Left Behind Game Club: A Video Game Podcast

Left Behind Game Club

Canada’s #1 video game book club podcast! We tackle games large & small, new & old while keeping it informative, funny and (mostly) positive. Hosted by Jacob McCourt, Mike Ruffolo, Moe Murtadi, Katie Lesperance, Flora Merigold and Travis Colenutt. After almost 6 years of twice-monthly shows, we now publish new shows when we have something to say! Looking for a good place to start? Download an episode for a game that you really love and hit play. Looking for suggestions? Consider our episodes on The Last of Us, Undertale, Firewatch, What Remains of Edith Finch episodes or our Hitman, Wolf Among Us or Kentucky Route Zero series! read less

Our Editor's Take

Left Behind Game Club: A Video Game Podcast is for game lovers. The main host of the show is Jacob McCourt. His day job is helping brands integrate into esports and video games. There is a revolving cast of cohosts and special guests.

One element that keeps the podcast interesting is the diversity of preferences among the cohosts. Jacob loves all video games. Katie prefers strategy games and puzzles. Flora's interest is in the narratives, while Travis likes time travel and tactics. Every game is worthy of a good, robust conversation about its merits and faults.

The podcast cohosts don't hesitate to talk about the biggest releases of the year. They play role-playing games like Fallout 3 and Final Fantasy XVI. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gets two episodes. They also play The Walking Dead games, episode by episode.

Not all games on Left Behind Game Club are action-heavy. The cohosts gush over Coffee Talk, a visual novel about a coffee shop in Seattle. They also love another visual novel, Emily Is Away. In Tacoma, the hosts explore a dystopian future run by mega corporations.

Listeners might enjoy the live episodes from PAX East. Jacob and friends travel to one of the PAX conferences in Boston. There, the cohosts talk with other gaming enthusiasts. There is plenty of audience participation and some silly games. After they return from their travels, the cohosts record a special episode to discuss the newest developments in gaming.

Left Behind Game Club: A Video Game Podcast is a great way to discover new games and revisit old ones. The cohosts play across different platforms and genres. The podcast challenges the idea that some games are more serious than others. Jacob and his cohosts celebrate game design as a craft and an art and gaming as an enriching pastime.

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Episodes

188: PAX West 2024 Mega Show
18-09-2024
188: PAX West 2024 Mega Show
Jacob and special guests Asa Greenriver & Darren Simmons Jr. build the list of our favourite games from PAX West 2024. Technical note: Asa's had a little bit of mic crackle throughout and Darren's computer exploded at about 1:39:00, so bear through the occasional mic issue! PLAYERS: Jacob McCourt (@JacobMcCourt) SPECIAL GUEST: Asa Greenriver (@agreenriver07) | Borderline Entertainment Darren Simmons Jr. (@XxShadowokamixX) | Rusty Rupees on Twitch, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok Web: LeftBehindGame.Club | Twitter: @LeftBehindClub | Instagram: @LeftBehindGameClub SHOW NOTES: 0:00​​ Intro 2:00 Our PAX Experiences 4:00 Darren & Asa's Projects 8:00 Interview with Hayden Kane with the Cookie Brigade 12:30 Our Top 12 Games of PAX West 2024 13:15 Tears of Metal 16:50 Cricket: Jae's Really Peculiar Game 24:00 Time Flies 24:50 Time Flies Interview ft. Michael Frei and Raphaël Munoz 32:55 Antonblast 38:25 ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist 44:10 Everdeep Aurora 48:15 despelote 58:25 Tethergeist 1:01:30 LOVE ETERNAL 1:02:50 LOVE ETERNAL Interview with Toby Alden 1:11:20 Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind 1:18:40 Monster Hunter: Wilds 1:26:05 While Waiting 1:28:00 Lightning Round 1:28:10 All Systems Dance 1:29:45 oneway.exe 1:30:30 oneway.exe interview with Bugs and Spider 1:36:50 Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland 1:38:10 Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster 1:39:00 Ravenwood Academy: A Wizard101 Story 1:40:30 Feltopia 1:42:45 Video Game Trivia Panel 1:45:45 Outro DISCORD: The Left Behind Game Club is a monthly game club podcast focusing on positivity & community. To talk to members of the community, join our Discord server! RESOURCES: Crossplay Conversations' Favourite Games of PAX West 2024 Special Super Video Game Trivia: PAX West 2024 Edition
183: Life is Strange: True Colors [Chapter 1 – Side A]
07-08-2024
183: Life is Strange: True Colors [Chapter 1 – Side A]
We start over in Life is Strange: True Color, Chapter 1. This is part 1 of a 5-part weekly series! Developer: Deck Nine | Publisher: Square Enix | Initial Release: September 10, 2021 Jacob, Katie, Flora and special guests Claire Helmberger and Luke Lewis travel to Haven Springs, bond with our sibling and talk a lot about the gay agenda. PLAYERS: Jacob McCourt (@JacobMcCourt) Katie Lesperance (@lesperak) Flora Merigold (@LudonarrativeFM) SPECIAL GUESTS: The LukeWarmGames Podcast's Claire Helmberger (@ClaireHelmberg1) Crossplay Conversations' Luke Lewis (@LukeWarmLewis) Web: LeftBehindGame.Club | Twitter: @LeftBehindClub | Instagram: @LeftBehindGameClub SHOW NOTES: 0:00​​ Start 2:20 The Gauntlet from Claire 6:30 The Fast Pitch 7:40 History with Life is Strange 13:45 What Do We Expect from Life is Strange? 14:25 Setup for the Game 17:05 Haven Springs 23:10 Everybody's Hot 24:10 Alex's Ability 26:30 Confrontation 34:05 Formal Spoiler Warning 34:30 Apartments & Air Guitar 37:10 "He a Worm" 39:55 Jukebox Hero 41:15 Duckie & Your Phone 48:00 Telling Your Brother 50:20 Ethan Went to the Mines 1:00:20 Prediction Time 1:01:45 Final Thoughts RESOURCES: Our Life is Strange All Episodes Playlist The First Chapter of ‘Life is Strange: True Colors’ is Everything I Could Have Hoped For by Flora Merigold via Epilogue Gaming DISCORD: The Left Behind Game Club is a monthly game club podcast focusing on positivity & community. To talk to members of the community, join our Discord server!
181: PAX East 2024 Mega Show
04-04-2024
181: PAX East 2024 Mega Show
The roomie crew of Jacob, Katie, Flora and special guest Dave Jackson are here to talk about the video games they played and the memories they forged at PAX East 2024! Four friends for over two hours talk through 21 games with 6 interviews from the show floor! PLAYERS: Jacob McCourt (@JacobMcCourt) Katie Lesperance (@lesperak) Flora Merigold (@LudonarrativeFM) SPECIAL GUEST: Dave Jackson (@realdavejackson) | Tales from the Backlog | A Top 3 Podcast Web: LeftBehindGame.Club | Twitter: @LeftBehindClub | Instagram: @LeftBehindGameClub SHOW NOTES: 0:00​​ Intro 1:40 Tales from the Backlog 2:55 Housekeeping 3:35 Overall Impressions of PAX East 2024 10:00 A Typical Day at PAX 16:00 Panel Time 19:00 Game Time (Please Wishlist The Games That Look Cool) 19:30 Animal Well 23:40 Kind Words 2 (lofi pop city) 28:00 Enter the Chronosphere 33:25 LUCID Interview with Eric Manahan 38:20 LUCID 41:30 Duck Paradox 45:55 Athenian Rhapsody 49:50 Deathbound 54:55 Let's! Revolution! Interview with Michael Highland 1:00:45 Let's! Revolution! Interview with Spencer Casey 1:03:45 Let's! Revolution! 1:05:05 Fallen Aces 1:10:35 Sorry We're Closed 1:15:00 Fretless Interview with Jeff Linville and Connor Smith 1:21:00 Fretless 1:28:30 Scramble Star Crossing 1:31:15 Tape to Tape 1:32:55 The Art of Flight 1:33:50 Kriegsfront Tactics 1:34:25 Path of Exile 2 1:35:15 Part of You 1:37:45 Buckshot Roulette 1:38:45 Olliefrog Toadskater Interview with Phillip Woytowitz 1:43:35 Starvaders Interview with Eddie Cai 1:50:15 So To Speak 1:51:25 Questions 1:57:35 Outro DISCORD: The Left Behind Game Club is a monthly game club podcast focusing on positivity & community. To talk to members of the community, join our Discord server! RESOURCES: Tales from the Backlog - The Last of Us (Part 2) ft. Flora Tales from the Backlog - Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name ft. Matt Storm & Flora Tales from the Backlog - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ft. Jacob Jacob's Between 2 Screens: A Nintendo DS Retrospective Panel Brenden Groom's Video Game Cocktail Party ft. Jenny Windom, Kenneth Shepard, Kate Sánchez, Jesse Vitelli & Michael Higham Tales from the Backlog - Rainworld  The Sequel I Couldn’t Have Predicted: Demoing ‘Kind Words 2’ at PAX East by Flora Merigold Katie's Enter the Chronosphere Moment ...and Jacob went viral at PAX East 2024
180: Between 2 Screens – A Nintendo DS Retrospective [Live from PAX East 2024]
27-03-2024
180: Between 2 Screens – A Nintendo DS Retrospective [Live from PAX East 2024]
How could Nintendo improve an already great handheld experience after the release and success of the Game Boy Advance? By adding a touch screen to it! Over an hour, our 5 Nintendo DS experts will help you reminisce about the history of the console. Then with the help of the PAX East audience, we will build the essential list of 15 must-have Nintendo DS titles. Audience members will be given 15 seconds to make their pitches, so come prepared!  Between 2 Screens - A Nintendo DS Retrospective was recorded live at PAX East 2024 on Sunday, March 24, 2024, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Centre. There's one section that relies on visual aids; you can download the slides here. There's also a video version available on PAX's YouTube channel. Sections: 0:00 Intro 1:30 Panel Intros 2:50 Panel Format 3:30 A Speedy History of the Nintendo DS 18:00 Our 11 Pre-Selections 27:50 Audience Pitches 59:55 Panel Outro Panel: Jacob McCourt (https://twitter.com/JacobMcCourt) Jenny Windom (https://twitter.com/kimchica25) Scott White (https://twitter.com/ProfessorRPG) Brenden Groom (https://twitter.com/begroom) Danny Bass Jr. (https://twitter.com/CGDannyB) Dave Jackson (https://twitter.com/RealDaveJackson) Web: LeftBehindGame.Club | Twitter: @LeftBehindClub | Instagram: @LeftBehindGameClub DISCORD: The Left Behind Game Club is a game club podcast focusing on positivity & community. To talk to members of the community, join our Discord server!
175: Final Fantasy XVI [Part 2]
06-12-2023
175: Final Fantasy XVI [Part 2]
We fight god in the second part of our Final Fantasy XVI podcast series. Developer: Square Enix Creative Business Unit III | Publisher: Square Enix | Initial Release: June 22, 2023 Jacob, Katie, Flora and special guest Dave Jackson say nice things about the game, read about so much lore and tell a great story about a chivalrous man. You may want to listen to Part 1 before jumping into this spoiler-filled discussion! This is our last show of 2023 - see you in 2024! PLAYERS: Jacob McCourt (@JacobMcCourt) Katie Lesperance (@lesperak) Flora Merigold (@LudonarrativeFM) SPECIAL GUEST: Dave Jackson (@TFTBLpod) | Tales from the Backlog: Podcast | Twitter Web: LeftBehindGame.Club | Twitter: @LeftBehindClub | Instagram: @LeftBehindGameClub SHOW NOTES: 0:00​​ Start 1:30 Fave/Least Fave Characters 6:00 What We Loved About FFXVI 10:50 Active Time Lore 18:50 Eikon Battles 201 27:10 Jill and Clive 35:40 Final Loadouts 42:15 Favourite Moments 45:50 A Ben Starr Moment 48:50 Okay, Back to FFXVI 51:20 Final Boss Battles 55:50 Ultima Explainer Speedrun 59:45 Making FFXVI Better 1:05:50 The Future of Final Fantasy RESOURCES: Tales from the Backlog - Final Fantasy XVI ‘Final Fantasy XVI’ Has An Identity Crisis By Flora Merigold via Epilogue Gaming  Tales from the Backlog - The Last of Us (Part 2) ft. Flora Tales from the Backlog - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ft. Jacob DISCORD: The Left Behind Game Club is a monthly game club podcast focusing on positivity & community. To talk to members of the community, join our Discord server!
174: Final Fantasy XVI [Part 1]
22-11-2023
174: Final Fantasy XVI [Part 1]
We activate our Eikon Abilities with Final Fantasy XVI. Developer: Square Enix Creative Business Unit III | Publisher: Square Enix | Initial Release: June 22, 2023 Jacob, Katie, Flora and special guest Dave Jackson wait for our cooldowns, appreciate Torgal and go get five piles of dirt. PLAYERS: Jacob McCourt (@JacobMcCourt) Katie Lesperance (@lesperak) Flora Merigold (@LudonarrativeFM) SPECIAL GUEST: Dave Jackson (@TFTBLpod) | Tales from the Backlog: Podcast | Twitter Web: LeftBehindGame.Club | Twitter: @LeftBehindClub | Instagram: @LeftBehindGameClub SHOW NOTES: 0:00​​ Start 1:20 Intro to Dave Jackson 4:30 The Gauntlet 9:20 The Fast Pitch 10:55 Our Personal Histories with Final Fantasy 13:45 How is FF16 Different than Other Numbered Games? 15:25 The Game's Demo 17:00 Setup of the World 24:00 Spoiler for the First Five Hours 25:40 Intro to Eikon Battles 30:30 Intro to Combat 38:30 "Is This a Bad Game?" 45:10 Sidequests 50:20 Full Spoiler Warning 51:00 Ambrosia Sidequest 54:00 Torgal Sidequest 57:30 Tentpole Story Moments 1:03:45 World Building Lessons from George R.R. Martin 1:07:00 Dave Brings In FromSoftware 1:10:45 Outro RESOURCES: Tales from the Backlog - Final Fantasy XVI ‘Final Fantasy XVI’ Has An Identity Crisis By Flora Merigold via Epilogue Gaming  Tales from the Backlog - The Last of Us (Part 2) ft. Flora Tales from the Backlog - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance ft. Jacob DISCORD: The Left Behind Game Club is a monthly game club podcast focusing on positivity & community. To talk to members of the community, join our Discord server!