Gamer's Guide to Ecology

Gamer's Guide to Ecology

By Jessie deHaanLeisureVideo Games
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Gamer's Guide to Ecology episodes

  • Ep.12 - AMA about ecology in Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Origins

    In the series wrap-up on Assassins' Creed Origins and Odyssey, I talk about population ecology, the Animus technology, and species distributions. Come learn about how our genes "remember" events through a process called methylation, and how individuals in a population distribute themselves in a local area.

    Music by Bret Eagleston, breteagleston.bandcamp.com, Podcast art by Lara LeBlanc.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    7 min
  • Ep.11 - Just Chatting Assassin's Creed and multi-species kinship
    *contains expletives* A mega episode where Alex, Andrew and I rant about our favourite Assassin Creed games, features and quirks. For the first time we have a special guest star join us (thanks to my editing skills)! Today's episode features anthrozoologist @maythehan (41:00). We talk about dogs in games, movies and real life. Join us to hear about how Maythe's research on kinship with dogs teaches us about whiteness and racism, and how loving dogs has shaped the very concept of things like race and the animal.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 hr 13 min
  • Ep.10 - Humans first, nature second in Assassin's Creed Odyssey
    Today's episode is all about the features, gameplay and disappointing state of animals in Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Don't get me wrong, I think it's an amazing RPG and installment in the AC Universe, it's just not my favourite. I talk about the one dimensional fish and plants, and the wonky dogs. Despite my grievances on the in-game ecology, I still love the Assassin's Creed story, mystery, and mythology of the game. 

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    7 min
  • Ep.9 - Animal A.I (and Alliteration) in Assassin's Creed Origins
    This month I'm talking about one of my favourite game series of all time, Assassin's Creed. Today's episode is all about the animals found in Assassin's Creed Origins and their density and behaviour. I also talk about the pre-industrial effects of human activity on the natural environment. What I love most about Assassin's Creed is the amazing ability they give us to visit the great wonders of the world from the comfort of our couches.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    9 min
  • Ep.8 – AMA about Subnautica and ecology

    In the last episode in my series on Subnautica, I answer some listener questions about ecology and Subnautica. I talk more about xenobiology and xenotaxonomy, poke fun at taxonomists (sorry), and have fun theorizing about  gravity, water pressure and what might happen if you were to exit your Prawn Suit at a depth of 2500m on Earth.

    Music by Bret Eagleston, breteagleston.bandcamp.com, Podcast art by Lara LeBlanc.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    7 min
  • Ep.7 - Just Chatting about Subnautica
    On today’s episode I sit down with my friends Andrew and James and chat Subnautica. We talk about what makes the game so scary for new players like James, why we might play video games that scare us, and Subnautica's general gameplay, theme and versatility in game styles. Podcast art by Lara LeBlanc, Theme music by Bret Eagleston (breteagleston.bandcamp.com).

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    42 min
  • Ep.6 - Alien lifeforms in Subnautica

    In this week's short episode I talk about the potential selective pressures that led to specific adaptations in some of the alien lifeforms in Subnautica, and real-life mating strategies and animal mimicry. 

    Theme song by Bret Eagleston (breteagleston.bandcamp.com), podcast art by Lara LeBlanc.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    6 min
  • Ep.5 - Let’s name the zones, the zones of Subnautica

    In the first episode of a new series, I dive into the topic of xenobiology by discussing life below the waves in Subnautica. I talk about the in-game biomes that are similar to real-life marine biomes, as well as animal density and ecological succession. 

    Art by Lara LeBlanc, theme song by Bret Eagleston (breteagleston.bandcamp.com)


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    9 min
  • Ep.4 – AMA about ecology in Red Dead Redemption 2

    This is the last episode in our first series. Today, I answer some listener questions about ecology and how it's portrayed in Red Dead Redemption 2. I talk about carrying capacity, natural selection, adaptive radiation and the Banff Bison reintroduction effort (https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/banff/info/gestion-management/bison/blog). I also used the word species a lot, and defined it using the word "species" (whoops). Don't @ me about the species definition debate.

    Music by Bret Eagleston, breteagleston.bandcamp.com, Podcast art by Lara LeBlanc.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    8 min
  • Ep.3 - Just Chatting about Red Dead Redemption 2
    This episode contains expletives, and is suitable for mature audiences: On this week's episode I sit down with some friends to chat about Red Dead Redemption 2 gameplay and how it measures up against other notable RPGs. We also talk about plot (NOTE: spoilers), what makes a compelling story, and becoming emotionally connected to a character. Art by Lara LeBlanc, Theme music by Bret Eagleston (breteagleston.bandcamp.com).

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min

About Gamer's Guide to Ecology

From the publisher's feed

I play popular open-world RPGs from an ecological perspective. On “Gamer’s Guide to Ecology” I dive into topics like plant and animal interactions, animal behaviour, evolution, and the impacts of the…