RANT WARNING

Yet another big upcoming PC game release has gone exclusive to the Epic Games Store and as seems to be inevitable in gaming now, battle lines are being drawn between the people who dislike Epic's new platform and their practice of buying exclusives and those defending it as badly needed competition. In discussing this with the latter group, I've had some very strongly worded, frankly pretty weak arguments levied as to why buying exclusives is somehow good for consumers and how my issue is just that I have a hatred of Epic. Those arguments are wrong and I rant about why and also how ridiculous it is to be taking up arms to defend a large company, instead of the customers whose business they are supposed to earn, not take.

A Reddit post that details a lot of the problems with the Epic Games Store, including many I didn't get to in the episode: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/akwwqg/can_we_please_all_boycott_the_epic_games_store/ef905um/

The Anthem VIP Demo was available this past weekend for those who pre-ordered, had Origin Access Premier or knew someone in the beta who was willing to give up one of their 3 Friend Pass codes. I got to play a little of it, mostly because the servers were on fire. I talk about these (admittedly limited) impressions and how between the tech problems and this game's strong similarity to Destiny, that EA might be on the path of flubbing yet another big release. I'll be trying the Open Demo and the full release though so we'll see how it goes.

The VoD of Esva's The Interview that I reference in the intro (scrub to about 5:45 to skip the pre-show): https://mixer.com/Esva?vod=81199119

You've probably heard of the recent ad from Gillette that attempted to counter traditional stereotypes about masculinity and invited men to improve themselves, in an attempt to sell overpriced razors. Like many, I am very much not a fan of the ad or the message it sends. However, I believe there's a deeper meaning behind it that is getting lost in the massive amounts of Internet slapfights spawned because of it, something that I believe was the intent of the ad all along. I talk about this theory and why everyone arguing about this (including me) is giving Gillette exactly what they want.

My first time at PAX is done and what a time it was! I ended up not being able to record with anyone else and did this episode after getting home (I explain why) and talk about some other developers I saw at the show and also how meeting so many incredible people from theSHED has reminded me how even as an introvert, human connection is so important.

The photos (and a couple of...interesting videos) I took on the trip: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Gny4NaLeRWJRqRdz5

The Analog Assult podcast episode I sat in on: https://analogassault.podbean.com/e/53-on-location-pax-south-2019-w-anthem-community-manager-jesse/

The day after I post this, I'm heading to PAX South, which will not only be my first PAX but my first gaming show in my new role as Developer Relations Envoy for theSHED. A very short time ago, this would have been a terrifying prospect for me. Now, it's something that I'm incredibly excited about and my normal anxieties are barely there. I talk about why this is and how much it's changed my outlook on things.

There will hopefully be daily podcasts from the show, stay tuned!

Episode referenced on going caffeine free: https://anchor.fm/geekbravado/episodes/Episode-4-09122018-Going-Caffeine-Free-for-ADHD-e2nr5p

Happy New Year!

Another crazy year is in the books and as I like to do around this time, I wanted to talk about games from the past year that I really enjoyed and that I think you might as well. I used to do a top 10 list but couldn't this year as I didn't get to play everything that might have been a contender but nonetheless, I was able to play some incredible stuff that I wanted to share it with people so they could maybe discover something new. This list isn't ordered but everything on it is something I think is very special. I hope you enjoy and make sure to tell me what games you loved as well!

Background music consists of selections from the Star Control: Origins original soundtrack.

In a surprise announcement on January 10, Bungie announced that they are ending mutually ending what was supposed to be a 10 year publishing partnership with Activision for the Destiny franchise. Many erroneously assume they Bungie was actually owned by Activision, when in fact they just had an exclusive publishing arrangement. They have announced that they will be self-publishing Destiny going foward, something their recent $100M investment from Chinese giant NetEase is sure to help with. I talk about what this could mean for the studio, the future of Destiny and also, why I think more than a bit of the Destiny situation can be laid at the hands of Bungie themselves.

NOTE: I mistakenly said that it was Tencent that invested in Bungie. NetEase is a different company, not associated with Tencent, though still not pillars of integrity.

I highly recommend listening to the prior episode on this first: https://anchor.fm/geekbravado/episodes/Episode-20-Jan-2---2019---The-Star-Control-Legal-Mess-e2s7mq

Since I recorded my original episode on this issue, Paul Reiche & Fred Ford have finally come out with a list of what from Star Control II they believe Star Control: Origins is infringing on, in order to justify their having the game pulled from sale. Their claims are to put it mildly, dubious. As a passionate fan who has emotional investment in this matter resolving amicably and has tried to remain as neutral and objective as possible, it's getting harder and harder to have sympathy for Paul & Fred here. I go into this with a way that probably most demonstrates the "Bravado" that this show is titled after:

Stardock forum thread showing Fred & Paul's claims, along with their refutation: https://forums.starcontrol.com/492870/at-long-last-reiche-and-ford-state-what-they-think-they-own

A modified version of the claims chart, showing how nearly everything Paul & Fred claim is infringing, are things that Star Control II also infringes from StarFlight, a game from a decade prior: http://www.viridiangames.com/images/updatedchart.png

Virtual Legality #11-2: Look, Feel, and the DMCA (Hoeg Law): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgmX2GHF88o

Buy a Steam key for Star Control: Origins for 50% off (while supplies last): https://www.stardock.com/games/starcontrol/store#purchase

On January 1, 2019, Ontario introduced significantly harsher penalties for distracted driving. However, they for some reason decided that only "using your phone" and certain derivatives of that should qualify for these penalties, which similarly dangerous actions should not. As someone who does believe in getting tough on this issue, I question this double standard and also, ask the open question of whether increased penalties alone are really the solution to it.