Game/Life Balance U.S.

By Cody Gough and Jonathan MartinLeisure Video Games

Game/Life Balance U.S. episodes

September 03, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #118: BitBash 2015, plus the CryptoLocker Virus
Cody explains the intricacies of the CryptoLocker ransomware trojan, and how he’s dealing with the effects. Plus, hear about all the games he played at BitBash 2015, Chicago’s alternative / indie games festival.
Show Notes:

* Cody explains why he’s recording a solo episode and what happened to his home PC

* Hear all about the CryptoLocker Virus, and what it will cost Cody to get rid of it so he can use his home computer again

* Cody discusses BitBash 2015, Chicago’s alternative games festival, including some background on the festival and how well he liked the way it was organized this year
* Cody talks about all the games he played (or saw people play) at BitBash 2015, many of which you can preview in video form on his Instagram account:

* Downwell by Devolver Digital, “a game about a young man going down an endless well with gun-boots.”
* Gunsport by Necrosoft Games, which “takes place in an alternate future where humans have grown tired of war. Nations’ petty disputes are now settled with the World’s Game, Gunsport.”
* Chambara, “a local multiplayer stealth-deathmatch game with only two colors, allowing players to seamlessly camouflage themselves with the environment.”
* Yojimbrawl, “a fighting game with very fluid fighting mechanics made by Evan Greenwood (Programming), Dawid Strauss (Art) and Deon van Heerden (Music/SFX).”
* Fotonica, “a first-person game about the thrill of speed and traveling flawlessly through complex environments.”
* Particle Mace, “a 1-4 player game for Windows/Mac/iOS by Andy Wallace about defending yourself in a hostile universe by swinging particles into enemies.”
* Johann Sebastian Joust, “a no-graphics, digitally-enabled playground game for 2 to 7 players designed for motion controllers.”
* Elbow Room by Deep Dark Hole, “a game about personal space, perpetual motion, and hitting a single key better than anyone else.”

* Cody also discusses the 18 and up “adult games” area at BitBash, including some incredibly lewd but incredibly humorous games
* If you’re a video game developer and want to talk to Cody on the podcast, then email him and Jon at [email protected]!

1 hr 1 min
September 03, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #118: BitBash 2015, plus the CryptoLocker Virus
Cody explains the intricacies of the CryptoLocker ransomware trojan, and how he’s dealing with the effects. Plus, hear about all the games he played at BitBash 2015, Chicago’s alternative / indie games festival. Show Notes:...
1 hr 1 min
August 20, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #117: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Jon Reviews Rocket League and Dying Light, and Cody reviews Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Plus: Jon’s thoughts on the science-fiction short story Flowers for Algernon, and Cody raves and rants about a couple sci-fi movies—both good and bad.

Show Notes:

* Jon and Cody talk about the most ridiculous technical difficulties ever, including ones that shouldn’t even exist
* Jon discusses his new-ish passion for reading books, and how he basically hates himself for not really reading books when he was young

* “Man. Books are really good.” -Quote of the episode
* Jon explains his thoughts on short stories, including profound observations like “short stories are usually short”
* Jon found a list of the 100 greatest science fiction short stories ever written, including Flowers for Algernon, written in 1958 by Daniel Keyes

* Speaking of science fiction, Cody talks about a classic sci-fi film that he recently watched for the second time: the Stanley Kubrick classic 2001: A Space Odyssey

* Cody explains how you have to kind of be “conditioned” to watch a movie like 2001, and Jon talks about his experience viewing it

* Jon got a free PS4 game with his PlayStation Plus subscription this month, which is normal; what’s less normal is that it’s a brand-new game, Rocket League

* Jon explains that Rocket League is basically cars playing soccer, and Cody can’t understand the appeal
* Jon talks about how Rocket League could actually help improve the popularity of international futbol / soccer in the United States if it becomes popular enough, and he usually sees over 100,000 people playing online
* Cody explains the popularity of the game by bringing up an essay by Tom Wolfe on the birth of the demolition derby (Clean Fun at Riverhead, for those interested in reading it), but discredits himself by comparing soccer to hockey

* Jon also has been playing Dying Light by Techland, the Polish video game developer that created Dead Island

* Jon explains that Dying Light is a first-person zombie survival game, but it’s not a shooter (technically, it’s an open-world first person survival horror video game); instead, you’re helping citizens on the island survive the zombie apocalypse
* The city where the game takes place is incredible, and the game gives incentives to not actually fight, which Jon thinks is awesome
* Jon explains how skills are unlocked and how the “talent tree” works, plus why he thinks it (and the story) is cool, despite his and Cody’s general fatigue over too many zombies these days

* Cody mentions that he’s played all the Metal Gear Solid games other than Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which puts him at a perceived disadvantage to getting the most out of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

* He beat the game in under 3 hours, but had less than a 10 percent completion rate with the game, so he doesn’t think it’s a big of a ripoff as the initial press around the game suggested
* Cody explains how the storyline “makes sense” on its own and actually doesn’t require a t...
1 hr 4 min
August 20, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #117: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
Jon Reviews Rocket League and Dying Light, and Cody reviews Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Plus: Jon’s thoughts on the science-fiction short story Flowers for Algernon, and Cody raves and rants about a couple sci-fi...
1 hr 4 min
August 06, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #116: LIVE Gen-Con 2015 Podcast with Casters Caravan, Extra Life
Cody and Jon record in front of a live studio audience in an official event at Gen-Con 2015! Special guest Jim “AwezomeZauce” Wittmer talks about his shoutcasting career with Casters Caravan, a company that provides organizations and tournament...
1 hr 45 min
July 24, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #115: Customizable Card Games and Luck
Cody has a bone to pick with customizable card games, specifically Hearthstone, specifically the Hearthstone Arena, specifically the amount of luck involved in winning games in it. Plus, catch up on Jon’s progress in the massively multiplayer online RPG Final Fantasy XIV, and hear what the hosts have been up to in their spare time lately.

Show Notes:

* The Unqualified Gamers podcast is now on WGN Plus! Cody explains what that means for the show
* Jon describes his house hunting adventures
* Cody recounts the tale of his day job’s company picnic, and how a massive weather system affected its outcome

* Learn about Chicago’s utterly ridiculous weather systems, plus how to become the most popular co-worker at your company in the event that disaster ever strikes
* Jon and Cody parody Donald Trump for a bit, mostly because of some of the ridiculous things he’s been saying lately

* Despite being a very critical audience, Jon is still a fan of Final Fantasy XIV, and he explains some of the major reasons why it’s a great MMORPG

* Jon makes comparisons to World of Warcraft while hammering home some of the points he made in Episode 114 of Unqualified Gamers

* Cody finally gets to his points about Hearthstone, which mostly consists of whining about how unfair it is

* He and Jon debate the merits and pitfalls of randomly generated numbers in competitive gaming
* Jon explains why he has no sympathy for Cody, and why he should have more fun playing the game

* Cody plugs the Unqualified Gamers’ Gen-Con podcast recording at Gen-Con Indy 2015

1 hr 2 min
July 24, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #115: Customizable Card Games and Luck
Cody has a bone to pick with customizable card games, specifically Hearthstone, specifically the Hearthstone Arena, specifically the amount of luck involved in winning games in it. Plus, catch up on Jon’s progress in the massively multiplayer...
1 hr 2 min
July 16, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #114: Final Fantasy XIV, unicycles & fruit flies
Cody announces the exciting addition of the Unqualified Gamers Podcast to the WGN Plus lineup, and what that means for the podcast. Jon discusses Final Fantasy XIV after he and Cody are finished discussing such compelling topics as unicycles, fruit flies, downtown Rochester, and the unfortunate passing of Nintendo’s late President Satoru Iwata.
Show Notes:

* Cody speculates about why Jon always records episodes from a nondescript hotel room somewhere
* Cody makes a major announcement: Unqualified Gamers has joined WGN Plus!
* Jon disregards the announcement entirely to go on an unwarranted rant about unicycles and unicyclists

* Cody defends unicycles as thief-proof, but Jon disagrees

* Epic tale of Cody vs. Fruit Flies: The Reckoning

* Speculation on the best ways to get of fruit flies, plus fun facts about fruit flies that may or may not be true
* Detailed description of precisely where Cody will let the bodies of the fruit flies fall

* According to Jon, there is something very, very wrong with Rochester, Minnesota

* Learn about the Mayo Clinic and what Jon thinks it means to Rochester
* Jon explains why he thinks Rochester’s downtown is the way that it is, and why he thinks Rochester is one of the most depressing places in the world
* Cody compares Rochester to other places that are built “around” one specific thing, and how it affects the surrounding area

* Cody discusses the sad passing of Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata, and how he reacted as a fan and as a gamer

* He then unleashes on someone from Google+ who used the news to get attention, which he found disrespectful
* Jon trolls Cody, because Jon is a huge jerk
* Fortunately, Jon stops being an idiot for three seconds to show his respect for Mr. Iwata before moving on

* Finally getting down to games, Jon reviews Final Fantasy XIV after playing about 40 hours on the PlayStation 4

* Learn about the game’s storyline, how the game is different than World of Warcraft, and why Jon thinks it’s successful as a “traditionally priced” MMORPG
* While he enjoys the game a lot, Jon doesn’t think it will ever come close to his love for World of Warcraft

* Cody is climbing up the ranked ladder in Hearthstone, and he is extremely excited about it

* Learn why he’s burned out on the Arena, and what class he’s using to progress in Ranked mode

* Cody shamelessly plugs the Unqualified Gamers Live Podcast Recording Friday, July 31, 2015, at Gen-Con Indy in Indianapolis, IN

1 hr
July 16, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #114: Final Fantasy XIV, unicycles & fruit flies
Cody announces the exciting addition of the Unqualified Gamers Podcast to the WGN Plus lineup, and what that means for the podcast. Jon discusses Final Fantasy XIV after he and Cody are finished discussing such compelling...
1 hr
July 09, 2015 U.Gamers Podcast #113: CivAddiction’s Multiplayer Modpack
Cody reviews CivAddiction’s Multiplayer Modpack, a massive mod that completely overhauls Sid Meier’s Civilization V. You can find more the official modpack thread at http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=548835. Learn about this massive overhaul of Civilization V and hear whether Cody thinks it’s worth your time!

43 min

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