Jon and Cody discuss work culture during the holiday season, then talk misleading time commitments—especially as it relates to finding time to play video games.

Show Notes:

* Jon explains why he’s been absent from the podcast for a few weeks and how it relates to the nature of this podcast (hint: it’s related to parenting)

* Life Stuff

* Jon talks about being a pharmacist during the holidays, and Cody explains what corporate life is like in December

* A quick tangent about the upcoming Hearthstone expansion, Mean Streets of Gagdetzan, spirals out of control and turns into something about Gambit from the X-Men and Harambe

* Cody and Jon discuss how many hours per week they work and how often they like to work; then, Jon calls Cody a communist

* Balancing Act

* Jon explains why he can’t enjoy Gears of War 4, even though he bought it for a very specific reason: Horde Mode

* Jon harshly criticizes Horde Mode and explains why they desperately need to introduce a penalty system for players dropping out

* Cody plugs Suburban Scavengers, the newest game from Doombrowski, which he strongly encourages you to support on Steam Greenlight!

* Cody chastises Jon for not pre-ordering Final Fantasy XV

* The hosts of Game/Life Balance Australia criticized Cody and Jon for their Game/Life Balance rating system on their most recent episode, so the hosts of Game/Life Balance U.S. take the opportunity to explain and define their rating system

* Cody promises upcoming reviews for Doom (2016), Gears of War 4, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, and more!

* Both Cody and Jon happen to have seen Doctor Strange last week, and Jon magically guesses that The Music Box Theatre is showing Akira in Chicago next weekend

* Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more!

* Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Unity‘ by TheFatRat with permission

* Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com