2.4 Video Games Nobody Plays Anymore - The Middle School Mind

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On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast, Son’s friend, TB, is back to talk about video games nobody plays anymore.

These are games that Son and TB have played in the past and the two discuss the replayability, graphics and why these games should get another look.

Here’s what Son and TB cover on this episode:

Unravel 2 (2018) – This game is a sequel to the original Unravel. It’s a puzzle game with little yarn people that Son and Father play together. It’s a shame that nobody plays this game anymore since the graphics are amazing, the game is interesting and you want to finish the game to know the backstory.

Screenshot of the beautiful two player game, Unravel 2. — Unravel 2 is a fun game and has beautiful graphics. Image courtesy of shacknews.com game review of Unravel 2.

Minecraft Dungeons (2020) – This game was great to play when it first came out during COVID. But the latest updates were more visual and didn’t enhance replayability. It just felt very repetitive which is likely why people don’t play this game anymore. There’s no building or crafting which is different from the traditional, open-world Minecraft game.

Screenshot of Mincraft Dungeons. — Minecraft Dungeons is a big departure from the open-world sandbox game concept of the original Minecraft. Image courtesy of nme.com and their game review of Minecraft Dungeons.

The two explain “grinding” for all the baby-boomers.
Portal 2 (2011) – This game improves on the original Portal which has great use of imagination and physics. This game is relatively inexpensive and the two player function is fun to boobytrap and annoy your friends. The graphics are good for a 10+ year old game and remains a good game to pick up and challenge friends. It’s surprising that it is not played by more people these days.

Screenshot of Portal 2 a physics defying game that is fun to play. — Use your special portal gun to play tricks on your friends and enemies. Image courtesy of the blog stuffthatiwriteabout.

Brawlhalla (2014) – This game is a Walmart Great Value brand version of the extremely popular, Super Smash Bros. It’s better than Smash Bros in some ways due to the variety of combatants available in the game. However, this game is not as popular anymore which is why there are fewer players these days.

Screenshot of Brawlhalla four person fighting game. — Brawlhalla has a wide variety of characters in the brawl-for-all genre. Image courtesy of PCmag.com review of Brawlhalla.

Job Simulator (2016) – This is a fun game to get a newbie VR user accustomed to the controls. TB had some controller issues when he tried playing Job Simulator. There are four basic jobs you can do in the game to try different challenges and learn new skills. Since this is a starter game and introduction to VR for most, players typically pick up the controls quickly and move on to other games which is why the popularity of this game has declined.

Image of the Olive Garden's Tour of Italy which offers lasagna, fettuccine alfredo and chicken parmesan in a single, super-sized entree. — Job Simulator is a great game to learn basic controls for VR systems. Image courtesy of PCGamesN.com.

We play a quick game about video game trivia. Since this is an episode about video games, we use a Text to Voice AI app to read the questions to Son and TB.

Thanks to TB for being a guest on our show again. Catch TB’s first appearance on the show when Son and TB talked about a school lunch menu overhaul. We will definitely have him back on for future episodes of The Middle School Mind!

Check out our special sponsor for this episode! The Geeky Dad Podcast!

Cover art for The Geeky Dad Podcast, our special sponsor for this episode.

This podcast highlights the trials and tribulations of a Geeky Dad trying to reclaim some semblance of sanity as he navigates parenthood and geek culture. Hosted by Raphael Moran, a writer, producer and comic creator. His co-hosts are the “Multiverse” Kids. They’ve taken over his man-cave and now they want to take over his podcast.

Check out Father’s guest appearance on The Geeky Dad Podcast here!

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2.12 The Goodbye Episode – The Middle School Mind

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. After months of deliberation and soul-searching Father and Son publish their last and final episode of The Middle School Mind podcast. After nearly 18 months and over 35+ episodes, on this episode: We say goodbye to our listeners We talk about what's next for Son We hear from some of our past guests Of course we get a little silly And we play one last game So sit back, relax, grab the Kleenex and stick around for our very special goodbye episode. We think kid's voices are under represented in the podcast space. Even though we are leaving, we encourage you to visit Kids Listen. This organization is a grassroots organization of advocates for high-quality audio content for children. The Middle School Mind is a proud member of Kids Listen and, with our show ending, we encourage kids and families to find other interesting and engaging podcasts for kids. Through this adventure, we connected with the creator of Sound Carrot. This website was founded by a father/daughter team with the goal to help younger listeners find amazing children's podcasts. We hope this resource helps parents and kids find other kid's voices that you want to listen to and hear more from. We also believe that kids can create their own podcasts! Last summer we launched a three-part series encouraging kids to make their own kids' podcasts. You can find the episodes here: 1.20 Make Your Own Kid Podcast 1 1.21 Make Your Own Kid Podcast 2 1.22 Make Your Own Kid Podcast 3 Thank you to The Middle School Mind listeners and even our future listeners. We enjoyed making these episodes together and sharing them with you. This time was special for us and we will look back at this show as an amazing point in time where we talked about what was on Son's mind or relevant pop culture during this time. If you loved listening to the show and want to connect with us, e-mail us at: middleschoolmind.podcast@gmail.com. We are happy to connect if you want to talk about creating your own podcast for your child or, potentially, if you are interested in having your middle schooler take over The Middle School Mind, let's chat. We always knew that The Middle School Mind was going to last at most, 3 years, with Son and I. But amazing shows like Star Trek had Star Trek: The Next Generation and Saved By The Bell had Saved By The Bell: The New Class introduced a new cast of characters while providing new stories and fresh perspectives. It would be amazing to have a Mother/Daughter voice leading the show or a parent/child from a different part of the country or even a completely different country! It's the unique perspectives that help us all learn and appreciate each other. Enjoy The Goodbye Episode and thank you for being part of our show. Sincerely, Father & Son — Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themiddleschoolmind/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themiddleschoolmind/support