On/in this episode/game

[Glizdka]

I'm surprised to have heard on so often in this context. Two examples:

1 - The host of Practical Engineering said "On today's episode, we're talking about locks for navigation."
2 - A professional beatboxer, who flexes by showing off his mouth-farting skills in games with voice chat, names his videos "Beatboxing on [name of the game]."

I'd go with in in both cases, as in "In this episode" and "Beatboxing in [name of the game]", but these are native speakers, and they represent fairly different registers of English.

Question 1 - Is it perfectly normal and proper to use on in these examples?
Question 2 - Is it because the program and the game are viewed as "mass media", comparable to "On the internet", "On TV"?

 

[jutfrank]

In the CS:GO video, I'm not fully convinced the speaker says on at 0:07. I think he might say in. Where's the other on you're talking about?

In the engineering video, he definitely says on.

Q1: The first example, spoken by the engineer, yes. The other one, I'm not sure. I'd need to hear it clearly being used.
Q2: That's not quite right but you're close. It's not really anything to do with mass media. It's essentially about seeing the object of the preposition as a place, from which the information is transmitted.

I saw it ...

on the school noticeboard
on a billboard
on Instagram
on TV
on Oprah
etc

 

[Glizdka]

In the CS:GO video, I'm not fully convinced the speaker say on at 0:07. I think he might say in. Where's the other on you're talking about?

Sorry, bad example. Look at the thumbnails.

 

[jutfrank]

I'd say that the use of on there reveals that the speaker thinks of those games as media platforms, akin to social media platforms, rather than as games.

I'd also say that your wanting to use in there suggests that you think of them more as games rather than media platforms.

 

[Glizdka]

I'd say that the use of on there reveals that the speaker thinks of those games as media platforms, akin to social media platforms, rather than as games.

I'd also say that your wanting to use in there suggests that you think of them more as games rather than media platforms.

So I am on to something. Mind that I obviously struggle with explaining what/how I think about certain words because of being inexperienced and not a native, but I think your explanation is what/how I think about it.

Question: Is it similar to why "big" means of transportation, eg., ships, buses, use on, but intimate, "small" ones, eg., boats, cars, use in? That's what I meant by "mass", that it's for repeated use by multiple people who can use it simultaneously with no significant drawback coming from the number of users.

 

[jutfrank]

So I am on to something. Mind that I obviously struggle with explaining what/how I think about certain words because of being inexperienced and not a native, but I think your explanation is what/how I think about it.

We all struggle with that, I think. Especially with something like this.

Question: Is it similar to why "big" means of transportation, eg., ships, buses, use on, but intimate, "small" ones, eg., boats, cars, use in?

No.

That's what I meant by "mass", that it's for repeated use by multiple people who can use it simultaneously with no significant drawback coming from the number of users.

No, you're on the wrong track there. I has nothing at all to do with repeated use or numbers of people. Remember that on is a preposition of place.