Feminist games criticism with lived-in candor.
The gist
Not Your Mama's Gamer treats games as culture, workplace, text, and lived experience. Its conversations move from what the panel is playing, reading, and drinking into feminist criticism, spoilercasts, creative pairings, and interviews with game makers.
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About Not Your Mama's Gamer
Not Your Mama's Gamer is a feminist games criticism podcast with the feel of a long-running conversation among people who play, teach, make, study, and think around games. The show does not treat games as isolated entertainment objects. It treats them as culture, labor, identity, memory, pedagogy, and everyday life. Samantha Blackman frequently anchors the episodes from an academic perspective, while Jordan Lukomsky and Victoria Bragger bring in industry, art, technical communication, and gamer identity angles. The result is loose but substantive. Episodes often begin with the recurring check-in of what everyone is playing, reading, and drinking. That ritual matters because it places criticism inside real schedules, moods, books, weather, illness, work, and exhaustion. From there, the show can shift into a focused spoilercast, a themed list, or an interview. Recent episodes cover Atomfall, Black Ops 6, games people replay, anticipated 2026 releases, and pairings between games and books or music. The discussion is conversational and sometimes messy in the best sense, with side paths that reveal how the panel thinks. A segment about South of Midnight touches on rural Southern setting and a young Black girl trying to rescue her mother after a hurricane. A book-and-game pairing moves from The Devil in the White City to The Devil in Me through architecture, true crime, and interactive dread. The Relooted interview with Sita is especially representative of the show’s range, connecting game artifacts to colonial history, education, maps, cultural inheritance, and the difference between official value and lived significance. The show can be funny, blunt, tired, delighted, annoyed, and thoughtful within the same stretch. It is not polished punditry. It is criticism with working notes still visible, shaped by feminist questions and by people who clearly spend a lot of time inside games and around the industry that produces them.
Made for: For players, scholars, developers, teachers, and culture-minded game fans who want criticism with personality and context. It especially suits listeners interested in how games intersect with identity, labor, books, music, history, and teaching.
What sets it apart: The show pairs academic feminist framing with relaxed recurring rituals, so critical theory sits beside tea, Powerade, weather, work fatigue, and what everyone has been reading. Its strength is the way ordinary play talk opens into larger questions about culture and power.
In their own words
NYMGamer’s podcast hosts and guests past and present include scholars, writers, and professionals from a variety of industries, but the focus is always the same: unpacking games from a feminist perspective, and having a good time while we’re at it.
As heard by us
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Feminist game criticism meets candid group conversation, developer insight, and thoughtful connections between play, culture, books, music, and everyday experience.
Not Your Mama's Gamer turns game discussion into a conversation about how playing intersects with work, culture, identity, and everyday life. Samantha Blackman leads alongside Jordan Lukomsky and Victoria Brigger, moving between themed discussions and developer interviews while…
Why you'd press play
This is where your game night acquires a reading list and a feminist postgame.
Press play if you want
- game criticism that connects Call of Duty, Relooted, and Romancelvania without flattening their differences
- Samantha Blackman and her co-hosts to make what you're playing, reading, and drinking part of the pleasure
Talks about
Podcasts like Not Your Mama's Gamer
The Game Informer ShowGame InformerGame Informer's editors review new releases and debrief hands-on previews from events like Summer Game Fest.
Episodes
- 1
Episode 228: Gamers That Play Together...Slay Together?: Let's Talk Co-Op Games
·1h 59m - 2
Episode 263: Relooted: A Conversation with Nyamakop's Sithe Ncube
·1h 18m - 3
Episode 262: We Can't Wait!: Things We're Excited for in 2026
·1h 57m - 4
Episode 261: It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Giftmas: Gift Giving Ideas for 2025 and Beyond
·2h 6m - 5
Episode 260: It's Like Deja Vu All Over Again: Games We Replay
·1h 44m - 6
Episode 259: We've Been Where?: Let's Catch Up!
·1h 27m - 7
Episode 258: Don't Answer That Phone: Atomfall Spoilercast
·1h 41m - 8
Music to My Ears? Videogame and Music Pairings
·1h 44m - 9
Episode 256: Does that Go With Red, White, or...Paperback?: (Video)Game and Book Pairings
·1h 42m - 10
Episode 255: Games We're Looking Forward to in 2025
·2h 7m - 11
Episode 254: The Truth is a Lie: Black Ops 6 Spoilercast
·1h 53m - 12
Episode 253: 2024 Gift Giving Guide: Giving the Gift of Self-Care?
·1h 56m - 13
Episode 252: The Game is a Lie: Call of Duty and Social Critique
·1h 59m - 14
Episode 251: In Defense of Short Games
·1h 37m - 15
Episode 250: We're Baaaack! 2024 Has Been a Year!
·1h 42m - 16
Episode 249: Good Things to Come: Looking Forward to Games in 2024
·1h 27m - 17
Napping Unapologetically and Our Favorite Games of 2023
·1h 53m - 18
Starfield: Now With More Cubes!
·1h 57m - 19
Episode 246: Your Cozy Games Are Problematic
·2h 12m - 20
Episode 245: But They Had Impact!: Games That Have Had the Biggest Impact on Us
·2h 3m - 21
Episode 244: It's All About Art: A Conversation with Christian Vasquez and Leah Augustine
·1h 42m - 22
Episode 243: Hosting the Host: A Conversation with Sam
·1h 42m - 23
Episode 242: Love, But Make it Monstrous: A Conversation with Amanda Gardner About Romancelvania
·1h 16m - 24
Episode 241: To Love Queerly: Queer Characters & Games We Love
·1h 37m - 25
Episode 240: Black Games for BHM: Or; The Blackity Black Episode (Part 1?)
·2h 19m - 26
Episode 239: Our Most Anticipated Game Releases of 2023
·1h 34m - 27
Episode 238: Our 2022 Top Five Games
·1h 56m - 28
Episode 237: It's Beginning to Look Like Giftmas!
·2h 18m - 29
Episode 236: "What We're Playing" with TreaAndrea Russworm
·1h 53m - 30
Episode 235: Pspspspsps: Let's Talk About Stray
·1h 44m - 31
Episode 234: Where Is This Year's Summer Games Drought?
·1h 32m - 32
Episode 233: Black Girls of Eorzea: A Conversation with Stephanie Jones
·2h 11m - 33
Episode 232: Kirby, but Make It Dark and Gritty?: A Conversation About Kirby and the Forgotten Land
·1h 41m - 34
Episode 231: Date Your Swords: A Conversation with Alexandra Orlando from Kitfox Games
·1h 24m - 35
Episode 230: It's Getting Wylde (Flowers): A Conversation with Amanda Schofield (Studio Drydock)
·1h 17m - 36
Episode 229: On Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Conversation with Miranda Due
·1h 35m - 37
Episode 213: Romancelvania: A Conversation with Amanda Gardner
·1h 22m - 38
Episode 212: Last Gen, Next Gen: Same Tune?
·2h 14m - 39
Episode 172: Regular People in Irregular Circumstances: A Conversation with Undead Labs
·2h - 40
Episode 178: Post-PAX "Parlay": PAX West 2018
·1h 40m - 41
Episode 177: You Say Social (Gaming) Like It's a Bad Thing
·1h 33m - 42
Episode 176: Gaming is For Everyone: On Games, Access, and Inclusivity
·1h 49m - 43
Episode 175: "I Have A…Nightmare?": A Conversation About Detroit: Become Human
·2h 29m - 44
Episode 210: Gamer Trouble, A Conversation with Amanda Phillips
·3h 17m - 45
Episode 209: How Big Is Your Experience?: The Future of "Next Gen" Gaming
·2h 7m - 46
Episode 208: It Started with a Cup: On BLM, Sexual Harassment, and the Closing of Mixer
·2h 11m - 47
Episode 207: Summer Games to Look Forward To
·1h 49m - 48
Episode 206: Play with Me!: Social Gaming and Bonding in the Time of Quarantine
·2h 22m - 49
Episode 205: Kind Words, Cute Animals, and the Instacart Game: Gaming in a Time of Social Distancing
·1h 38m - 50
Episode 204: You Want Me to Pay For What? Games and Microtransactions
·2h 11m - 51
Episode 174: The Shape of Things to Come: Our Favorites From E3 2018
·1h 51m - 52
Episode 203: To Walkthrough or Not to Walkthrough...Is That the Question?
·1h 39m - 53
Episode 202: A Decade in Review: Our Individual Top 10 Games From the Last 10 years
·2h 39m - 54
Episode 201: Holiday Shopping Lists and Accessibility is Not an Achievement
·2h 18m - 55
Episode 200: It's Spacer's Choice! (The Outer Worlds)
·2h 23m - 56
Episode 199: Do They Even Want Us Here?: On That Game Studies Grind
·2h 19m - 57
Episode 198: On Mental Health and Monsters: A Conversation About Sea of Solitude
·2h 10m - 58
Episode 197: The Bounty of Fall: What We're Looking Forward To
·1h 45m - 59
Episode 196: The Games and Sh*t Episode: Talking #30GamesIn90Days and the Struggle of Game Studies
·1h 46m - 60
Episode 195: Summertime and the Gaming Is Easy
·2h 2m - 61
Episode 194: Queerly Gaming: A Conversation with Bo Ruberg
·2h 27m - 62
Episode 193: 2019 E3: The Good, the Bad, and the Horrendous
·2h 25m - 63
Episode 192: Popcorn and Nightmare Fuel: Our E3 Hopes, Dreams, and Predictions
·2h 22m - 64
Episode 191: Bendy and the Blue Solo Cup
·1h 31m - 65
Episode 190: It's Dangerous to Go Alone: Co-Op Gaming in the Age of Online Gaming
·1h 56m - 66
Episode 189: New Dawn, Old Problems: A Conversation About Far Cry: New Dawn
·1h 30m - 67
Episode 188: You're The Real MVP: Let's Chat About the Xbox MVP Award
·54m - 68
Episode 173: Hate-Play and Hashtags: A Conversation with Megan Condis
·1h 45m - 69
Episode 187: Whatcha' Reading (About Video Games)?
·1h 22m - 70
Episode 186: Ask Your Black Friend: On Using Other People's Lives in Video Games
·2h 19m - 71
Episode 185: It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times (2018 Edition)
·1h 44m - 72
Episode 184: "I See You": On Thoughtful Gift Giving (For Holidays or Just Because)
·1h 46m - 73
Episode 183: On Forgotton Anne and Thrownness: A Conversation with Valdemar Andreasen
·1h 7m - 74
Episode 182: Just Watch Me!: A Conversation With T.L. Taylor
·1h 52m - 75
Episode 181: Would You Ever and Other Questions From the Community
·1h 54m - 76
Episode 180: Magic Colonizer Fingers: Let's Chat About Lara Croft
·1h 29m - 77
Episode 179: We Are All Indie(viduals) After All
·29m - 78
Episode 171: Take the Cannoli: How Mafia (the game) Can Serve As a Model for Video Game Design
·1h 32m - 79
Episode 169: The Stories of The Station: A Conversation with Kevin Harwood
·1h 25m - 80
Episode 168: She Came to Slay: A Conversation on Community Building and Video Games
·1h 48m - 81
Episode 167: No Such Thing As A Stupid Question: Taking On Your Questions
·1h 1m - 82
Episode 166: Looking Back, Looking Foward: Our Favorites of 2017 and Most Anticipated of 2018
·2h 10m - 83
Episode 165: Thunderbird Strike and the Power of Indigenous Game Design: A Conversation with Elizabeth LaPensee
·1h 58m - 84
Episode 164: On Minstrelsy and Mayhem: A Conversation with Yussef Cole
·1h 45m - 85
Episode 163: Two Tums: Hidden Agenda Spoilercast
·1h 20m - 86
Episode 211: Spiritfarer: A Cozy Conversation About Dying with Jo Gautier (Thunder Lotus Games)
An interview with Jo Gautier, art director at Thunder Lotus Games, discussing the development and themes of the game Spiritfarer, which explores death and dying in a cozy, narrative-driven experience.
·1h 11m - 87
Episode 227: Play, Finish, Repeat?: Which Games Have We Played the Most and Why?
·1h 27m - 88
Episode 226: It's All About the Cozy Post-Apocalyptic Games
·1h 34m - 89
Episode 225: Our Top 5 Most Looked Forward to Games for 2022
·1h 52m - 90
Episode 224: 20 Years of Xbox
·1h 24m - 91
Episode 223: Back to Yara: Far Cry 6 First Impressions
·1h 56m - 92
Episode 222: Directly Nintendo: Let's Talk the Nintendo Direct
·1h 42m - 93
Episode 221: Let's Talk Gamescom 2021
·1h 49m - 94
Episode 220: Can I Play That?: A Conversation on Games and Accessibility with Courtney Craven
·1h 33m - 95
Episode 219: (We're Back!) E3 Had Us Feeling Some Kind Of Ways
·2h 30m - 96
Episode 218: What Are We Playing?
·1h 58m - 97
Episode 217: Cyberpunk'ed 2077: A Rant, Not a Review
·1h 50m - 98
Episode 216: It's Been 10 Years: NYMG Reunion
·2h 15m - 99
Episode 215: Let Us Have Nice Things: 2020 Gift Giving Guide
·1h 57m - 100
Episode 214: Oh Ye of Little Hope: Let's Talk About The Dark Pictures: Little Hope
·2h 39m - 101
Episode 262: We Can't Wait!: Things We're Excited for in 2026
Hidden gemSamantha Blackman and Jordan Lukomsky discuss games including Divinity: Original Sin 2, Little Nightmares 3, Star Wars Outlaws, Undusted, Octopath Traveler 0, and Final Fantasy Tactics.
Feb 25, 2026·1h 57m·5 clips - 102
Episode 263: Relooted: A Conversation with Nyamakop's Sithe Ncube
Hidden gemA feminist gaming podcast interviews Sithe Ncube, producer of the new game Relooted from Nyamakop, discussing the game and its development.
Feb 25, 2026·1h 18m·2 clips - 103
Episode 261: It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Giftmas: Gift Giving Ideas for 2025 and Beyond
Dec 14, 2025·2h 6m - 104
Episode 260: It's Like Deja Vu All Over Again: Games We Replay
The hosts introduce themselves and set up a discussion about games they replay from a feminist perspective.
Oct 4, 2025·1h 44m - 105
Episode 259: We've Been Where?: Let's Catch Up!
The hosts catch up after a long break, discussing what they've been reading, playing, and drinking from a feminist perspective in the games industry.
Sep 4, 2025·1h 27m - 106
Episode 258: Don't Answer That Phone: Atomfall Spoilercast
The hosts introduce themselves and discuss the game Atomfall in a spoilercast episode.
May 19, 2025·1h 41m - 107
Music to My Ears? Videogame and Music Pairings
Hidden gemNot Your Mama's Gamer Episode 257 features hosts Samantha Blackman (associate professor, Purdue University), Victoria Breaker (assistant professor, Missouri S&T), and Jordan Lukomsky (senior environment artist, That Snow Moon, LA) in their standard 'what we're reading, playing, and drinking' check-in before the episode's main topic of music and video game pairings.
Apr 30, 2025·1h 44m·5 clips - 108
Episode 256: Does that Go With Red, White, or...Paperback?: (Video)Game and Book Pairings
Samantha Blackman (Purdue University professor) and Jordan Lukomsky (environment artist at That's No Moon) discuss book-and-game pairings on Not Your Mama's Gamer, Episode 256.
Mar 28, 2025·1h 42m·5 clips - 109
Episode 255: Games We're Looking Forward to in 2025
Mar 5, 2025·2h 7m - 110
Episode 254: The Truth is a Lie: Black Ops 6 Spoilercast
Purdue associate professor Samantha Blackman opens the episode with co-hosts Victoria Brigger, an assistant professor at Missouri S&T, and guest Jordan Lukomsky, a senior outsourced environment artist at That's No Moon, running through their usual playing/reading/drinking check-in.
Dec 18, 2024·1h 53m·5 clips - 111
Episode 253: 2024 Gift Giving Guide: Giving the Gift of Self-Care?
Nov 25, 2024·1h 56m - 112
Episode 252: The Game is a Lie: Call of Duty and Social Critique
Oct 25, 2024·1h 59m - 113
Episode 251: In Defense of Short Games
Oct 3, 2024·1h 37m - 114
Episode 250: We're Baaaack! 2024 Has Been a Year!
Sep 6, 2024·1h 42m - 115
Episode 249: Good Things to Come: Looking Forward to Games in 2024
Jan 30, 2024·1h 27m - 116
Napping Unapologetically and Our Favorite Games of 2023
Jan 5, 2024·1h 53m - 117
Starfield: Now With More Cubes!
Oct 11, 2023·1h 57m - 118
Episode 246: Your Cozy Games Are Problematic
Aug 5, 2023·2h 12m - 119
Episode 245: But They Had Impact!: Games That Have Had the Biggest Impact on Us
Jul 16, 2023·2h 3m - 120
Episode 244: It's All About Art: A Conversation with Christian Vasquez and Leah Augustine
Apr 15, 2023·1h 42m - 121
Episode 243: Hosting the Host: A Conversation with Sam
Apr 2, 2023·1h 42m - 122
Episode 242: Love, But Make it Monstrous: A Conversation with Amanda Gardner About Romancelvania
Hidden gemAmanda Gardner discusses her game Romancelvania, a dating sim action platformer starring Dracula, on the Not Your Mama's Gamer podcast.
Mar 6, 2023·1h 16m·2 clips - 123
Episode 241: To Love Queerly: Queer Characters & Games We Love
Mar 3, 2023·1h 37m - 124
Episode 240: Black Games for BHM: Or; The Blackity Black Episode (Part 1?)
Feb 13, 2023·2h 19m - 125
Episode 239: Our Most Anticipated Game Releases of 2023
Jan 19, 2023·1h 34m - 126
Episode 238: Our 2022 Top Five Games
Dec 31, 2022·1h 56m - 127
Episode 237: It's Beginning to Look Like Giftmas!
Nov 27, 2022·2h 18m - 128
Episode 236: "What We're Playing" with TreaAndrea Russworm
Nov 15, 2022·1h 53m - 129
Episode 235: Pspspspsps: Let's Talk About Stray
Sep 7, 2022·1h 44m - 130
Episode 234: Where Is This Year's Summer Games Drought?
Aug 6, 2022·1h 32m - 131
Episode 233: Black Girls of Eorzea: A Conversation with Stephanie Jones
Jul 15, 2022·2h 11m - 132
Episode 232: Kirby, but Make It Dark and Gritty?: A Conversation About Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Jul 13, 2022·1h 41m - 133
Episode 231: Date Your Swords: A Conversation with Alexandra Orlando from Kitfox Games
Samantha Blackmon interviews Alexandra Orlando, community manager at Kitfox Games, about her role and the games industry from a feminist perspective.
May 23, 2022·1h 24m - 134
Episode 230: It's Getting Wylde (Flowers): A Conversation with Amanda Schofield (Studio Drydock)
Samantha Blackman interviews Amanda Schofield about her game Wildflowers, a farming simulator and relationship game coming to Steam and Switch.
Apr 22, 2022·1h 17m - 135
Episode 229: On Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Conversation with Miranda Due
Apr 8, 2022·1h 35m - 136
Episode 228: Gamers That Play Together...Slay Together?: Let's Talk Co-Op Games
Mar 28, 2022·1h 59m - 137
Episode 227: Play, Finish, Repeat?: Which Games Have We Played the Most and Why?
Feb 28, 2022·1h 27m - 138
Episode 226: It's All About the Cozy Post-Apocalyptic Games
Feb 9, 2022·1h 34m - 139
Episode 225: Our Top 5 Most Looked Forward to Games for 2022
Jan 20, 2022·1h 52m - 140
Episode 224: 20 Years of Xbox
Dec 8, 2021·1h 24m - 141
Episode 223: Back to Yara: Far Cry 6 First Impressions
Oct 20, 2021·1h 56m - 142
Episode 222: Directly Nintendo: Let's Talk the Nintendo Direct
Oct 4, 2021·1h 42m - 143
Episode 221: Let's Talk Gamescom 2021
Sep 13, 2021·1h 49m - 144
Episode 220: Can I Play That?: A Conversation on Games and Accessibility with Courtney Craven
Aug 3, 2021·1h 33m - 145
Episode 219: (We're Back!) E3 Had Us Feeling Some Kind Of Ways
Jul 7, 2021·2h 30m - 146
Episode 218: What Are We Playing?
Apr 2, 2021·1h 58m - 147
Episode 217: Cyberpunk'ed 2077: A Rant, Not a Review
Feb 8, 2021·1h 50m - 148
Episode 216: It's Been 10 Years: NYMG Reunion
Jan 22, 2021·2h 15m - 149
Episode 215: Let Us Have Nice Things: 2020 Gift Giving Guide
The hosts of Not Your Mama's Gamer podcast discuss their 2020 gift giving guide for gamers.
Dec 8, 2020·1h 57m - 150
Episode 214: Oh Ye of Little Hope: Let's Talk About The Dark Pictures: Little Hope
Nov 16, 2020·2h 39m