Jul 10 2012
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Topic:
In this turbo rant I briefly address the two month hiatus I’ve been on and let you know I’m ready to go again!
Show notes:
No show notes, so here’s a summary:
Apr 23 2012
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Topic:
In this episode we talk about competitive games and how they can affect the relationships between players depending on their social inclinations, and whether or not they consider each other to be friends.
Show notes:
Bumper music:
Main theme from “Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” by Jeremy Soule
G&L Choir productions (acapella multitrack covers):
(Zelda: A Link to the Past) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbeQu_8NNRg
(F-Zero) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euivPgbXxDQ
“Testosterone and Competitive Play” article by Daniel Cook:
http://www.lostgarden.com/2009/11/testosterone-and-competitive-play.html
Free Domain Radio (hosted by Stefan Molyneux):
http://www.freedomainradio.com/
Complete Liberty (hosted by Wes Bertrand):
http://www.completeliberty.com/
Porc Therapy (hosted by Stephanie Murphy):
http://www.porctherapy.com/
Mar 26 2012
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Topic:
In this episode we talk about game theory, the mathematical assumptions that are made when one applies it, and the errors made by the first people to apply it in a major way.
Show notes:
Bumper music:
Music from “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night” (Master Librarian) by Michiru Yamane
Unit on Game Theory on Learner.org:
http://www.learner.org/courses/mathilluminated/units/9/textbook/01.php
Game Tree:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_tree
Payoff Matrix:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal-form_game
Corbett Report Episode 175: The RAND Corporation Exposed:
http://www.corbettreport.com/episode-175-the-rand-corporation-exposed/
The Trap Episode 1 – “Fuck You Buddy”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZt2HhFXB3M
Tit for Tat:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tit_for_tat
Mar 16 2012
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Topic:
In this Turbo Rant I explain why I haven’t published an episode in the last few weeks, as well as why there’s no reason to worry.
Show notes:
Toastmasters International Speech Contests explained:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toastmasters_International#International_Speech_Contest
Raph Koster’s Website:
http://www.raphkoster.com/
The Gaming and Liberty Daily:
http://paper.li/GamingNLiberty/1328232615
Rock Joe MTL’s gamertag:
http://www.xboxgamertag.com/search/rock-joe-mtl/
Feb 28 2012
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Topic:
In this episode we take another look at the phenomenon of video game addiction. Specifically, we’ll be looking at facebook games and their potential links with slot machines.
Show notes:
Bumper music:
Theme from “Sonic the Hedgehog 2″ (Casino Night Zone) by Masato Nakamura
Betable blog entry “Exposing Social Gaming’s Hidden Lever”:
http://blog.betable.com/exposing-social-gamings-hidden-lever/
Wikipedia entry on reinforcement schedules:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforcement#Schedules_of_reinforcement
University of Cambridge feature “The Psychology of Gambling”:
http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/features/the-psychology-of-gambling/
Dr Luke Clark:
http://www.neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/directory/profile.php?lc260
University of Waterloo paper “Addictive Gameplay: What Casual Game Designers Can Learn from Slot Machine Research” by K. Harrigan, K. Collins, M. Dixon and J. Fugelsang:
http://uwaterloo.academia.edu/KarenCollins/Papers/198772/_Addictive_Gameplay_What_Casual_Game_Designers_Can_Learn_from_Slot_Machine_Research._
Feb 08 2012
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Topic:
In this episode we take a look at social networking games, why they aren’t social, and explore what it would take to make them social.
Show notes:
Bumper music:
Title theme for “Megaman 2″ by Manami Matsumae
My interview on the School Sucks podcast:
http://schoolsucks.podomatic.com/entry/2012-02-02T16_17_43-08_00
(video preview)Â http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u6GSG4YfIY
Mike Sellers’ blog post “The (Psychological) Development of ‘Social’ Games”:
http://onlinealchemy.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/the-psychological-development-of-social-games/
Greg Costikyan’s article “Death to the Games Industry: Long Live Games (part 1)”:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_8/50-Death-to-the-Games-Industry-Part-I
Gamasutra article “Unsocial ‘Social’ Games”:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6387/unsocial_social_games.php
Clarifications on the “CoD: Black Ops” jargon:
http://callofduty.wikia.com/wiki/Flak_Jacket
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M18A1_Claymore_Antipersonnel_Mine
Jan 22 2012
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Topic:
In this Episode, we talk about the SOPA and PIPA bills that were recently discussed in Washington DC, how they could affect independant video game developers, and why we should remain vigilant despite these bills being pulled.
Show notes:
Bumper music:
“Overture” (from Final Fantasy VIII) by Nobuo Uematsu
Clay Shirky’s TED talk “Why SOPA is a bad idea”:
http://www.ted.com/talks/defend_our_freedom_to_share_or_why_sopa_is_a_bad_idea.html
First Principles 8 – Intellectual Property and Copyright:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY57F7QCAPw
Gamasutra Analysis “SOPA and its effect on digital distribution for independent development”:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/39605/Analysis_SOPA_and_its_effect_on_digital_distribution_for_independent_development.php
Edge Games:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge_Games
“Stand Together: The Gaming Community vs SOPA and PIPA”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp8S8eJkMW8
“How the Internet blackout affected congressional support for PIPA/SOPA”:
http://boingboing.net/2012/01/19/how-the-internet-blackout-affe.html
“ESA withdraws support of SOPA after bill is tabled”:
http://www.shacknews.com/article/72094/esa-withdraws-support-of-sopa-after-bill-is-tabled
“Could SOPA Rise From the Dead?”:
http://mashable.com/2012/01/20/could-sopa-rise-from-the-dead/
Jan 11 2012
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Topic:
In this episode we take a first look at video game addiction, covering a basic definition, the differences found between the brains of gamers and non gamers, and taking a look at possible solutions.
Show notes:
Bumper music:
“Chinatown Wars” (theme from Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars) by Ghostface Killah and MF Doom.
Web ressource on video game addiction:
http://www.video-game-addiction.org/
Reuters article “Keen video-gamers’ brains may reward them more”:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/15/brain-gaming-idUSL3E7MF2FG20111115
“The neural basis of video gaming” paper:
http://www.nature.com/tp/journal/v1/n11/full/tp201153a.html
Free Talk Live show on February 28th, 2011:
http://www.freetalklive.com/content/podcast_2011_02_28
Uproxx article “How to manage your online gaming addiction”:
http://www.uproxx.com/feature/2010/02/how-to-manage-your-online-gaming-addiction/
Dec 19 2011
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Topic:
In this episode we talk about video game violence, exploring why video games have such a strong tendency towards violence, whether or not that’s a bad thing, and what can be done about it.
Show notes:
Bumper music:
Theme from “Battletoads in Battlemaniacs” (Ragnarok Canyon level) by Matt Furniss and David Wise
Jesse Schell’s speech “Make Games, Not War”:
http://vimeo.com/25681002
Escapist article “Amazon Ranks Best-Selling Games of 2011″:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114694-Amazon-Ranks-Best-Selling-Games-of-2011
Koopa Troopa:
http://www.mariowiki.com/Koopa_Troopa
“Story” by Robert McKee:
http://www.amazon.com/Story-Substance-Structure-Principles-Screenwriting/dp/0060391685
“Foundation” by Isaac Asimov:
http://www.amazon.com/Foundation-Novels-Isaac-Asimov/dp/0553382578/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvor_Hardin
CBS article “Can a video game lead to murder?”:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/04/60minutes/main678261.shtml
Dialog tree:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialog_tree
Pareto principle (the 80-20 rule):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle
Dec 05 2011
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Topic:
In this episode we look at Games for Change, and analyze some of the games in their arcade.
Show notes:
Bumper music:
“Area 1″ (gameplay from Rez) by Keiichi Sugiyama, Tomonori Sawada, Koji Sakurai, and Masafumi Ogata
Games for Change:
http://www.gamesforchange.org/
Popular talks from 2011 Games for Change Festival:
http://www.gamesforchange.org/2011/07/g4c2011-most-popular-talks/
Win the White House:
http://www.icivics.org/games/win-white-house
Context of the Ann Coulter clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgsKKS1dvXs
Sandra Day O’Connor:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandra_Day_O%27Connor
Sweatshop:
http://www.playsweatshop.com/
