Minecraft Beta is here, just in time for Christmas! We have much to be thankful for on this holly jolly episode!

Spencer Williams derails, I mean, joins us this week. We catch up on LOTS of email with a special extended "Excavation Station" segment. Hold on tight, this cart is going off the rails!

This week, we here on NoG talk about everything for which we are thankful. Well, everything we're thankful about in games. That's why there's a picture of a headcrab. Actually, I think headcrabs kind of look like turkeys. Turkeys are related to Thanksgiving, therefore this image is not completely and totally random.

Man, now I'm hungry. Roasted headcrab and bullsquid dressing, all drenched in gravy made from that stuff barnacles puke after you kill them. Ooh, and mashed potatoes. Yum.

We're soaring above the sky's limit this week, so bring your respirator. MinecraftChick joins us once again, and this time she's in the studio with us!

Introducing our very first guest, and it's a chick, a MinecraftChick!

This week on Eat Smart For Life, Hunter and Brent talk about Fluids.  Listen in to hear how you can help your self eat smart for life and get fit in the process!

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There is more Minecraft machinima in the works, but this week you'll hear about Hardcore Mode, a Notch interview, gasses, classes and passes!

This week on Eat Smart For Life, Hunter and Brent talk about how to eat smart for Thanskgiving.  Listen in to hear how you can help your self eat smart for life and get fit in the process!

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That is a post Thanksgiving title.  Hope  you enjoyed it as much as the sounds Richard made.

Although it is one of our favorite game genres, rhythm games are in steady decline. Viacom's announcement they were divesting Harmonix has been the talk of the industry, and we're eager to delve into the subject of the future of the genre.

In fact, Wes seems very concerned that game sales numbers indicate the decline of all fun. But we're quick to point out the weakness of pretty much any opinion he expresses.

In the process, we'll debate where we think the industry is heading, and whether the growth of first-person shoots and sports games are a threat to the market.

Lest we forget... DUCKS!

I have many things to be thankful for.  2 incredible kids, an incredible wife.  Incredible friends, and an incredible community to belong to just to name a few.   Another thing I am thankful for is gaming.   And specifically, online games.

I love the fact that you can log in and enjoy the game you are playing with friends.  Not just talking about it, or playing the same version of the game, but actually playing the same game.  In the same world,   the same game space.   Anyways, that's not really what this post is about.

Simply put

• What in gaming are you thankful for?


• Also -- What are the biggest gaming Turkeys?

Every time i make one of these posts, I start by looking at the name of the episode.  I'm not sure why, because just seeing AM31 is just going to make me think of a radio station.   I decided to quit fighting the urge, and so here you go the new title.   I'm not so sure the explanation makes the posts or the titles any better, but I thought you should know.  I'm pretty sure Richard wanted to know but was scared if he asked that I might make some stupid post about our conversation, and I'm pretty sure he didn't want to have to deal with that.    Now that is utter speculation, but I'm pretty sure it's true.   Truth.  It's a funny thing.  Unless you're Matlock, then it's like your life and stuff, and sometimes it may be funny, but sometimes it would be sad too, I mean.. that's life right.  Yin and Yang... you have to have the bad times to make the good times more enjoyable.  Like that time i was a kid sitting on a roof of a house under construction and some neighborhood bully threw a rock at me and split open my chin.  It bled pretty bad, but i didn't want to get stitches so I avoided home.  I didn't die or get an infection, but I did end up with a scar on my chin.  Now that was a sucky day.   Not that bad of course, but now whenever I sit on buildings under construction, I can sit back and enjoy it knowing there won't be a bully throwing rocks at me.  But really that's just a theory.   I'm not so sure I believe in theories anymore.   Not after geometry with the teacher that made us sing some stupid song that went.. Water... Water... omg.  I to this day have no clue what that was about, but we did have a cool sub once who had a favorite dead kennedy's song.   Now that's a sub!  Of course, i think that's probably why he was a sub and not a full time teacher.  Again.. speculation.  Speaking of subs.. did you see glee last week?!  Gwyneth Paltrow was awesome on there.   now, I've got to say that she really didn't dance that well, but like who cares.   It wasn't dancing with the stars... stars.... night... day.  Today.  AM31.  Enjoy.

It's better than an ear full of dead chickens

30?   That's a monumental episode in the podcast biz.   And with the sound that filled my ear canals when I listened to what richard sent me, ASSURED me that he knew how important this episode was.   I can still feel it.  Sitting there.   Like a sound egg.  Waiting to hatch little sound birdies.  To bad I already hard boiled the eggs.   I bet they would have made sweet chicadees.   But then they'd start pooping a lot, and I'd then really wish I had hard boiled them.  So I did.  And now we are all happy.  Well, except for the people that read this whole message.   But hey.. Enjoy the Sound Egg anyways.  Forget about the dead baby birds in your ear canals.

Tune sideways

The Shaftlands moves servers, a new world awaits! Follow the epic journey of a man searching for diamonds. It's an explosion of happiness!

DO YOU  HEAR WHAT I HEAR!

Hot.  um...

Richard... What does that mean?

Viacom's announcement that it will sell off Harmonix has put a lot of attention onto the apparent demise of rhythm games. Sales numbers for Rock Band 3 seem to confirm that dire prediction, coming in during release month ranked in the mid-teens or 20's depending on the source. And yet, of all the games I have managed to play over the past two years, Rock Band and its ilk have dominated all others in universal appeal. How is it that something with so prevalent an appeal can flounder while Black Ops, a game I have very little interest in, breaks sales records without batting an eye?

Now I'm not one to say that sales numbers are the sole arbiter of what gamers want from their market, but they are certainly a good prediction of what is going to be available in the future. The fact that one million Kinect units have been sold is a pretty clear indicator that we're going to see people attempting to tap that market. Toss into the mix that development costs for modern games are through the roof, and you'll see more dollars going towards established sellers.

Here are the October sales rankings for 2010.

1. NBA 2K11 (X360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, PC)


2. Fallout: New Vegas (X360, PS3, PC)


3. Medal of Honor (X360, PS3, PC)


4. Fable 3 (X360)


5. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 (X360, PS3, Wii, PC, NDS)


6. Halo: Reach (X360)


7. Just Dance 2 (Wii)


8. FIFA Soccer 11 (PS3, X360, Wii, PS2, PSP, NDS, PC)


9. Madden NFL 11 (X360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP)


10. WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 201 (PS3, X360, PS2, Wii, PSP)
    


Notice that when you look at it, the list is dominated by two genres: Sports and first person shooters. Rhythm has only Just Dance, racing, and RTS games are absent, roleplaying waffles in some categorical limbo, and franchise appears to be the dominant factor for presence on the charts. While the yearly numbers paint a slightly more egalitarian view of gaming genres, one can still ponder, "What does the future hold for gaming genres?

Other things to think about:




• Will we ever see another action space flight sim?


• What will it take to revitalize adventure games?


• As a member of the "target market", why am I only playing ONE GAME in this list and only interested in playing ONE OTHER?
  



Wes Wilson
Original Photograph by Mark J Sebastian

This week on Eat Smart For Life, Hunter and Brent talk about other diets like the Twinkie diet.  Listen in to hear how you can help your self eat smart for life and get fit in the process!

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HI D HO!

You'll notice something a little different about this week's episode. Instead of rambling on and on, we're trying a more focused show. You won't hear about our weeks or what games we've played. Instead, we're jumping right to the topic. Hopefully it'll make a show a little leaner and meaner. We'd love to hear what you think; feel free to let us know what you think of the change. We're not sure it's permanent as of yet, and we'll continue to play with the format until it feels right.

This week we talk about cognitive dissonance, otherwise known as stuff just not making sense. Does the show make sense? I dunno, maybe there's some cognitive dissonance at play there. Who knows? I don't. Man, it's hard to write funny copy for the new show format.

Instead... MORE DUCKS!



That duck was short, sweet, and to the point. Kind of like this episode!

Roaches in the Ashtray

let's see how you react to it now.

Is Minecraft really a sandbox game? Also, scuba gear, grappling hooks, LARPing, and tapestries!

Ok, so do they all have to rhyme now?  Anyone else getting sick of that?  No?  Well.  Ok then.  I warned you.  Kinda.

See why you shouldn't play with guns?

She said.  To me.   As the door burst in and the money fell from the safe.

There's lots going on this week. The Halloween update in depth, skeletons riding spiders, a birthday celebration, fire extinguishers, ambient occlusion, and a monkey! AWESOME!

This week on Eat Smart For Life, Hunter and Brent talk about support from your family, friends and co workers.  Listen in to hear how you can help your self eat smart for life and get fit in the process!

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This is what is next.   Enjoy!

Sorry for the lack of podcasts over the weekend.  I lost count and had to add the numbers back up.    What does that mean?  Start listening to find out.

Let's start with a common starting place: Han shot first. Stay with me here, I have a point.

In the original cut of Star Wars: A New Hope, Han Solo shot Greedo. It wasn't unprovoked. Greedo had a gun on Han and was threatening to turn him in to Jabba the Hutt, which was essentially a death sentence. It was understood that if Han tried to run, Greedo would shoot him. It was understandable that Han shot the bounty hunter before this could come to pass, and it help establish Han's character.

Until everything changed. In the 1997 re-release, Greedo squeezed off a terrible shot and Han was seen to shoot back in retaliation. It was a poorly judged move of George Lucas' part; he said that he did it to make Han appear more heroic, but it left a seriously bad taste in fandom's collective mouth.

The whole thing went over so poorly because of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance occurs when the mind tries to hold two conflicting ideas at the same time. Fans who had watched Star Wars for twenty years were suddenly forced to reevaluate a deeply cherished moment; first Han shot first, then he didn't. Virtually everyone reacted to the change with extreme dislike for the new cut. Of course, you know all that; but it does illustrate what cognitive dissonance is, and how it can really blow up in a creative team's face if not taken into account.

In gaming, however, different rules seem to apply. Gamers are frequently asked to hold conflicting ideas in our heads, and by and large we accept it as part of the hobby. The easiest example is seen in MMOs. Even though one player may kill a specific monster, that same monster will be killed thousands of times more by other gamers. Frequently a player will repeatedly slaughter the same individual over and over. "I just killed the Lich King, and I can't wait to do it again next week." The player must simultaneously keep two conflicting ideas in mind; the Lich King is dead, but he is still around to be killed again.

There are other examples; The FPS player who dies over and over in the course of a multiplayer match, or even two players of the latest Bioware RPG swapping stories. In the world of gaming, where infinite life and diverging narratives are the norm, gamers are frequently confronted with conflicting facts for a given a single situation.

We deal with it by abstracting the problem; by viewing the facts through the lens of game mechanics, the problem becomes easy to circumvent. The Lich King must continue to be around for other players to challenge. The FPS character must return to life for the game to continue. Still there are times when this coping method is insufficient. In Final Fantasy VII, why couldn't the player resurrect Aeris with a Phoenix Down? It worked up until that point and it worked for everyone else after, why was it not an option that one time?

Even when abstraction works in resolving cognitive dissonance, it is not without consequences. Soap MacTavish's amazing exploits in the Modern Warfare series are dulled somewhat by his disconcerting ability to shrug off any number of bullets so long as he is shot only once every ten seconds. We accept it because it is necessary for the form. The player must feel like the character is in danger, or else there is no sense of tension. But imagine accepting that in a movie, or book; a main character that is shot hundreds of times, but is completely unaffected until it is necessary for him to be wounded for dramatic reasons. We accept the dissonance because it's a game, but the story is less impactful for it.

So what do you think? Is there any particular moment of cognitive dissonance from your experience in gaming that you'd like to share? What can be done to minimize cognitive dissonance in future games?

Spencer Williams

Ok, so i read the dang letter wrong... Richard came over and explained it perfectly.. when he said Sue me.. He meant that he'd come over and make me wear a wig and call me Sue for an hour and see if I would forget my real name.   Well I didn't forget it.   So, Sue me. (it was kinda fun)

This week on Eat Smart For Life, Hunter and Brent talk to Scott Peterson from commonsensefitness.net!  Tune in to find out more about it.

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So, I think I might have gotten some of these out of order.   I got a letter in the mail from Richard's attorney who is threatening legal action if I don't fix things.   I'm not really sure he can sue me for anything, but just in case, I thought I'd bring this to your attention.   When I say screwed up, I mean.. I put them out of order possibly.    Just keep re-arranging them and listen to them how best sounds to your ears.

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Welcome, boils and ghouls, to the spooooky episode. The Halloween update is now live, and it's a real scream. Minecraft also gets a little lore.

Give me a kiss.   (Ok, so sometimes I just put what was in the email with the file, and I'm not sure what it means.  Sometimes.  This time, I just made it up and it makes no sense.  Now that would have been funny, but actually, I just got it from the email.)

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There you are.  I thought I had lost you in the iTunes apocalypse we caused back at episode 12b.

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Really, what more needs to be said?

YAY!  We still live.

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OR DO WEE?!  What the crap?!  I guess you'll have to tune in tomorrow to find out.

I'm writing this a day before it airs.  I'm truly hoping that the world is still here.  If not, I guess we'll see if you post a podcast in an empty internet if it makes  a noise though.   I change my mind... I don't hope the world is still here.  That is an important question that needs to be answered, and we can't if the world is still here.  Now ok.. i'm changing my mind again, because I really don't want to accidentally get you all killed with my jokes.   You know ... like you make a post about how you want the world to blow up in jest, and then a big asteroid crashes into the earth killing like everyone but the 1 person who reads these posts who then blames the whole thing on me.   I just can't have that.

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The Minecraft server gets attacked, Egypt is open for business, building the Death Star, and Dragons on Bonearth. All of this and more on episode four!

Hey, I  only do what Richard wants me to, or atleast what I think he would want me to.   So what there are 2 12's.  That doesn't matter to me.   Think of it like a bonus episode and not something to make you think that you've lost your marbles.

I'm starting to think that he's trying to blow up the world.  First by confusing iTunes by these oddities then when iTunes goes down and blows up the massive TWIT listeners rise up and burn the world down to the ground because they don't get their leo love.

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This week on Eat Smart For Life, Hunter and Brent talk about Halloween!  Tune in to find out more about it.

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...

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man I hope we get another one tomorrow.

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IDONTKNOWWTFTHATTITLEMEANS

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I need no words to describe this.

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I know you're all expecting some jokey post about games addiction, but we here at Nation of Gamers take it very seriously. For example, take the plight of our very own Wes Wilson.

You may notice that he's missing from this week's show. He'll probably be gone for the next couple of weeks as well; it sort of depends on when the doctors release him. You see, Wes has been diagnosed with acute games addiction. He has been understandably reluctant to talk about his problem. In fact, the rest of us in the DWP had no idea there was a problem at all. In fact, we had no idea he even played the game he has become addicted to.

The game in question is Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force. Not even Elite Force 2... just Elite Force. Here's a picture of Elite Force, just so you know what I'm talking about.



Weird, right? I don't even think Wes likes Star Trek that much. And let's face it; even Star Trek fans hate Voyager. Well, except for Seven of Nine. But I'm getting off track.

When asked about his addiction, all Wes can do is shout "I'M CUCKOO FOR STAR TREK VOYAGER: ELITE FORCE!" over and over and over again. It's really annoying, and that's the main reason we didn't want him on the show this week. I know the show is pretty bad already, but that would make it so much worse.

Anyway, please keep Wes in your thoughts and prayers over the next couple of weeks. Also, the post image is totally not a bad 'shop, but is an actual picture of Wes taken in the sanitarium.

This week we talk almost exclusively about games addiction. Spencer and Brent really got into it over this. Seriously, Eric threatened to spray them both down with the hose so they'd stop fighting. Enjoy!

I see what he did there.  Did you?  Did you catch it?   It was clever.  Truly it was.

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This week on Eat Smart For Life, Hunter and Brent discuss Head Hunger!  Tune in to find out more about it.

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Awkward.

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What does an auction house, wind effects, inventory options, and Foursquare all have in common? Listen and find out.

Now this one is interesting.  Said the Fly to the Cheese.   ARE YOU GETTING ALL OF THIS?

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I was walking around down town the other day.  Here's the podcast.

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Name says it all... Doesn't it?

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These just keep coming to my phone.  So I'm going to keep on letting you hear them.

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Alabama Mockingbird Micro Podcast

Here is the 2nd file that Richard sent me.  Enjoy!

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You kids these days and your video game characters. You think they're so great! Well, I was a kid in the 40's, and our video game characters were worth a hundred of yours!

I say characters, but really we only had one. Yankee Joe! It was 1944; the height of World War II. I hear kids today whining about how they're sick of WWII games, but back then it was all we had. Yankee Joe fought the Nazis to save the world.

Yankee Joe didn't waste time with words or humanitarian aid. He killed Nazis. Over and over again. There was no reward; killing Nazis was reward enough. There was no score; only the sweet taste of dead Nazis. Yankee Joe only did one thing, but he did it well; he killed Nazis.

Now we didn't have any fancy Nintendo or Sony Playstation. After all, we were at war with the Tojos. Instead, we drew dots on the radio and pretended it was the moving pictures and that we had video games that hadn't been invented yet.

I don't think this post is really working, so I'm gonna cut it off here. This week we talked about video game characters! What makes them good? What makes them bad? Who really cares? Listen in and fun will be had by all!

You've heard the stories.  People stuffing their babies in various places while they finish that all important raid adventure, or stabbing someone because they stole their virtual goods, or even thrown in jail for virtually killing someone.  Lost jobs, relationships, money and time all due to the ever evil -  Gaming.   People claim it's an addiction.

Well is it?   In my mind I  think of an addiction as something I'm having a hard time stopping.     Here's the google definition:  "being abnormally tolerant to and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming (especially alcohol or narcotic drugs)"

I think some games fall into this category, but not all games.   Mostly MMO's.  They are not physically habit forming, nay they are more physically draining.  But why do you stay and play?  The carrot on the stick of course.   Rewarding you for playing.  Rewarding you for getting your friends to play.  Rewarding you for continuing to play and coming back even if you quit.

Sure people play for different reasons, but I would find it hard to believe that there isn't a paid psychologist working for some game company out there.  If not most of the big MMO's.   And they companies are not asking them how to get players to stop playing, but how to keep them playing, and coming back and paying more money.  Now, I am assuming that, and I haven't done any research.  But hey -- that's what the show is for.  Let's all research and see what we found out.

I task YOU -- as a gamer, in the Nation of Gamers, to go and delve into the world of gaming and see...

Can gaming become a TRUE addiction?  What proof can we find.  And what proof can we find of game companies leveraging this addiction to get players to play and to keep on playing their game(s).

Alabama Mockingbird Micro Podcast

What is that?   Well, just listen and you'll find out... soon.   I think.   I'm really not sure either.   But it's really cool sounding.

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Now that we're past the introduction, it's on to the real stuff. The minecart is a movin', so jump in and enjoy the show.

This week on our podcast we have a discussion with Kate Brown from dailyburn.com about Personal Trainers.  How to find them and the ins and outs on how to have a successful experience with a trainer.  Kate really helped us out with some great information so this episode is a MUST LISTEN!

We would also like to congratulate the winners of the dailyburn.com PRO accounts.  They were:

rodrigus32
Phillip Fischer
Jan_MSP

We will be getting with each of you to make sure we have the correct dailyburn.com account name so we can get your account upgraded.

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Here it is! A brand new show about Minecraft. This episode introduces the hosts, the show's format, and describes the game itself.

Look, I don't have time for this. I've got eight stacks of glass that need to be delivered to base camp 3 pronto. They've already been delayed, and the customer is gonna be ticked off as is.

I know we're supposed to be recording a podcast, but I've got more important things to do. You see that glass tower in the distance? You think that thing is going to build itself? I'm burning daylight here; torches won't attach to glass.

Okay fine, we'll record, but I'm not talking about anything other than Minecraft. And we have to make it quick; there's building to be done.

This week we talk about Minecraft. Sure, there are a few other games mentioned, but really this is another Minecraft episode. If you don't play Minecraft, you may want to skip this episode and START PLAYING MINECRAFT instead. Seriously, I think this obsession is going to last a while.

I refuse to play Ratchet and Clank, and it makes no sense.

It's rated really well. I'm looking for good PS3 games. It seems like a quality franchise from what I can tell. The graphics are good. The gameplay is first-rate. Hell, I even enjoyed playing the demo to Tools for Destruction. And yet still, I am disinterested.

My apathy revolves totally around the characters of Ratchet and Clank. In playing the demo, I really felt like Insomniac was trying to make me like them more than the gameplay actually inspired. And while I understand that this method works for generating iconic figures in video game lore, I found myself resenting the implication that I had to buy into the icons before I enjoyed the game itself.

I've seen this in other genres as well. I do not find the Worms characters to be charming or humorous, and yet that franchise seems hell-bent on making sure I laugh at their lame efforts at humor. The game seems to delay actual gameplay in favor of further developing the character of these fringe elements to my enjoyment. I end up feeling like I'm at some party that I can't seem to leave, and some drunk guy keeps rewinding the same Family Guy joke because he's sure I just don't get it yet.

In sharp contrast to this, I find Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series to be worth every cut scene he's in. I could watch Jim Raynor drown his sorrows under Tychus's derisive insults for hours on end. And I can't stop being charmed by Mario and his ridiculous bee suit. It's not that forced interest in tangential elements is inherently bad... It's just got to be done the right way. And for every rule of success, there seems to be an exception that breaks the rule.

So what is it about a game character that makes you invest in it?

What are your favorite game characters, and do you identify with them?

What iconic imagery from games has stuck with you, making you more or less likely to play that game?

This Episode Sponsored by dailyburn.com: DailyBurn is the premier fitness tracking social network. Find workout programs, track food and nutrition, and join our community to get motivated to live a healthy lifestyle!

This week on Eat Smart for Life, Hunter helps us understand more about Carbs to help us eat a more healthy diet!

CONTEST!  New page -- Just click up top, or click HERE!

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Links Mentioned in the Show:

• Health.com's 50 Fattiest Foods in the states


• Low-Carbohydrate Diets and All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality


• Atkins Diet Mortality: Is Too Much Meat Killing Low-Carb Eaters?


• What Bowel Movements Say About Your Health


• 
  
  Glycemic index database (University Of Sidney)


• 
  
  List of Fiber Foods


• 
  
  The Whole Grain Guide


• 
  
  Miche's Food Ladder

Recipes:

• Sesame Snap Peas with Carrots & Peppers

Row 247

It has  been days since I've seen the sun. I stopped trying to count the hours; it's impossible to track with no clock, this deep beneath the earth's surface. I had thought to count the number of times I needed to sleep, but I find I'm filled with some unholy energy that lets me work unceasingly.

Instead, I dig, and I count rows. Two hundred forty-seven rows I've dug so far, tearing corridors four meters high from the living rock. I don't know why I must dig; some nameless horror compels me onward. If I stop, something terrible will happen. If I cease digging, some mother will awake to find her children slaughtered, or some hunter will return to his village to find it a blackened husk. Beasts pursue me; fell beasts. Perhaps as long as I dig and they chase me, others will be spared.

Row 562

My hands are bleeding from the digging, but I feel somewhat safer. Beside the horrific beasts, there are riches to be found; vast mineral troves that I've bent to my will. It is ingenuity that sets man apart from the lesser creatures of the world, and it is that ingenuity that has allowed me to enlist nature herself to my cause. Iron becomes tools, diamond becomes weapons. So armed and armored, I feel somewhat safer, though nothing can stop the crawling fear in my gut.

Row 598

Success! For the first time, I dare to hope that I might survive this waking nightmare! I broke into some natural cave, warned to it's occupants by the hideous moaning they elicited. I slew them all, returning them to the hell whence they came. They walked like men, but smelled of death. Perhaps I have seen my fate should I fail. I am spurred on. I'll dig forever if I must to leave this cursed land.

Row ???

I fell into a deep natural ravine, and I've completely lost my bearings. My neatly ordered rows are nowhere to be found, and I fear I may be truly lost. What's more, I've run out of torches; I currently write by the light of a nearby pool of magma. The heat is atrocious, but it's better than the dark. Wait, I hear a hissing-

WOAH! That was intense. This week we talk about Minecraft, and Civilization V, and game controllers, and other things as well. Community member in good standing TheOrangeDoor has a pretty cool project going, so definitely check that out. Maybe next week we'll talk about something other than Minecraft, but probably not.

This Episode Sponsored by dailyburn.com: DailyBurn is the premier fitness tracking social network. Find workout programs, track food and nutrition, and join our community to get motivated to live a healthy lifestyle!

This week on Eat Smart for Life, Hunter helps Brent think about what you should do if you are going to start a running routine.

CONTEST!  New page -- Just click up top, or click HERE!

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Links Mentioned in the Show:

• A Healthy Barbecue


• A Meal Plan (Worksheet)


• C25K


• The WalkingSite/10,000 steps


• Jeff Galloway's site


• Running Barefoot


• Runner's World Beginner Links


• Fleet Feet/No Boundaries Running Program


• runkeeper

You may not know this, but the Dead Workers Party is totally still in beta.

That's the reason why we frequently crash, and we occasionally act up. Let's face it; we're certainly not feature complete.

Eric's memory utilization is awful. Wes has some wicked terrible logic loops. Spencer makes this really weird screeching sound output that we can't figure out how to fix, even though he insists that's the normal sound he makes while talking. And Brent... well, Brent killed seven people last week. That certainly wasn't in the design docs.

To show our appreciation for sticking with us through these troubled times, we're pleased to announce that all beta testers will receive 10% off when they purchase the release version. Unless of course the beta version of Brent kills all of them. We're not liable for that, by the way. READ THE EULA, PEOPLE!

This week we talked about beta testing. Oh, and did you hear what happened at GOG? What a bunch of crap! Oh yeah, and we talked about Minecraft in the first of what promises to be THOUSANDS of hours of talking about Minecraft.

This Episode Sponsored by dailyburn.com: DailyBurn is the premier fitness tracking social network. Find workout programs, track food and nutrition, and join our community to get motivated to live a healthy lifestyle!

This week on Eat Smart for Life, Hunter and Brent talk about the philosophy of "Progression, Not Perfection" .

CONTEST!  New page -- Just click up top, or click HERE!

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Links Mentioned in the Show:

• Kashi Snack Drive


• 6 Diets that can harm your health


• Easy approach to weight loss doesn't work


• 40 Salads that can kill you


• Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)


• REBT by Albert Ellis, Ph.D.

Recipes:

High Protein Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes

Dejovas ®
"The Man, The Legend” Chobani Recipe

1 serving peanut butter
1 banana sliced thin
1 container of greek yogurt
1 splenda (not sure how ya guys feel about art. Sweeteners…. Trying to quit them, but, hate to add the calories of sugar or honey etc…

Mix until well blended….  Enjoy…

This week we read a bunch of emails. That was fun! You should send more! We'll read them and it will be fun!

Yeah, so there's no special fun time silly post today. I'm a little under the weather. But I don't want to leave everyone in the cold, so watch this instead!

This Episode Sponsored by dailyburn.com: DailyBurn is the premier fitness tracking social network. Find workout programs, track food and nutrition, and join our community to get motivated to live a healthy lifestyle!

This week on Eat Smart for Life, Hunter and Brent talk about snacks and how to cope during the football season.

CONTEST!  New page -- Just click up top, or click HERE!

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Links Mentioned in the Show:

• For Teens, Too Little Sleep May Equal Too Many Snacks


• Kids Who Eat Vending Machine Snacks Face Chronic Health Problems


• The Daily Beast: 50 Breakfasts that can kill you


• Burger King Breakfast Overhaul

Research Articles Regarding Snacking:

• No benefit to smaller more frequent meals #1


• No benefit to smaller more frequent meals #2


• Study of the positive impact of frequent meals


• Study of the benefits of frequent meals


• Study showing that frequent meals may lower LDL

Recipes:

• Yogurt Parfait


• Smart Snacks

This week on Eat Smart for Life, Hunter and Brent talk about the numbers in the health equation.   Figure out how to lose weight by following the numbers!

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Listen with the built in player, or subscribe via iTunes

Hosts: Hunter Copeland and Brent Copeland

Articles:

• Exercise After-Burn: A Research Update


• Burn, Baby, Burn! One of America's top exercise scientists tells you how to keep the metabolic fires stokes


• How Many Calories Are You Really Burning?


• Energy Expenditure of Walking and Running

Recipes:

• Southwest Chicken Salad


• Pork Steaks with Roasted Summer Squash Salsa

Contact Info : Questions, comments, feedback, errors, voice messages in mp3 or wav format, etc. can be sent to info@eatsmartforlife.com. We invite you to write a review on iTunes and visit our website at http://www.eatsmartforlife.com. We’re a part of the Dead Workers Party Network. Find great podcasts at http://deadworkers.com/network/

She's a real beauty, ain't she? Yep. This epsiode is a classic. Sure, she's been downloaded a few thousand times, but she's got plenty left in her. We stand behind all our podcasts here, and this one's no different. Comes with a standard 30-day warranty, of course omitting any problems you might have with the treble levels. Those go out over time, and we can't be held responsible for them.

Let's not focus on the bad, though. Just picture it; you're walking down the street, ear buds in, listening to this classic podcast. The ladies love a man listening to a great episode, you know... Not saying you need any help in that department, just that they'll notice you for sure.

Yeah, you could go across the street and get yourself a new episode, but those guys over there don't really care about the customer. They want to get you into the most recent podcasts; more profit  margin there, you know? But I'm hear to get you into the show that's right for you, and I'm betting that this episode will treat you right for a lot of years, and at an exceptionally reasonable price.

Need some time to think it over? That's fine. Here's my card, give me a call anytime. Don't wait too long, though. There's someone else looking pretty hard at this episode, and I'd hate for you to miss out on it.

This week on NoG, we take a look at used games. Are they good? Bad? Immoral? Does anyone care? Also, Brent only plays stupid web games.

This week on Eat Smart for Life, Hunter and Brent talk about how to start the day off right with a good breakfast. Some of the things that are good to concentrate on, and some of the things you should stay away from.

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Man, I am so hung over. I have no idea what day it is. What is this, Tuesday? I guess I should write the post for this week's NoG... Wait, it's Thursday? Well, suck. I guess I shouldn't have crawled into that bottle of Maker's Mark on Sunday after we recorded.

Anyway, what did we talk about this week? Oh right, Monday Night Combat! That game is pretty sweet. If only it would come out on the PC, it would be even sweeter. Let's see, what else... Should games be more like movies? Or less like movies? Something like that. Man, my head is killing me. Maybe I should have another drink... OH CRAP I'm out of booze. I guess now I have no choice but to contemplate the terrible choices I've made during my life.

Oh yeah, we had a pretty good email that got us talking this week. That was pretty cool. YAY! I just found a bottle of 151 secreted away in an old boot! Where did that boot come from, anyway? Hmm... I have some vague recollection of mugging a hobo. Probably best that I don't remember it.

For the next couple of weeks we'll be playing the new free Everquest II Extended thingie, so feel free to join us and let us know what you think. I gotta wrap this up, because this 151 needs a new home... IN MY BELLY. Do I have any mixers? Hmm, out of soda. I wonder if 151 and chicken stock is any good... Only one way to find out!

Join Hunter and Brent this week as they discuss how effective it is to keep a diet log. I swear Hunters says something about losing 15 lbs without doing anything but keeping this log, and then Brent talks about eating Pizza?! What in the world is up int he EAT SMART FOR LIFE world!? Well tune in and see!

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So after the last show, I was totally expecting to be the one saying bad things about Starcraft II. I was positive everyone was going to be like, "Oh, there goes Spencer again, talking bad about great games. Get a new shtick, pal!" Imagine my surprise when it wasn't me, but another host who had the most bad things to say about Starcraft II! I'm not going to tell you who, you'll have to listen to find out. But I'll give you a clue: It may or may not be the person pictured above.

Oh wait, I'm supposed to type a bunch of random crap here that makes no sense and is only vaguely connected to the subject matter of the show in any rational way. Okay, here goes: Badminton cat escapes from zoo while being ridden by a banjo playing ex-prime minister of Mars!

This week's "Gaming with the Nation" is all about some Starcraft 2. I'd normally come up with some superficially clever way to frame the debate, but this is a rather special occasion. Since everyone is going to have a million opinions on any given Blizzard release, I don't need to find an angle on this topic. The only question I really need to answer for this blog entry is, "What on earth do I write about in the blog entry?"

My first answer was to just fill the blog with just "Starcraft 2" over and over again, but that seemed too cheap. So here are some other ideas to get the nation talking.

Put your opinion on the game within a limerick!

I can't build that ship, I must pass.
Because I can't farm enough gas.
my gathering units
can't seem to get to it
They're too busy gathering up glass.

(What? Where did you THINK I was going with that?)

OOOH! Or maybe a haiku!

Our hero should match
Raynor from the RTS.
Who is this fire plug?

Maybe it should be in the form of demotivational poster!

See the graphic above

Or, you know, you could just talk about it...

Let us know what you think about Starcraft 2!

Wes Wilson

Frank: Did you notice that the Dead Workers Party has been putting Nation of Gamers out regularly again?

Fran: Yeah, that's great. I guess they finally solved the existential crises that plagued their production schedule.

Frank: And how! The newest episode is sort of about Transformers: War for Cybertron, but it's really about review scores.

Fran: I dunno, that doesn't sound very interesting...

Frank: Oh, and they also try to not talk about Starcraft II, and they mostly fail.

Fran: Starcraft II? Lame.

Frank: What? Are you not into Starcraft?

Fran: I don't really like video games.

Frank: Then why are we having this conversation on a video game themed podcast's show notes?

Fran: They promised me punch and pie.

Frank: They lied.

Fran: Those bastards! I will not rest until they have given me punch and pie, or perished!

Frank: Woah. You're intense.

I rarely get to go see movies, anymore. But when I do, if there isn't a single flick that I've been dying to catch, I'll dig into Yahoo Movies to shop for a potential destination. The combination of the critical and public reviews can offer me a really dynamic look into how I will receive any given movie. If the critics rate it high while the public rates it low, I tend to think it will be a cerebral experience without much flash. If the critical reviews are low and the public high, then I think it's going to offer me something flashy, something colloquial, or something that taps into a pop culture fad. If both are low, I don't really give it time, but if both are high, then I know I'm going to end up with something to appeal to almost anyone.

Metacritic, as twisted as its results might be, offers a similar service to the uninformed. Whenever I'm stocking my Amazon wish list with games, I'll sometimes go there to see if there is some gem I missed. I will often rank a platform's top results to ensure I've at least pondered playing the best of each category. They get a lot of flack for what ends up as their final score, but there's a reason that number was feature prominently in the Steam Store for so long. Large collections of reviewers do provide a much more honest opportunity at an objective rating... Science says so!

But if you seek a complex understanding of a game's worth, you'll do yourself a great disservice to only pay attention to just the final number. You really learn the most when you create an array of potential review criteria. You can skim over the the bullet reviews and look for similar complaints. Reviewers can arbitrarily rate a game poorly because of playability, GUI, theme, or planet in retrograde, so a collection of identical reactions will let you know you are likely to encounter the same issues. Look to see if credible review sources universally praised or universally hated a particular game. If IGN, Game Informer, and a host of other A-list sources find a particular product repugnant, you're far more likely to hate it. By considering more than one axis of quality, you end up with a more elaborate understanding of what is good or bad about a given game.

Considering how much thought I put into shopping for my entertainment, I was surprised at how confused I was left by the reviews of Transformers: War for Cybertron. With remarkably different gripes, from theme to playability, the bullet reviews were conflicted. The traditional players were split as well, with IGN and 1up scoring high while Giant Bomb and Gamespot hitting the low end. Lastly, the Critic Score was dramatically different from the User Score, with the Users giving it a 9, while the critics gave it a 77. I found little to no way for anyone to actually glean solid information for this game... and that left me confused.

And to be honest, I think the game is a helluva lotta fun.

To rationalize all this, I'm left with the concept that maybe the critics were unable to escape the gravity of their status as reviewer. Maybe they were unable to suspend their disbelief and step into the world that Transformers offered. Maybe the fact that they were trying to break the game into manageable discussion topics actually fractured the "wholeness" required for a good gameplay experience. But why this game? What is a clear trait of this game that makes it seem to ground some and not others? And more generally, is there something "critic-y" that must be overcome for particular games that is not present for the enjoyment of games in general?

All I know is that for cases like this, I need a more hands-on analysis. And in this case, I'm glad I got it.

Wes Wilson

This week we're talking about Alien Breed, or is it Alien Swarm? It's something with the word Alien in it. Oh and something about a golden wrench.

This week’s release of Alien Swarm showcases Valve’s dedication to PC gaming culture, but will this kind of free content become fossilized after more content providers enter the market?

Alien Swarm began as a four-player co-op Unreal Tournament 2004 mod. The group that created the mod announced a Source-based sequel, Alien Swarm: Infested, but it got delayed when they were hired by Valve and promptly put to work. Now that most of their work is done on Left 4 Dead 2 and Portal 2, the group returned to their pet project and released the new Alien Swarm for consumption. The top-down, Diablo-esque shooter has no pay component, and even features an SDK that allows development without the purchase of any other Valve elements. By all appearances, there are no plans to charge for anything associated with this product. So the first question many might ask is, “Why did Valve opt to just give this away?”

The fact that Valve has chosen not to monetize this release may signify either a sincere desire to feed the gamer soul or a strategic ploy to further solidify Steam as the premium content delivery system. If it’s the former, then all the Valve fanboys are justified in their praises of our PC gaming overlords. Their efforts to improve the Team Fortress 2 experience through class updates were an ongoing opus to their benevolence. But unlike Alien Swarm, it was still padding their pocketbooks via new TF2 sales.

On the other hand, we might be seeing a really clever and diabolical plot to promote Steam as a content source. As “Free Game!” gets tweeted around the interwebs, we might see a noticeable increase in active Steam accounts. Those unversed in the joys of social PC gaming might find a co-op experience the ideal way to be indoctrinated into the Valve cult. And we all know that the best first hits are free.

But with the advent of Battle.net functionality, increased Impulse interest, and really good Direct2Drive sales, we may eventually find Valve cutting their margins in order to compete in an expanded market. Should this happen, the financial benefits of free games will diminish. Releases like Alien Swarm may face extinction in a highly competitive market. Do you think Valve will be able to offer totally non-monetized products in that kind of world? I can surely hope so… because my jaded business sense has a really hard time imagining that this whole production is offered solely to nourish my soul.

Wes Wilson

NOTE: NoG will be discussing the Engie update and Alien Swarm in this week's episode. Be sure to get in some game time this week so you can add to the discussion!

OH MY GOSH DID YOU HEAR THAT E3 WAS LAST WEEK THERE WERE SO MANY NEW THINGS ANNOUNCED AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF OLD THINGS REANNOUNCED I HAVE NO IDEA HOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TIME TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF THEM ON THE SHOW I KNOW RIGHT THERE'S JUST TOO MUCH LIKE DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THAT THING THAT NINTENDO DID YEAH THAT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME OR THAT NEW GAME FROM CRYTEK YEAH THAT LOOKS SUPER SWEET WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART I LOVED IT ALL OH MY GOD THIS SHOW IS GONNA BE LIKE SIX HOURS LONG I'M GONNA NEED MORE RED BULL HOLY CRAP DID YOU SEE THE KONAMI PRESSER YEAH THAT GUY'S HEAD TOTALLY FELL OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THINGS AND ONE OF THE DOOR PRIZES WAS A LIFE-SIZED STATUE OF GAIA FROM GOD OF WAR III THAT WAS TOTALLY EPIC BUT WHERE WOULD YOU PUT IT I DON'T KNOW AND THE NEXT ROCK BAND GAME COMES WITH TOAD THE WET SPROCKET LIKE THE WHOLE BAND IS IN THE BOX WHY DOESN'T THEIR FRONT MAN WEAR SHOES I DON'T KNOW MAYBE HE HAS SOME WEIRD TOE FUNGUS METROID OTHER M LOOKS AWESOME OKAY SCREW RED BULL I'M GONNA NEED COCAINE

PHEW! I'm tired just typing all that. The show this week has WAY too much stuff to talk about, so of course the four hosts choked halfway through and started talking about Wes' third nipple instead. Also, this episode featured Spencer recording instead of the usual deal, so blame him when the quality sucks.

E3!

He was the first podcaster to write a song about Heavy Rain. And what a song it was! But for Eric Fullerton, writing and singing songs about video games was never the problem. It was the media attention that took it's toll. Some of the greatest dangers came from within, such as the devastating love triangle that nearly tore the Dead Workers apart. But the weird times were just beginning. Eric Fullerton had to survive both podcasting breakups and equipment failures, but he somehow came out of the hard times bigger than ever. But then Eric found out that bigger isn't always better. Now the legendary video game parody song singer/songwriter Eric Fullerton: Behind the Music.

Okay, that might be false advertising. It's just a show. We were all kinds of pressed for time because it was the night of the Lost finale, and also Spencer had some sort of weird cult thing he had to get to. Fortunately Eric saved the day with a heartwarming song!

Normally when I write these posts I try to maintain a neutral tone. My intent is that the readers will submit their opinions, and I'd rather not sway them with mine before hand. I can always espouse my opinion, and I always do, on the show. This article is a little different, as I'm all but certain that I'm in the minority with this one. Also, guess what? This is an article about spoilers, so if you're allergic to those kinds of things you may want to look away.

Still with me? Good. I am done with spoilers. I don't mean that I no longer want people to spoil things for me, I mean that I'm done with spoilers as a concept. I'm increasingly convinced that fear of spoilers is a roadblock to meaningful discussion, especially when we're talking about games and gaming. It's also my firm belief that fear of spoilers has increasingly given writers permission to tell the same hackneyed stories again and again.

On a recent episode of Nation of Gamers, a promising discussion about Heavy Rain started, and then was immediately put down due to the fact that it might cause a spoiler. The idea was then floated that we'd do something similar to what they do on the Gamers With Jobs Conference Call, and have a discussion later that would be released under a spoiler alert headline. This is frustrating for me as a commentator on a number of levels; primarily, I don't see it as my job to prevent spoilers from reaching your ears. Rather, it's my job to do the best I can in providing entertaining discussion about games. If you don't want to have a game spoiled and we start talking about said game, the burden is with you to overcome your morbid curiosity and stop listening, not with me to stop talking about it. Maybe you should come back after you've finished the game? The show will still be there.

Excessive spoiler awareness isn't fair to the people that have finished a game and want to have that discussion, and self censoring to prevent spoilers makes our show less interesting. Will we ever go back and talk about Heavy Rain? Maybe, maybe not. Even if we do, it won't be as fresh in our minds as it would had we talked about it shortly after we completed it. There will be points forgotten, and the entire conversation will take on the tone of, "Oh yeah! I remember that!" I'm all for pleasant reminiscing, but it is no substitute for substantive discussion.

Quick! Which was better, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, or Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2? The vast majority of you would say the that the first game was superior, and not only because of the public relations missteps of publisher Activision. One of the major problems with the second game was that it relied on the same plot devices as the first. Like, exactly the same devices. The shock of dying as one of the main characters in MW was substantially greater than when the same occurred in MW2, and all the spoiler police in the world wouldn't have made it any better. If instead of cheap shocks Infinity Ward had developed a compelling plot that made any logical sense, our collective reaction would have been much different.

However, it's the current zeitgeist among entertainment makers to rely heavily on the, "You won't believe what happens next!" model of storytelling, and we're letting them get away with it. The nanny culture surrounding media only reinforces the notion that we don't care about engaging stories, interesting characters, or good gameplay. It tells writers and producers everywhere that we'll accept bland storytelling if only they string us along at the right pace.

I'm not against surprising twists, far from it. I am against mysterious circumstances and shocking developments being a sideshow used to distract from lame storytelling. If something is great, truly great, then knowing how it ends won't "spoil" anything. I can still play Final Fantasy IV and thoroughly enjoy it, even knowing as I do that Golbez is Cecil's brother. I know that Joker is going to turn himself into a monster at the end of Batman: Arkham Asylum and the game is still a ton of fun. And for my money, knowing from the beginning of Heavy Rain that Scott is the Origami Killer would have made for a more interesting game. Conversely, knowing that Alistair was going to die wouldn't have made Tomb Raider: Underworld's story any less dumb.

This doesn't mean I'm going to go out of my way to ruin things for people. However, the next time someone freaks out when I start talking about something that they haven't experienced, I'm going to ask them to remove themselves from the conversation rather than censor myself.

So, what do you think? Would you rather we leave your ears pristine, clean of any spoilers? Or would you prefer a more substantive discussion, even knowing that some surprises may be lost?

Spencer Williams

This week our guest is Thomas Deliberis from the Zug Zug guild on Garona. We're talking guild politics, 10/25 man changes, achievements, Dungeon leveling, and probably alot of other stuff!

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Halfway through this episode Brent's cellphone mysteriously rings, and he gets up and leaves the studio to take the call. This is the first time in three years of podcasting that this has happened. Imagine the scene, if you will; Wes and Spencer are happily chatting as Brent sits uncomfortably, his eyes shifting back and forth nervously. Eric is strangely absent, apparently at "work." The show's topic is... I don't know. Retro gaming? Something like that.

Suddenly, Brent's iPhone rings. He snatches it up and quickly leaves the studio with barely a word. Wes and Spencer are left, mouths agape, unable to comprehend the terrible circumstances that have befallen them.

Struggling to keep things going, Wes weakly suggests, "Battletoads was a pretty good game."

"No," Spencer answers, "no it wasn't."

You can hear all that on this show. What you can't hear is the conversation that was so important that Brent had to leave the studio.  After all, he left the studio, so the microphones couldn't pick him up. However, you can read a transcript of that strange conversation. Brent did not know that his call was being routed through an experimental Google Voice transcription engine. The result was donated by an anonymous source to this reporter. Only Brent's side of the conversation was transcribed, leaving us to wonder at the identity of the caller and the dark words he imparted.

BRENT: You're late, I told you not to call during the show. *pause* No, I- *pause* I know, but it's hard to keep my cover in tact if- *pause* Right. Well, if you're done with that, can we get on with it? *pause* It was- it was a rhetorical question. *pause* Look, I don't like this anymore than you do, but if we're going to make it out of this alive we have to work together. *pause* All right, that's what I like to hear! Now all we have to do is- *pause* What do you mean? What's wrong? *long pause* Damn it! I should've known better that to trust you, even with something so ridiculously easy. All you had to do was go to the pet store- *pause* What do you mean, which pet store? Does it matter? The one that has feeder guppies, you idiot! *pause* No, the guppies are the key. This'll never work without guppies. *pause* What are we gonna do with four hundred brine shrimp? Go back, get the damn guppies, and meet me at the drop point after World of WoW. *pause* Yeah, it just might work after all, and then we can finally get Jimmy the Legs off our case. *pause* Yeah, me too. I'll see you later... Mr. President. *pause* No, I know you're not the pres- *pause* Look, I was just kidding. *pause* Okay, you know what? Click. *click*

And that's all the information we have. In order to help us to unravel this terrifying mystery, we are offering a $5000 reward for information leading to the arrest of "Jimmy the Legs," along with a $10,000 for information pertaining to the identity of the other party to this call.

Oh yeah, and there's a show this week. Or was it last week? I am totally confused. I think it's about space rats. Enjoy!

Join Ash and Milk as they discuss The Presidents of the United States of America. As in the band, not the actual presidents.

So we know this guy named John right. Dude talks, he talks alot. When John is drunk, he can’t stop…Just listen and you’ll see. Oh, yeah, we talked about games to, see below for a list of what we discussed when we could get a word in.

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Step right up, we got first impressions of TF2 with Nathan Hawkins. We got Podcatchu. We got Chickens! We got a crazy packed show for you today!

with guests: Nathan Hawkins, Hemanena, ClydeFrog, MrEagle, Cirosan & Mentok1982

This week we review "De-Loused In The Comatorium" by The Mars Volta!

There I was, cornered in a Bulgarian hostel by a fish with one eye. I had a pen in one hand and the state of Kansas in the other. Now I know what you're thinking; it's not even close to tomato season. I didn't let that stop me! I gunned the engine in my rowboat and flew to Sheeptown, dodging wild UN weapons inspectors as I went.

It wasn't until my eyeballs exploded that I realized I was out of hair gel. Frothing with impotent rage, I turned my frustrations into the drive to finally win at Wimbledon. Lacking in celebratory crystal meth, I was forced to watch Season 4, Episode 7 of The Wire instead. Proposition Joe is awesome.

Finally I collapsed, blood leaking from my punctured kitten. "Well," I shouted into the unfathomable void, "at least now I can finally paint  over that dreadful mural." I woke with a start, realizing it had all been a horrifying coutroom drama starring the University of Notre Dame men's basketball team.

I think I may have gotten a little off track here. Just like this week's show! What exactly happened, anyhow? At any rate, join Wes, Spencer, Brent, and Eric as they explore... something. I'm not really sure what's going on.

Episode 32 marks the maiden voyage of our live video stream, and just like any maiden voyage, this one needs alcohol to get the ship underway. We kept the viewers down to only those who follow us on Twitter, but for the next show we’ll be sure to post a link ahead of time on the blog. Hope you enjoy the audio version, and we apologize if the echo you hear is a bit annoying. We hope to have that resolved before the next show. Enjoy!
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A wise man once said, “Rubbers are bullshit.” No truer words have ever been spoken. Other than maybe “love will keep us together”, or “Flash! AAAaaaaa. He saved every one of us.” But Rubber are indeed bullshit, and we here at Multiplaying want you to remember that when listening to episode 31 of the podcast. Enjoy!
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Little Karen leaped at the sound of the old, rattling 1977 Cadillac Catera pulling into the driveway. Only one car sounded like that; it had to be Grandpa! Nearly squealing with excitement, she rushed to the front door and threw it open.

"Grandpa!" she shouted.

"Well, hello, little Karen," Grandpa said as he hobbled away from the car. "How is my favorite granddaughter on her sixth birthday?" In his wizened claws he clutched an inexpertly wrapped present, roughly the size and shape of a video game. Karen's eyes nearly fell out of her head. She loved video games! Unable to contain her excitement, she darted forward and snatched the package from Grandpa's grasp and ran at full speed back into the house.

By the time Grandpa stumbled wheezing into the house, Karen had torn the wrapping off of her gift. Her earlier excitement was strangely absent as she stared at the game in her hands. The color drained from her face, a look of dawning horror overtaking her. "Well," grandpa asked after an uncomfortable moment of silence, "do you like it?"

Karen stood stock still, unable to tear her eyes from the wretched thing in her hands. Suddenly she jerked as if stung and tossed the thing on floor. She wiped her hands on her blouse, desperately trying to clean away some unseen filth. Without a word, she ran to the kitchen. Grandpa was appalled into silence, unable to comprehend the depths to which he'd offended his precious granddaughter.

She returned with a can of lighter fluid and sprayed the game down liberally. Grandpa moved to stop her, but something in her eyes held him at bay. Her eyes spoke of great betrayal, of great pain, of the end of her short childhood. Tossing the now empty container to the side, Karen stared at her Grandfather with contempt as she lit a match. "This is the only way the house will ever be clean again, Grandpa," she said as it dropped to the floor, touching off a horrific conflagration.

The firemen managed to get everyone out of the house, but Grandpa felt little relief. He sat on a gurney, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, staring at the house going down in flames, a great sense of guilt and despair settling upon him. A fireman walked up and without delay asked, "What happened here?"

The fire reflected in Grandpa's sad eyes. "I gave her Pokeman: Heart Gold." He shook his head. "That girl hates Pokeman."

Wow, I went a really long way for that joke, didn't I? Anyway, join Eric, Spencer, and Brent as they explore their bottom five games, pulling in plenty of the Nation's least favorite games to discuss as well! By the way, wasn't there another guy on this show? What happened to him, anyway?

The more you know....
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Let's get snarky.

Oh, people do go on about their favorite games, but how many talk about their least favorite? How many talk about the games that they couldn't stand, but for some reason kept playing anyhow? That's what we're going to talk about this week.

It's not enough just to give a list of your least favorite games, though. A reason would be nice. What made the experience so revolting? Did the games pixels stab you in the eye? Did you finally reach the end boss, only to have him be completely unkillable? Did you spend $40 dollars in one sitting at the arcade only to discover that at the end, the game started out? Remember, the list isn't worth much unless there's a story to go along with it.

Don't feel contained to five, though. If you only can think of three, hit us with what you've got. Do you hat twelve games? We want to hear about them. Probably twelve is too many and we'll ignore your post on the air due to a lack of energy to thumb through your novel-length complain-a-thon, but go ahead and write it up anyhow!

And yes, that's a picture of Link on top a post called "Bottom 5." I leave deciding why it's there to you.

Spencer Williams

We here at NoG are excited to announce our new premiere community service, Dead Workers Premium. This exciting new service will allow you to get involved with NoG like never before! Get access to exclusive show notes and hear podcasts like you've never heard them before!

"Now hold on," I hear you say, "I love Eric, Brent, Spencer, and Wes, but how much is this going to cost me?" I'm glad you asked! Downloading the show will remain free, as always, and you're free to listen to the first ten minutes on our dime. That's right! We're so confident about the quality of our product that we're willing to pay for you to listen! After the first ten minutes it's just ninety-nine cents a minute to continue! Not happy with the show? We're sorry to see you go, but you're free to cancel at any time.*

This week, take advantage of our special introductory offer and get Episode 12 of NoG absolutely free! Wes isn't here, so we decided to cut everyone a break. The other three hosts reminisce about micropayments and DLC. Is it good? Bad? Ugly? I sure hope it's good, because we've got a distribution line to support from here on out.

*You cannot actually cancel at any time. By downloading NoG, you agree to pay for shows for two years. Every time you download another show, your contract is renewed. NoG does not guarantee the availability of episodes in your language of choice. NoG may not be downloaded in Europe, the United States, Australia, or anywhere that racketeering is illegal, but we won't tell on you as long as you keep paying us. Remember, we know where you live.

Noblegarden came and went. None of us really enjoyed the egg hunt, but we did it anyway... well, one of us didn't.

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This week on NoG we'll have a special guest, and to celebrate we want to tackle a special topic. Can anyone think of anything more special than micropayments?

There's not a lot to be said about micropayments that hasn't been said before, both loudly and in an irate tone of voice. For some, micropayments are the herald of a new way to nickel and dime gamers. For others, they give gamers the opportunity to get more game than they otherwise might. Both of these can be true; it's a matter of an individual gamer's perspective as to which he or she focuses.

For the purposes of our argument, let's break games with micropayments into three categories:

• Full priced games that sell small bits of content to expand the existing product


• Low priced games that sell a small initial bit of content and expand upon it with additional content for a price


• Free games that are supported by selling content or in game advantages

Each of these three types make the case for microtransactions in a different way, and each presents different value to different gamers. Some that would spend $10 on a new character for Mass Effect 2 wouldn't even download a free copy of Dungeons and Dragons Online, let alone buy a potion that would increase experience gain.

It's still a very new concept, so the questions of value versus price haven't yet been answered. Companies are struggle to answer why $2.50 is too much for horse armor, but $2.00 is reasonable for a Red-Riding Hood Costume. Meanwhile, gamers are forced to look at each piece of DLC individually and ask themselves, "Is this worth it?"

So what do you think? Do you regularly (or irregularly) make micro-purchases? Do you feel that they're positive or negative? Are there some circumstances in which you'd make a microtransaction, but another when you wouldn't? Why or why not?

Spencer Williams

I woke in the morning
To a glorious joy,
Let's celebrate all!
It's April Fool's, oh boy!

I paced and I fretted
I hummed and I hawed,
Without a good prank
They'd all know me a fraud.

And then with a start
I knew that I had it,
The finest tomfoolery
That would prove my wit!

I bounded to my computer
Not a second to spare!
I loaded up Photoshop
And began to prepare.

Here a transform,
There a new layer,
"This should be great!"
I exclaimed with a prayer.

At last it was finished,
A gag I could not surpass.
An L-block from Tetris
Riding behind an ass.

Why is it funny?
I don't claim to know.
Just wait 'til next year...
That'll be a show.

Brent's not here this week, and that's no joke. Seriously, stop laughing, it's not funny! I'm not kidding around! If you keep giggling, I'm going to stop writing this post! Okay, that's better. Even without Brent, the other three hosts soldier on to talk about April Fool's Day and gaming with a special guest host; Nivekeryas! Now if only they could stop talking about Eric's new iPad...

Today is April 1st, the day we gleefully ignore the common courtesy of not telling outlandish lies to one another. We here at the Dead Workers Party have been known to tell our own fantastic mistruths, such as the well loved ballad of Oober Servers.

It's not just people telling each other lies, however. Corporations get in on the act as well, making the first of April the absolute worst day to try to find gaming news. Add in the impending release of the iPad, and the only stories to be found are either Apple related or dirty, dirty lies. Occasionally the two even overlap. As an example, I present to you the iCade. Kotaku has a pretty good list of today's tomfoolery here.

So what's your opinion of game companies trying to be cute on April 1? Do you appreciate the effort, or are you annoyed beyond all reason? What are some of your favorite or least favorite April Fool's related pranks?

"Max, are you awake?"

"Eh?"

"I said, MAX, ARE YOU AWAKE?"

"Oh fer cryin' out loud woman, I'm old and hard a' hearing, but I ain't deaf!"

"Do you remember when we were twenty-five..."

"I can't even remember what I had fer breakfast this morning."

"You had cyber-oats."

"Ding dang ol' cyber-oats. Whatsamatter with oatmeal? Kids these days too good for oatmeal?"

"You remember when we were twenty-five, there was this game we used to play. What was it called?"

"Eh, you gotta give me more than that, Helen."

"You know, you were a little guy, and you ran around..."

"Oh yeah... what was that called again?"

"There were bad guys, and you killed them."

"I remember the one. You had a sword..."

"More than one, dear."

"Yeah, but there was this one... I think the game was named after it. Why do you want to know, anyway?"

"Well, it's our ninety-third wedding anniversary this Thursday, and I thought we might play it again, for old time's sake."

"I never liked that game."

"I know, but what was it called?"

This week, Brent, Wes, Eric and Spencer Explore some of little games in life. At least, that's what they try to do, before the ravages of old age catch up with them and wipe their memories clean. What happens when gamers get old? If they forget the Konami code, do they run out of infinite lives? Listen in for a lot of GREAT game suggestions from the Nation!

Look baby, you knew what you were getting into when we started this thing. I'm a plumber. That means I travel through pipes to a magical mushroom kingdom where I fight a race of evil anthropomorphic turtles. It's long hours and low pay. Sure, I pick up coins all the time, but they're only legal tender in the mushroom kingdom and they're only redeemable for green mushrooms. What the hell do you expect from me? It's hard work, but do you seem to care? No! Over there, they treat me like a hero. A hero! And I come home after a long day on the damn desert level, still shaking sand out of my frickin' overalls, and all you can do is complain about how I'm never home, how I don't spend enough time with you and the kids, how we can't afford to pay the gas bill. I saved you from a gorilla! A GORILLA! The least you could do is give me a little shred of RESPECT!

Speaking of respect do you think games get enough? That's the question with which the four hosts grapple this episode, although the discussion morphs into something else part of the way through. Guest starring in this episode is a sound effects board that is not at all annoying and doesn't get old fast at all.

Wait a second. What's the deal with this new show? This isn't what I think it is... is it?

Big games get all the chicks. Well, maybe not chicks, but they get all the press, all the accolades, and the lion's share of profit. Little games rarely stand a chance. To be clear, for our purposes a big game is one with a major publisher and an enormous budget. The little games are everything else; shoe-string budget indies, free flash games, ad-supported web time sinks, ninety-nine cent iPhone titles.

Little games are largely ignored by the gaming press. Sure, there are sites that cover them; Rock, Paper, Shotgun has a particularly good record of covering little games, and even Kotaku throws an indie title a bone now and again, but by and large the press is focused on the big games. Partly that's because of access. Big publishers have established relationships with media outlets, making it far easier for them to get exposure. Partly it's resources. Small developers don't have the time and money that the big guys do, let alone dedicated PR teams. Whatever the reason, the end result is that on a site like Kotaku we get an article saying that there's a countdown clock on the Mass Effect 2 website - essentially an announcement that there will be an announcement - but the existence of a truly fun little dungeon crawler, Desktop Dungeon (pictured above) gets no mention at all. I'm not really trying to rag on Kotaku here; they are what they are. Rather, what I'm trying to say is that these games deserve more exposure, and that's something we can do at NoG.

The great thing about little games is that they can try new things. They can evolve unpopular formulas. They can push the envelope in ways that the big games can't. That's not to say that all little games are good, far from it. The ratio of good games to crap is probably about the same for little games as for big games, but since there are so many little games, that still adds up to a lot of good gaming to be explored.

So let's have it; what are your favorite little games? What do you play on the sly while at work or school? What's the one little game that you want to share with the world, that simply not enough people have heard about? This week, the hosts will share our favorite little games, and we hope to have a lot of yours to share as well!

Spencer Williams

By opening this bag of NoGgits NoG Brand Corn Chips, you agree to the terms and conditions of the EULA. All NoGgits are protected by state of the art Digital Rights Management even though the chips are a physical product. The bag must be connected to the Internet at all times while the chips are being consumed so that you may enjoy entertaining NoGgits infomercials. In addition, a series of unique product ID codes are printed inside every bag. Before eating a chip, first input the chip's ID code. Failure to do so is a violation of the EULA and may result in less than satisfactory flavor. Sharing NoGgits is specifically prohibited by the EULA; tell your friends to buy their own bags. Uploading NoGgits to the Internet is also strictly prohibited, in addition to impossible due to our amazing NoGgits Cloud Service, to which you must be connected at all times while enjoying NoGgits. Disconnection from the NoGgits Cloud Service will interrupt munching and may cause stomach cancer. Rumors that NoGgits have already been cracked and are available on pirate torrent trackers are completely false. Enjoy your NoGgits!

The four hosts just won't shut the crap up! Is there a perfect DRM? Does it involve prairie dogs? Find out on this week's exciting episode of NoG!

The upcoming expansion leaves some of us waiting for new content. Join us in our discussion of things to do in Azeroth that weren't put in by Blizzard. Somehow we forgot to talk about "Duck, Duck, Moonkin"...

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This article was inspired by Video Games and Facing Controversy, a YouTube video made by Daniel Floyd. Daniel Floyd is a twenty-five year old video game animator that “lectures” on topics such as this in a funny and insightful manner while providing some nice animation in the background (similar to Zero Punctuation in style, if not in substance). I strongly recommend you check them out! Here is a link to his YouTube channel where you can browse his videos.

Video games are rarely viewed in the best light by society. They've had more than their share of controversy thrown at them over the years; one example was the recent Mass Effect “SEXBOX" controversy over a brief sex scene in a thirty-plus hour game. People assumed the worst, even going as far as to say it was a "virtual orgasmic rape" simulator. The media often portrays video games as devices designed to corrupt children, and whenever the topics of childhood violence, social ineptitude, or addiction are brought up, fingers point to video games as the cause. As Daniel Floyd says in his video, “When controversy arises, our opposers don’t look at a game studio and see a team of artists, they see a team of toy makers that have gone too far.”

During Daniel’s video he spoke at length about a game that recently came under fire called “Six Days in Fallujah,” a third person shooter from Atomic Games about the second battle of Fallujah. The game was originally to be published by Konami, but when it was revealed, many decried the game as disrespectful to those who died in that battle; the height of bad taste. Konami quickly bailed and Atomic was left without a publisher. However, if Konami thought that this game was in poor taste, why did they give it the green light? They had to know it would stir some controversy, so why did they back off at the first sign of criticism? Daniel's take; “By caving in, you validate all of the accusations. You have legitimized slander founded and ignorance, and you guarantee a larger outcry the next time you consider a project like this."

“These games are not being judged by their content,” Floyd says, “they are judged because they are games.” He points out that other forms of media, such as books and movies, have explored difficult subjects such as war, genocide, sexuality and hatred with great success; these artists dare to show humanity’s dark side. “They venture into uncomfortable territories and find the truth hidden within. This is the stuff art is made of. What is it about games that disqualify them from exploring this harsh territory?” Until games are taken seriously, we will never be able to see their true potential as a respected form of media and art. To achieve this we must stand up for our medium, be open to criticism, and embrace what games have become and what they will be.

So what do you think? Do video games have the potential to be something more than what they are now? Do you think that they should be able to touch on dark subject matter that many other forms of media have touched upon? Do you believe that video games can ever be respected on the same level as movies, plays, or literature?

Charles (CoRn)

We welcome back Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock, for his second time on Multiplaying for episode #26. Jason and Steve talk with Brad about Stardock’s upcoming game, Elemental. It’s a fantastic interview and we really appreciate Brad being on the show as it’s always a fun time talking to him.

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Ah, Digital Rights Management, you foil of peace-loving gamers everywhere. It's a fact: If not for DRM, gamers would be a harmonious bunch. The petty squabbles dividing platform and franchise devotees would melt away with the delicate trickle of a spring thaw.

Okay, maybe I'm overstating things. Still, you can't deny that DRM, newspeak for copy protection, is a contentious issue. Nearly everyone sits squarely on one side of the issue; either you believe that DRM is the sacred right of every game publisher who are only looking to protect their properties, or you believe that DRM is an ineffective inconvenience that only punishes paying customers and does nothing to quell piracy.

There have been a lot of requests for NoG to cover the DRM debate, but it doesn't feel like there's a lot of new ground to cover. The debate hasn't moved in the last twenty years; the arguments for and against Ubisoft's new restrictive DRM system are essentially the same as the arguments for and against code wheels in the 80s. What new could we bring to the argument?

So instead of the typical point/counterpoint discussions that have typified NoG so far, this week we're trying something different. The four of us are going to lay out our ideal DRM solution, and you're invited to submit yours! It can be serious, it can be wacky, or it can be anything in between. Who knows? Maybe between us, we can come up with the perfect DRM!

Spencer Williams

Our main discussion this week is gear score, and how it appears to extend our level beyond 80.

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Current Shows:

This is the one where we talk about Global Agenda with Todd and Stew

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It's a fact: Ninja Blade is the finest game to grace the Xbox 360. In fact, it's the second best console game ever. The first best was of course The Fist of the North Star on the NES. That game was amazing, exhibiting game play of such sublime quality that it will likely never be matched. But anyway, back to Ninja Blade. Do you like ninjas? What about blades? This game has them both, and tons of quick time events to boot! It's like playing pure awesome with a side order of phenomenal. And the story? People who say gaming hasn't had its Citizen Kane need to shut the crap up, because this game makes Citizen Cane look like The Godfather Part II. I give Ninja Blade a 17 out of 10, and that's only because if it went any higher it would rank better than The Fist of the North Star.

Join Brent, Wes, Eric and Spencer as they explore.... Are they really just games? Do they mean something more to us? Are they good or bad? Other questions as well!

The energy is high, the topics are a plenty! Learn how to rent epic gear. Are 5-man dungeons too short? Needing on Frozen Orbs is the new standard. So much more!

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This week is a review of "We Choose to Go to the Moon" by Dumb Blonde, Dead.

"It's only a game." It's the refrain I've heard over and over in the course of my twenty-five years as a gamer. From my grandparents who couldn't understand why I was so enraptured by the computer screen, to gamers themselves who chant the mantra every time gaming is blamed for some tragic violence; it seems that "only a game" is the answer to many difficult questions.

But is it really only a game? Speaking for myself, gaming has helped me through a lot of difficult times in my life. Without being too specific, around twenty years ago I'd lost my father and thought I was going to lose my mother. One of the ways I coped was by playing Final Fantasy IV. Playing the game helped me forget the bad things happening to me, and I really do think I came out better for it. To this day FFIV is my favorite of the series, not because it has the greatest story or game play, but because of what it represents. It feels like a warm blanket. It helps me to feel comfortable and secure, and never fails to calm me down.

For many people they are just games. But for others, you can't divorce the experience of a game from the greater context of the life in which it is played. Just as in any hobby, the meaning of an experience is limited only by how much one vests into it. Gaming can mean as much or as little to a person as that person desires.

There are many ways in which games can effect our lives, and I'd like to highlight two extremes. On the one hand, there is an article On Hot Blooded Gaming, Kreyg wrote Video Games: My Guardian Angel. I encourage you to read the whole article, but here's an excerpt:

School wasn’t the only place where things were rough for me, life at home wasn’t exactly peaches and cream. You could say that my parents didn’t have the perfect marriage. There are too many times I can recall my parents having intense fights and screaming contests. Unlike the kids from school, I could immediately escape the madness going on. Most of the time I would close the door to my room and turn up the game volume. When I was playing whatever game it was, I felt like I wasn’t a part of the war going on outside. Video games were my safe zone when the fighting broke out. I didn’t exactly know what was going on, but as a kid, I was scared of all the yelling and knew it wasn’t good. I just wanted it to go away, and playing video games helped make that happen for me. My parents eventually got divorced when I got to middle school. It was a rough time, but I knew I could pop on a game and forget about my troubles for the time being – and I did just that.

Kreyg's story is one I think a lot of us can relate to, and hopefully he'll be joining us for an interview on the next Nation of Gamers.

On the other side of the coin is this video by CirrusEpix and posted at ScrewAttack.com.



Obviously I disagree wholeheartedly with the sentiment in this video, but it still illustrates that, for good or ill, games can have a profound impact on our lives.

What do you think? Are games important to you beyond the enjoyment they provide? Have you had a bad experience made better by gaming, or a good experience that turned bad? Do you feel that games help or hinder your development as a person? How has gaming effected your life?

As always, feel free to comment here or take it to the forums for more in depth discussion!

Spencer Williams