Clive Thompson, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and Wired and the author of the book “Smarter than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better,” talks about how fatherhood changed what video games he plays, how “World of Warcraft” almost ruined his life, and why “Mario Bros.” is better than “Super Mario Bros.” Then (at 40:00), JJ talks about his “Clash Royale” addiction. And (at 47:08) Chris tries to rebut Clive’s notion that the designers of games like “Gone Home” are backward-looking prisoners of noninteractive media.

NEXT WEEK, WE HOPE:

“1979 Revolution” & Episode 5 of “Life Is Strange”

SHOW NOTES:

“The ‘Minecraft’ Generation,” Clive Thompson’s New York Times Magazine cover story

Steven Poole’s “Working for the Man: Against the Employment Paradigm in Videogames”

“How Microsoft Labs Invented a New Science of Play,” Clive’s Wired cover story on ‘Halo 3’

Clive’s book, “Smarter Than You Think”

Tristan Harris: Ethics for Designers