Three former Kotaku journalists dig into modding, early access, and JRPG history.
Triple Click treats video games as culture, craft, habit, and business, not just a release calendar. Its conversations move from Switch 2 pricing and Xbox leadership to AI tools, early access, hard games, and the strange pleasures of Resident Evil.
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Triple Click is a three-person panel show: Kirk Hamilton, Maddy Myers, and Jason Schreier hold a running conversation rather than interviewing outside guests, and episodes typically open with informal personal catch-up before moving into the main topic. Recurring 'What's The Deal With' episodes function as extended explainers, walking through the history of subjects like video game modding (from Counter-Strike's origins as a Half-Life mod to Nexus Mods and Roblox) or a single franchise such as Dragon Quest. Other episodes track current industry debates: how early access blurs the line between finished and unfinished games, how live service monetization shapes player psychology, and how AI tools are being adopted inside game studios for code and testing while remaining more visible in art and marketing. The hosts bring first-hand industry sourcing to these discussions, including Jason Schreier's reporting relationships and his own status as a plaintiff in a class action against Anthropic over AI training data. Mailbag episodes broaden the scope further, covering console purchase timing, remote work and return-to-office mandates at studios like Blizzard, and generational commentary on games culture. The tone is conversational and argumentative in a friendly way, with the hosts frequently disagreeing on specifics (whether a game counts as early access, whether a remake improves on the original) rather than delivering a single verdict. Episodes run roughly 70-85 minutes. Listeners who benefit most are people already familiar with video games as an industry and craft, not newcomers looking for basic reviews. The show leans on the hosts' journalism backgrounds (Kotaku, Bloomberg, Polygon-adjacent beats) more than on outside expert guests. Production is a straightforward recorded conversation without heavy narrative editing or sound design.
Made for: Longtime video game players who want critical discussion of industry practices, development history, and studio labor issues, not just release-week reviews.
What sets it apart: A three-person journalist panel with no rotating guests, built around recurring 'What's The Deal With' history deep-dives rather than a weekly news-roundup format.
A podcast about video games, hosted by Kirk Hamilton, Maddy Myers, and Jason Schreier. New episodes every Thursday.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Triple Click pairs informed game criticism with candid disagreement, practical buying questions, and close attention to how development choices shape play.
Triple Click turns video games into a lively three-way conversation among Kirk Hamilton, Maddie Myers, and Jason Schreier. Reviews share space with questions about how games are made, sold, and changed: the hosts consider AI inside game development, the economics of buying a…
Triple Click treats your Switch 2 indecision with the seriousness of an RPG design problem.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A wary, useful games conversation about AI art, studio workflow, and the creative unease between them.
Triple Click takes AI as a nuisance, a tool, and a question nobody has cleanly answered yet. Kirk Hamilton, Maddie Myers, and Jason Schreier are most engaged when they stay close to games: the familiar gloss of AI art, the fear that it can only remix what already exists, and the…
A relaxed 300th mailbag turns Switch 2 price anxiety into practical advice about habits, patience, and when waiting costs more.
Triple Click's 300th episode treats the milestone as a running joke before moving into a mailbag about money, work, creativity, listener support, and whether a Switch 2 is worth buying before prices climb.
A sharp, conversational look at early access as promise, pressure, and an argument over when a game is truly done.
Triple Click takes early access as something looser than a launch label: a way of thinking about when a game is finished, who gets a say, and how much change players are willing to live with.
A smart Triple Click discussion of how Esoteric Ebb turns political density into RPG clarity.
Triple Click's Esoteric Ebb episode is at its best when it treats the game as a design problem, not just a recommendation. Kirk Hamilton, Maddie Myers, and Jason Schreier frame it as a political RPG with obvious Disco Elysium echoes, then spend the sharper stretch on how its…
A funny, series-savvy Resident Evil Requiem chat built around scares, Umbrella baggage, and an older, cornier Leon.
Triple Click takes Resident Evil Requiem as a blood-slick horror romp with plenty of affection for the series' ridiculous long memory: Umbrella, viruses, monsters in the attic, and all. The liveliest stretch is the Leon talk.
A warm Dragon Quest conversation about remake craft, familiar formulas, and the quiet pressure of an endless JRPG backlog.
Triple Click uses Dragon Quest VII Reimagined as an excuse to ask why Dragon Quest remains so stubbornly itself: turn-based battles, familiar pleasures, bright craft, strong music, and, yes, slime.
A relaxed, sharp conversation about mods as player freedom, platform control, and fan work with real money around it.
Triple Click treats video game mods as a funny, slightly lawless argument over who gets to touch a game once it leaves the studio. Maddie Myers, Jason Schreier, and Kirk Hamilton start with old first-install memories, then drift into the larger divide between open PC culture and…
A warm Thanksgiving mailbag that finds its best argument in patches, Destiny memories, and games that keep changing after release.
Triple Click's Thanksgiving mailbag opens with the hosts doing what they do well: letting a turkey-defrost tangent run just long enough before turning back to listener questions.
Gaming news, argued in real time.
Nilay Patel presses tech and media CEOs on how they actually run their companies.
Physician Shoshana Ungerleider pairs TED talks with interviews on aging, drug prices, and menopause.
AI raises more questions than answers.
Triple Click turns 300.
Triple Click spends this episode on early access, starting with Kirk Hamilton’s definition of selling games that are still in development and noting that the practice became known by that name around 2013.
Esoteric Ebb starts with a wall of proper nouns.
The hosts discuss the current state of video game consoles, including the PlayStation 5, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X/S, while sharing humorous anecdotes about AI billboards in San Francisco.
The TripleClick podcast hosts open their listener mailbag to discuss questions about screen time limits for kids and age-related gaming challenges, while also touching on recent game releases like Marathon.
Resident Evil Requiem pulls Umbrella dread back into the room.
The hosts discuss Xbox leadership changes and promote the Maximum Fun Drive membership drive.
The hosts discuss a game about breeding cats for battle and promote Max Fun Drive membership.
This episode of TripleClick features an interview with game developer Edmund McMillen about his newly released game Mewgenics, a feline tactical roguelike that took 14 years to develop.
Dragon Quest feels familiar.
Mods begin with the itch to take control.
The hosts promote the Maximum Fun Drive and encourage listeners to become members, with a brief mention of upcoming live streams and rewards.
The hosts promote Max Fun Drive and then introduce a mailbag episode featuring listener questions about video games.
The hosts discuss video game industry predictions and encourage listener support during Max Fun Drive.
The hosts kick off a new year with their predictions bet, discussing last year's winner and the game she chose.
The hosts discuss the Max Fun Drive and then each share their top 10 games of 2025.
The hosts of TripleClick discuss their experiences at the Game Awards 2025 in Los Angeles, including a humorous anecdote about a waitress sharing conspiracy theories during lunch.
The hosts of TripleClick discuss their experiences playing the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, comparing it to previous games in the series and sharing their excitement for its release.
The hosts of Triple Click discuss their predictions for The Game Awards, share Thanksgiving anecdotes, and promote their listener-supported podcast with bonus content.
Thanksgiving opens the listener mailbag.
This episode features a roundtable discussion about the role-playing game Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, with insights from host Kirk and guests Tom Bissell and Matthew Seiji Burns, focusing on their experiences and the game's narrative and design elements.
The hosts discuss the game Dispatch and promote the Maximum Fun Drive membership drive.
The hosts discuss RPGs of 2025 and the choices they offer, after a fundraising pitch for Maximum Fun Drive.
The hosts discuss video games and promote the Max Fun Drive membership campaign.
The hosts discuss video games, specifically The Outer Worlds, and promote the Maximum Fun Drive membership campaign.
The hosts discuss recent video game releases including Ball X Pit, Hades 2, Absolume, and Keeper, with casual banter.
The hosts promote the Maximum Fun Drive membership campaign and encourage listeners to support the show.
The hosts promote Max Fun Drive and introduce a special guest, Tom Bissell, who has written video games and TV episodes.
The hosts discuss Max Fun Drive and then interview voice actor Ray Chase about the game Date Everything.
The hosts promote Max Fun Drive and then discuss the game Doom: The Dark Ages.
The hosts discuss Assassin's Creed Shadows and promote the Maximum Fun Drive membership campaign.
The hosts discuss Max Fun Drive and then open the mailbag to talk about thousands of games and hypothetical jobs in the games industry.
The hosts discuss new video game releases and promote the Maximum Fun Drive membership campaign.
The hosts discuss Monster Hunter Wilds and promote the Max Fun Drive membership drive.