We made it. 100 episodes of the Pixel Parents Podcast!!!

And this week we’re celebrating everything that’s brought us here.

We kick things off by looking back at our favourite moments, the guests who’ve joined us, and the chaotic highlights that helped shape the show. From early-day nerves to big interviews and everything in between, we’re building our Pixel Parents Hall of Fame.

Then we look forward.

This episode is also a time capsule! A record we can revisit 100 episodes from now. We set our gaming resolutions for the next era, talk hopes and dreams for the community and the show, and say thank you to everyone who’s been part of the journey so far.

PLUS: a special Patreon giveaway plug for long-time listeners.

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re naming the Best Game of the Last 100 Episodes… the title that defined this podcast era.

In this episode:

• Celebrating 100 episodes
• Pixel Parents Hall of Fame
• Guest highlights & special moments
• What we’ve learned and how the show has changed
• Our Time Capsule for the next 100
• Patreon giveaway
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Game of the Last 100 Episodes

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

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

This week we react to the Xbox Developer Direct and run through the biggest moments as we see more from Fable, Forza Horizon 6, Beast of Reincarnation and Kiln!

PLUS - Big news this week — Scott is going to be a dad again!

So we’re pressing reset and talking honestly about what it means to juggle gaming when life gets busier, noisier, and a whole lot more sleepless.

We break down what changes (and what doesn’t) when you’re expecting again, what expectations Scott has this time around, and what advice we’d give to listeners heading into that newborn window. No pressure, no myths, just real talk from two gamer parents.

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re naming the Best Short Session Game, perfect for those tiny pockets of time life still gives you.

In this episode:

• Xbox Developer Direct 26’ reactions
• 2026 Challenge game update
• Pressing Reset: Gaming & expecting again
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Short Session Game

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SUPPORT US AND JOIN OUR FREE PATREON: www.patreon.com/pixelparents

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

This week, Alex is back for what might be our most chaotic episode yet as we play a ruthless round of Underrated or Overrated.Nothing is safe.No franchise is sacred.And yes — your favourite game might appear.

Expect sparks and the kind of nonsense that only happens when two tired gamer parents decide to say what many others dare not!

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re naming the Best Polarising Critique Game, the titles that split reviewers, communities, and sometimes even us.

In this episode:

• ​Underrated or Overrated Games: Vol 1
• ​Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Polarising Critique Game

Write to us: pixelparentspodcast@gmail.com

Follow us on BlueSky: @pixelparents.bsky.social

Music & production by Sean Murray – barehandsdesigns.com

It’s a brand new year, which means one thing... more games than we’ll ever find time to play.

This week, friend of the show and host of The Mimic's Veil, Alex, returns as our special guest!

And we’re kicking off 2026 by breaking down the games we’re most excited about, from the obvious heavy hitters to the long shots and dream announcements. We also tackle the elephant in the room: GTA 6, when we think it will land, and how it could reshape everything around it.

We chat through Xbox’s anniversary year with Halo, Fable and Gears all lining up for a comeback, Nintendo’s potential big swings in a Switch 2 world, and whether the Steam Machine really could be hiding Half-Life 3 or something equally seismic.

Then we grab the crystal ball and make our bold, probably-wrong 2026 predictions.

And in this week’s Pixel Picks Showdown, we’re naming the Best Bullet Heaven/Hell Game.

In this episode:

• Liam's Journey into PC Gaming with the ROG Xbox Ally X
• Our most anticipated games of 2026
• Our bold 2026 predictions
• Pixel Picks Showdown: Best Bullet Heaven/Hell Game

SUPPORT THE SHOW - JOIN OUR 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

We’re kicking off the new year with a look forward and a look back.

First, we set out our 2026 gaming resolutions, the promises, intentions and delusions we’ll almost definitely break by March. Backlog goals, platform habits, spending choices, and the types of games we want to play more (or less) of next year.

Then we revisit 2025 and grade the Big Three: PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo.
Who delivered? Who stumbled? And who quietly had the strongest year of the lot?

All wrapped in a wee bow as we kick off our own year in gaming as two tired gamer dads!

In this episode:

• Our 2026 Gaming Resolutions
• PlayStation 2025: Our final grade
• Xbox 2025: What worked, what didn’t
• Nintendo 2025: Late-year momentum and the road to Switch 2
• Our personal year-in-gaming wrap-up

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