This month, the guys look at the effects of gaming on physical health and whether Ben's mid-gaming consumption of junk food is more likely due to him being a glutton, and Dooban tells of his experiences in Korea and the Korean's love of esports and all things gaming, as well as the usual quizzes, facts, features and frolics. 

Referenced Resources

Korean Esports:

https://www.wired.com/story/korean-esports-gaming-class-culture/, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/19/world/asia/south-korea-esports.html

This month, the guys deep dive the world of indie games and compare the inner workings of the independent video game industry to that of triple A titles, and Doobs makes us all feel really old by looking at growing up and the effect it has on our love for gaming, as well as the usual quizzes, facts, features and frolics.

Referenced Resources

Indie Games:

https://www.indiegamewebsite.com/2018/10/19/the-complete-history-of-indie-games/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thatgamecompany

https://venturebeat.com/2020/12/16/the-renaissance-and-evolution-of-indie-games/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Gamingcirclejerk/comments/6qjtwp/the_witcher_3_is_an_indie_game_not_aaa/

https://www.indiegamewebsite.com/2019/12/24/the-100-best-indie-games-of-all-time/10/

Growing up & gaming:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/01/tales-of-an-aging-gamer-why-dont-i-pick-up-a-controller-as-often-as-i-used-to/

This month, the guys take a trip down memory lane while discussing gaming nostalgia, and Chris tries to convince Alex that playing billions of additional hours of video games can make a better world, as well as the usual quizzes, facts, features and frolics.

Referenced Resources

Video Game Nostaligia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmtfJX3NH3w

https://kotaku.com/why-nostalgia-for-video-games-is-uniquely-powerful-1832434707

Can gaming make the world a better place:

https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world?language=en

https://www.engadget.com/2008-10-06-superstruct-the-worlds-first-massively-multiplayer-forecasting.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAD8EvJR6xZkn2Ky0pBlwGgQ9ESUQ117FGVrhcppMAFmxKxlIKrJa9V0UDOhqGkgKTOkq2nqGZmSf7ewohaCXoX0gEAayJ_jZJtaeCGAifuzejZnQ1NHYYTtdpsQfHwHQUm1e7hLWjPP_1vAZR2eOA618kMaO6x6_v1zxru7n-VDl

This month, the guys welcome Madeleine Mills to the team because Alex was hit by a bus or something.  They also discuss cheating, cheaters and the cheated of multiplayer gaming, as well as cloud gaming and the resultant analysis paralysis, as well as the usual quizzes, facts, features and frolics.

Referenced Resources

Cheating:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZVFXaXegTE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI7V60r7Jco

Cloud Gaming & the Paradox of Choice:

https://adaraventures.medium.com/what-is-cloud-gaming-a-deep-dive-into-the-growth-driver-of-the-138bn-videogames-industry-67beda6db4

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/how-the-paradox-of-choice-keeps-you-scrolling-through-netflix-20190701-p5231b.html

Worst Game Reviews:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_games_notable_for_negative_reception#:~:text=Big%20Rigs%20was%20listed%20as,from%20only%201%20to%205.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/15/30-worst-video-games-of-all-time-part-one

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/NES-Power-Glove.jpg

This month, the guys discuss speed running and completing Mario 64 in under 10 minutes, failure in gaming and how it isn't really failing, and how communication is gaming isn't what the masses think it is and the communities that grow from it, as well as the usual quizzes, facts, features and frolics.

Referenced Resources

Speed Running:

https://www.museumofplay.org/blog/2020/07/saving-speedrunning-and-digital-communities

Failure in Gaming:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vJRopau0g0&list=PLrhmBHce80izEnOyf8gOieeclSig_X06J&index=1&t=5s

Communication & Gaming Communities:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2013/jul/31/gamer-communities-positive-side-twitter

https://www.jcfs.org/response/blog/video-games-are-social-spaces-how-video-games-help-people-connect

https://www.campkodiak.com/danger-ahead-compulsive-gaming-and-media-recluses/

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201215-how-online-gaming-has-become-a-social-lifeline

Gaming facts:

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/395489-most-completions-of-dark-souls-using-alternative-control-methods

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutdown_law

This month, the guys discuss AI and the nature of NPC and enemy intelligence in games, why video games make such terrible films and the battle between console brands as they bay for market share with exclusives and cloud gaming, as well as the usual quizzes, facts, features and frolics.

Referenced Resources

Artificial Intelligence:

https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence

https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/6/18222203/video-game-ai-future-procedural-generation-deep-learning

https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/13/18309459/openai-five-dota-2-finals-ai-bot-competition-og-e-sports-the-international-champion

Video Game Films:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_video_games

https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2018/02/20/three-reasons-video-game-movies-always-seem-to-be-terrible/?sh=1fc01fbb1d9e

https://www.raindance.org/why-many-video-game-films-are-bad/#:~:text=The%20Nature%20of%20the%20Mediums,are%20a%20more%20passive%20experience.

The Console Battle:

https://theconversation.com/the-war-between-xbox-and-playstation-is-no-longer-about-consoles-its-about-winning-your-loyalty-150057

Gaming facts:

Infinigeek.com

This month, the guys discuss rewards systems in gaming and the nature of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, the art of deliberate practice and the effect it has on our enjoyment of gaming, cognitive gaming and the various ways we can use brain interfaces to play video games, as well as quizzes, facts, features and frolics.

Referenced Resources

Rewards in gaming:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268351726_Game_Reward_Systems_Gaming_Experiences_and_Social_Meanings

Deliberate practice:

https://www.psychologyofgames.com/2016/12/deliberate-practice-and-getting-good/

Cognitive gaming:

Console cost quiz:

https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/Launch_price

Gaming facts:

https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/

This month, the guys discuss their favourite sound effects, sexualisation and ideals in video games and what it would take to change the status quo, the joyous topic of death and what games can teach us about this inevitability, as well as a morality test and the usual facts, features and frolics.

Referenced Resources

Iconic sound effects:

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/27-video-game-noises-that-you-will-never-be-able-to-forget

Sexualisation in gaming:

https://www.mcvuk.com/development-news/lets-talk-about-sexualisation-in-video-games/

Death in gaming:

https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2018/11/16/what-does-gaming-teach-us-about-death-in-gaming/

Gaming facts:

https://www.vgfacts.com/

https://www.gameinformer.com/