Getting to know Checkpoint

CBAA 2019 Community Radio Awards winner for Excellence in Innovative Programming and Content, Checkpoint, is joining the CRN in 2020! 

Presented by Luke, Elliot, Edie, Hailey, Jack, Kolby and a bunch of other guests, the show comes to us from our friends at Joy FM and will be coming to listeners all over the country through the CBAA's Community Radio Network from Febraury. 

With the games industry changing often, it's their goal to make sure you're aware of the stories that matter! With coverage of all the latest major releases and hard-hitting discussions, the show is all about keeping you up to date and breaking down one of the most popular medias in the world.

We asked Luke about the origins of the program, and what goes into putting the show together each and every week.

What is your favourite part about making Checkpoint?

The best part about making Checkpoint is that we get to talk about parts of the video game industry that other media doesn't. We have such a diverse range of hosts and guests, and it really is wonderful to be able to make sure that the right person is talking about the right topic from a personal and meaningful place.

Why did you start Checkpoint to being with? 

First and foremost, I'm a gamer and have been my entire life, so being able to turn a passion into a show like this was an exciting prospect. Secondly though and more importantly, there aren't a lot of queer voices talking about games and there is a lack of diversity in the industry as a whole. It's improving absolutely, but, representation across the board is so important and we're only going to get that by highlighting those creators who are doing this already and demanding the ones who aren't to do better.

Introduce us to your team members, who's voices will be hearing on the show? 

First you have myself; Luke, a gamer who has been playing video games since being a child born in the 80's, and a massive pop-culutre nerd in general. Working in video games journalism for over ten years, I bring an experienced and critical eye to the team. 

next is Elliot; who avidly believes that some of the best video game talent is coming out of Australia. He's a big supporter of local game creators and loves smaller, independently made games - he has a real eye for finding the hidden gems and bringing them to light. 

Then there's Edie; a huge Nintendo fam her whole life, she loves all things Japanese culture and has even studied game development at university, so it brings that technical point of view to all of her opinions on games and how they're made. 

What are the teams' top 5 games of 2019?

Our game of the year for 2019 was a fantastic RPG called The Outer Worlds, It just had fantastic storytelling and dialopgue, was full of gorgeous planets to explore and a lot of meaningful choices. The rest of our top 5 included Resident Evil 2, Control, Untitled Goose Game (made in Melbourne!), and Astral Chain. 

What releases are you most looking forward to in 2020?

The Last of Us Part 2 is going to be amazing, that features an LGB+ protagonist in an AAA video game release for the first time in history. We're all very excited about that one. Then there's the fact that two new consoles will be out toward teh end of the year, so a whole new console generation is launching soon, giving us even more insight into the future of video game tech!

What makes you most excited about joining the CRN? 

Reaching a bigger audience has always been very important to us, and this is going to help further with that. While we are (big) gaming nerds, one thing that we've always loved is that we have listeners who love our show even if they're not always a gamer themselves. If we can keep bridging that gap and getting more people interested in the world of video games, that's a beautiful thing! 

What is the importance of LGBQTIA+ people having a space to talk about games and gaming culture?

When growing up especially, LGBTQIA+ people often feel like they don't belong, don't fit in and don't have anybody in the media that's like them; whether that be in video games, TV shows or films. In today's generation we're finally seeing more people open and comfortable to talk about being themselves, and we're seeing that come into the gaming culture as well, with diverse content creators and a generally loving community of gamers who just want to play together without judgement. 

There's something universal about playing a video game and talking about them which transcends sexuality and brings everybody together, and it's important that we continue to provide safe spaces and highlight positive diversity in the industry so that future generations feel accepted and part of a family, much earlier than us older generations ever did. 

For CRN subscribers:

• Program runs 55'50 minutes
• Checkpoint will distribute on Tuesdays at 19:04 AEST/AEDT from Febraury 4
• Available for on-demand broadcast by stations via DDN capture and download
• Presented for a national audience
• For more information contact CRN staff on 02 9310 2999 or email [email protected]

Not a CRN subscriber, but want to find out more about getting content like this for your station? Read more here.