GeekNights will be in San Antonio Texas for PAX South 2015. We will be presenting (in the very least) a lecture titled "Bad Games."

Bad Games
Sunday, January 25th
4:30pm
Armadillo Theatre

We've all played "bad" games, but what truly makes a game "bad?" Is one's miserable experience not simply subjective opinion? It turns out that the problem is not in defining what makes a game "bad," but in what makes a game a "game." Candyland teaches children colors and counting, but is terrible for a serious tournament. Dungeons & Dragons is great for that heroic fantasy adventure, but not so much for your future cyberpunk transhumanist court drama.

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We are also returning for PAX East 2015, where we will be presenting a lecture titled "What is Losing?"

What is Losing?
Friday, March 6th
4:30pm
Bumblebee Theatre

The point of a game is to win. Or is it? Can you "win" Gone Home or The Stanley Parable? Is losing a game of Dwarf Fortress the same as losing a game of chess? Why is Super Meat Boy's difficulty exciting, while Silver Surfer's is painful? Does one lose Monopoly due to player skill, or because you flipped the table? What if we played games that focused not on the "narrative of victory," but instead on the "narrative of failure?" Do games need to have a way to "lose" in the first place?