This week we’re chatting all things Nioh 3, from first impressions to what we hope Team Ninja brings to the next chapter of the series. We’re also chatting Mewgenics and more!

Our main topic comes straight from a listener: do we get gamer guilt?

We love this hobby, but does gaming sometimes feel like it comes at the expense of… everything else?

Time, chores, partners, kids, rest. The real-life boss fights!

We break down where gamer guilt comes from, how it shows up for parents and busy adults, and whether it ever truly goes away. More importantly: is it worth it anyway?

How do we balance the joy, the escapism and the identity of being a gamer with the reality of limited time?

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re naming the Best Time Sponge Game… the ones that happily (and unapologetically) eat your entire weekend.

In this episode:

• Nioh 3 thoughts & early chat
• Mewgenics Impressions
• Main topic: Gamer Guilt: Time vs Reality
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Time Sponge Game

Write to us: pixelparentspodcast@gmail.comFollow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social
Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

This week we’re revealing the games we totally FOMO’d on — the ones we didn’t plan to buy, didn’t have time for, didn’t even want… until the hype wave swallowed us whole.

We’re naming names, owning our weaknesses, and dissecting where the influence came from: reviews, trailers, friends, social media, podcasts… or our own self-inflicted hype spirals.

Why does FOMO hit gamer parents so hard? What makes certain games impossible to resist? And do we ever regret it?

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re crowning the Best FOMO Game — the title that defined hype, influence, and panic-buy energy.

In this episode:

• Cairn: Gripping or Slipped?
• Too Many Games?
• Main topic: The Games We FOMO’d On
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best FOMO Game

Write to us: pixelparentspodcast@gmail.com
Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social

Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

This week we’re digging into Highguard and tackling a spicy conversation about what actually makes someone a hardcore gamer… and why it’s definitely not just the people sinking endless hours into games.

Life gets busy. Priorities shift. Kids appear. Jobs explode. But the passion for gaming doesn’t disappear (it just shows up in different ways). So we’re asking: What defines a Hardcore gamer? And who gets to decide that, anyway?

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re naming the Best Easy Game, the perfect comfort pick when life gives you 20 minutes instead of two hours.

In this episode:

• Highguard thoughts & reactions
• Intro to Steam Deck and Handheld PC Life
• What actually defines a hardcore gamer
• Gamer parents and the shifting identity of “hardcore”
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Easy Game

FREE PATREON: www.patreon.com/pixelparents

Write to us: pixelparentspodcast@gmail.com

Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social

Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com