

The Level
Duckfeed.tv
The Level is a podcast for people who love video games. It's a weekly roundtable hosted by friends and industry outsiders Kole Ross, Ben Merkel, Dennis Furia, David Moneysmith, and Jala Prendes. Every Friday, we discuss video game news, the games we've been playing, and listener mail.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 23, 2018 • 1h 39min
231: Net Lootrality
Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about Year of the Dog celebrations, Prey, and we ask you how you name your characters in games.
The Brief:
Overwatch does some year of the dog celebrations.
Konami explains the MGS V disarmament bug.
Dab on ‘em Haterz is a game about bad YouTube comments.
Twitch has added new chat channels for channels who chat.
New loot box laws in are falling into place.
The Multiplayer
How do you choose names for your in-game characters?
The Grind:
Kole: Prey. Alan Wake.
Ben: The Witness. Subnautica.
Dennis: Knack. Desert Golfing.
David: Monster Hunter: World. Destiny 2.

Feb 16, 2018 • 1h 42min
230: Timmy Stories
Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talka bout Monster Hunter: World, the shuttering of Mayfair Games, and we ask you about your worst grinding stories.
The Brief
Settlers of Catan developer is shutting down.
Shadow of the Colossus has new secrets.
Vampyr is releasing June 5.
Video games and monks.
The Multiplayer
What’s your worst story of grinding for something in a game?
The Grind
Dennis: DropMix. Watching the Overwatch League. Hue. Knack.
David: Monster Hunter World.
Ben: The Witness. Subnautica.
Kole: Monster Hunter World. SOMA. Breath of Fire III.
Links:In Thailand, Buddhist Monks Grapple with the Meaning of Video Games - Waypoint

Feb 9, 2018 • 1h 29min
229: Something I'll Be Happy to Be Upset About
Kole, Ben, and Jala talk about Subnautica, the Red Dead Redemption 2 delay, and we ask you which games you respect but dislike.
The Brief:
Red Dead Redemption 2 delayed to October.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 announced for Switch.
Video game hearing aids.
Metal Gear Solid V disarmament ending triggered on accident.
The Multiplayer:
What game do you respect, but not like?
The Grind:
Jala: Persona 4: Golden. Creeping Terror.
Ben: The Witness. Subnautica.
Kole: Breath of the Wild. Dragon Ball FighterZ. Silent Hill: Downpour. Breath of Fire III.

Feb 2, 2018 • 2h 10min
228: He's Finally Grown Into His Face
Kole, Ben, Jala, and David talk about Dragon Ball FighterZ, Apple’s changes to loot crate rules, and we ask you how you get over difficulty walls.
The Brief:
Nintendo Labo announced.
Speed Running stories. Mario 4-2 and Dragster.
Apple does the least it can possibly do about Loot Boxes in games.
Bioware delays Anthem.
Yume Nikki followup revealed.
The Multiplayer:
How do you get over difficulty walls in games?
The Grind:
Kole: Dragon Ball Fighterz. Cuphead. SNES Classic. Corpse Party.
David: Monster Hunter World.
Jala: Vermintide. Persona 4 Golden.
Ben: The Witness.

Jan 19, 2018 • 2h 9min
227: An Endless Runner Called Life
Kole, Ben, Jala, and David talk about the Nintendo Direct announcements, Sundered, and we ask you what your favorite winter game is.
The Brief:
Nintendo Direct news.
The Overwatch League has launched.
Theme Hospital is getting a spiritual successor.
Sega attempts to fix the Ugandan Knuckles meme.
The Multiplayer:
What’s your favorite winter game?
The Grind:
David: Sundered. River City Ransom: Underground.
Ben: Magic the Gathering pre-release. Twilight Imperium. The Evil Within 2.
Jala: Persona 4: Golden. Sniper Elite 4.
Kole: Golf Story. Outlast. Outlast: Whistleblower.

Jan 12, 2018 • 1h 21min
226: CPR-VR
Kole, Ben, and Jala talk about some crazy VR stuff from CES, Human: Fall Flat, and we ask you about your gaming relationships.
The Brief:
Tesla Suit is full body haptics.
VR for exercise.
The Switch has already out-sold the Wii U.
Top download list for PS4.
The Multiplayer:
Have games started or helped any relationships or friendships for you?
The Grind
Jala: Vermintide. Corpse Party: Book of Shadows. Persona 4: Golden.
Ben: Human: Fall Flat.
Kole: Mom Hid My Game. Enter the Gungeon. Crypt of the Necrodancer.

Jan 6, 2018 • 2h 22min
225: Rockets, Which Are Exactly What They Sound Like
Kole, Ben, and Dennis talk about some game preservation stories, T.I.M.E Stories, and we hear what you’re most exited about in 2018.
The Brief:
Nintendo killed it with game sales last year.
Gravity Rush 2 players are rushing to complete the game ahead of server shutdowns.
The MADE is petitioning for a DMCA cutout for MMOs.
The Multiplayer:
What game thing are you most looking forward to in 2018?
The Grind:
All of Us: T.I.M.E Stories.
Dennis: Above and Below. X-COM 2: The War of the Chosen. Heavy Bullets. Jak and Daxter.
Ben: Twilight Imperium. STATIC. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. Human: Fall Flat. Mini Metro. The Evil Within 2.
Kole: Stories Untold. Steins;Gate 0.

Dec 22, 2017 • 2h 15min
224: That's Where the Grills Are
Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about A Way Out, Doki Doki Literature Club, and we ask you about your most delightful moments in games for 2017.
The Brief:
A Way Out, a game made by the team behind Brothers, looks neat.
Mount Your Friends 3D announced.
Catherine is getting an updated remake.
Metal Gear Solid V graphical teardown.
The Multiplayer:
What was your biggest gaming delight this year?
The Grind:
David: Path of Exile.
Kole: New Danganronpa V3. Doki Doki Literature Club.
Dennis: Destiny 2. Stephen’s Sausage Roll.
Ben: The Evil Within 2. The Banner Saga. Opus Magnus.
Links:Metal Gear Solid V - Graphics Study - Adrian CourrègesDigital Foundry • Eurogamer.net • Video game reviews, news, previews, forums and videos • Eurogamer.net

Dec 15, 2017 • 2h 3min
223: Confetti Monster
Kole, Ben, Dennis, and Jala talk about the Game Awards, the Evil Within 2, and we ask you about your video game alter egos.
The Brief:
The Game Awards happened, and they
Fromsoft reveals a new game.
VR headphones exist.
There’s a new Harry Potter mobile game coming that’s not the Niantic one.
The Multiplayer:
What’s your video game alter ego?
The Grind:
Dennis: Destiny 2. X-COM 2. Stephen’s Sausage Roll. Trine 2. Jak and Daxter. Zen Pinball. X-COM Plus.
Jala: KOI. Agent A. Corpse Party: Book of Shadows.
Ben: The Banner Saga. The Evil Within 2.
Kole: Siren: Blood Curse.
Links:Gamasutra:Winifred's Blog -Video Game Music Composers: Ne Jala Prendes on Instagram: “Photos of the #brazosbendmarathon from @trailracingovertexas — I ran with Richard from PARR for the first 20 miles and finished the last 8…” • Instagram Jala Prendes on Instagram: “Jala: not just a runner. 😜 Presented because of a conversation with a bud who seems to think running is my only “thing” (ain’t THAT far…” • Instagram Jala Prendes on Instagram: “#AgentA is an adventure game where you chase a spy who’s killed your boss and several other agents. I’m about halfway through now.” • Instagram

Dec 8, 2017 • 1h 28min
222: Murder Situations
Kole, Ben, Jala, and Davi talk about the Mega Man 30th anniversary announcements, New Dangan Ronpa V3, and we ask you if games have introduced you to other hobbies.
The Brief:
Streamer inventively pirates a UFC PPV event.
Mega Man 30th anniversary announcements are exciting.
Some great and funny new Magic cards are coming.
Snake and boxes and Santa.
The Multiplayer:
Have games introduced you to any other hobbies?
The Grind:
Kole: New Dangan Ronpa V3.
Jala: Guild Wars 2. Labyrinthine Dreams. Grim Fandango: Remastered.
Ben: Friday the 13th.
David: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Destiny 2: The Fate of Osiris.
Links:Infinity Elemental (Unstable) - Gatherer - Magic: The GatheringUrza, Academy Headmaster (Unstable) - Gatherer - Magic: The GatheringRules Lawyer (Unstable) - Gatherer - Magic: The Gathering


