Nerds Amalgamated

A New Nerd Approaches and his name is Phoenix

If you own the game Oxenfree through Itch.io, you're about to lose access to it. The Netflix owned games studio is pulling the game from storefronts and libraries, leaving nothing in its wake. This time, even if you own it, you won't be able to download it. This should be completely unacceptable, so how do we fight back?

Disney didn't have the rights to use Peter Cushing's likeness in Rogue One, and they're being sued about it. We discuss IP law and the right someone has to their own face.

Gene editing is a new technology that could allow us to create new and improved forms of existing animals and plants that are more resilient to climate change and disease. Is this the solution to all our problems?

Oxenfree erasure

- Another reminder that your digital library isn't forever: Oxenfree will be completely removed from Itch.io next month | PC Gamer 

Another Disney Lawsuit

- After UK Judge Denies Disney's Attempt To Dismiss, Lawsuit Alleging Peter Cushing's Likeness Was Used Without Permission In 'Rogue One' Headed To Trial - Bounding Into Comics 

Gene editing and its results

- The great gene editing debate: can it be safe and ethical? 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R7NG58u84Zs-JY8elnxilRD2sJfbq5LLmuPuFqIJjEA/edit?usp=sharing

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Suda51 and Shinji Mikami got together to talk about Japan's CERO system of games classification. They've raised some excellent points about the inconsistencies in the system.

Humans don't like the heat much. New research shows that the fatal limit for temperature and humidity might be much lower than expected.

Jenna Ortega thinks more women led franchises should be original IPs, not gender flipped traditionally male roles. This take is certainly not controversial and won't lead to heated arguments in comment sections around the internet.

Pushback against Japanese Censorship in games

- Shinji Mikami slams video game censorship in Japan: “The rules are made by people who don’t play games” - AUTOMATON WEST 

Humans in heat

- Scientists testing deadly heat limits on humans show thresholds may be much lower than first thought - ABC News 

Woman should have own franchises – Jenna Ortega

- Jenna Ortega Says Women Should Have Their Own Franchises: “I Don't Want 'Jamie Bond'” 

- “I just read it and went, oh sh*t” Jenna Ortega & Catherine O’Hara on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vf8IQVWuZni1P1bumPi6OHkffsziC_pmZ4XFbL2EIaw/edit?usp=sharing

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Epic Games Store's long running free games program seems to be paying off for their user acquisition strategy, despite their low sales of exclusives. They still can't hold a candle to Steam though.

The Marshmallow test is supposed to determine a child's future. The latest studies actually debunk it, and prove that you really aren't limited. At least not that way.

The US FTC has finally banned fake reviews. YAY. We'll see how they enforce it but hopefully this leads to a major reduction in fraud.

Epic games free giveaway 

- Epic Games' free game giveaways have been "magical" for user acquisition | GamesIndustry.biz 

Debunking the Marshmallow testing

- Delay of gratification and adult outcomes: The Marshmallow Test does not reliably predict adult functioning - Sperber - Child Development - Wiley Online Library

- Delay of gratification and adult outcomes: The Marshmallow Test does not reliably predict adult functioning  

FTC vs Reviews

- New 163-Page FTC Regulation Bans Fake Reviews, Testimonials, And More In "Final Rule" - What Does It Mean For Review Bombing? - Bounding Into Comics 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1S1JXbx8j5kULMFGaHMONym5vt2dSG68stYsHlHGxEv8/edit?usp=sharing

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Roblox is now banned in another country for child exploitation. These are serious allegations, so we're lucky serious journalists have investigated and uncovered the reasons why Roblox isn't great for kids. We discuss the issues and whether Australia should follow suit.

Mathematicians have worked out the optimum swimming stroke, and are training swimmers to perform it at the Olympics. We also discuss the just past Paris Olympics and some of the standout memes from the event.

Disney have announced everything they're working on, and it's a field as empty of originality as the Sea of Tranquility is of liquid water. We're not impressed.

Roblox is banned in Turkey

- Update on the Roblox ban in Türkiye 

Olympic swimmers and maths

- The mathematician who helps Olympic swimmers go faster 

D23 Film announcements

- Here's Everything We Learned At D23 2024: New Film Announcements And More 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X5ciHYmh_nHfJgMVa_e6YmHtTuGbWk_Y8MiaaxGeLrs/edit?usp=sharing

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The CEO of Warframe developer Digital Extremes has explained why he thinks there hasn't been another Live Service hit like Warframe.

Jim Shooter, a former Marvel head, has some thoughts on modern comics - There isn't enough dialogue apparently.

Sharks in Brazil have gotten their fins on large amounts of cocaine from drug smugglers. Everything humans do affects the environment, including dumping contraband in the ocean.

Is Live Service game an actual good model

- Big publishers ‘eject too soon’ from live service titles, says Warframe boss | VGC 

The current state of modern comics books

- Former Marvel EIC Jim Shooter Slams The Current State Of Western Comics: "It's Supposed To Be Entertainment, But A Lot Of It Comes Out Like Propaganda" 

Cocaine Shark

- Brazilian sharpnose sharks test positive for cocaine, new study shows - ABC News 

- First report on cocaine and benzoylecgonine detection in sharks - ScienceDirect 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i3GOEon4GR-kEhuyxYNAxe7i1z_qEBO8QTIVnbRk014/edit?usp=sharing

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Viggo Mortensen hasn't been seen in any big franchises since Lord of the Rings. He's got a very good reason for that, and he isn't likely to go back. At least he's willing to tell us why.

We've seen a lot of great indie games in the last few years, but it's starting to look like the bubble might be popping. Sooner or later it'll be back, but at what cost?

Watching yourself perform karaoke makes you blush. Scientists used this to find out why we blush and what's going on inside your brain when it happens.

Viggo Mortensen Interview about Movie Franchieses & Film Criticism

- Viggo Mortensen Speaks His Mind: On Amazon’s “Shameful” Decision, Green Book’s “Disingenuous” Critics, and Indie Film’s Unclear Future | Vanity Fair 

Is the Indie Games bubble popping?

- ‘Death Occurs in the Dark’: Indie Video Game Devs Are Struggling to Survive | WIRED 

Karaoke Experiment

- Scientists inflict karaoke on young volunteers to find out what makes us blush | Science | The Guardian 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MF9egq18m_pLZiDBT14jYRRGh21219Tl3JlnbG8j0WQ/edit?usp=sharing

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A species of carpenter ants will perform surgery on their wounded comrades. These gory scenes take place after vicious battles with other ant colonies. This is the first time that surgery has been observed in non-human animals.

Much has been made of video game addiction, which is a real and scary thing. But not every case is medical addiction, and there might be good reasons why people are turning to games.

Crunchyroll have decided to close their comment section permanently. The exodus of commenters must go somewhere else to rant about anime.

Surgical ants

- Ants can carry out life-saving amputations on injured nest mates, study shows | Animal behaviour | The Guardian 

Why teens are are suffering from game addiction

- It’s not them, it’s us: the real reason teens are ‘addicted’ to video games | Games | The Guardian 

Crunchyroll Censorship

- Sony-Owned Crunchyroll Disables Comments, User Reviews In Order To "Reduce Harmful Content" And "Prevent Misinformation" - Bounding Into Comics 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/12fgvsgWpGoKZdeHUGgPTHhBNfmbi-CrH_PPM0-Fs6cg/edit?usp=sharing

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Scientist have found that whales are happier when humans are not around, and this was during the first year of the COVID-19 Pandemic, when human activity on the ocean was limited. Which begs the question do whales really hate humans?

Eve Online's creator CCP Games have decided to go open source...will this make the game immortal? Only time will tell...

Hollywood is facing an exodus of film crew workers, is this the sign that the Hollywood cinema is coming to an end?

Whales hate humans

- University of Queensland research finds whales were less stressed during early COVID pandemic - ABC News 

Eve Online Open Source Edition

- Hilmar Pétursson: Making CCP tech open source will enable Eve Online to live forever | GamesIndustry.biz 

Hollywood Exodus

- Goodbye, Hollywood: Why these film and TV workers decided to ditch L.A. 

Full Show Notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rz7hvJMxzl2g_EQdJ4luwCyR3v394HNOf4loeYCEKzY/edit?usp=sharing

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A classic MMO designer thinks modern MMOs aren't giving players enough ways to play together. MMOs have changed over the last 20 years, and are no longer the only way to play with your friends. So what's really behind the changes?

A new study suggests geoengineering might actually just move the issue from one place to another. Who will bear the consequences of trying to prevent global warming?

GTA has never been made into a movie. One of the Rockstar founders has come forwards to explain why.

Modern MMO….

- MMOs 'don't give people the tools to build community anymore,' says EverQuest 2 creative director | PC Gamer 

Geoengineering...curse or cure

- Cloud geoengineering could push heatwaves from US to Europe | New Scientist 

GTA the movie….

- Rockstar Games Co-Founder Says 'Grand Theft Auto', 'Red Dead Redemption' Never Adapted To Film Or TV Because "The Risk Never Made Sense" - Bounding Into Comics

Full show notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MGjk2zwqVJ0XAIpZX1S3O7x7v8_IKlrV0CbDgcBIBqo/edit?usp=sharing

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Team Fortress 2 has been overrun by bots. A new campaign to save this game from the hackers and cheaters who are ruining it begs Valve to make a difference. We discuss how this relates to the Stop Killing Games campaign and the various ways Valve and the community can save the game.

By all accounts, The Crow's reboot will not be any good. Can it be saved? Who will watch it?

The Arctic Fox is on the brink of extinction, except for the diligent work of a team of fox breeders working to save the population through captive breeding. Will they be successful or will the fox go the way of the dodo?

Please Fix Team Fortress 2

- SaveTF2 Petition 

- Why is #FixTF2 trending? Team Fortress 2 issues explained 

The Unwatchable Crow

- https://boundingintocomics.com/2024/06/10/former-the-crow-reboot-screenwriter-trashes-film-its-horrible-its-unwatchable-dont-waste-your-money/ 

Project Artic Fox

- Eagle attacks, red invaders and a genetic bottleneck: inside the fight to save arctic foxes | Endangered species | The Guardian 

Full show notes : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y6-xFOjpm82r8WizA4phZF0cdgXPMjE42_5EpUOAWp0/edit?usp=sharing

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