Originally created as a response to the question "Are video games art?", Playing With Form is a painstakingly-produced sonic research paper appreciating the medium, and investigating what it has to offer.
Host Martin O'Donnell discusses subtle sounds and the sizeable sword of Monster Hunter in this interview episode.
10 May 2026
Bonus: The Mythic Cicada
I haven't done this before, but I had too much in the episode 11 script, so I've decided to produce some cut scenes as little audio addendums. This one's about, surprise surprise, cicadas, and I got a ton more from my research than I was expecting.
I used quite a few cicada sounds that I'd like to credit here.
Cicadas at Broken Rock Falls 2016-06-11 5:12 p.m. by dan_keck -- https://freesound.org/s/347607/
Cicadas by dethrok -- https://freesound.org/s/272169/
A Cicada calling on a hot afternoon in Irving, Texas by Dhkurt -- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cicada_calling_in_Irving,_TX_in_June_of_2012.ogg
Cicada_3 by Adrian_Gomar -- https://freesound.org/s/197290/
Brood II cicadas near Macon, Powhatan Co, VA.wav by BethanyFerrell -- https://freesound.org/s/189973/
A song of Higurashi by Σ64 -- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tanna_japonensis_v01.ogg
Male Cicada Close Up Mating Calls with Chorus in Background by heyheymaimai -- https://freesound.org/s/493059/
And Discovery Sound's famous "CICADA - Cicada-3"
Also I referenced a few essays:
"Cicadas in Ancient Greece: Ventures in Classical Tettigology"
https://culturalentomology.com/ced3/cicada_ancgrcult.html
(the site's been down for a week so hopefully this link eventually works, it's the essay I referenced the most by far)
"Cicada Folklore, or Why We Don't Mind Billions of Burrowing Bugs at Once"
https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/cicada-folklore
"'O, Shrill-Voiced Insect': The Cicada Poems of Ancient Greece"
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/o-shrillvoiced-insect-the-cicada-poems-of-ancient-greece
I also used info from Sound Effects Wiki, "Tuning of the World" by R Murray Schafer, and of course, "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud.
And there it is, my longest ever description for my shortest ever episode. Have fun, and keep your ears open as summer approaches.
26 Feb 2026
Episode 11: Pandora's Squawks
Tick tock, it's bird-o-clock.
This episode, "Pandora's Squawks", is actually barely about videogames at all. Instead, I reveal dangerous knowledge about soundscapes, but hand in hand with danger comes power. And it all starts with that one time I heard a bird during Star Trek.
This is the kind of show you can listen to out of order, especially this episode, but I'd recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.
11 Sept 2025
Episode 10: Where the Magic Happens
Ready for action!
This episode, "Where the Magic Happens", is all about small sound cues, how our brain processes them, and how a specific genre, and series, makes the most of them.
This is the kind of show you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.
And if you end up buying Warcraft 3 because of this episode, be warned: the current remastered version (Reforged) changed the audiovisuals for the worse, but luckily, player feedback got them to add classic graphics and more importantly, a classic sounds toggle. Switch those on, it really does make a difference.
21 Nov 2024
Behind the Closed Door
A late Halloween special, because I'm not great at time management.
In this episode, "Behind the Closed Door", I talk about tools of the trade for horror writers, and we're getting Lovecraftian about it.
Some things to look forward to: A house containing a bug of variable size, a completely normal hike through the woods, and me hamming it up the whole time.
This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.
9 Jul 2024
Episode 8: Know Your Limits
Another one!
In this episode, "Know Your Limits", I talk about a whole heap of things, but mainly save points.
Some things to look forward to this time: A boss fight decades in the making, Link putting on pants, and a conversation between three thinkers who have never met.
This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.
And I got some links for you all, both interviews with Satoshi Nakai, both very different, and both very worthwhile.
From the bonus content of Assault Suits Valken Declassified - The switch port of this SNES mecha platformer comes with this lovely interview covering Nakai's history, and his approach to mecha visual design. Thanks to the ShiryuGL youtube channel for capturing the footage.
The Crimson Head Interview - A very different interview, including the sections on horror and limits that I mentioned, but also his version of Stephen King's argument in "What's Scary?", and more focused discussion on his Resident Evil monster/character designs.
25 Feb 2023
Episode 7: The Building Blocks of Life
The triumphant return of Playing With Form!
In this episode, "The Building Blocks of Life", I talk about composition.
Some things to look forward to this time: Music written and performed on a Nintendo DS emulator, a suspiciously important 2 years of game design, and multiple literal interpretations of the term "worldbuilding".
This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.
15 Apr 2020
Episode 6: To See With Your Ears
Episode 6 has finally arrived!
In this episode, "To See With Your Ears", I talk about the practical and philosophical merits of game sound.
Some things to look forward to this time: Poetry from inside the womb, a commentated romp through the underworld, and repurposed film theory.
This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.
And some links:
- The heartbeat sound I used is https://freesound.org/s/32731/
- And if you're curious about the Papa Engine (I don't blame you, audiogames are very cool), they have more info at https://papaengine.wordpress.com/
7 Dec 2019
Episode 5: A Story About A Story About A Tree
This one is a bit different.
In this episode, "A Story About A Story About A Tree", I talk about games as human connection, unraveling a mystery from the late 90's, and airing my opinions on both Final Fantasy 7, and the entire internet.
Some things to look forward to this time: Amateur philosophy and virtual film noir, all framed by the world's most boring Let's Play.
This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.
I either shortened or paraphrased all of the articles I used, so here they are in full, for your reading pleasure:
A Story About A Tree, by Raph Koster (who you will hear from again)
Who Killed Miss Norway? (https://www.salon.com/2003/04/14/who_killed_miss_norway/), by Tracy Spaight
Revisiting the Garden of Remembrance, by Raph Koster
30 Aug 2019
Episode 4: Where to Draw the Line
Episode 4 is here!
In this episode, "Where to Draw the Line", I talk about music, and introduce the concept of nonlinear media.
Some things to look forward to this time: A Final Fantasy X rant, the merits of virtual radio, and a Russian composer very much out of his element.
This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.
And this time, I have only a few links, to soundtracks I really admire:
- Supergiant Games' Youtube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/supergiantgames), as I said, has all their music, which is great by itself, and even better in-game.
- Katamari has a prolific soundtrack, which spans multiple genres, and is designed to be listened to outside of the game (they're released as albums too)
22 May 2019
Episode 3: An Ode to Gibberish
And with three episodes, we have formed a pattern!
In this third episode, "An Ode to Gibberish", I talk about voice and character identity.
Some things to look forward to this time: Visual psychology transposed to audio, ideas for new VR games, and a lot of little blipping noises.
This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.
And this time, for the more curious listeners, I have quite a few links.
- For the full Charles Martinet interview I sampled, click here.
- For a playable version of Colossal Cave Adventure, click here. As the precursor to all interactive storytelling, it deserves to be played just for that. It's also pretty fun.
- I only talk about Nevermind briefly, but the studio and concept are worth checking out. Here's more information on them.
22 May 2019
Episode 2: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Random Number
Welcome back!
In this second episode, “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Random Number”, I talk about random number generation.
Some things to look forward to this time: Winston Churchill wildly out of context, goofing around on Route 1, and proof that Skype does not make for the best interviews.
This is the kind of series you can listen to out of order, but I’d recommend listening to the first episode at some point. It explains why this podcast exists, and was a lot of fun to make.
If you’re interested in seeing the Hearthstone match I was referencing, here's a link to that.
And to go right to the moment where RNG decided it all, click here.
22 May 2019
Episode 1: To Do is To Be
Welcome to Playing With Form!
In this first episode, "To Do is To Be", I talk about actions, and the diegetic world within games.
Some things to look forward to: Talking about murder with Mom, two kinds of tennis, and the very first use of aural block quotes.
And finally, if you’re curious about Metal Gear Solid 3, but don’t have access to the game, here’s a handy youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zndcY57Tijo) condensing all of it into one consumable package.
Inside a recent episode
Bonus: Subtle Sounds with a Sizeable Sword
Published 28 Jul 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Very much on purpose. Real life doesn't let you change your environment within 10 seconds of walking. But here, you can. It is textbook virtual soundscape design. Wind, water, birds, bugs. But importantly, it's always different water, different wind. And, well, sometimes the same birds. But that's okay. Birds repeat themselves. And repeating a species from time to time makes the situation more believable. A lot of care was put into making our experience as vibrant and as varied as possible, with just as many assets as needed. So now, let's do some bad math. In this map, there are 12 areas, each with a distinct soundscape. […]
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