by Keifer Lirette
Against his better judgement, Keifer loves video games. Join him each episode as he interviews various guests about their most meaningful and memorable video game experiences to discover how and why games make an impact on their players. Along the way he also talks about the importance of video game preservation, scrutinizes the shortcomings of the video game industry, and argues for video games as an art form. Part of the Moonshot Network.
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Publishing Since
4/28/2022
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June 13, 2026
Host Keifer Lirette interviews cartoonist John P Golden about the profound impact of the video game Live A Live on his life and creative work.
April 23, 2026
<p>War, war never changes. Keifer returns with the most ambitious episode of the show to date, bringing on Jane from the Unwise Girls podcast to talk about war through Spec Ops: The Line. We also talk about perspective as artistic intention, exploring gender through customizable characters, life on the road with a Steam Deck, and more. </p> <p>Other games discussed in this episode: Bastion, Transistor, The Beginner’s Guide, Undertale, Deltarune, the Professor Layton series, Deep Rock Galactic, Civilization 5, Misericorde, Hades, Live A Live, We Love Katamari, Ridger Racer 2, Ridge Racer Type 4, Mario Kart Wii, The Walking Dead: A Telltale Game Series, Thomas Was Alone, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days, Army of Two, the Metal Gear Solid franchise, and more. </p> <p>Select and Start is a video game podcast where the host, Keifer Lirette, talks with his guests about their most meaningful and memorable video game experiences. It is part of the Moonshot podcast network. </p> <p>0:00 - Prologue </p> <p>11:00 - Introducing Jane</p> <p>42:10 - On Harry Belafonte</p> <p>48:40 - Introducing Spec Ops: The Line</p> <p>1:11:30 - No Country for Old Games</p> <p>1:26:20 - Discussing Spec Ops: The Line</p> <p>2:03:25 - White Phosphorus and war crimes </p> <p>2:27:10 - Perspective, abstraction, and cognitive dissonance</p> <p>2:43:00 - The legacy Spec Ops The Line</p> <p>3:00:25 - Impact, weaknesses, and final thoughts </p> <p>3:10:45 - Recommendations and Outro</p> <p><strong>Support Jane and her projects:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/unwisegirls" rel="nofollow">https://www.patreon.com/unwisegirls</a></p> <p><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:gmybspzp4ycf32zql3ssivsm" rel="nofollow">https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:gmybspzp4ycf32zql3ssivsm</a></p> <p><a href="https://moonshotpods.com/unwise-girls/" rel="nofollow">https://moonshotpods.com/unwise-girls/</a></p> <p><strong>Follow Keifer and support the show:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/KeifersCorner" rel="nofollow">Patreon</a></p> <p><a href="https://linktr.ee/KeiferL" rel="nofollow">https://linktr.ee/KeiferL</a></p> <p><strong>Artwork provided by Avry Ott:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://linktr.ee/avryrobinott" rel="nofollow">https://linktr.ee/avryrobinott</a></p> <p><strong>Theme Music Provided by Mike Pettry:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://linktr.ee/mikepettry" rel="nofollow">https://linktr.ee/mikepettry</a></p> <p><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/2864590/Murder_at_the_Birch_Tree_Theater/" rel="nofollow">Murder at the Birch Tree Theater</a></p> <p><strong>Works Cited:</strong> </p> <p><strong>Research:</strong> </p> <p><a href="https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/routledg/cnps/2002/00000024/00000001/art00003" rel="nofollow">Chalmers Johnson - American Militarism and Blowback</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.gamesradar.com/spec-ops-line-learn-about-story-lead-writer-walt-williams/" rel="nofollow">Gamesradar - Spec Ops: The Line - Learn about the story with lead writer Walt Williams</a></p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160428201836/http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/interviews/a365221/spec-ops-the-line-interview/" rel="nofollow">Digital Spy - &#x27;Spec Ops: The Line&#x27; - interview</a></p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160509021728/http://kotaku.com/5938591/the-full-story-of-spec-ops-the-line-from-audacious-storytelling-to-cancerous-publisher-mandated-multiplayer" rel="nofollow">Kotaku - The Full Story Of Spec Ops: The Line, From Audacious Storytelling to &#x27;Cancerous&#x27; Publisher-Mandated Multiplayer</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/spec-ops-the-lines-sudden-removal-from-steam-baffles-its-director-why-has-this-happened/" rel="nofollow">PC Gamer - 2K confirms Spec Ops: The Line has been removed from sale because of expiring &#x27;partnership licenses&#x27;</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/30/24055807/spec-ops-the-line-delisting-licensing-2k" rel="nofollow">The Verge - Spec Ops: The Line permanently removed from Steam and other digital stores</a></p> <p><a href="https://delistedgames.com/spec-ops-the-line/" rel="nofollow">Delisted Games - Spec-Ops: The Line</a></p> <p><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/curator/31857481-Games-at-risk-of-removal/" rel="nofollow">Steam Curator - Games at risk of removal</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.monbiot.com/2005/11/15/war-without-rules/" rel="nofollow">George Monbiot - 11/ 15/2005 - War Without Rules</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna10064711" rel="nofollow">NBC News - U.S. denies using phosphorus against civilians</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/12/11/israel-us-white-phosphorus-lebanon/" rel="nofollow">Washington Post - Israel used U.S.-supplied white phosphorus in Lebanon attack</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.amnestyusa.org/blog/under-fire-white-phosphorus-civilians-and-arkansas/" rel="nofollow">Under Fire: White Phosphorus, Civilians, and Arkansas | Amnesty International USA</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/06/05/lebanon-israels-white-phosphorous-use-risks-civilian-harm" rel="nofollow">Human Rights Watch - Lebanon: Israel’s White Phosphorous Use Risks Civilian Harm</a></p> <p><strong>Audio Sources:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.c-span.org/clip/united-nations/user-clip-colin-powells-speech-at-the-un/4716794" rel="nofollow">Colin Powell&#x27;s Speech at the UN</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/defense-department-briefing/153138" rel="nofollow">Defense Department Briefing March 21st, 2003</a> <a href="http://c-span.org" rel="nofollow">C-</a><a href="https://span.org" rel="nofollow">SPAN.org</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.c-span.org/clip/news-conference/user-clip-rumsfeld-known-unknowns-and-unknowns-unknowns/5189032" rel="nofollow">Rumsfeld &quot;known unknowns&quot; and &quot;unknowns unknowns&quot;</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2wtkukZCpY" rel="nofollow">Ronald Reagan - Iran-Contra</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.c-span.org/clip/senate-highlight/user-clip-joe-biden-were-there-not-an-israel-the-usa-would-have-to-invent-an-israel-to-protect-her-interest-in-the-region/4962369" rel="nofollow">Joe Biden: Were there not an Israel the USA would have to invent an Israel to protect her interest in the region. | Video | C-</a><a href="https://span.org" rel="nofollow">SPAN.org</a></p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20071114183807/http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06%2F01%2F30%2F157217" rel="nofollow">Democracy Now - 1/30/2006 - Harry Belafonte on Bush, Iraq, Hurricane Katrina and Having His Conversations with Martin Luther King Wiretapped by the FBI</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2005/11/8/u_s_broadcast_exclusive_fallujah_the" rel="nofollow">Democracy Now - 11/8/2005 - U.S. Broadcast Exclusive–“Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre” on the U.S. Use of Napalm-Like White Phosphorus Bombs</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2005/11/17/pentagon_reverses_position_and_admits_u" rel="nofollow">Democracy Now - 11/17/2005 - Pentagon Reverses Position and Admits U.S. Troops Used White Phosphorus Against Iraqis in Fallujah</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2023/10/13/israel_orders_gaza_evacuation" rel="nofollow">Democracy Now - 10/13/2023 - A Second Nakba? Israel Orders 1.1 Million Palestinians to Evacuate Northern Gaza Amid Bombing &amp; Siege</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2023/12/14/headlines" rel="nofollow">Democracy Now - 12/14/2023 - Washington Post: Israel Used U.S.-Supplied White Phosphorus to Attack Civilians in Lebanon</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2024/6/7/white_phosphorus_israel_lebanon_hrw_report" rel="nofollow">Democracy Now - 6/7/2024 - Israel’s Widespread Use of White Phosphorus in Lebanon, Gaza Violates Int’l Law: Human Rights Watch</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2024/10/18/headlines" rel="nofollow">Democracy Now - 10/18/2024 - UNIFIL Says Israel Has Used White Phosphorus as Israeli Military Continues to Attack Its Forces</a></p> <p><strong>In-game audio sources:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIFQzMgYS0I\&t=2s" rel="nofollow">Spec Ops The Line - Combat Barks and Animations changes</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExeYzZHxp40" rel="nofollow">Spec Ops: The Line - Chapter #4 - The Refugees</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwFNKNl6P7I\&t=237s" rel="nofollow">Eerily Realistic AC-130 Mission - Modern Warfare Remastered</a></p> <p><strong>Other referenced works:</strong></p> <p>Reik, Theodor (1965). <a href="https://archive.org/details/curiositiesofsel00reik" rel="nofollow">Curiosities of the self: illusions we have about ourselves</a>. </p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KSl_lMN7-c" rel="nofollow">Jacob Geller - What We Don&#x27;t Talk About in &quot;Spec Ops The Line&quot;</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.academia.edu/8308705/_We_put_our_hands_on_the_trigger_with_him_Guilt_and_Perpetration_in_Spec_Ops_The_Line" rel="nofollow">Tobi Smethurst - &quot;We put our hands on the trigger with him&quot;: Guilt and Perpetration in Spec Ops: The Line</a></p> <p>The Second Coming - W.B. Yeats</p> <p>The Hollow Men - T.S. Eliot</p> <p>Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad</p> <p>Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe</p> <p><a href="https://blowback.show/" rel="nofollow">Blowback</a></p> <p>Find out more at <a href="https://select-and-start.pinecast.co" rel="nofollow">https://select-and-start.pinecast.co</a></p> <p>Send us your feedback online: <a href="https://pinecast.com/feedback/select-and-start/03e3e84b-4da3-42b0-8ed1-be5ac542ba88" rel="nofollow">https://pinecast.com/feedback/select-and-start/03e3e84b-4da3-42b0-8ed1-be5ac542ba88</a></p> <p>This podcast is powered by <a href="https://pinecast.com" rel="nofollow">Pinecast</a>.</p>
February 20, 2026
<p>It's good to be back. Keifer brings on Emmett, co-host of the ASOIAF Re-Read Podcast NotACast, to talk about the PS2 classic Sly 2: Band of Thieves.</p> <p>We also talk about the rise and decline of 3D platformers, the platformers of the PS2 era, inappropriate games to play next to your partner, and more!</p> <p>Other games discussed in this episode include Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, The inFamous series, Spider-Man, Uncharted, Astro Bot, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Katamari Damacy, Death Stranding, Rocket: Robot on Wheels, Super Mario 64, and more!</p> <p>Select and Start is a video game podcast where the host, Keifer Lirette, talks with his guests about their most meaningful and memorable video game experiences. It is part of the <a href="https://moonshotpods.com/" rel="nofollow">Moonshot podcast network.</a> </p> <p><strong>Timestamps:</strong></p> <p>0:00 - Introducing Emmett</p> <p>6:50 - The rise and fall of 3D Platformers</p> <p>26:25 - Sucker Punch and Sly Cooper</p> <p>34:15 - Introducing Sly 2: Band of Thieves</p> <p>43:45 - 2004 in video games</p> <p>47:15 - Sly 2 Discussion</p> <p>1:14:20 - Children Left Behind</p> <p>1:26:22 - No Country for Old Games</p> <p>1:35:32 - What Sly 2 means to us</p> <p>2:12:40 - Keifer's recommendations and Outro</p> <hr> <p><strong>Support Emmett and his projects:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://notacastasoiaf.podbean.com/" rel="nofollow">https://notacastasoiaf.podbean.com/</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/NotACastASOIAF" rel="nofollow">https://www.patreon.com/NotACastASOIAF</a></p> <p><strong>Follow Keifer and support the show:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/KeifersCorner" rel="nofollow">https://www.patreon.com/KeifersCorner</a></p> <p><a href="https://linktr.ee/KeiferL" rel="nofollow">https://linktr.ee/KeiferL</a></p> <p><strong>Artwork provided by Avry Ott:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://linktr.ee/avryrobinott" rel="nofollow">https://linktr.ee/avryrobinott</a></p> <p><strong>Theme Music Provided by Mike Pettry:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://linktr.ee/mikepettry" rel="nofollow">https://linktr.ee/mikepettry</a></p> <p><a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/2864590/Murder_at_the_Birch_Tree_Theater/" rel="nofollow">Murder at the Birch Tree Theater</a></p> <hr> <p><strong>Works Cited:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-7T5bUpuHU" rel="nofollow">The Making of Sly 2 - Bonus Video</a></p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230305200735/http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/sly-2-band-of-thieves/509022p1.html" rel="nofollow">Sucker Punch&#x27;s Nate Fox on Sly 2</a></p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230306135053/http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/sly-2-band-of-thieves/546052p1.html" rel="nofollow">Creating the Visuals of Sly 2: Band of Thieves</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.mobygames.com/game/16197/sly-2-band-of-thieves/credits/ps2/" rel="nofollow">Sly 2 Band of Thieves Credits </a></p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170814064440/http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Humongous-cuts-40-of-its-staff-1057280.php" rel="nofollow">Humongous cuts 40 percent of its staff - Seattle PI</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffOTS1CkZVg" rel="nofollow">125 Rapid-Fire Questions About Ghosts of Yotei With Sucker Punch&#x27;s Nate Fox - MinnMax</a></p> <p><a href="https://slycooper.wiki.gg/wiki/The_Sly_Collection" rel="nofollow">The Sly Collection - Sly Cooper Wiki</a></p> <p>Find out more at <a href="https://select-and-start.pinecast.co" rel="nofollow">https://select-and-start.pinecast.co</a></p> <p>Send us your feedback online: <a href="https://pinecast.com/feedback/select-and-start/b1fcc54f-eb2f-4b63-9fdd-35ceda7d55a7" rel="nofollow">https://pinecast.com/feedback/select-and-start/b1fcc54f-eb2f-4b63-9fdd-35ceda7d55a7</a></p> <p>This podcast is powered by <a href="https://pinecast.com" rel="nofollow">Pinecast</a>.</p>
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Against his better judgement, Keifer loves video games. Join him each episode as he interviews various guests about their most meaningful and memorable video game experiences to discover how and why games make an impact on their players.
Along the way he also talks about the importance of video game preservation, scrutinizes the shortcomings of the video game industry, and argues for video games as an art form.
Part of the Moonshot Network.
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