Where were you in 1998? Games were in a state bound to the rules of the tabletop RPG, and though on the surface things seem to have changed a great deal since then, many of gaming's traditional roots still hold fast.

The opposition from NPC's in games is often limited by a number of factors. Meanwhile, especially at the beginning of a new console generation, hardware manufacturers tout the coming increase in artificial intelligence. What happens when the NPC's are smarter than you are, and how can designers keep their games challenging without making them frustrating?

You may, in fact, only live once, but what happens when a game only lets you die once? Whether its an arcade shooter with a steadily increasing swarm of enemies or a quiet hiding place along the tree line in Day Z, permanent death in games is growing ever more popular.

Game after game after game, sequels in this and other entertainment industries seem never to end. Are the audiences the better for having another title in their favorite franchises, or are we just lining up for another helping of the same old rehash?

Mario and Michelangelo, Zelda and Zefferelli, either way discussions of games lead inevitably toward the mature analysis of other media. But how do we increase the range of intelligent criticism and discussion surrounding these interactive experiences? Nate and Scott discuss the staying power of the gaming classics, Path of Exile, and the upcoming console launches.

Entertainment knows no age, right? Some might say that games, as a medium, lend themselves to a certain demographic. Increasingly, the population of gamers is growing older and older. With that age comes a shift in preference. Is the medium broad enough to support older gamers? And what if it's not?

There comes a time when the number of times a person can play a single game takes a back seat to the number of games a person wants, and has the financial resources, to play. Scott and Nate discuss replayability, and a plethora of news from the XP mechanic in the upcoming Thief to the Nvidia G-sync announcement that claims to eliminate the bane of PC-Gaming: screen tearing and stutter.

Twenty years ago, the market for games was a very different place. Technology was different, more impenetrable, more complicated. Games were a difficult pastime in some ways, though sitting on the couch was always easier than going outside. In age where the gaming market has grown by leaps and bounds, how big is the niche for title that havent' been "dumbed down"? And who decides what's dumb?

There are few things more powerful in human history than the ability to see a possible future and to pull it into reality. But how do we define such an ability? Who possesses it, and how can we recognize it before it's too late? This week, in a joint DYHAMB? effort, Scott and Nate discuss what it takes to be a visionary.

When is a console not a console or a PC not a PC? Valve's announcements this week only further cloud the picture of living room, gaming, and hardware. And though they talk a lot of peace, love, and mods for everyone, questions still abound. Plus, Scott and Nate check in on DayZ standalone, the iPhone 5S, Real Racing 3, Mark of the Ninja, and Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm.