Unlocking Games

First, an important note: This will be our last episode for a while. Brandon and I have both developed outside commitments that keep us from spending the time to do more episodes right. We might be back someday! But please enjoy this and each of our past episodes - we're proud of each one, and I think they'll still be relevant down the line.

To anybody who has ever listened to an episode: I sincerely thank you.

We're also releasing this episode outside of our normal schedule, because there's a natural connection to an event coming up on this Tuesday, 4/4/17:

Over 190 movie theaters will run special screenings of 1984.

You should find one!

This connection will make sense if you even glance at the PC game Orwell. While not an official tie-in to 1984, it's obviously heavily inspired by that book.

You play a government employee who monitors the web and private communications for evidence of terrorism. You have frequent choices about whether or not to report chunks of information. You might wrongly imprison someone, but you might also fail to prevent a bombing.

Orwell is fun and compelling to play, mostly avoids getting preachy, and provides a unique way to think about current events. It's $9.99 on Steam, and has a free demo available.

The game is more than two years old and based on an event from the 90s, but This War of Mine still feels fresh and relevant.

This War of Mine drops you in the middle of a city under siege. But you're not a well-equipped well-trained super-soldier packing the latest gadgets.

You're a civilian, just trying to make it to the next morning. This is more Survivalist Sims than Call of Duty.

Developers 11 Bit Studios set out to re-create the experience of the '92-'96 siege of Sarajevo, but it's just as applicable to today's Syrian civil war.

Resources are scarce and violence is sudden and swift. You can steal from or murder others to get by, but that decision has significant mental consequences for your characters.

We found lots to appreciate in the message and basic mechanics of This War of Mine. But unfortunately the extreme difficulty, lack of a tutorial, and opaque goals hamper what might otherwise be a successful effort to raise awareness about the consequences of war on civilians and refugees.