We're back with a slightly unusual episode! There's some serious talk up front, talk about an update, and we wrap with some fun game recommendations. You can listen below, read the transcript, or watch the video.

A couple months ago, we realized that we've worked essentially continually on Future Proof Games for years. The two of us have had day jobs, and have tried to maintain a work/life balance, but nights, weekends, and free days still felt like they were, by default, time for FPG work. ...

June is here, June is here! We cover a whole lot this month, and yet we don't even run long. Listen to this month's episode below or read the transcript.

The other week we gave a talk at James Madison University as part of their CS Speaker Series at the invitation of our friend Prof. Michael Stewart.

We presented on "Ethical Intention in Development," and we now have a video that combines our slides with recorded audio from the ...

Exploit: Zero Day is a game about hacktivism. We cast players into the role of hacktivists fighting for justice against monolithic corporations and governments. In doing so, we portray hacktivism as necessary, effective, and even (to some extent) glamorous. But to treat it too lightly would be to ignore the ...

An educator friend of mine recently shared this article lamenting the gamification of schools. I found it infuriating. According to the author:

The problem is gamification’s premise. It suggests that we should capitulate to a generation of students who supposedly can’t muster interest and curiosity on their own.

There ...

I've noticed more talk about cultural appropriation lately, most of it scornful of the concept to varying degrees. Out of ignorance, people are claiming that "everything is cultural appropriation!" and "if cultural appropriation is bad, then X is horrible!" I want to talk a bit (as a white American) about my understanding of the concept, defuse a few toxic memes about it, and discuss how we might be guilty of it.

How much control do you have over what happens to your character in a tabletop RPG? Can people do things to your character without your permission? Do you want them to?

In most mainstream tabletop roleplaying games, you control your character's actions but not what happens to them. You choose how they feel about events, but not the other effects. A combination of the rules and the game master's judgment decides whether your character gets scared, hurt, or killed.

There's a different way.

I've spent the last six weeks with my left arm in an immobilizer sling. Six weeks of southern United States summer, of being a day-and-night software developer, of being a gamer, all rocking a sling that straps my left arm to a pillow that is in turn strapped to my torso and neck.

After the first 11 days, I've had some use of my left hand for things like typing, but I have limited wrist mobility and can't reach for things or hold/lift more than about two pounds. I'm in this sling 24/7 until some time after August 4.

Plenty of computer and gaming things become difficult in this situation, and I've been exploring some new configurations to get my gaming in. What's come out of this are some good practices I can take away for basic accessibility in developing games.

What's Normal?

Our work-in-progress, Exploit: Zero Day, will be a social, online game. It'll let you roleplay as a hacker with other players and even interact with the game's characters on the forums. The kind of community that forms will be essential to the game's success.

At the same time, the Internet can be an abusive place, especially in gaming spheres, and we're producing a game themed around "hacking" and computer security intrusion that is attempting to provide compelling dilemmas. There's a definite risk of our community becoming hostile, toxic, or downright dangerous.

Part of our vision statement at Future Proof Games is "audacious compassion." How do we create a community that encourages audacious compassion while being fun and financially self-sustaining? We're still working out the details, but here's our thoughts at the moment.