Splitgate
Tonight on GeekNights, we review the portal-inspired multiplayer FPS Splitgate. It's free to play, not pay to win, and if you ignore the non-game-affecting skinz and lootz it's definitely worth trying. In the news, the Advance Wars remaster is delayed, BlizzCon is canceled to be re-imagined, and you don't need a rumble pack for your N64 Controller. Also, the OLED Switch doesn't appear to be selling well, but that's not actually a problem for Nintendo.
Operating System Upgrades and Migrations
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider upgrades of and migrations between Operating Systems. We may need to consider that the concept of an Operating System has changed and continues to evolve as computer technology matures. In the news, Apple Day told us about new MacBook Pros and AirPods (plus how people apparently aren't actually using Siri), and a kid accidentally shot himself immediately after assembling a 3D printed gun.
Aliens and UFOs
Tonight on GeekNights, we discuss aliens and UFOs and such. The 90s were a wild time with alien autopsies and The X-Files. Nevermind real alien topics like the Drake equation, the Rare Earth hypothesis, or the Great Filter. In the news, avoid using computers in Missouri, IATSE will strike on October 18th unless their (extremely reasonable) demands are met, Kellog's workers and John Deere workers also strike as a new labor movement comes alive in America.
The Number of Players
Tonight on GeekNights, we consider a game design topic in the number of players a game supports. For this exercise, we only consider orthogames. We've talked about two player games before. The reality is that one player, two player, and three+ player games are fundamentally and formally distinct. A game that supports more than one of these groups is actually multiple different games for all practical purposes.
In the news, NIBCARD Games wins the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming, the Diana Jones Award trophy is missing, the Actraiser remake is more than you probably expect, Metroid Dread is solid, and it's hard to imagine PAX South happening in Texas in January considering the state has now banned vaccine mandates in a manner that very likely includes events in the convention center.
New GeekNights Newsletter Microsite
The GeekNights Newsletter is not new by any means, but it has now been moved to a new platform. If you were already subscribed, you are still subscribed. However, I do plan to start doing it again in the near-ish future. If I wasn't, why would I have gone through all this effort to move it? If you want to receive future installments, now is your chance to get on board.
To subscribe, simply head on over to our new micro-site newsletter.frontrowcrew.com. Not only can you subscribe there, but you can also browse the newsletter archives. Enjoy.
Atari Game Design
PAX East Online 2021
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.
Book Club - The Tale of Genji
What better selection for the book club than the first novel of all time? And of course, we have to read the best possible unabridged translation. No baby mode here at GeekNights
The plot revolves around Genji, who is the son of the Emperor and a low ranking concubine. Genji is removed from the line of succession, and proceeds to go on an epic journey. The journey involves tons of romance and court drama. Spicy!
Despite being older than any other novel, The Tale of Genji has a tremendous amount of relevance to the geeks of the 21st century. The influence of Japan on nerds around the world is undeniable, and a surprising amount of things we see in pop culture are present here in a book from the 11th century. I'm quite confident after reading it how we will notice how many newer stories have been making references to this tale without us realizing it.
Also, I feel the need to point out that this first novel ever written was written by a woman. For all these reasons and so many more, this is more than worthy of book club selection.
