Refrigeration
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider refrigeration. In the news, the illegitimate Supreme Court of the United States has taken away basic human rights, Google Hangouts is shutting down, and Google is merging Meet and Duo.
Save Games
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider save games. Saving games, game states, save scumming, permadeath, passwords, batteries, statefulness, and more. In the news, The Stanley Cup finals are spicier than anticipated, PAX West badges are live (and not sold out), Street Fighter 6 is trying something interesting, and a strange attempt to take over Hasbro has failed.
Cartoon Cartoons (1995-2003)
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider the cartoons of Cartoon Cartoons (1995-2003). Dexter's Lab, Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, and all the rest. In the news, Made in Abyss is returning July 6, Inu-Oh is coming August 12 and has an English trailer, and Scott geekbites Osamu Tezuka's W3 (Wonder 3).
The Chatbot isn't Sentient
Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss the Google engineer who thinks the AI has come to life. It's a LaMDA, and one Blake Lemoine has made some extraordinary claims. In the news, the Rangers had a good run, Meet Web Push for Safari, New York wins a right to repair, and everybody is having fun with DALL E.
Live at PAX East 2022!
GeekNights will be live at PAX East 2022!
Atari Game Design
Thursday, April 21st
7:00pm ET
Bumblebee Theatre
Game design is a wide subject. The best approach to mastering it is to focus on the fundamentals, and what better place to do that than with Atari 2600 games? Join us for a deep game design analysis of classic competitive Atari games like Outlaw, and how their core concepts extend to modern games. When you can literally count the pixels with your eyes, and the code will fit in your calculator, the core principles of good (and bad) design become starkly apparent.
Rare Game Mechanics
PAX Unplugged 2021
Some game mechanics are common. Drafting cards. Rolling dice. Choosing actions. Worker placement. They are used in many games for a variety of reasons. But what about the weird ones? Ever play a game with a Rondel? Experience the glory of a 'Promise Cube?' Wait until we talk about what can only be described as 'Bohnanza Hand!' Join the GeekNights crew for a deep exploration of the rarely used (sometimes for a reason) mechanics of tabletop games.
Book Club - Ninefox Gambit
After the Genji debacle, I felt it was only fair to use my next book club selection on the book most requested by the listener of this show, Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee. That does not mean this pick is without merit. Despite being the author's debut novel it was nominated for several awards, and won some as well. It is the first book in the Machineries of Empire series.
The book itself is a fundamentally a sci-fi novel full of space battles. It truly deserves to have a space ship on the cover. It tells the story of Kel Cheris, a captain in the hexarchate, a space empire. A large and important space station, the Fortress of Scattered Needles, is overthrown by heretics. Cheris is chosen for a mission to take it back.
Of course it's not just some pulp action adventure space opera. The book is actually about calendars, orthodoxy, democracy, immortality, consciousness, memory, folklore, traditions, math, games, and more. I think the parts relating to game design where perhaps why the listener wanted us to select it.
So humble listener, I hope you are happy we have chosen the book you have requested. Look forward to us discussing it probably sometime this summer.
