IN PURSUIT OF THE GOOD SHIT

After mentioning some art that I like, I often get asked “how did you find this”, and the answers can vary wildly. Here is a collection of places I’ve found good art posted or discussed. 

Discord channels are a great way to find hidden gems and media people care about. Some folks will bring up their favorite pieces of media unprompted, or post about whatever is currently capturing their attention. The youtubers Maraganger and Action Button have great community recommendations and conversations, though you’ll only find that in a few threads in action button’s goblin bunker(interesting Indies <3). 

Friends, coworkers, and generally any real people have the potential to show you great stuff. My boss has recommended a bunch of great jrpgs to me, I promise I’ll get around to valkyrie profile eventually. Friends got me to play the witcher 3 and Umineko, and they’ll get me to play stuff again! I talked to an entry level worker at platinum games when we attended GDC, and he recommended Einhander and Xenogears. Good recommendations are out there in the hearts of everyday people! There are limits to this though, I shared a drink with a guy in Chicago who thought spore was the greatest game ever. Conversations with people who only participate in pop media can be great and insightful, but you might not discover anything new. 

Past and future game journalists sometimes have great taste in games and other artistic mediums, and  their various podcasts can be great longform discussions of new media. Personally I like Aftermath, triple click, something rotten, Insert Credit, and Remap Radio, but there are different pods for different flavors of discussion. More broadly there are folks who offhandedly mention good stuff all the time, examples can be found on Pod spirit, Yonaka Tea Time, Games Studies Study Buddies, and Kitschfork.

Niche websites, neo cities, and substacks can have hidden gems. Essays, reviews, and blog posts can cover or mention incredible stuff that hasn't hit mainstream discussions for various reasons, and sometimes breach containment. There is a specific tone of writing that blends art discussion with how it fits into your life that I absolutely adore, and I might try my hand at eventually.

Finding and exploring media requires work. It will not come to you, Netflix won't deliver every life changing movie you could want to your lap. Most meaningful art won't be marketed to you, there is nothing profitable about media that isn't on the market. You need to search. Be on the hunt. Explore.