Trevor Strunk

Hi, I'm Trevor Strunk. You might know me as Hegelbon on Twitter. This is No Cartridge, a new way of doing games criticism. No Cartridge is a podcast and a blog that approaches the games you love, old and new, as keys to understanding and navigating the world around you. Our games deserve criticism that situates them at the center of our late capitalist lives, treating them not simply as something we do for fun, but as part of who we are. So far, my guests and I have explored topics as different as the origins of popular indie games in the social dynamics of a creator’s hometown, war and the aesthetic, and how gaming changes as you age into new real-life roles. With your support, No Cartridge can keep searching out unconventional pathways through which to explore games, and follow them wherever they lead.

So why me? I have a Ph.D in American literature, and I have written extensively on the ways that art helps us diagnose and critique the structures of our capitalist society. I also have played way too many videogames and have long felt games deserve the kind of rich critical explorations we give to literature and film. So I started No Cartridge, first as a blog and then as a podcast. And it has grown from an experiment into a passion project.

No Cartridge updates 3-4 times per week, with either audio or written work. As a patron at the 5 dollar level, you'll have access to bonus audio content, which includes full extra episodes and bonus interview content with my wide variety of guests.

And ultimately, you'll be contributing to a new kind of voice in games criticism. I would love to turn No Cartridge into a full publication, with a paid staff and the works, and that begins here, with you. With your help, No Cartridge can keep reinventing the way we all think about and play games. Thank you!