Ludology

Geoff welcomes Dr. James Wootton, quantum computing expert and one of the people behind the digital game Hello Quantum, which is made to teach its player about the fundamentals of quantum computing.  Here is Dr. Wootton's blog. Here is the Quantum Information Science Kit (QISKIT) blog Dr. Wootton mentioned. If you're technically inclined, here is Dr. Wootton's GitHub repository. And if you want to take a quantum computer out for a spin, here is the cloud-based service Dr. Wootton mentioned.      

Emma and Gil welcome Jennifer Ellis and Keith Baker of Twogether Studios. We discuss their approach for integrating stories into their game, whether directly embedded in their game, letting them emerge from the players, or evoked from the look of the product.  Show notes: 05m03s: Check out Keith and Jenn's games: Gloom Illimat Action Cats Phoenix: Dawn Command 17m04s: Keith and Jenn's forthcoming Adventure Zone game is based on the Adventure Zone D&D actual play series.  36m46: More info about Descent. 38m36s: Illimat is a card game conceived by and designed with the band The Decemberists. 40m00s: More info about Cthulhu Fluxx. 49m19s: More info about Keith's award-winning D&D setting Eberron.

Scott leads us through the history of Trivial Pursuit, from its conception from two Canadian journalists after trying to play a game of Scrabble with missing pieces, to a full-fledged global 80s fad, to a billion-dollar empire.

Professor Scott Rogers joins Gil and Emma once again! This time, we're discussing Scott's time as an Imagineer designing games and experiences for Disneyland, and his subsequent work designing VR attractions. It's a fascinating topic, with a surprising amount of overlap into any kind of game design!  Show notes: 05m45s: More info about Disney Play here.  08m06s: Scott is right, sportscaster Al Michaels was indeed traded for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.  18m16s: Ludology 189 - Missing Selinker, wherein Mike Selinker shares a funny story testing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom:  30m20s: The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald Norman. Highly recommended to anyone who wants a better understanding of how people interact with objects.  40m53s: The history of how Tetris has chosen its pieces is really fascinating!  41m29s: Some more information about Legends of Frontierland: Gold Rush. 46m09s: We discussed dark rides and the challenge of choice in an immersive environment Ludology 214 - Escape from Reality with Strange Bird Immersive.  52m34s: Two-Bit Circus, the place in LA where you can experience the Terminator-themed dark ride that Scott worked on.  1h02m46s: Geoff interviewed Curtis Hickman, CCO of The Void, in GameTek 134.  1h05m51s: More info about Dreamscape. 1h06m37s: More info about Evermore. 1h10m58s: We discussed emergent vs. embedded narrative in Ludology 213 - Your Humble Narrator. 1h11m24s: Look, it was a long recording session, okay? :)

Geoff discusses Alpha Zero, a neural net that can play Go, Chess, and Shogi better than anyone in the world. It defeated the best AI in those respective games (each of whom had previously defeated the best humans in the world) with only a few hours of training. What does this spell for the future of AI, and the future of game design?

Emma and Gil welcome Geoff Engelstein and Isaac Shalev back to the show to discuss their new book Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design. This is a reference of board game mechanisms that any designer, new or experienced, can use to look up different tools they can use to solve problems in game design. Games and other things mentioned in this episode: 19m30s:  Kraftwagen Glen More Francis Drake Egezia High Rise 19m39s: Opinionated Gamers article on time track vs. one-way track  Patchwork Thebes Tokaido Tutankhamen 22m13s: Impulse 23m11s: Great Western Trail 33m55s: Empire Builder 35m22s: Monopoly Sushi Go Advanced Squad Leader 41m07s: BoardGameGeek official mechanism page  51m30s: Diplomacy 52m10s: Republic of Rome  Cutthroat Caverns 53m07s: Prisoner's Dilemma 54m27s: Catan 55m55s: Interview with Donald X. Vaccharino about theme, mechanism, and data  1h04m54s: Drop Geoff a BGG GeekMail Drop Isaac a BGG GeekMail Encyclopedia of Mechanisms Guild on BGG

Scott uncovers the history of the classic game Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, which has been delighting kids (and kids-at-heart) since 1964. He discusses the influences that converged in making the game, why the combatants are robots, and how it's influenced everything from video games to real-life combat robotics.

Legendary Interactive Fiction writer Andrew Plotkin joins Gil and Emma to talk about text-based stories that players can participate in. We explore the form's history and unique strengths, and discuss what good writing can bring to a game's experience. Interactive Fiction platforms mentioned in this episode: Inform Twine ChoiceScript Ink Check out some of Andrew's IF work: Shade Spider & Web Hadean Lands Other video games mentioned in this episode: Colossal Cave Adventure Zork Donut County 80 Days Heaven's Vault Galatea AI Dungeon No Man's Sky Board games and analog IF mentioned in this episode: Werewolf 7th Continent 1,001 Odysseys Choose Your Own Adventure™ books Meanwhile Fighting Fantasy books Leanna Fled the Cranberry Bog If you would like to explore the world of IF, a good place to start is the Interactive Fiction Database - it's like the BGG of IF! Some good games to start with (this is hardly an authoritative list): 9:05 - You can easily play this in one sitting, and in most cases, you will want to immediately play again when you finish it the first time. Photopia - This is a spectacularly well-written game, but it can bring up some intense emotions. The Uncle Who Works for Nintendo - A fun horror game. Howling Dogs - This is a work by Porpentine, whom Gil has raved about several times on the show and this episode. Be sure to find both endings. Counterfeit Monkey - A fairly long game by Emily Short built around some remarkably brilliant word-manipulation mechanisms. You will likely need to use an emulator if you want to save your game and use the game's graphical map. Enjoy exploring the IF rabbit hole!  

In this GameTek Classic, Geoff describes the idea of "path dependence," and discusses how human game players allow their past to affect their present. Should players care about how they got to a certain point in their game?

Ludology returns for 2020, with our annual tradition of bringing on board game industry veteran Stephen Buonocore from Stronghold Games/Indie Game Studios to discuss the state of the industry. 2020 will be an interesting year for board games. What challenges await us? Is it smooth sailing? Doom and gloom? Somewhere in-between?