e447 — 23 and Games

Image by Michael Rowe with DiffusionBee, December 2023 Published 1 January 2024 Andy and Michael R are back while Michael M is away - and have a fantastic show on the DNA of 2023 in games. This episode starts with a stroll down the beginnings of Dungeons and Dragons, with Michael R sharing a couple of links from the Internet Archive. He found a veritable treasure trove of documents, rulebooks and more. A couple of which are in the show notes below. Michael R noted that AD&D was not only about dungeons and dragons, with the same rules and mechanics applied to other sci-fi genres. An additional example of the AD&D system was used by the RPG game Toon. Turning next to PC (personal computer) based games, and moving forward a bit in time, Andy and Michael R start with games that were sold and distributed via (gasp!) physical media! No cloud based games in this selection, though many of them are now available via the web and can be experienced (sort of) with modern hardware. Andy comments that he and Michael are of the cohort that experienced the transition from analog to digital, and that experience will never be repeated because it just can’t. Michael R shares his enthusiasm in playing Baldur’s Gate 3, exclaiming that he now understands why everyone is so drawn in by it. With 108 gig of content, it’s no surprise that the graphics and gameplay are such high quality. Of course no discussion of games would be complete without World of Warcraft. The co-hosts also discuss several NPC (non personal computer) games such as those on the Playdate, and a large number of games on Steam. Vote for your favorite Steam Deck games on The 2023 Steam Awards - by 2 Jan 2024 10am Pacific. One of Andy’s particular favorites is Dave the Diver. Andy and Michael close out the last episode recorded in 2023 with the hope that there will be many unique and valuable experiences in VR and AR beyond Beat Saber. Michael M was also "playing a game” on the evening of 29 Dec — enjoying time in the Smith Center while the university students are away, and looking forward to hoisting up the sousaphone once more to play for the women’s basketball team on New Year’s Eve closing out the #JordanYear. What games are on the top of your list to play in 2024? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz@botsin.space (our home for now) and let us know! The Games at Work team wishes our friends and listeners a very Happy New Year! These show notes were lovingly hand crafted by a real human, and not by a bot. All rights reserved. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it. Selected Article Links D&D and AD&D Internet Archive: Original Dungeons and dragons - Book 1 - Men and magic by Gary Gygax & Dave Arneson Internet Archive: Tsr 02100 AD& D Player's Handbook Games at Work e400: Quadringenti Mazes and Monsters by Ronna Jaffe Toon - the Cartoon Role Playing Game PC Games PC Games article: From Diablo to Half-Life, this site brings back classic PC game boxes Dos Deck Baldur’s Gate 3 Polygon article: Extremely important Baldur’s Gate 3 tips that the game never tells you World of Warcraft Windows Central article: Is it worth playing World of Warcraft in 2023? (Updated for WoW: Dragonflight 10.2) Star Wars: Jedi Survivor NPC (non-PC) Games playdate Street Fighter 6 Chicory Game Steam Deck collection Steam Deck game: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge Steam Deck game: Dave the Diver Steam Deck game: Vampire Survivors Steam Deck game: Placid Plastic Duck Simulator Pineapple on Pizza Blanc VR Games Beat Saber Andy’s read: 100 Ideas that Changed the Web Sousaphone Michael M’s game playing with the UNC Alumni Band 29 December