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Hidden Levels

99% Invisible 6 Episodes Oct 24, 2025

Hidden Levels is a six-part series from 99% Invisible and WBUR's Endless Thread that explores how video games have moved beyond arcades to influence culture, technology, and society. The podcast examines stories like how joysticks became a bridge between people and machines, a Chicago basketball game turned into a cultural phenomenon, and the Army's use of first-person shooters for recruitment. It's designed for both gamers and non-gamers, revealing the quiet impact of games on the world.

Episodes

Segagaga Oct 24, 2025 00:40:38 One SEGA employee chronicles the company’s struggles the only way he knows how: by turning it into a game.Hidden Levels is a production of 99% Invisible and WBUR's Endless Thread. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Press B to Touch Grass Oct 21, 2025 00:41:47 From blocky biomes to breathtaking open worlds, video games are teaching us new ways to see, build, and even save nature.Hidden Levels is a production of 99% Invisible and WBUR's Endless Thread. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Machinima Oct 17, 2025 00:45:08 Back in the 90s, artists turned video games into movie sets, and their wildest ideas are finally hitting documentaries.Hidden Levels is a production of 99% Invisible and WBUR's Endless Thread. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This Game Wants YOU Oct 14, 2025 00:44:09 Before Fortnite and Call of Duty ruled the scene, the US Army quietly shaped the early 2000s with a wildly popular, free shooter designed to excite young people about enlisting.Hidden Levels is a production of 99% Invisible and WBUR's Endless Thread. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Stick It to 'Em Oct 10, 2025 00:41:36 From airplanes to Pac-Man to the battlefield, the joystick has quietly shaped the way humans connect with machines.Hidden Levels is a production of 99% Invisible and WBUR's Endless Thread. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mr. Boomshakalaka Oct 7, 2025 00:37:16 Step back into the ’90s, when dunks broke backboards, catchphrases caught fire, and one arcade game turned every kid into an NBA superstar.Hidden Levels is a production of 99% Invisible and WBUR's Endless Thread. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hidden Levels

Episodes

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