FunFactor

Ty Schalter (VICE, FiveThirtyEight) and Aidan Moher (WIRED, Vulture) review what rocked and what sucked about the classic video game magazines that inspired them to become professional journalists, authors, and critics—and what they can tell us about today's digital media and games.

New episodes drop every other Tuesday!

Leisure Arts Video Games Tech News Books News

Update frequency: every 10 days
Average duration: 67 minutes
Episodes: 19
Years Active: 2025

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PC Gamer Vol. 4, Issue 3 - Diablo [S1E13]

ISSUE LINK: Video Game History Foundation Library | Collection: PC GAMER (US)

More info on "Free Speech and Magic Money," Jillan E. Foley, PhD's forthcoming book from Harvard University Press: Book – …

01:42:58 | Tue 09 Sep 2025

Tips & Tricks Vol. IV, Issue 1 - Tomb Raider [S1E12]

ISSUE LINK: Tips & Tricks - Volume IV Issue 1

GAME LOSERS T&T ARTICLE: A Comprehensive Oral History Of Tips & Tricks – The #1 Video-Game Tips Magazine | Game Losers

We're the Tomb Raiders! Aidan and T…

01:20:24 | Thu 28 Aug 2025

ULTRA Review Crew TEASER: Video Game History Foundation - Super Mario Bros. 1 [S1B5]

ISSUE LINK: Computer Entertainer, Volume 5, Number 3 | Video Game History Foundation Library – Digital Archive

VHGF HOME: Home | Video Game History Foundation

A pair of guests we've been dreaming about…

00:22:43 | Fri 22 Aug 2025

Edge 16 - Final Fantasy VI [S1E11]

ISSUE LINK: https://archive.org/details/Edge_Gaming/Edge%20Gaming%20Magazine%20016/mode/2up

KEITH STUART EULOGY FOR JASON BROOKES: https://www.eurogamer.net/always-on-edge-my-life-with-jason-brookes

We…

02:05:58 | Wed 13 Aug 2025

Game Players 92 - NBA Live '97 [S1E10]

ISSUE LINK: Ultra Game Players No. 92 - Christmas 1996

Mike Salmon's shot-calling review of NBA Live '97 stuck with Ty for almost 30 years—and it cuts to the heart of everything our podcast is about.

…

01:13:59 | Tue 29 Jul 2025

Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy, with set designer Gavin Verhey [S1E9]

ISSUE LINK: The Duelist No. 21, January 1997

ALLISON MCKENZIE'S TERRA PRINT: FFVI - Terra and Mog Print

It's a bonus BONUS! Ever since the Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy set dropped, our Discord's …

01:40:30 | Tue 15 Jul 2025

Nintendo Power 88 - Super Mario 64 [S1E8]

ISSUE LINK: Nintendo Power 88, September 1996

Gamemaster Classified book KS page

"Fun" & Games Podcast home

The episode so many of you have been waiting for: Our first look at Nintendo Power!

And boy, is…

01:15:53 | Tue 01 Jul 2025

ULTRA Review Crew Bonus UNLOCKED - Mollie Patterson of EGM & GameFan [S1B2]

Mollie Patterson's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mollipen.bsky.social
Mollie Patterson's homepage: https://mollielpatterson.com/
The EGM Compendium Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects…

01:31:02 | Tue 24 Jun 2025

Intelligent Gamer 2 - Jumping Flash! 2 [S1E7]

ISSUE LINK: Intelligent Gamer No. 2, July 1996

A true trailblazer of a magazine, which Ty mistook at the time for a craven NEXT Generation ripoff. Instead, Ziff-Davis bought what might have been the w…

01:28:43 | Tue 17 Jun 2025

ULTRA Review Crew bonus TEASER - Demo Discs with Sean Seanson & EposVox [S1B3]

Please enjoy this sample of a FunFactor ULTRA Review Crew bonus episode bursting with international flavor! With EposVox and Sean Seanson joining Aidan and Ty, we bridged three countries and seven ti…

00:10:56 | Tue 10 Jun 2025

GameFan Volume 4, Issue 5 - Lufia II [S1E6]

TODAY'S ISSUE: GameFan Volume 4, Issue 5 - May 1996

This one's special -- we recorded it right before the Mollie Patterson bonus episode (which you should join the FunFactor ULTRA Review Crew to hear!…

01:31:36 | Tue 03 Jun 2025

NEXT Generation 5 - Kirby's Dream Course [S1E5]

TODAY'S ISSUE: NEXT Generation Issue No. 5, May 1995

Whew, this one's a doozy. Not just diving into one of Ty's favorite magazines for the very first time, but the very first issue he ever picked up: …

01:38:52 | Tue 20 May 2025

ULTRA Review Crew bonus TEASER - Mollie Patterson of EGM & GameFan [S1B2]

00:23:29 | Tue 13 May 2025

EGM 74 - DOOM [S1E4]

TODAY'S ISSUE: EGM No. 74 - September 1995

Ty and Aidan dive into the super-edgy EGM ads, before flipping through one of the most fearless, innovative outlets of a fearless, innovative era. Then they …

00:58:20 | Tue 06 May 2025

GamePro 77 - White Men Can't Jump [S1E3]

TODAY'S ISSUE: GamePro No. 77, December 1995 (Internet Archive)

Ty and Aidan are two short white guys who don't play basketball--but do love sports, and sports video games. We've had quite few pleas f…

00:44:27 | Tue 22 Apr 2025

ULTRA Review Crew bonus TEASER - Mike Drucker interview [S1B1]

Mike Drucker's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikedrucker.bsky.social

Here's a teaser of the very first FunFactor ULTRA bonus episode!

It's our exclusive interview with Mike Drucker--the author of "…

00:13:59 | Tue 15 Apr 2025

Game Players 75 - Chrono Trigger [S1E2]

TODAY'S ISSUE: Game Players No. 75, September 1995 (Internet Archive)

Ty and Aidan basically became friends over their shared love of Chrono Trigger, and everything it stood for as an artistic achieve…

01:28:47 | Tue 08 Apr 2025

PSM No. 1 - Final Fantasy VII [S1E1]

TODAY'S ISSUE: PSM No. 1, September 1997 (Internet Archive)

The very first issue of PlayStation Magazine went big on "independent" 'tude, and on Final Fantasy VII--including cover art, a massive walkt…

01:17:54 | Tue 25 Mar 2025

Introducing: FunFactor! [episode zero]

Professional authors, journalists, gamers, and critics Ty Schalter and Aidan Moher introduce FunFactor: an insightful and incisive look back at the retro video game magazines that inspired them to do…

00:08:23 | Fri 14 Mar 2025

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