BACK ISSUE
That Time Y’all Played Too Much
It’s game night, so get your "Draw 4" cards ready 'cause it's about to go down! Josh and Tracy invite the very special and highly competitive hosts of the For Colored Nerds podcast, Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings, to share their favorite game night memories, some game night horror stories, and play an original game Tracy invented called Aight Bet! Will they still be friends afterward? Gotta listen to find out! Then, Josh and Tracy talk to someone who makes games for a living, Teddy Philips, creator and developer of the mobile apps For the Culture and For La Cultura, who explains why game night is so vital to American Black culture, and why there’s a need for more games for us by us.
[CLIP] Voice: Beyonce? You look like Luther Vandross.
[CLIP] Voice: Ho, but make it fashion.
[CLIP] Voice: But you ain't heard that from me.
[CLIP] Voice: Fierce
[CLIP] Voice: Call ‘em
[CLIP] Voice: You see, when you do clownery--
[CLIP] Voice: ‘Cuz we won’t stop.
[CLIP] Voice: Can’t get no sleep ‘cuz of y’all--
[CLIP] Voice: the clown comes back to bite.
[CLIP] Voice: Y’all not gonna get no sleep ‘cuz of me.
[CLIP] Voice: It's Britney, bitch.
[CLIP] Voice: [Voices overlapping] We were rooting for you, Tiffany. We were all rooting for you… [overlapping voices crescendo]
Tracy: Who said that?
Josh: Welcome to Back Issue. A weekly podcast that revisits formative moments in pop culture that we still think about. This week, we playing games ‘cuz it’s game night!
[CLIP from a Monopoly commercial]
[CLIP from a Jenga commercial]
[CLIP from a Uno commercial]
Tracy: Each week, we'll go back into the past and revisit unforgettable moments we all think we remember...
Josh: And learn what they can teach us about where we are now.
Tracy: I’mmmmm Tracy Clayton
Josh: And I’mmmmmmm Josh Gwynn!
Tracy: [laughs]
[Music starts playing]
Josh: So, we gotta start off by saying this isn't a regular episode.
Tracy: I'm not like a regular episode, I'm a cool episode.
Josh: Yeah, this is a special episode, because we invited our friends, some of the GOATs, Brittany Luse, Eric Eddings, over for game night.
Tracy: First of all, what a flex on our behalf, can I just go ahead and say? (laughing)
Josh: And then, as if we weren't flexing hard enough, later we're gonna sit down with Teddy Philips, the creator of "For the Culture." It's a black-centric cultural trivia game, so it's all games today. We wanna talk to him about what goes into designing and marketing our favorite games, and what it looks like to black-ify them. I feel like we just needed some fun. Let's just have some fun. So, first, let's have game night with Brittany and Eric.
Tracy: Brittany and Eric are clearly podcast legends, and they are reviving their dearly missed "For Colored Nerds" podcast. I tell people it's just for me. Well, that's what I'm, uh, gonna tell people, it's just for me, but [inaudible]-
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: Really, really missed 'em, and we are so, so glad that you're back. We can't wait to talk about dorky black pop culture things with you again. Yay. Hi friends!
Josh: Yay.
Eric: Y'all, that was so sweet. I want to just stay gone for like five more minutes-
Tracy: (laughing)
Eric: ...so y'all can keep talking, 'cause that was amazing. Thank you.
Brittany: Uh, Tracy, we, we did bring the show back just for you.
Eric: Yes. [crosstalk] (laughs)
Tracy: I knew it, I knew it.
Brittany: Yeah.
Tracy: See, I was trying to, like-
Brittany: Yeah.
Tracy: --not be too big headed about it, but I knew it. I seent it.
Brittany: Uh, yeah. I said, "You know what? I want Tracy to have a good 2022."
Tracy: Aw.
Brittany: "Stitcher, can you please bring the show back?"
Tracy: (laughs)
Brittany: Just-
Josh: Honestly-
Brittany: That's what happened.
Josh: We deserve. Like (laughs)-
Tracy: Seriously.
Josh: It's been rough (laughing).
Tracy: So, you're welcome, everyone. You're welcome.
[Music fades]
Josh: So, the world is in this constant state of opening-
Eric: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Josh: And then closing-
Eric: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Josh: And then opening and closing. But in those open windows, people are meeting and they're reuniting, and one of the things that I'm really excited about is the potential chance of getting back for a game night.
Tracy: Game night (singing)
Eric: Ooh, ooh.
Josh: Brittany, Eric, how do y'all feel about game night?
Eric: So, you're ready to lose, friends.
Tracy: Oh, wait.
Eric: (laughing)
Tracy: Did I already detect some shit talking?
Brittany: Uh...
Tracy: Ow.
Brittany: (laughing)
Tracy: Now, you been in my house two minutes.
Brittany: (laughing)
Tracy: You already, already at it. That's fine, though.
Eric: Personally, I love game night. Game night speaks to big, like, Taurus energy.
Tracy: Mm.
Josh: Mm.
Eric: Like, let's compete.
Tracy: Yes.
Eric: Like, we can fight. You might talk about my mama, I might talk about your grandmamma.
Josh: (laughs)
Eric: But we gonna be friends after this.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Brittany: Why does it have to get to that level? (laughing)
Tracy: Because sometimes it does.
Eric: It, it just sometimes does.
Tracy: Sometimes it do.
Eric: It just does.
Tracy: I am a Taurus, too, by the way, so...
Eric: There you go.
Tracy: Uh-huh (affirmative).
Brittany: Me and my best friend from high school, Enora, whenever we would play board games against anybody else in our friend group, family, after a while, nobody wanted to play with us because we always won.
Josh: [crosstalk] Oh.
Brittany: And so, I love game nights, but I do love when you get to have a team-
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Brittany: --and then just dominate. I mean, I don't know, I mean, I think that everybody, on some level, I think, just, just by nature of the shows that we host, I think all of us, on some level, understand the importance of teamwork.
Josh: Right.
Eric: Yes.
Tracy: Right.
Brittany: But there's something about sharing the glory with another person that is unmatched. So, I love game night, and I do like winning.
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Brittany: But I love being able to tag team and then just dominate-
Tracy: I see.
Josh: Mm.
Brittany: --an entire game night function, and make everyone else upset that I won.
Tracy: (laughs) So, no one has fun but you and your partner. ( laughing)
Brittany: Yeah, yeah. So, it's like, I'm having fun with somebody.
Tracy: (laughs)
Brittany: I'm not like a pariah.
Tracy: Hm.
Brittany: Do you know what I'm saying?
Josh: Yeah.
Brittany: Because I've won. It's like, I get to make everybody else feel bad about themselves with someone I love.
Eric: So how about y'all? Like, how do y'all feel about the game night?
Tracy: I love game night more than I love most things in my life. Like, I think it's my favorite form of social gathering, because, like--
Brittany: Wow.
Tracy: Especially now that the world's opening back up again, right? Like, I don't know how to dress anymore. I don't know how to, I can't fit any of my clothes. I gotta retrain my brain to not have an anxiety attack whenever I leave the house. Like, it's just, it's just too much. [crosstalk] Let me put on these sweats, let me get some Popeyes or some pizza or both, depending on who's on the guest list.
Josh: (laughs)
Brittany: Mm. Mm.
Tracy: And just come over and let's get drunk and fucked up and just, like, fight for a little while. Just, like, get all that aggression out. And then afterwards, we're all too drunk to keep playing, so we just start gossiping and talking shit, and it's just a lovely evening, you know? Very therapeutic.
Eric: Yeah.
Brittany: It is a lovely evening. Hm.
Eric: I do think we all experience a little bit of, like, PTSD from game night though, like-
Josh: Yeah.
Eric: I think you have to be careful. Like, anytime I've tried to, I feel like I've tried to get a game night started recently. The first question, okay, what we playing?
Tracy: (laughs)
Eric: And it's never asked with optimism.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Josh: (laughs)
Eric: It's always, like...
Josh: Preparing yourself. [crosstalk]
Eric: Yeah. It's like, okay.
Josh: (laughing)
Eric: What type of game night is this?
Brittany: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Josh: Right. And who all gonna be there?
Brittany: Right, like, are we playing Boggle or are we playing Bid whist? Like, are we gonna have to fight? Is it friendly? Is it chill? Are kids coming?
Eric: [crosstalk] Yeah, do I need Newports?
Tracy: (laughs).
Brittany: Right, right.
Tracy: Am I gonna be that level of stressed out? What's happening?
Eric: (laughs) Yeah.
Brittany: (laughs)
Josh: Yeah, I think that's why I love game night. I remember during holidays-
Brittany: Yes.
Josh: My extended family, my grandparents, my cousins, like, everybody-
Tracy: Mm.
Josh: --would be around a table playing Monopoly, and I was never allowed to play because I was too young. And so, like-
Eric: Mm-hmm (affirmative). (laughing)
Josh: --now, I'm old enough to be at that table.
Tracy: You're like, "Let's get it."
Josh: And I'm spreading my elbows out, like, let's go. Like-
Eric: Yes. (laughing)
Josh: Like, I'm excited.
Eric: This is my piece. This is my piece.
Tracy: Right. (laughs)
Brittany: That's so real, though.
Josh: Some of the best shit talking I've ever witnessed in life happened at that table. They acted like they were playing with real money.
Eric: (laughs)
Tracy: See, a thing that I don't understand in this very lovely picture that you just painted is that Monopoly is the game that everybody got together to play. Me and my family just did not, like, acknowledge the existence, 'cause it takes so long, and honestly--
Brittany: It's a long game.
Tracy: --it's fun, as everybody else thinks it is.
Josh: I mean, given the state of late capitalism that we're in right now...
Tracy: (laughing)
Josh: I don't know if it's the first game I'd go to.
Josh: But this, we're talking about, like, the '90s, you know, Clintons were in office.
Brittany: (laughs)
Josh: The economy was in a different place.
Tracy: The housing market was a lot different.
Josh: Right. (laughs)
Eric: One could dream. [crosstalk]
Tracy: Dreams were possible.
Eric: You know, one could dream. (laughing)
Tracy: I remember dreams.
Tracy: Are there any games, any particular games that people are like, "No, I will not play this game with you in particular ever again, because of this particular time-"
Eric: Yeah.
Tracy: "...that some shit went down."
Josh: I feel like there's no one that has blacklisted me from a game, but I have friends that I have blacklisted from games.
Tracy: Oh, really?
Josh: Yeah. I have a friend, we were playing Uno.
Brittany: Oh, that'll get you. That'll... (laughs)
Josh: And I was whooping people's ass.
Eric: (laughing)
Josh: Like, it was on. And then, you know how, like, especially when you're playing Uno-
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Josh: Somebody hits you with a reverse and you're like, "Oh, really? It's like that? I got something for you later."
Tracy: (laughs)
Josh: I saved, like, three of those cards, like the draw twos or whatever.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative). (laughs)
Josh: And the opportunity presented itself, and I was like, "Skip. Reverse."
Tracy: Mm.
Josh: "Reverse. Reverse."
Tracy: Mm.
Brittany: Oh, no.
Josh: "Reverse. Draw four."
Eric: Ow.
Tracy: Mm.
Josh: Do you know what my friend said?
Tracy: What?
Josh: "You can't win Uno on a special card. It has to be a card that has a number on it."
Tracy: No. That's made up. [crosstalk]
Eric: That's not true.
Brittany: No, that’s a made up rule.
Josh: See? That's what I said.
Brittany: That's made up.
Eric: (laughs)
Josh: But he got everybody-[crosstalk 00:07:20]
Brittany: That's made up.
Josh: ...at the table to be like, "Oh, yeah. I heard that rule, I heard that rule." I was like, "What?"
Tracy: What? [crosstalk]
Eric: And that's not your friend.
Brittany: No.
Tracy: Right, they was in cahoots.
Eric: The number one rule of all game nights, I feel like, is you decide the rules-
Tracy: Yes.
Eric: ...at the beginning.
Tracy: Yeah, you have to.
Eric: And if you have not discussed it, it does not count.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Eric: It does not matter.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yeah, the first round of Uno is always figuring out, do you stack or nah?
Josh: Do you stack or nah? (laughs)
Tracy: You know, that's it. [crosstalk]
Josh: A memoir. (laughing)
Brittany: Yeah, yeah.
Tracy: Right.
Everyone: (laughing)
Eric: With most friends, I feel like I'm, we're, like, blacklisted from, like, some. I'm blacklisted, at least, from some type of game.
Brittany: I haven't even, never even played a game with you and I know that you are blacklisted (laughing) from some type of game.
Eric: My sister has told me repeatedly, like, "I will never..." She has told me, "I will never play Monopoly with you again."
Tracy: (laughs)
Eric: And then there's spades. But I feel like the folks who don't, like, I don't mind the people who don't wanna play spades with me anymore, 'cause that just means you were bad.
Tracy: Oh. (laughing)
Eric: You know? Like, that means I was, that means I was doing it right.
Josh: (laughs)
Brittany: I had a boyfriend who, like, loved playing Monopoly. And the first time that I played with him, and maybe one of his godmothers or something like that. And it was supposed to be, like, a friendly, like, I'm meeting this really nice older woman for the first time, and...
Tracy: (laughs)
Brittany: You know, I, it was supposed to be, like, I think, some sort of, like, vetting operation for me, and I won at Monopoly.
Josh: Ooh.
Tracy: Oh.
Brittany: I beat everyone. And after that, like, nothing was the same. (laughing) 'Cause he was, like, really upset. We broke up later, not directly because of that. There was also another incident where he taught me how to play chess and I won.
Eric: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Brittany: That same day.
Tracy: That same day?
Brittany: Um, that also hurt his feelings.
Tracy: Brutal.
Eric: Doing that is worse.
Josh: (laughing)
Eric: Monopoly is, a big part of it is luck. Chess is strategy.
Tracy: Mm.
Eric: You were smarter than him.
Tracy: Mm, you can't do that. [crosstalk]
Eric: You, I, like, you figured it out. (laughing)
Brittany: When I tell you, if somebody put a chess board in front of me right now, I would not remember how to play. God was with me that day.
Josh: (laughing)
Brittany: Because... (laughing). And then we broke up, like, hm, three years later, so do the math.
Tracy: Yeah.
Brittany: I think it was, like, a straight line from winning at Monopoly to the dissolution of our relationship.
Tracy: Wow.
Eric: As it usually is.
Brittany: Yeah.
Tracy: Monopoly out here breaking up happy black homes. (laughing)
Eric: I have a question. Are there any games that are not our game night games that you tried to introduce? Because I will say, I've been trying to... I don't know if y'all heard of, uh, Ticket to Ride.
Tracy: [gasp] What you know about Ticket to Ride?
Brittany: No, what is that?
Tracy: What do you know about Ticket to Ride?
Eric: Yo, Ticket to Ride is my shit.
Tracy: That game is so fun.
Eric: Okay.
Brittany: What is it?
Eric: It is random as hell, but basically, you have, like, there are a whole bunch of different versions. There's, like, America, there's, like, Europe.
Tracy: Yeah, different maps.
Brittany: Wait, is that the train thing?
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Eric: It's the train one.
Brittany: We played that before.
Tracy: Did you like it? [crosstalk]
Eric: And it's fun, right? It's a, it's a-
Brittany: It was fun, yeah.
Tracy: Yeah?
Brittany: It was fun.
Tracy: Yeah.
Brittany: You build a train track.
Tracy: (laughs)
Eric: It's a little bit of Monopoly-
Josh: Mm.
Eric: It's a little bit like spades, 'cause you gotta kinda, like, guess, kinda, where I'm gonna go.
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Eric: You gotta pick routes, and you kinda gotta, you know, cash a check that you don't know if you actually got the funds for.
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Eric: Um, and so, that is nice. And then there's strategy, too. So, it's just, like, all around, I feel like, it just does the thing. [crosstalk]
Tracy: Such a fulfilling game.
Eric: I just wanna say this here. Be open to Ticket to Ride.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Brittany: (laughs)
Eric: You know, I'm not saying, we don't have to do Risk.
Tracy: (laughing)
Josh: I will never, in my life.
Eric: Settlers of Catan.
Tracy: Hey, hey, hey, hey. It is so fun, y'all. If it was not a pandemic, I'd be like, "Come over now."
Josh: I'm like, "Am I in European history?" What is this? (laughing)
Tracy: No, well, see? That's the thing, okay? So, it saves you from, like, the discomfort of, like, "Oh, so am I, I'm a, um..." What's the word? Uh, "I'm a coloni-" Yes, I'm a colo- [crosstalk]
Brittany: Colonizer?
Tracy: I'm a co-, I'm a colonialist.
Eric: (laughing)
Tracy: Uh, yes, of, like, "Am I a colonizer who's just, like, invading, like this, land or whatever?" "And I'm just, like, getting all the resources." No, because Catan is a fake place. Ah, right?
Josh: Hm.
Tracy: That's how I-
Eric: Mm-hmm (affirmative). (laughing)
Tracy: ...talk myself through it anyway.
Everyone: [laugh]
Tracy: And there's also a lot of games that, I, at this point in my life just won't play. So, I need to, like-
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Tracy: ...move some other ones in.
Brittany: Wait. What won't you play aside from Monopoly?
Tracy: Uh, Jenga. Jenga's bad for my nerves.
Josh: Why?
Eric: What?
Brittany: What?
Tracy: It's bad for my nerves.
Brittany: Tracy, why?
Josh: What about the big one?
Brittany: Is it the noise?
Tracy: No.
Brittany: Oh, big Jenga is- [crosstalk]
Eric: Big Jenga is fun.
Josh: Big Jenga just sounds more stressful.
Brittany: Yeah.
Eric: (laughs)
Tracy: [crosstalk] Like, my hand is shaky and stuff, and, like, I don't like sudden movements and loud noises and shit.
Josh: I love Jenga because it fits into the two categories that I love about games for Game Night.
Tracy: What's that?
Josh: It needs to be either one of these two things. It needs to be something that's super competitive.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Brittany: Mm.
Josh: Or something that is super intuitive that I can like dip in and out of while I'm eating and getting drinks.
Tracy: Right, right.
Brittany: Yes, exactly.
Josh: And Jenga is both of those things. It is the intersection-
Teddy: It really is.
Brittany: Yes.
Josh: ... of those things.
Tracy: I get it. I get it.
Brittany: You don't need to teach anybody how to play Jenga, and you can't forget how to play Jenga.
Tracy: Yeah, I've seen videos of cats playing Jenga, and yet, I don't ...
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: It's just not my preferred flavor of game.
Eric: For what it's worth, I have essential tremor. Literally my hands shake uncontrollably.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Eric: And I, I should be terrible at this game.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Eric: Uh, but I also still love it. You know what I'm saying? Like, it adds to the suspense. I don't know what's going to happen.
Tracy: Yeah, see-
Eric: So it's like, you know, I'm just saying, l- let go.
Tracy: I get enough of that in my real life. I don't like not knowing what's going to happen. Me and my therapist are working on that, and I just can't see myself being like, "Oh, here. Let's create a microcosm of all my problems."
Brittany: Same (laughs).
[Music plays under dialogue]
Josh: Well, Tracy.
Tracy: Uh-huh (affirmative).
Josh: I know that you hate Jenga.
Tracy: Yes.
Josh: I heard that you bring your own game for us to play for our game night.
Tracy: I did.
Teddy: What is that?
Tracy: Okay, so here's the backstory. Not only do I love playing games, but I like to ... I [inaudible] want to quit all media and just like move to a cave with wifi and just create games for people to play.
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: Like it's my favorite thing in the world, right? So me and, um, me and my person ... I have been told that I have to shout him out here as co-creator of the game, otherwise he might sue me and I can't tell how serious he is. So I just want to-
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: Just want to get that out there. Me and my friend, Albert Samaha created this game. And when I say created, I mean, you know, like I found a white person's game and I just made it a little better, basically.
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: Right?
Eric: A little? Give yourself credit.
Tracy: You know what?
Eric: A little better?
Tracy: You right, you right.
Brittany: Give yourself credit because a lot of times, they take our stuff and just make it worse.
Tracy: Listen, make it worse and make a shit ton of money off of it.
Brittany: Okay.
Tracy: So.
Eric: Too soon.
Tracy: Right. (laughs)
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: My bad, y'all. My bad, my bad.
Eric: It's all good. I'm just playing. We good, we good, we good, we good. You cash check, you cash check. It's all good.
Tracy: Okay, okay, okay. So the game is called A'ight Bet. The object of the game is to be able to list a certain number of items in a category in order to win that particular hand or interaction.
Josh: Okay.
Tracy: Right? So for example: let's say that I pick a card and that card says, "Types of apples." Right? Since I'm the person who picked the card, I look at the category and then I have to decide on a wager, on a bet, like how many of these can I name or alternately how many of these do I think that Brittany can name. I don't know if she looks like she knows ab- a whole lot about apples. You know?
Brittany: I do a little.
Tracy: Okay, well, all right then.
Brittany: (laughs)
Josh: (laughs)
Brittany: I'm from Michigan, Tracy. [crosstalk]
Tracy: That's true, and that's fair. So I decide in my head that I can name three types of apples. Without telling Brittany what the category is, I say, "Oh, I can name three of these things." Brittany has to figure out c- do I secretly know more of these things. Am I trying to ... Is she trying to like trick me, trap me up, like what's going on? So you go back and forth. Like maybe Brittany's like, "Well, I can name four."
Tracy: And I'm like, "Mm, I can name five." And some point, somebody says, "A'ight, bet." And then the other person has to list that number of apples. Did that make sense?
Josh: It did.
Eric: That did, it did make sense.
Tracy: All right, yay.
Josh: (laughs)
Eric: You seemed worried. That was the only ...
Tracy: I was. I was like, "I don't know how to explain this game so it makes sense."
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: Okay, so maybe we should do ... Brittany and Eric, you'll be on a team. Me and Josh will be on a team. Let's do it, Taurus.
Eric: All right. Battle of the bulls.
[Spinning dial sound]
Tracy: (laughs) Oh, oh, okay. All right. Okay. I can name four of these, Eric.
Eric: It's tough because in this moment, I'm feeling a bit insecure. But I also love a competition. So I'm g-, I'm going to go five. Let's just go five.
Tracy: Okay.
Eric: Let's just do it.
Tracy: Um-
Eric: You know, I believe in myself.
Tracy: That's ... I think that's adorable.
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: Um ...
Eric: Those are usually my last words. (laughs) Before something bad happens. "I believe in myself."
Brittany: (laughs) Nooo.
Tracy: (laughs) Okay, I can name six.
Eric: I'm a-, I'm a-, I'm a say, "A'ight, bet." I'm a say, "A'ight bet."
Tracy: Okay, all right. Um, so the category is R&B ad libs.
Josh: Oh.
Eric: Aw, man.
Brittany: Is it a specific ad lib from a specific song by a specific artist, or is it just different onomatop-, like different noises?
Eric: Is it like, "Ooh, yeah," and that's Jodeci?
Josh: I think they have to be recognizable ad libs.
Tracy: Yeah, recognizable ad libs.
Eric: Okay, recognizable ad libs.
Josh: Ones that you can attribute to people.
Eric: Ah, damn. Yo, I would have had you.
Tracy: Would have, should have, could have, would have, should have.
Eric: Wait, since I said, "Ooh, yeah. Jodeci," can that be off limit?
Brittany: Mm, mm, it's interesting how you asking about rules after we started playing the game.
Tracy: Ain't it, though? Ain't it? [crosstalk]
Eric: First of all, you supposed to be on my team.
Tracy: (laughs)
Eric: We're on the same team.
Brittany: (laughs)
Eric: What are you doing?
Tracy: Um, all right. Minute on the clock. I've forgotten every ad lib in the world. Let's go. (singing) That's my boo Carl Thomas. Uh, the woo yeah is no longer in play. Um, (singing). That's Boyz 2 Men, and other groups, of course. Um, this next one, one of my favorites. (singing)
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Tracy: Sisqo, of course.
Brittany: Good one.
Tracy: What is that, seven yet?
Brittany: Seven?
Eric: Yeah, that was-
Tracy: Three?
Brittany: Three, I think it's three.
Tracy: Okay, no problem. I mean, I ain't worried or nothing like yet. Um, motherfucking, um-
Eric: As soon as you get to "motherfucking um," you are worried.
Tracy: (laughs)
Eric: You are worried. (laughs)
Brittany: You should have played that off as a-
Eric: As an ad lib.
Tracy: Oh yeah. Well, that was too late. Mary J. Blige be like, um, do the dance. Does that count as an ad lib?
Josh: (laughs)
Brittany: (laughs)
Eric: Does not count.
Tracy: Y- I don't know. I'm sure there's a time limit. That's why I don't like this game, even though I made it. I'm not done.
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: How much time do we have?
Josh: Aww.
Brittany: Aww.
Tracy: Aww, shit. Um, I'm not a fan of that particular. I just want to say.
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: Just want to say that. Okay, Eric, that was ... Great job, great job. I'm happy. It doesn't sound like it-
Eric: Thank you, thank you.
Tracy: For sure, sure.
Eric: I would have probably leaned towards ... I probably would try to sneak some like rap ad libs in there. You got it good. There's the Jadakiss, where he's like, "Aha."
Josh: (laughs)
Eric: You know how he does that thing? He's like, "Aha." I'm just like.
Tracy: Okay. [crosstalk] A rap ad lib would be a good category too.
Brittany: Okay, so we w ... We we won a round is what it means?
Tracy: Yeah.
Brittany: We won a round.
Tracy: And everybody's so happy you won a round.
Josh: Is it my turn now?
Brittany: Yeah.
Eric: You go against Brittany.
Tracy: Versus Brittany.
Josh: Okay.
Brittany: Okay.
Tracy: You got this, Josh. You got this. Head in the game. Focus. Don't let them intimidate you.
[Spinning dial sound]
Josh: Okay. I can name five.
Brittany: Oh, Lord. I'm worried. But I'm going to say that I can name six. Uh, I just want to see what happens. I'm, uh, this is ... I'm n-, I'm n-, I'm nervous, but ...
Josh: I can name seven.
Tracy: Ooh.
Brittany: All right, bet.
Josh: Okay.
Brittany: I wasn't going to escalate it to eight. I don't know eight of anything.
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: This is thrilling to watch. Oh my god.
Josh: So the category is songs that are also dances.
Tracy: Oh.
Eric: Mm.
Brittany: I don't know any of those.
Tracy: Yes, you do.
Josh: Okay. Minute on the clock?
Eric: Yeah.
Josh: Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It. Walk It Out.
Eric: (laughs)
Josh: Um, uh, Chicken Noodle Soup. Um, The Wobble. The Electric Slide. Uh, Cotton Eye Joe.
Eric: That does not c-
Brittany: Yeah, Cotton Eye Joe is a line dance. All right-
Josh: Yeah, it's a line dance, right?
Brittany: -white people's functions.
Tracy: I think it counts-es.
Josh: Um, the Bankhead Bounce. The, um, Macarena.
Tracy: Hey!
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: Well played, well played.
Brittany: You did it.
Eric: My frustration is like, I'm like, "I don't know if that's a dance." Brittany's like, "Yeah, absolutely. That counts."
Josh: (laughs) [crosstalk]
Eric: This like, what I'm ... [crosstalk]
Brittany: It is.
Eric: Yes.
Brittany: I'm sorry that you didn't have the pleasure of attending many a Girl Scout function in elementary school when-
Tracy: (laughs)
Josh: (laughs)
Brittany: -the Cotton Eye Joe was performed.
Josh: (laughs) The reason it came to my mind was traumas.
Tracy: (laughs)
Brittany: Exactly, exactly.
Eric: (laughs)
Brittany: I think that it's also something ... Not to be the real racist. But I do think it's something that white people dance to at their weddings.
Tracy: Wow. Really?
Brittany: They do.
Josh: Yeah. I think it comes on either right before or right after Sweet Caroline.
Brittany: (laughs) [crosstalk] You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right.
Tracy: Okay.
Josh: Woo, got a point. Got a point.
Tracy: Who's next? Who g- ... Who should go next?
Eric: I think I'm next.
Tracy: Versus me?
[Spinning dial sound]
Eric: I'll give it a go.
Tracy: All right.
Eric: Just because I feel like it might be more difficult for you, Tracy.
Tracy: Wow, okay.
Josh: ( laughs)
Eric: (laughs)
Brittany: What a heel. What a heel you are.
Eric: It's a specific energy. But hey, it's useful. It's useful in Game Night.
Brittany: (laughs)
Eric: Uh, okay. I am going to start out with three.
Tracy: And you don't think that I can name any? I can name four. [inaudible]
Eric: I'll go five.
Tracy: A'ight, bet. Because actually, I'm scared.
Eric: (laughs)
Tracy: You made me real nervous.
Eric: Okay. This is going to be hard. I think I know it. Okay, so the category is characters that Martin Lawrence played on Martin. And I know-
Tracy: Damn.
Eric: -that seems very easy. But like again, after like a couple, do you know the exact name? Or do you remember the episodes?
Josh: Tracy knows everything. (laughs)
Tracy: I do.
Josh: I'm so pissed that you didn't go.
Tracy: Damn it.
Eric: (laughs)
Tracy: Let you get in my head, and see what happens. Ugh.
Eric: All right. So I only got to do five, right?
Tracy: Uh, I think like eight.
Eric: Nah.
Josh: (laughs)
Brittany: Tracy, Tracy.
Tracy: Just five, just five.
Brittany: Yeah, five.
Eric: All right. All right. I'm going to go Jerome. I'm going to go Sheneneh. That's two. The little boy is ... The little boy with the snot. He was Little Marvin.
Tracy: Uh, it was not. But I know what you're talking about, so we'll give it to you.
Eric: Okay, okay. Cool. If that's the case-
Tracy: Oh, shit.
Eric: ... then, uh-
Josh: Eh.
Eric: The little ... (laughs) Uh, the other person who I would say, I got the little snot boy.
Tracy: Roscoe, by the way.
Eric: The k- kung fu, kung fu ... His name is like ... Ah, ah, shit. Wait. I see the episode. Anyway, I can describe to you his outfit. He has like the ... It's got the tiger on it. It's got the embroidered thing. But it's, it's ... I think it's like, Kung Fu something. Th- they ... Kung Fu is in his name.
Tracy: Dragonfly Jones.
Eric: Dragonfly Jones. It's something ... I knew it was something like that. All right, Dragonfly Jones. I need one more?
Tracy: Yes.
Eric: Oh, shit.
Brittany: Yeah, you do.
Eric: Damn. Uh, okay. This is like ... Shit, how much, how much time?
[Buzzer]
Tracy: Oh. [crosstalk]
Eric: That was time?
Brittany: Time.
Eric: Dang.
Tracy: All right, all right.
Eric: All right. That's fine, that's fine.
Tracy: Yeah.
Eric: It's cool.
Tracy: Um, another one was the white coworker that Martin portrayed.
Eric: Yeah.
Tracy: His momma, his momma biscuit.
Josh: His momma.
Eric: Yes.
Josh: Not my momma biscuits.
Eric: Oh.
Tracy: Biscuit.
Josh: Wah.
Tracy: You [inaudible] Gina.
Brittany: (laughs)
Tracy: Good category. All right, all right.
Eric: Aw, man. I struggled. My bad. Sorry, MTV 2. I- I gave you all my time.
Brittany: Oh, let me see. Okay. I am playing against you, Josh?
Josh: Yes.
[Spinning dial sound]
Brittany: Mm. The minimum you start with got to be three, right?
Josh: (laughs)
Brittany: I could name three.
Josh: I could name four.
Tracy: Oh, shit. Does he love bullshit?
Brittany: I could name five.
Josh: A'ight, bet.
Brittany: Okay.
Josh: What is it?
Brittany: The category is common superstitions.
Josh: Oh.
Eric: Oh, man. Brittany, I feel like you got five of them from just being around me alone. Things I've annoyed you about, specifically.
Brittany: That is true. Okay, all right. Okay, number one, have to give it to Eric. Never split [crosstalk]
Eric: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Brittany: Um, number two, don't gift anyone you love shoes because they'll walk out of your life.
Eric: Mm-hmm (affirmative), yeah.
Tracy: Country as shit. I love it.
Josh: (laughs)
Brittany: And number three, don't leave your purse on the floor. You won't have any money.
Eric: Mm-hmm (affirmative), yeah.
Brittany: Dang, I'm trying to think. Um, wow, I think I'm like, I'm like-
Tracy: Uh- oh.
Brittany: ... am I out?
Tracy: Uh-oh, uh-oh. Is she out?
Eric: You not out.
Brittany: Oh, man.
Tracy: Sh- she might be. I don't know.
Josh: You could do this.
Brittany: Well, okay. Well, something that you're... Okay. This, I don't know if this is necessarily superstition, but you are not supposed to throw away your hair after you cut it. You should burn it.
Josh: That is a superstition.
Eric: What the hell?
Josh: That counts.
Brittany: Yes.
Josh: That is a superstition.
Brittany: Um, and then they-
Teddy: I never heard of that one.
Eric: Me neither. They making up superstitions [inaudible].
Brittany: And then a-
Eric: (laughing)
Brittany: And then, a fifth one is... Oh, you should never clean. You should always do all your cleaning before New Year's Day, because how you spend your day on January 1st-
Josh: Mm.
Teddy: Mm.
Brittany: ...is how you spend the year. So, you do not clean on January 1st; you clean on December 31st.
Josh: Is that a superstition or is that an intention?
Brittany: That is a superstition.
Josh: It's a superstition 'cause if, if you don't -
Brittany: It's a superstition
Josh: ... do it, you're gonna be stressed.
Eric: Ah.
Josh: Like (laughs)
Eric: Oh.
Brittany: Okay.
Eric: (laughs)
Josh: Intentions you usually-
Brittany: Yes
Josh: ... if you don't do it, you just keep it moving. Y'all, I'll do it tomorrow.
Eric: (laughs)
Brittany: (laughs) You like, "All right lemme just erase this."
Josh: Yeah, like...
Brittany: Let me, let me rip up my manifestation page
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: That was impressive. That was an impressive showing. Okay.
Eric: Okay, okay. What's the score? What's the score?
Brittany: I think it's two and two.
Josh: Yeah.
Eric: I feel like my mom's big one was don't sweep my feet. You sweep my feet, it's, I think sweep- sweeping your feet means you're goin' get in a, you goin' end up in a relationship.
Brittany: Where you from?
Eric: I'm from (laughs), I'm from Memphis. My mom is from Louisiana.
Tracy: Ah, okay.
Josh: Don't sweep my feet?
Josh: Dreams about fish.
Eric: Dreams about fish, that's another one.
Brittany: Mm.
Brittany: Or if your foot itch, you'll die.
Tracy: What?
Eric: (laughs). I heard of foot itch. That's deep, that's good to know.
Tracy: If your foot itches, you're gonna die?
Eric: I, there's no in between? (laughs)
Brittany: It's your toe. I think it's your toe.
Tracy: Ah.
Eric: Which one? You got 10. (laughs)
Tracy: Wait! Should I be worried or not?
Eric: (laughs) Ah, shit.
Brittany: Your big, big... I think the big one. You know what's wi... As soon as I said it to y'all, my foot start itches.
Tracy: See?
Josh: (laughs)
Brittany: (laughs)
Eric: Tie-breaker. We gotta do the tiebreaker.
Tracy: Oh shit, I'm the tie breaker? It's all right. It's fine. I'm not scared. I just like to pretend to be scared to throw y'all off your game.
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: Mr. Eric Eddings, are you ready?
Eric: I am ready. Let's do it.
[Spinning dial sound]
Tracy: I can name six.
Eric: Mm, damn. Okay.
Tracy: Yeah.
Eric: You startin' high.
Tracy: Startin' high.
Eric: I can name seven.
Tracy: I can name eight.
Eric: I can name nine.
Tracy: A’ight, bet.
Eric: (laughs)
Josh: Oh. (laughs)
Tracy: So, a very, a very...
Eric: I feel like I got (laughs)
Tracy: Like you got okey dokeyed up a bit, yeah.
Eric: Yeah.
Tracy: That's what I got. We'll see. We'll see.
Tracy: The category is games that you play at Black game night.
Eric: Oh. Okay. I could do this.
Tracy: We'll see.
Eric: Monopoly. Uh, Uno. Jenga. Um, Mancala. Happens.
Tracy: What?
Eric: Just gotta say.
Eric: Uh, Spades, Bid Whist. Uh, how many is that?
Tracy: Six.
Eric: One, two, three, four, five, six. Um, now it gets interesting. Um, Dominoes.
Brittany: You only need two more.
Eric: All right, uh, Gin Rummy. Um, I need one more?
Brittany: Just one.
Eric: Shit. Okay, um, Heads Up.
Brittany: Um. All right. That's cute.
Eric: (laughs) Oh man. Tracy, welcome to the last 30 minutes of Monopoly
Tracy: Oh.
Eric: 'Cause, um, (laughs)
Josh: (laughs) Oh man.
Tracy: Um, I don't like it. I don't like it here.
Eric: Na, it's all good. I'm not, I'm actually not going to talk too much shit 'cause everyone can hear so I want, I want to come to, in theory, other people's frame of minds.
Tracy: Mm.
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: Okay, I see. I see. [inaudible]
Eric: So, I can't like, show my whole ass.
Brittany: You have an image to protect.
Eric: Right now (laughs)
Brittany: Good job. You get a trophy. Be safe getting home. You know.
Eric: (laughs)
Tracy: Um, congratulations to Brittany and Eric for winning at the game.
Eric: Wooo
Josh: Wooo.
Eric: Thank you so much.
Brittany: Thank you so much.
Eric: It feels better that it was in your own house.
Tracy: Yeah. Same. I'm really enjoying that part. I ain't lying.
Josh: (laughs)
Brittany: Thank you so much for having us.
Tracy: This was a very nice night.
Brittany: This was so, this was so-
Eric: This, this was awesome.
Brittany: I'm definitely going to play this game. My family will eat this up. Like, every Thanksgiving. Every Christmas. Everything, always ends with a game-
Tracy: Love it.
Brittany: ... of some sort. And this is, this is-
Tracy: Ah, that makes me so happy!
Eric: It's nice you don't need anything.
Tracy: Yeah, you just write down some categories.
Brittany: Yeah, you don't need anything.
Tracy: Then fight.
Josh: Yeah, so much fun.
Tracy: Yeah. Oh, can we, can we do a real-life game night if the world becomes safe again?
Eric: Yes!
Brittany: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Eric: I would be down for that. I'll bring Ticket to Ride.
Josh: No, you won't.
Brittany: (laughs)
Josh: (laughs) So you guys just relaunched. What can people expect from your new season?
Eric: Everything. Everything. How 'bout we just say that?
Josh: Okay (laughs)
Brittany: No. Uh-
Eric: (laughs)
Brittany: It's gonna be fun. It's gonna be me and Eric having fun together. We're gonna have guests sometimes. Sometimes it's just gonna be the two of us. But, uh, it's gonna be like all of, I think, like the polish and, like, the refinement that we have been working on through The Nod and so many of our other endeavors over the past, like seven years. Really in the past three years since we ended For Colored Nerds but then that, still that same core of just me and Eric talking. It's gonna be, like, I think, a little bit more direct-
Eric: (laughs)
Brittany: -us, flavors in your ear than maybe what people have experienced in the past few years but it's gonna be a lot of fun. I'm just so excited to, to get back into the studio, even if the studio is at home.
Eric: We just want to say also, just thank you. Like, for y'all to have us here. Just the, the... honestly, the outpouring of support from folks who had listened to the show. Folks who had listened to The Nod. We just really appreciate it. It means so much, I think, just for Brittany and I to just get back in the studio and feel like, you know, talking to each other on mic in a podcast is super fun again and we cannot wait to y'all hear what we have planned. It's gonna be dope.
Josh: I can't wait to hear it. I can't
Tracy: Me either!
Josh: I've missed y'all's voices so much
Tracy: Yes.
Josh: I listened to you guys every week.
Brittany: Thank you.
Eric: Thank you seriously.
Brittany: You can find For Colored Nerds wherever, uh, you get your podcasts but also because Stitcher is in partnership with Sirius XM, all Sirius XM subscribers will be able to to hear, uh, For Colored Nerds as well!
Eric: Yes.
Josh: Ooh!
Tracy: I'm so glad that you all that, a break. Um, I'm really, really glad that you guys are back.
Josh: I'm so happy y'all are back.
Tracy: Yes. Especially as a, as a podcaster whose been doing this for a while. You know, we understand the work and the energy it takes behind the scenes. And I'm just so glad y'all are just like, here and standing still.
Brittany: I appreciate it. Child[crosstalk 00:34:56]
Eric: We're going to make it.
Josh: (laughs)
Eric: Like, it's a long road but we getting there.
Eric: (laughs)
Josh: Trace, even though we lost,
Tracy: Uh.
Josh: I love your game. It's so much fun.,
Tracy: Yeah. Me too. Thank you, thank you.
Josh: Aight, bet. Patent it, sell it. It's already a hit.
Tracy: This makes my heart feel so good 'cause I was like, "What if everybody's gonna hate the game?" But it's so funny because I know it's good, right?
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Tracy: But I have no idea how a game becomes popularized and marketed. Like, how do I take this game that me and my friend play from my brain and turn it into something that people can play and enjoy at their own game night? And also, make me rich in the process?
Josh: I think I know someone we can talk to so that we can get this to market before someone tries to steal your idea.
Tracy: You know Milton Bradley?
Josh: (laughs).
Tracy: (laughs)
Josh: No, I know someone else and I'll tell you who they are after the break.
[AD BREAK]
Josh: So Back Issue and we're back, back, back.
Tracy: Oh, we got new sound effects. Do we have a budget for that?
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: I don't know. (laughs)
Josh: So, we're about to sit down with Teddy Phillips. He's a Seattle-based artist, engineer, and game maker. And he created a game called For the Culture. It's Black culture game, for us and by us, so we wanted to chat with him about what makes a great game, the world of game design for Black creators and how Tracy can get that Aight, Bet game off the ground.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)- And the first thing that we asked him was how he got his start creating games.
Teddy: Moved from Alabama to Houston, I didn't really know too many people so I was able to connect with people, build camaraderie by being competitive, and it really just brought people together. Yeah, it was a Black game-
Tracy: Mm.
Teddy: They threw a party at the house and they were like, "Okay everyone come through. We got a few games. We got a few drinks. Listen to this."
Tracy: It's just the description of my perfect night. I secretly want to quit, like all of my jobs. I want to leave media and I just want to make games and play games and have fun for the rest of my life so I'm so interested in this path and how you ended up a game maker. Like, did it surprise you when you looked up and you were like, "Hey, I'm officially making games"?
Teddy: The journey and the path came, I was creating like iPad and iPhone apps in college. Um, just, just going to school and things like that.
Josh: Just casually making apps in college (laughs)
Tracy: (laughs) You know, you know how do that-
Teddy: Yeah. (laughs)
Tracy: ... when you're in school and stressed out, you just...
Teddy: (laughs) Yeah, it was torture. They put us through like a 20, 20 hour week program. It's like, well damn, they're working full-time. And I got out; I wasn't creating apps at all. I was just, like doing, like a regular IT tech job. And then I moved to Houston and game night was super, super huge there.
Tracy: Mm.
Teddy: And, we were just playing, like, the same old games. Like Taboo and, and Charades, and things like that. And I was like, "You know what? We should create a Black game. There should be a Black version of this." I was like "You know what? I don't have time to sit down and just deal with all this paper stuff. Let me try to figure out how to use my apps skills to create a app." So, I said I was going to do it for, like, two years and I just never did it. And then, uh, I think I broke up with my girlfriend and I was like, "You know what? I need to do something that was super, super successful."
Tracy: (laughs)
Josh: (laughs)
Teddy: You know?
Tracy: So we should thank your ex for all your success is what I just heard.
Josh: (laughs)
Teddy: Shout out to her, man.
Tracy: (laughs)
Josh: When did the idea of For the Culture, when did you have that?
Teddy: I took the Ellen's game home which is Heads Up and I started playing it with my family. And we would only play the hip hop category 'cause that's all, all my family knew.
Josh: Mm
Teddy: And I was sitting there like, "We are exhausting one category." So instead of like sending an email to Ellen and team saying-
Josh: “Hey, add Black stuff.”
Teddy: Yeah, right? Exactly. So, so instead of just emailing her, I was like, "Look, you have some development skills. I mean, if you create something, you can play with your friends or, at least you have something to play. So, I started the journey of building it.
Tracy: Mm.
Teddy: I sent it off to Apple and I didn't hear back from Apple for like two weeks. So I'm like, "Man, is this for me? Is this gonna happen?" And then, I got the note that it went live while I was at Apple Lounge in DC visiting my dad. We just had an impromptu game night in there. I was like, "Look, my app just got released." I got on the mic. I was talking. (laughs). I was just like whatever. Said download For the Culture and, uh, we just had a game night in there. It was a magical moment. You know, from then it just started spreading.
Tracy: I assume that every industry for Black people is, like, really hard and really rough.
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: Because blackness, because racism. What is it like for game developers?
Josh: Mm.
Teddy: The game industry is like wide open if you want to create something for your culture and for your people. And that's what I try to empower, uh, everyone to do. Don't ever get discouraged. There's so many times that I wanted to quit while I was creating For the Culture but what got me through was just the purpose and the mission.
Josh: What do you want people to feel when they play For the Culture?
Teddy: I want them to feel connected to blackness, you know? And connected to, like, something that they actually grew up experiencing and their current experiences now. So, I know going to trivia, I was used to have to answer like Doogie Howser-
Tracy: (laughs)
Teddy: -and like all this other stuff.
Tracy: So man-
Teddy: And I was like-
Tracy: So much Friends trivia. Which I don't know.
Teddy: Totally, yeah (laughs). So I was like, man, we have like Kenan & Kel. We have All That. We have all these icons that, that were coming up that, you know, just aren't, aren't being talked about anymore, and this might spark somebody's interest to reignite. Oh dang man, let me, you know, watch Cousin Skeeter or something like that.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Teddy: And going to schools and, uh, talking to kids, like, you can be a game, maybe you don't have to be an athlete, you don't have to be-
Tracy: Right.
Teddy: ... um, you know, all these other things like a rapper. You can make games if you love games, and I know gaming is, is becoming a lot popular, especially on platforms like Xbox and, and PlayStation. So just encouraging kids that they can actually go do it. So I mean, biggest thing is like encouragement, empowerment, enlightenment.
Josh: Having grown up playing so many games, what do you think it is about games that bring people together?
Teddy: I think it's competitive nature, and I think it's like, you know, just escaping from like where you were. Right now, it's like being able to connect with people from all over the globe. I know my friend, you know, he made lifelong friends with a buddy that he was playing like Madden with. Like they would just play Madden together and things like that, so I think it's connecting a lot of people through competition, honestly.
Josh: I know that you said that after For the Culture you released two other games. What were they and how did the process of making those ones differ from the initial one?
Teddy: Yeah, so For La Cultura was the second game I released. The Latinx version of, uh, For the Culture, so I was taking For the Culture around, especially in Houston, and I was playing it with my Spanish partners, and they s- said, "Man, what you making for us?" I was like, "Okay, cool. You know what? I want y'all to lead it. I mean I have the technology, but y'all tell me what to put in the game and then we can put it out."
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Teddy: It took some time, trying to figure out the game design, trying to make it fit the diaspora of the Latinx community was so super, uh, difficult. So you, I mean, you have-
Tracy: Right.
Teddy: ... Colombian culture, you have Venezuelan culture, you have Mexican, you have Puerto Rican culture. So trying to make sure you find that right line where you can speak to pretty much everyone on this one. Uh-
Josh: What steps do you take in order to, to kind of make a game that's based in experience but isn't based in yours?
Tracy: Mmm
Teddy: A lot of listening, um, and a lot of iterations. So it's, it's putting out the, the content list and allowing people to poke holes at it as much as they want, right?
Josh: What's your favorite memory of game night? Like your favorite game night that you ever had?
Tracy: Or like a game night injustice that you'll never get over?
Teddy: We were playing my game, and this dude, we, we had to win this last round, and he wanted his girlfriend to win so bad, and he said he and this his favorite rapper, he said he didn't know who Young Jeezy was.
Tracy: Oh.
Teddy: And I'm sitting there like, "Bro, bro, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh." I said, "Uh, Snowman, Trap or Die."
Tracy: (laughs)
Teddy: "Um, 101 and 103."
Josh: (laughs)
Teddy: "Um, A, all this." And he was like, "Uh, uh, uh," and then, "Er." Oh my God.
Tracy: Wow.
Josh: (laughs)
Teddy: Come on man.
Tracy: Did y'all put him out after that? He had to go?
Teddy: Man, yeah, I was like, "Man," (laughs). Yeah, yeah, nah, he had to take a shot. He had to take all our shots.
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Tracy: Oh, gosh. Is he still with us to this day?
Teddy: That's pretty much it.
Josh: (laughs)
Teddy: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Tracy: Amen, amen.
Teddy: Yeah, yeah, yeah, he recovered.
Josh: My biggest pet peeve is when I feel like people are changing the rules in the middle of it, like-
Teddy: That’s another one. We had a, we had a few users hit us up about, uh, like some of the rules. They were like, "Um, yeah we were playing the game and the answer was CeeLo and the person said a person put up the C sign, and is that cheating, or is that perfectly legal?"
Josh: (laughs)
Teddy: I was like… (laughs), I was like, "That's like, that's a good, uh..." If they didn't say it then...
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative)-
Teddy: It's, it's perfectly legal.
Tracy: (laughs)
Josh: (laughs)
Teddy: So.
Josh: Over here playing umpire.
Tracy: Right.
Teddy: Exactly (laughs). Nah, Black people amaze me.
Tracy: Absolutely, absolutely.
Josh: Where can people find your work?
Teddy: So they can find, uh, For the Culture which... I'm horrible at social media but...
Tracy: (laughs)
Teddy: They can find it @For the Culture app on IG. And then for my artwork @stattheartist, um, on IG as well.
Tracy: All right.
Josh: Thank you for sitting with us.
Tracy: Yes, this was so amazing. I am gonna go and start making games like right now.
[Learn something from this bounce remix]
Josh: So Trace...
Tracy: Hmm?
Josh: As our queen, goddess, patron saint, Tyra Banks who treated every season of America's Next Top Model as her own personal game (laughs).
Tracy: (laughs)
Josh: Just paper dolls everywhere.
Tracy: But didn't she though? (laughs)
Josh: (laughs) Did we?
[CLIP of Tyra]
Josh: I learned that I miss game night.
Tracy: Mmm. Absolutely.
Josh: I miss all of the connections that we make. I miss shit talking-
Tracy: Yeah.
Josh: ... when it's appropriate. I miss all of my family being in one place and just shooting the shit.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Josh: Drinking, playing games. Those are the memories that you hold really dear, you know?
Tracy: Right. Yeah, especially now that you can't just easily do those things, right? Like if you want a pop up game night to happen, you can't just send out a text, and be like-
Josh: Right.
Tracy: "Hey, everybody come over on this day." You gotta be like, "Now who's vaccinated, who-
Josh: Right.
Tracy: ... trips about the masks?
Josh: Right.
Tracy: Do I have enough room? How many people can I get in?" I miss game night too.
Josh: Maybe that means that now game nights will be like even more important.
Tracy: Ooh.
Josh: The moment when we actually get to have them, and we feel safe at them, and we feel that connection.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Josh: Will feel even more crucial, even more important because of how unavailable they [crosstalk].
Tracy: Right, so we'll appreciate them more because we don't have them is what you're saying.
Josh: Yeah.
Tracy: I do think you're right. I think that this is something that is just so crucial to like our happiness. Not just how fun it is but like what it means to be able to gather this way.
Josh: I wanna use this as an example to myself to carve out more fun-
Tracy: Yeah.
Josh: -in my life. You get so used to, you grow up and then we have all these responsibilities, and then you're just thinking of the like utility of fun (laughs).
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative), exactly.
Josh: As opposed to just having fun.
Tracy: Right, and we look back at fun, as like a thing that you get to do when you're a child.
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Tracy: And then you grow up and you have responsibilities and then it only exists as a memory but it does not have to.
Josh: It doesn't have to.
Tracy: You make time for the things that are important to you and we need to make fun more important. You have permission everybody. You have permission to have fun.
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative)
Tracy: For the sake of having fun.
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Tracy: If permission is what you needed.
Josh: I needed it.
Tracy: Do that shit.
Josh: What did you learn?
Tracy: I learned obviously like the process of a game, going from idea to thing that people can also obtain.
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Tracy: And enjoy and also send me money for it.
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: It's not... you know. But in addition to that, I learned why it matters to make space for games that are specifically black.
Josh: Yeah.
Tracy: You know, and games that use our references and they center us and treat us as the norm.
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Tracy: And also what it's like to be a black game maker in the game-making industry.
Josh: In the game-making game?
Tracy: You know, in the biz (laughs).
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: Um, it sounds like, like everything else, it's tough and tenuous but worth it.
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Well, so when can we expect Aight Bet in, in Target?
Tracy: Um...
Josh: Or in Walmart and...?
Tracy: In barbershops and beauty supply stores? (laughs) Um...
Josh: Yeah (laughs). Hey, you got the Aight Bet.
Tracy: (laughs) Y'all gotta, uh, buy one get one free.
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: You know what? I'm actually going to try to make this happen.
Josh: You should, friend.
Tracy: Because number one, it's already in the world, so if I don't do it, who will? And I gotta move before somebody else comes and swoops me.
Josh: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Tracy: And then I'm sitting over here looking like Boo Boo the Fool, somebody install my game, so stay tuned everyone. Maybe you'll get to see it happen.
Josh: And maybe you'll get to see me be a cover model on the box.
Tracy: Oh, okay (laughs).
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: You know what, anything's possible (laughs).
Josh: (laughs)
[Credit music starts playing]
Tracy: Back Issue is a production of Pineapple Street Studios.
Josh: This show was created and is hosted by Tracy Clayton.
Tracy: That's me. That's me. And it's also created and hosted by Josh Gwynn.
Josh: That's me. That's me.
Tracy: Our senior producer is also Josh Gwynn and I mean.
Josh: (laughs)
Tracy: What an overachiever. And our lead producer is Emmanuel Hapsis.
Josh: Our managing producer is John Asante.
Tracy: Our senior editor is Leila Day.
Josh: Our associate producers are Alexis Moore, Xandra Ellin, and Briana Garrett. Our intern is Arlene Arevalo. Our executive producers are Jenna Weiss-Berman and Max Linsky, and our engineers are Raj Makhija and Davy Sumner.
Tracy: This show also features amazing music by the one and only Donwill. You can follow him on all the socials @donwill, and you can follow me on most of the socials, 'cause I don't know all of y'all like that, and [inaudible]
Josh: (laughs)
Teddy: (laughs)
Josh: You can follow me on all the socials @regardingjosh except for TikTok 'cause I'm not trying to learn another editing software. I'm too old.
Tracy: Oh Lord (laughs).
Josh: (laughs) You can follow Back Issue on Instagram @backissuepodcast.
Tracy: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Josh: You can subscribe to the podcast wherever free podcasts are sold. You can leave us a review.
Tracy: Five stars only please.
Josh: You can call the Back Issue hotline with your pop culture emergency at (678)-74-ISSUE.
Tracy: We're gonna go wait by the phone.
Josh: See you next week.
-----THE END------