Sean

OK, here's the scoop. Nick Breckon reset the password for our xSplit account and I don't know what it is. BUT I know have 35 down/10up at home which means I can probably stream some Day-Z exploits. I think it's harder to twitch-stalk and assassinate in the standalone version so I would expect some DayZ streaming sometime in the next week or two (but if it's not on the weekend it'll be at night).

https://twitter.com/MrMooEar/status/420328598369628160

Never die.

Someone ping me when the surrender button conversation has run itself out.

I actually just did this a couple months ago at Campo -- we were talking about a way to start the game and I had an idea for it and said "fuck it, I can make this in twine in a few hours" and then did and sent it around. In two minutes folks were able to glean the idea and we then were able to jump right to the conversation about how we'd actually put an experience that felt like playing the twine game into the actual game.

I can tell you that, regardless, that is a true fact that exists in life.

Word choice aside, I'm in general agreement with Reyturner.

Well played.

FWIW I can usually tell as soon as I say "HEY, I DON'T WANT ANY TROUBLE," and the person goes "FUCK YOU BITCH," that they are American.

I want to publicly declare, to Nick Breckon, AKA F. Nick Breckon, AKA Congrats Nick Breckon that he is a PERMANENT and BELOVED host of this podcast. We cannot bring someone back who, in our minds, has never left. The seat is open for him. The door is ajar. He is the Elijah to our Pod-Seder. Seriously, Nick has just been super busy and it's a long haul to drive from TTG to the Mission in SF where the cast is recorded (having done it for a years, I have empathy for the man).

It wasn't us splitting escapism into two categories, it was more of an issue of authorial intent: ie, creating a game that is meant to be escapism and one that turns out to be escapism in consequence of its design.

http://qpaintings.com/ via http://www.panic.com/blog/the-panic-office/

FWIW, my complaints are mostly in jest, but talking about DOTA a lot is one thing (and there's a lot to say about the game, as there is for Spelunky) but playing only DOTA is another. I give Chris shit about Spelunky because for this brief moment in time he is literally playing no other game.

thanks, tycho. your post pretty much encapsulates what i loved about chris and jake from the moment i met them.

Fixed

Dont' want to thread highjack but though you guys might appreciate this little Day-Z story from this weekend. http://storify.com/vanaman/to-be-reunited-with-your-killer-day-z-standalone-a

TL;DR: I think the entire idea of "spoiler" is silly; it's an overused cliche in media culture and is really only something to be mad about if someone's intent is to actually and actively ruin an experience, media or otherwise, that another person is looking forward to. As for it expanding the definition of a spoiler all the way down to "keeping an experience fresh;" if that is something that is important to a person (and who am I to say it's not) I would probably not recommend that they add a video game podcast to their listening diet.

Dota Today 2: The Lord's Pitch Brad Muir of Double Fine stops by to talk some LOMA, Massive Chalice, and how to name things. Game Discussed: Dota 2 Listen on the Episode Page Subscribe and rate us on iTunes Subscribe to the RSS Feed

I think it was the assertion of "what a video game is," because we all (probably to a fault) believe that that is a bullshit thing to decree. I know Jake, Steve and I have taken some crap for our games "not being actual video games." I think Jake was just being aware of the "what is/isn't a game" sentiment. It has nothing to do with playing a game on a 3DS. We're also "not weirded out," we just find it fascinating that we sit around wanting games to surprise and delight us in new and evolving ways and then our favorite games of the moment are a Mario and a Luigi game. Literally the most historic video games of video games that ever video gamed. It's peculiar but we are enjoying them sincerely. Which makes me realize that Luigi's Mansion's goals of just making a good video game make it so much more honest and refreshing than something like a Bioshock Infinite that's supposed to be about all these heavy narrative themes but is honestly just about being a badass superhero in a fantasy world. Games keep trying to be x, y or z and, for me, Luigi's Mansion just IS and in being what it is outshines most of what I've played this year.

Because of the broken leg we were recording it in my apartment -- it wasn't the best and didn't get normalized when we edited it. We'll be back in the Thumbs studio from here on out.

Dota Today 2: Sand Queen and Mrs. Tinker Justin "theGunrun" Ignacio of TwitchTV joins us to discuss the rise of Dota and eSports, and his shadowy life as a professional stream cleaner. Game Discussed: Dota 2 Listen on the Episode Page Subscribe and rate us on iTunes Subscribe to the RSS Feed

On this episode: Pop the champagne and don a pink sear-sucker because it’s an Idle Thumbs reunion. Nick Breckon has travelled from the far eastern states to join Chris, Sean, and Jake in a lively discussion of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby. Written in 1925, the novel received mostly positive reviews but was mostly overlooked before Fitzgerald's death in 1944. It has since been heralded as one of the great American novels. Listen on the Episode Page Listen in iTunes Subscribe to the RSS Feed We picked this book because it's an Idle Thumbs favorite among Jake, Chris and Nick, and in the grand tradition of reading a book before a major motion picture is released, we've picked it up. Buy the book from Amazon. Buy the Kindle edition. Buy the iBook.

Yeah, just say "HEEEEY" in the idlethumbs chat channel.

I was with Chris and then got called away about ten minutes before to do press back at PAX. I can't remember where we were sitting! GAH!

On this episode: This month, Italo Calvino sends Chris and Sean swirling through time and space with his enchanting book of short stories. The nuances of literary translation and the magic of Mr. DNA are also discussed. Listen on the Episode Page Listen in iTunes Subscribe to the RSS Feed Buy the book on Amazon