Due to very important developments, there won't be any GeekNights tonight! Instead, we're premiering the video of our most recent new panel from PAX East 2023!

Can Competitive and Casual Coexist?
Live Premiere Tuesday May 2 @ 7pm ET

Watch live on Youtube!

We will be live at PAX East 2023 with at least one panel on Thursday!

Can Competitive and Casual Coexist?
Thursday Mar 23 @ 2:30pm ET
Bumblebee Theatre

Fortnite rolled out changes to make the game more competitive, and then promptly had to roll them back. Overwatch struggles to balance how characters are used competitively versus casually. With Root we even see balance patches in TABLETOP games. Game balance in a vacuum is one thing, but how do you balance a game across all possible levels of player skill? Across normal and professional/esport play? And most to the point, across a varied player base where people often have diametrically-opposed reasons for playing? The simple truth is that the more "skill input" a game has for the players, the broader the gulf will be between "casual" and "serious" play. Bronze-tier Overwatch is in some ways a completely different game from Platinum-tier, in the same way that high school football is miles away from the NFL. Are they really the same game? Join us for a rousing discussion of what player skill, game balance, and even player motivations mean in games of all kinds!

Remember that PAX East is still a mask-required event. We'll even be masked on stage! Hope to see you there!

We've had the longest off-and-on hiatus recently in a while for GeekNights. You can blame Rym for that. Work travel, a ski trip, having his birthday instead of doing a show. The list goes on.

But fear not! GeekNights will return the week of Jan 30th to its former glory! In the meantime, Rym suggests you play Disco Elysium. It's if Quest for Glory, Planescape Torment, and The Communist Manifesto had a game baby.

If you saw us for Why is this game taking four hours to play?! at PAX Unplugged, we have some resources for you!

We gave a similar talk at PAX Unplugged 2019 that is on youtube in full. The slides are also available and you are welcome to reference them. PAX has asked for direct feedback on panels, so if you were there please be sure to fill out the PAX Unplugged Panel Feedback Survey! (This is the same as the QR code in the slides).

We had a great time at Unplugged, and we hope you did too! See you at East ;)

GeekNights will be live at PAX Unplugged 2022!

Why is this game taking four hours to play?!
Sunday, Dec 4th
11:30am ET
Crab God Theatre (Room 113B)

We’ve all played the '30-60 minute' board game that seems to always take exactly four hours. Your definition of 'a quick game' always seems to be far from what your friends think. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Join us for a lively discussion of what factors, from game design decisions to players’ interactions, cause games to take too long. We’ll then teach you, in detail, how to take your #@*$ turn!

GeekNights is live at PAX West 2022! If you're looking for the promised slides from the panel, today is your lucky day. As promised, these have links to the other talks we referenced!

Losing
Sunday, Sept 4th
12:30pm PT
Sasquatch Theatre (Sheraton, Level 2)

Winning is good, and losing is bad. We strive to win, and this is the basis for most of the games we play. Challenges are binary: we either overcome them, advancing the story, or fail, and must try again. But, what if we were to toss this conventional wisdom aside? Do we really only have fun when we win? Have you ever had that moment in a game where epic and total failure was the most memorable part? What kinds of games would arise if we strove to make losing, instead of winning, the point?

GeekNights will be live at PAX West 2022!

Losing
Sunday, Sept 4th
12:30pm PT
Sasquatch Theatre (Sheraton, Level 2)

Winning is good, and losing is bad. We strive to win, and this is the basis for most of the games we play. Challenges are binary: we either overcome them, advancing the story, or fail, and must try again. But, what if we were to toss this conventional wisdom aside? Do we really only have fun when we win? Have you ever had that moment in a game where epic and total failure was the most memorable part? What kinds of games would arise if we strove to make losing, instead of winning, the point?