Jake

The Idle Thumbs Podcast Episode 5: His Cyborg Familiar

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Yeah I don't really remember what I was thinking. I had this sudden eureka moment that made me commit to a dumb conclusion without really bothering to think critically about it. Sorry for the verbal diarrhea!

edit: Actually I was thinking about "Hot Hands" in basketball. People erroneously believed that players would go on hot or cold streaks and that would affect their chances of success on the next shot. What was being described on the podcast though seems more like doing an easy shot and having the follow-up shots get progressively harder, and dreading the inevitable point where you screw up and lose that sense of perfection.

I think you just got caught up in thinking they were describing a gambler's fallacy. I believe the main point (as Chris mentioned) was about winning a number of games in a row and then being nervous for the next match such that your mental and physical state is more agitated, making you a worse player and therefore more likely to lose.

In one of your earlier posts (the first, I believe) you were using the inverse of that scenario as an example: that losing a bunch of games will mean you're more likely to win the next. That is a gambler's fallacy.

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Great episode (yes, episode). Sweet discussions on various topics -- I like how you often end up drilling into tangential stuff instead of what you were supposed to be talking about. Also, Jake keeps being my favourite guy, always with the spot-on video game observations. Chris's Hollywood Stories was funny and unexpected, and Award for Best Thing that was Said goes to Steve's "shut up".

Also, best ending ever.

Oh, and please talk more about Metro 2033 next time. I'd write a question at idlethumbs.net (or call the machine and say nothing), but since you read those after saying all the things, that would be pointless. Nobody talks about Metro 2033, but it's a sweet game. Chris, have you come to the part where there's a cut-scene where your guy holds up a dog tag hanging from a leather string and you see how it twist as the tag rotates?

Lastly, I love how you guys kept joking about this being the last episode. Great joke, you guys!

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Lastly, I love how you guys kept joking about this being the last episode. Great joke, you guys!

I agree, great JOKE. Theres a hidden meaning here.

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I never understood the sensationalism around Marek, other then the name; could someone provide some history on this?

I believe the thing about his name comes from Episode 1 of the Idle Thumbs UK podcast where he introduces himself as such:

...And I'm Marek!

[long pause]

...BRONSTRING! Marek BRONSTRING!

As in, he forgot to say his last name and corrected himself very quickly. Then the Idle Thumbs US podcast thought this was funny and milked it a bit (Jake, maybe?) and the rest is history.

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In late 1998 I sent an e-mail to Adventure Gamer saying "You guys are cool, can I help?" This led to me writing a review of The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel. (MobyGames overview)

My review is on Archive.org, and I'm not sure it's worth revisiting. 18-year-old me seemed to want to make as many gratuitous Sherlock Holmes references as possible.

Oh man, I totally read your piece back then because I had The Serrated Scalpel and loved it even though I think I could never complete the game because I couldn't get some event near the end to activate (according to a walkthrough). I remember that AG site design as well and now I also understand why you are calling it adventuregamer.com when it was changed to adventuregamers.com at one point for a reason I completely forgot.

Also, this is my favorite podcast yet. It has everything I love, long talks about game design, the woes of loving single player immersive games, a general bad attitude, the ballsiest dialogue I've ever heard from someone who has had official contact with Jerry Bruckheimer (everyone else has to give him his dues and not speak ill), amazing stories about dads watching games, Nicolas Cage taking a dump (or more), and then a site history.

Remo, is there somewhere I can read the new Jordan Mechner interview as well or was it a sort of private interview?

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Oh man, I totally read your piece back then because I had The Serrated Scalpel and loved it even though I think I could never complete the game because I couldn't get some event near the end to activate (according to a walkthrough). I remember that AG site design as well and now I also understand why you are calling it adventuregamer.com when it was changed to adventuregamers.com at one point for a reason I completely forgot.

Also, this is my favorite podcast yet. It has everything I love, long talks about game design, the woes of loving single player immersive games, a general bad attitude, the ballsiest dialogue I've ever heard from someone who has had official contact with Jerry Bruckheimer (everyone else has to give him his dues and not speak ill), amazing stories about dads watching games, Nicolas Cage taking a dump (or more), and then a site history.

Remo, is there somewhere I can read the new Jordan Mechner interview as well or was it a sort of private interview?

The great majority of ANYTHING pertaining to him is on here:

http://jordanmechner.com/

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I also understand why you are calling it adventuregamer.com when it was changed to adventuregamers.com at one point for a reason I completely forgot.

I think it was something to do with the hosting provider? Can't remember it's name. Looked it up... Telefragged.

Whoa. Googling adventuregamer.com brought up a thread on ttlg.com where I had posted as well, in May 2001. Creepy. http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6043

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I believe the thing about his name comes from Episode 1 of the Idle Thumbs UK podcast where he introduces himself as such:

As in, he forgot to say his last name and corrected himself very quickly. Then the Idle Thumbs US podcast thought this was funny and milked it a bit (Jake, maybe?) and the rest is history.

I think I was the one who drew attention to it, but yeah that's the sole source of the joke for us. Marek is also, separately, a cool and nice guy, but our obsession with his name is entirely self-contained.

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Marek is also, separately, a cool and nice guy, but our obsession with his name is entirely self-contained.

...aaaand he's a great dancer:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho2Q0LE-gNc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho2Q0LE-gNc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

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...aaaand he's a great dancer:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho2Q0LE-gNc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho2Q0LE-gNc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

There's also the original Marek dance:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qsKvGS4DQQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho2Q0LE-gNc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

(as not-immortalized in this: http://roflopolis.com/index.php/roflopolis/article/idle_thumbs_e3_2005_video/)

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There's also the original Marek dance:

<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qsKvGS4DQQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho2Q0LE-gNc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

(as not-immortalized in this: http://roflopolis.com/index.php/roflopolis/article/idle_thumbs_e3_2005_video/)

hehehe! yeah, i saw the "Marek Dance Classic Edition" before, but omfg i'm laughing so hard right now at the whole "Idle Thumbs E3 2005" video!!!!...this is priceless!!! :tup::tup: :clap:

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Is B.M. Bronstring demoing the NATALS?!

Also, best ending ever.

Strangely agree, it's great when the proceedings sort of trail off or something. Maybe I feel like it sort of "lets us down easy" or something? Good stuff.

I agree, great JOKE. Theres a hidden meaning here.

It'd damn well BETTER be a joke, I feel like I'm finally getting over the withdrawals from before!

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The great majority of ANYTHING pertaining to him is on here:

http://jordanmechner.com/

I'm well aware of his site, otherwise I couldn't call myself a fan, but where's the interview Remo conducted with him? it's certainly not on Mechner's site. I was thinking it was going to be featured on Gamasutra in transcribed form.

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I'm well aware of his site, otherwise I couldn't call myself a fan, but where's the interview Remo conducted with him? it's certainly not on Mechner's site. I was thinking it was going to be featured on Gamasutra in transcribed form.

It hasn't been published yet.

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That's extreme. + The intro is great.

yeah, the intro is kinda the best part. And Jake as a policeman crashing into a hotel room with all of them going wild inside...just seems somehow disturbing as almost as it is awesome.....kinda like a 70's porn movie/that beastie boys video/village people....? umm.....yeah...

EDIT: and the MI2 intro "reanimated" scene....extreme! :clap:

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Now I'm just disappointed that he doesn't have the Mcnulty picture stuck to his face... stupid internet screwing up my perception of people.

Ok, so I'm in Neptunes Pride and this seems to be something I like, but the payment plan sounds really sketchy to me I think I'll stick with my free game and be done with it.

If it was something I could pay for once and play I'd most likely do it, I'd also have liked to get a thumbs galaxy made since I have a suspicion other people here would have played, but the whole arcade style pumping quarters idea just doesn't sit well for me.

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Now I'm just disappointed that he doesn't have the Mcnulty picture stuck to his face... stupid internet screwing up my perception of people.

Ok, so I'm in Neptunes Pride and this seems to be something I like, but the payment plan sounds really sketchy to me I think I'll stick with my free game and be done with it.

If it was something I could pay for once and play I'd most likely do it, I'd also have liked to get a thumbs galaxy made since I have a suspicion other people here would have played, but the whole arcade style pumping quarters idea just doesn't sit well for me.

It would take quite a while though to pump as many quarters as it would take to buy a real game, though. The payment system is basically structured around evangelists--I think they assume most people aren't going to be into this kind of hardcore concept enough to pay for it, so among a given group of friends, only one guy really has to want to pay for it, and then he can let his friends in.

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