This week, Ellen kicks things off with a chat about how games tell players, “This might be tough!” and how to make that fun and fair. Stephen and Mark jump in with their takes on what makes difficulty settings shine. Then, Mark thinks about the practice taking familiar game mechanics and twisting them into something fresh. Think pacifist runs or limited equipment modes. Why limit yourself to one way to play when you can remix the whole game? As always, there are some goofs in here, too.

• Unity 6 Preview is now available - Nancy Larue, Unity
• Unity is canceling the Runtime Fee - Matt Bromberg, Unity
• Unite Conference - Unity
• Hasbro Game Night (for Switch)
• We Were Here Series - Total Mayhem Games, Steam
• Loopy: a tool for thinking in systems - Nicky Case
• Machinations: Create digital twins for your systems, processes or economies

0:21:44Communicating DifficultyReally Bad ChessPuzzmoOrta Therox & Zach GageAggro Crab Studio"Why Quitting Is Usually Worth It"David Duchovny & Stephen DubnerFreakonomics Radio Network0:40:35Remixed Play ModesMetro NexusNoble Robot10 Most Unique Multiplayer Modes In Video GamesJames KennedyThe GamerExtra game modesUniversal Videogame ListPARKS Board Game59 Parks