Stephens. We finally wrap up our look back at the year of controversies that was 2024. This time around, we look at a whole bunch of weird and wild Pokémon related stuff that came up during the previous year.

Topics discussed include: the potential murder related implications of the number 286, Kevin gets scammed, Nintendo goes after Palworld, and uncomfortable allegations against Typhlosion.

More info, including show notes and sources a...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch, Phil Thomas, and Elford Stephens. We continue looking back at the previous year that was with a sample platter of gaming related controversies that came up over 2024. This time around, we look at some wild backlashes against Sony in the Helldivers II community and the alleged role of video games in the December 4, 2024, shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Topics discussed include: Precision review bombing raids, Phil's harrowing ordeal against the bugs, the horrors of Altoona pizza, and...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Andy Hunter, Kate Lynch, and Phil Thomas. For our first recording of 2025, we share our favorite gaming experiences from 2024 and take a look at the tumultuous state of the games industry over the past year, including  the discussions of corporate greed, massive layoffs, and huge live service failures.

Also, a scheduling note: we will not be airing a second episode this month. Check back in on March 4 for our next episode.

Topics discussed include: Hilarious achievements, the Embracer Group g...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Andy Hunter, Elford Stephens, and Phil Thomas. Part Two (of two) of our remastered edition of our deep dive at Postal 2 (Running with Scissors, Whiptail Interactive, PC, 2003). This time, we go past the game's less-than-stellar reception and learn how developer Running with Scissors found a second life in the anti-woke crowd.

Topics discussed include: Running with Scissors accuses critics of giving their games bad reviews without playing them, Vince Desi vs. Jack Thompson: the epic battle the world deserved (but never...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Andy Hunter, Elford Stephens, and Phil Thomas. We're taking a month off for the holidays, so enjoy part one of a two-part remastered version of our episode on Postal 2 (Running with Scissors, Whiptail Interactive, PC, 2003), the crass magnum opus of the rudest, crudest dudes in gaming: Running with Scissors. This time, you'll be treated to tons of never-before-aired footage and additional info from Kevin.

Topics discussed include: The logistics of using a cat's butt as a silencer, the tumultuous 2000s career...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch, Elford Stephens, and Phil Thomas. We reach the thrilling conclusion of our deep dive into the history of college sports video games and why there weren't college football video games for over a decade until the release of EA Sports College Football 25.

Topics discussed include: The NCAA loses a whole bunch, college athletes gain NIL rights (and $600 for their troubles), that time the Supreme Court actually ruled in favor of people over corporations, the return of college football video...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch, Elford Stephens, and Phil Thomas. On Elford's triumphant return, we start looking at the state of college football during the 2010s that led to the end of the NCAA Football video game series. Plus, we tackle the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match in the latest installment of Scandalous Games Sportschat!

Topics discussed include: NCAA head Mark Emmert's bad day with PBS's Frontline, the NFL's worse day in Congress, Kevin misses out on a huge payout.

More info...

Historian Kevin Impellizeri shares a story of a video game controversy to his friends: Kate Lynch, Andy Hunter, and Phil Thomas. Today, we dive into the legal battle over video game likeness rights and how some experts argued the name, image, and likeness rights of college athletes came in conflict with video games' growing free speech rights in the 2010s. This discussion will get us one step closer to learning how college athletes received NIL (name, image, and likeness) rights and set the stage for EA Sports College Football 25.

Topics discussed include: The legal image...