Hidden Levels
99% Invisible and WBUR’s Endless Thread team up for Hidden Levels, a six-part series about how video games left the arcade and started reshaping the real world. These stories go beyond high scores and consoles, tracing how a joystick became the bridge between people and machines, how a Chicago basketball game turned into a cultural phenomenon, and how the Army built its own first-person shooter to reach new recruits.
The main series runs across both podcast feeds, with extra “side quest” episodes on Endless Thread. Whether you are a lifelong gamer or have never picked up a controller, Hidden Levels uncovers how games have quietly changed culture, technology, and the way we see the world.
Hidden Levels was created by Ben Brock Johnson and hosted by Roman Mars and Ben Brock Johnson. You can find Hidden Levels in the 99% Invisible and the Endless Thread feed on SiriusXM, Pandora, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Merch
Get your Hidden Levels merch! Visit 99pi.org/store.
Episodes
Hidden Levels Original Soundtrack
The music of Hidden Levels is available on your favorite music streaming platform. Featuring music from Swan Real, Paul Vaitkus, and Nedezuga.
Credits
Hosts: Roman Mars, Ben Brock Johnson
Producers/reporters: James Parkinson, Amory Sivertson, Katelyn Harrop, Andrew Callaway, Dean Russell, Jayson De Leon
Editors: Emmett FitzGerald, Meg Cramer, Christopher Johnson, Chris Berube, Kelly Prime
Managing producers: Chris Berube, Samata Joshi
Executive producers: Kathy Tu, Ben Brock Johnson
Mix and sound design: Martín Gonzalez and Paul Vaitkus
Theme and original music: Swan Real and Paul Vaitkus
Series art: Aaron Nestor