To: Player

We have chosen our new read for the series. It's a nifty non-fiction called Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World by Stephen Johnson. We found it on the MIT Press Game Design tab, and Johnson had previously been on the New York Times Bestseller's List for his book How We Got to Now. The book's thesis is wonderfully straightforward, as it argues that delight - not necessity, not hunger, not capitalism, etc - led to the most forward thinking and powerful innovations of our modern world.

James and Ian take some time to unpack the introduction of this book, and look at how some early drawings by scholars and engineers in Baghdad had some of their mechanisms realized throughout the renaissance in Europe. We dig deeper into this, and look at the uncanny series of direct causes and consequences that led from early automatons to modern computers.

Finally, we're getting closer to understanding the importance of play in our modern and complicated world. In play, there is no fixed goal or structure, and with that absence of structure comes the absence of a fixed mindset. Those who 'play' rather than 'do' are free to make mistakes, to build for the sake of building, and to explore possibilities they would not have known existed. Play is vital, and we are excited to start a new series to understand how play made the modern world.

As always, thanks for listening.

Later, Player.

Today we get philosophical and discuss Jean Baudrillard and his views on simulation and simulated experiences. Games provide simulated experiences, but the emotions and choices that they invoke are still real. So, are we in a simulation or the straight up base reality? We also bring on a guest, Dr. Jonathan Arendt, who helps us wade through the monster of this philosophy. As we continue to creep towards a world with more incorporated virtual experiences, it's important to weigh how important the distinction between the real and virtual really is. Are you more free in the simulation or reality?

Ian also eats a big old pile of crow and grudgingly talks about how good The Witcher 3 and its expansions are, fanboys be damned. James talks about playing Heatmap, and Ian talks about what it's like to buy a game he's afraid he'll hate.

Happy Halloween y'all.

Thanks for listening.

Later player.

We're taking a pause before the next book series to talk about some games we've been playing. Ian gets up on his soap box, James talks about Magic the Gathering and Hearthstone. We talk a little about nostalgia, and a surprising amount about a 'girlfriend' simulator in VR. It's a weird world, but we're still happy to be a part of it. More on the Witcher 3, Empire: Total War, Together VR, Magic the Gathering, Hearthstone, and other sweet sweet things. Ian also botches an effort to promote the show by missing our twitter handle several times too many. What's a internet?

Thanks for listening, later player.

@podcast_to

Then you get the power.

Esports, we are sure, are here to stay. Listen to Ian and James discuss the rise and continued growth of the esports industry in the final chapter of Sport 2.0. Esports is huge business, which streamers bringing millions of views a day, going head to head with major league sports franchises around the world. Also, we finally decide to include esports into the category of sport, but try not to hound to hard on the semantics. If we can establish that there is a sliding scale of physicality involved in sports, why not the haptically control speed and precision involved in a gaming rig? We also take a moment to discuss whether, after all, we think the Olympic games will open their arms to the videogame industry. If so, is it a winter sport or a summer sport? Which games will go first? Does that present any unique challenges?

James also takes a moment to catch us up on some blockbuster hits he has been playing recently, including the totally not racist or repetitive Ghost Recon: Wildlands, and The all-too-risqueee Witcher 3. Ian avoids talking about Terraria for the 3rd episode in a row.

Thanks for listening!

This week Ian and James discuss e-sports and their possible place in the Olympics. Ninja gets more than 30 millions views a month, and that's roughly the number of folks that tuned into the Rio Olympics in the USA. Should that matter? We think so. We also discuss how video games and sports continue to replicate each others' structure and format more and more, and how viewers and players alike are changing their tastes to match. Kids these days are involved in just as much hero worship and tribalism as we saw with our generation, and our parents' generation, with sports stars on TV - it's just that tastes are different these days.

We also take a brief detour through some of the games we've been playing, Ian takes another stab at that mudcrab, and we talk about some contenders for the worst sports games ever created.

Hope you love it.

Later Player

While James was away this week, Ian discusses some of the new (and old) games he has been playing, including: Terraria, They Are Billions, and the new update for No Man's Sky. These are just some quick updates on some new releases and some oldies-but-goodies.

Ian also takes a moment to talk about the tragic shooting following the Madden 2K event in Jacksonville, Florida just over a week ago. While trying not to get to political and stick to what this podcast is about, this is something that happened in our own virtual backyard. James and Ian have just been talking about video game culture, e-sports, and sports and so it seems necessary to address. If we are going to put sports and e-sports side by side and compare them, then it's easy to notice a lack of coaching and sportsmanship that can sometimes be present in online gaming communities. Does this happen all the time? No. Are most people just there to enjoy themselves and do what they love? Of course. However, it might be necessary to further promote the idea that sharing a passion with people from all over the world, who all participate in a common activity, may alone have to super cede being the best all the time. It's normal to lose at things, and gaming is no different in this regard. Agree or disagree, this is an important conversation that needs to take place now.

Also, on a very different note, Ian explores Skyrim's newest addition. VR? Nope, he's done that already and it almost made him puke. This time Bethesda's really done it. They've released it on the most powerful, most accessible, most user friendly platform yet: Alexa.

Thanks for listening!

Later player.

In this episode James and Ian introduce the book Sport 2.0, written by author and sports researcher Professor Andy Miah. The worlds of physical and digital games are converging, and that's forcing us to have some important conversations with one another. What is a sport, anyway?

We talk about how sports games challenge us while promoting accessibility and participation for all, and how games previously only possible in our imaginations are being created by studios around the world. The Oculus Rift makes a rock climbing video game, The Climb, Xbox releases games with dual joystick control, all in an effort to make the user experience the sport as if they were there in person.

We also talk about how stereotypes play a big role in how gamers sometime view sports, or sports culture. Probably in the same way as those that identify as 'sporty' people might not play video games for one reason or another. As the physical and digital sports experiences converge, players of both are forced to critically examine their own biases and stereotypes and realize that perhaps defining their identity based on what they are not, rather than what they are or what they like, may be counterproductive.

Thanks for listening. New episode will be out on Sept 6.

Later player.

James and Ian discuss the game "This War of Mine," which was developed in partnership with War Child. It is a bleak game designed with the intention to build empathy in its players, having them experience some of the difficulties of wartime through an indie-game lens.

This game dealt with some very difficult subjects, and so with that in mind we think its important to put a trigger warning in place. This game has instances of violence, both physical and sexual in nature. Though sexual violence is not a major topic of this episode, it is briefly mentioned as it comes up in the narrative of the game.

This War of Mine is a bleak and powerful emotional experience. It is tough to play at times, but creates a visceral experience for gamers by shedding some light on what it might be like to survive a modern siege.

James and Ian discuss the Telltale hit "The Walking Dead, Season One" and the difficult pathways it lays out for the player. Continuing with the book "Beyond Choices" by MIT researcher Miguel Sicart as a guide, they talk about how the game creates player complicity in this dark post-apocalyptic title.

The Walking Dead, Season 1 consists of five episodes and was released between April and November 2014. It is an amazing immersive and emotional experience, and we highly recommend it!

James and Ian discuss indie title "Papers, Please" and how it is designed to create a gaming experience that deals with difficult choices, and forces the player to engage ethically with NPCs in the fictional setting of Aristotzka.

We also discuss the book "Beyond Choices" written by game design scholar Miguel Sicart, and published by the MIT Press. It is also stated, incorrectly, that Dr. Sicart works at the "MIT Research Labs," which not only isn't a thing but incorrect either way. He works out of the IT University of Copenhagen in the Centre for Computer Games Research.

Papers, Please is a compelling narrative and game designed by developer Lucas Pope and was released on August 8 2013.