Extra Credits

Suleiman the Magnificent - VI: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques - Extra History

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Duration: 8:19
Updated: 16 Apr 2016
views: 12951

Buy the limited edition Suleiman & Justinian shirt! http://bit.ly/23AtasO Suleiman's decisions came back to haunt him, starting with the Knights of Malta (once Rhodes). He tried to kick them off their island again, but failed. He launched a new campaign to take Vienna and prove the might of his empire. But he was so old... --- (Episode details below) Support us on Patreon! http://bit.ly/EHPatreon Grab your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Saturday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Watch the Suleiman the Magnificent series! http://bit.ly/1nBF8i9 Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ____________ A messenger disrupted Suleiman in his reverie. He brought news from Malta... Suleiman had outlived both his friends and his rivals. Charles V had passed, but his throne had passed to a son who proved just as vexing. An ardent Catholic, Philip II set his ships to harass Ottoman fleets in the Mediterranean and emboldened others to dispute Suleiman's mastery of the sea. The Knights of Malta, whom Suleiman had defeated at Rhodes and allowed to leave peacefully, once again gave safe habor to these Christian ships. Suleiman sent a force to take their island, but his commanders argued with each other and Christian Europe united against him in a way that it could not when he'd been a younger man. The Knights Hospitallier withdrew into their forts. His army struggled for three weeks to take just one of them, and although they succeeded, Suleiman's commander died and the Christian reinforcements had time to join the remaining two forts. At last, faced with yet another fleet of reinforcements, Suleiman's commanders decided to withdraw. Back in his garden, Suleiman knew that this defeat would destroy the invincible image of his empire. He resolved to prove that the Turks were still a force to be feared, and organized a campaign to take Vienna. He would lead them himself. They left in 1566 with great fanfare, but they were immediately greeted by torrential rains that slowed their advance and cost them materiel. Suleiman spent the whole trip confined to a carriage, and when they finally arrived to siege Szeged, he had to retreat a sickbed in his tent. He died while the battle still raged outside, never to know his empire's fate. ____________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1EQA5N7 *Music by Demetori: http://bit.ly/1AaJG4H ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/23isQfx *Music by Sean and Dean Kiner: http://bit.ly/1WdBhnm

wn.com/Suleiman The Magnificent Vi Custodian Of The Two Holy Mosques Extra History

The Division - Problematic Meaning in Mechanics - Extra Credits

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Duration: 9:56
Updated: 13 Apr 2016
views: 846

Tom Clancy's The Division uses the present day United States as a setting, but it runs roughshod over the real and troubling issues facing American society. It glorifies totalitarianism and the use of force against citizens whose rights are ignored and whose humanity is stripped away by mechanics that directly equate racial and class stereotypes with villainhood. (---More below) _________ Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ Police violence, vigilantism, and struggle between security and liberty are core issues facing America today, and Tom Clancy's The Division addresses all of them - but it does so in a callous and unthinking way. The game takes place in the real world, with no war to throw a pall of justification over its violence, nor convenient alien or zombie enemies to direct it towards. Instead, the villains are US citizens who have survived a bioterrorist attack and who are now accused of disrupting the government's attempts to restore order in an epidemic wasted city. The player is a newly activated member of a secret military organization which answers only to the President, and is instructed to kill these so-called thugs. This is the definition of totalitarianism, and it plays out like a game about being an SS agent under the Nazi regime. It encourages and glorifies the same type of violence associated with recent police shootings that have divided the nation, and the thoughtless way it does that disgraces both law enforcement officials and people who've died in these shootings. It also uses hoodies to distinguish an entire enemy faction: people to be shot on sight. Given that the hoodie worn by Trayvon Martin has become a symbol used to demonize people of color, one which protestors have tried to take back by wearing it in solidarity with victims, this lazy stereotype on game's part is appalingly callous. It dehumanizes these enemies by having NPCs yell pejoratives at them, and what hints it does give as to their real lives and backgrounds outside of being targets consistently reinforce class lines by showing them as working class or poor people. The Division does feature a strong and diverse cast of NPCs, but their presence only underlines how tone deaf the main story is: diversity means more than including people of color. It also means being conscious and considerate of the real issues faced in our shared culture today. To explain its decisions, the game claims inspiration from Operation: Dark Winter, a study conducted in 2001 under the Bush administration which met with heavy criticism and is now fifteen years out of date. But even those findings seem out of touch when we've seen multiple epidemics (like SARS or ebola) pass by without causing a complete breakdown on the scale that the Division suggests might happen. Regardless of intent, the game ultimately embraces totalitarianism, government brutality, stereotyping, fearmongering, and classism without applying enough thought to make a coherent message out of these volatile themes in its mechanics. ___________ Would you like James to speak at your school or organization? For info, contact us at: soraya[at]extra-credits[dot]net ___________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1oWKi8Y

wn.com/The Division Problematic Meaning In Mechanics Extra Credits

The Importance of Local Multiplayer - Seeing Eye-to-Eye - Extra Credits

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Duration: 4:44
Updated: 06 Apr 2016
views: 13376

Most AAA games don't include local multiplayer, and while not all of them should, our community is missing out on the opportunity to share games with each other by playing side-by-side. This social element teaches us how to behave civilly towards each other even when a game becomes heated or goes poorly. (---More below) _________ Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ Most AAA games don't include local multiplayer for simple reasons. It's an extra feature that requires more development time from an already crunched team, but it doesn't drive sales nor does its absence turn players away. They might even sell more copies if people can't share and play the game locally. On the flip side, there are a few up sides to local multiplayer: current players can introduce new players to the game and friend groups can exert pressure on the game owner to buy the latest and greatest DLC. But it also has a less tangible value for us as a community: it teaches us how to play together. While the anonymity of the internet enables or even encourages foul behavior, it's a lot harder to say or do those things when the person you're acting against is right next to you where you can see them being hurt. We see a lot of local multiplayer in the fighting game community, and while there are definitely toxic elements there, local tournaments tend to be welcoming spaces centered on the love of the game. Independent studios have also begun to experiment more with local multiplayer, which can generate nostalgia, create new play experiences, or simply reduce programming difficulty. Although not every game needs or should have local multiplayer, playing those that do helps remind us how to participate in a healthy community. ___________ Would you like James to speak at your school or organization? For info, contact us at: soraya[at]extra-credits[dot]net ___________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/14cJwKQ

wn.com/The Importance Of Local Multiplayer Seeing Eye To Eye Extra Credits

So You Want To Be an Animator - Building Your Career - Extra Credits

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Duration: 7:22
Updated: 30 Mar 2016
views: 16616

What does it take to become an animator? Where should you start, what should you study, and how can you get better? Dan answers these questions from the perspective of a professional animator who's worked in games and movies! Recommended Reading: Pick up "The Animator's Survival Kit": http://amzn.to/1q1Mm14 (---More below) _________ Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ___________ Enjoy the guest art? Get more from Micha Frar! http://michafrar.tumblr.com/ You can also reach out to Micha on Twitter: @michafrar ___________ Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Get more advice on careers in gaming: http://bit.ly/1ADVKuj Watch Dan's series studying animation in games: http://bit.ly/1ROCNi5 Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ What is an animator? Aside from a miserable pile of secrets, animators are puppeteers who take inanimate objects and create the illusion of life and motion. They craft movement and perform through their characters. If you want to become one, you should start by deciding which of the many formats - 2D, 3D, stop motion, etc. - you want to work in. There are a number of excellent schools we can recommend in North America (Cal Arts, Ringling, Scad, Sheridan), but you don't necessarily have to go to school as there are programs online that are cheaper and will help you learn the craft (Animation Mentor). If you do choose a school, make sure you look at the quality of its students' demo reels and its job placement rates. Animation is a competetive field, and the strength of your portfolio will be what gets you hired. Make yours better by studying demo reels from animators you admire in your preferred field. But remember, you're always a student when it comes to animation. Study movement, study acting, study the work of other animators - there's always something you can learn. When you do get on a project, understand the purpose of the animation you're crafting and be ready to communicate with a team, since this is a rarely a solo endeavor. And finally, while you're pushing yourself constantly to get better, make sure to take time to congratulate yourself on the progress you're making. ___________ Would you like James to speak at your school or organization? For info, contact us at: soraya[at]extra-credits[dot]net ___________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1SwNKBD

wn.com/So You Want To Be An Animator Building Your Career Extra Credits

Understanding the Witness - Mechanical Transference and You - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 5:16
Updated: 23 Mar 2016
views: 5750

Tucked away in a secret theater inside the Witness is a film clip from the indie movie Nostalghia, where we watch a man agonizingly - and for no rational reason - try to carry a flickering candle flame across a watery courtyard. This little clip brilliantly captures the feeling of playing The Witness and presents a metaphor for the player's struggle to solve its difficult puzzles. (---More below) _________ Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ In the theater beneath the windmill, Jonathan Blow hides a clip from an indie film called Nostalghia. It's directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, the same man who directed the Stalker movie that birthed its own series of games. In the clip, we watch a man agonizingly make his way across a watery courtyard, carrying a flame that keeps blowing out in the wind. He tries, he fails, he thinks about cheating - he goes back to the beginning and starts all over again. The film is a perfect metaphor for the player's experience, trying again and again at a task that seems meaningless to any outside observer yet remaining fanatically dedicated to carrying it out the right way. In the film, the main character's been instructed by a mad man that carrying this candle will save the world, and what begins as a casual agreement for him becomes an obsession that he shares. In the same way, the Witness may begin as a simple challenge for players, but soon draws them in to a world of patterns and puzzles that they can't help but see everywhere in the real world, in the objects that surround them in day-to-day life. The end of the Witness shows us a live action film clip of a person (perhaps Jon Blow) stumbling through the game development studio, finding these patterns in everything he sees, and showing us how our exploration of the game and immersion into its puzzles mirrors the inescapable obsession of the developer, who after years of crafting over 600 of these puzzles, can't help but see them everywhere and who has now passed that obsession along to us through the very game that created it. ___________ Would you like James to speak at your school or organization? For info, contact us at: soraya[at]extra-credits[dot]net ___________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1pIlz9R

wn.com/Understanding The Witness Mechanical Transference And You Extra Credits

Suleiman the Magnificent - V: Slave of God - Extra History

Order: Reorder
Duration: 9:25
Updated: 09 Apr 2016
views: 14096

Suleiman's empire stretches across the Mediterranean, but in the midst of his success, he suspects betrayal in his own house. His best friend, Ibrahim, and his most promising son, Mustafa, both seem to have designs upon the throne. Support us on Patreon! http://bit.ly/EHPatreon --- (Episode details below) Grab your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Saturday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Watch the Suleiman the Magnificent series! http://bit.ly/1nBF8i9 Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ____________ Suleiman was alone in his garden, unable to escape the doubts and regrets that shadowed him... Suleiman and Ibrahim marched south upon the Safavid kingdom, where they met no resistance. Faced with an unbeatable Ottoman army, the Safavids simply yielded and scorched the earth behind them so Suleiman would not be able to hold the territory he took. Ibrahim suggested that he take on the role of sultan in this new territory so that he could govern it, but his words enraged Suleiman. Roxelana had been warning him that Ibrahim had grown ambitious and disrespectful, and now he saw it. He had Ibrahim assassinated and appointed a new chief vizier. But now his Western empire was in shambles. He allied with the French against his enemy, Charles of Spain, but they conducted their war in Italy, well beyond his usual sphere of control. The mismanaged war had to be called off after Charles and Ferdinand attacked Hungary in the wake of John Zápolya's death. Suleiman defeated them and annexed it officially. Again war called. This time he sent his troops south without him, only to hear word that they felt Mustafa was a better leader than he was and Mustafa didn't disagree. He joined them in the field and ordered Mustafa to come to him and prove his innocence, but it was a trap. He had Mustafa killed. The consequences rippled out. He killed Mustafa's son, his grandson. One of his own sons died from grief. Roxelana died of old age. His two remaining sons, Selim II and Bayezid, began to quarrel for the throne, and he ordered them both out of the capital. Bayezid hesitated, and Suleiman turned against him. Even after Bayezid fled to the Safavids, Suleiman pressed for his execution and bribed the Safavid sultan to carry it out for him. Now, he had only one son. ____________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1EQA5N7 *Music by Demetori: http://bit.ly/1AaJG4H ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/23isQfx *Music by Sean and Dean Kiner: http://bit.ly/1WdBhnm

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What Does Tomorrow Look Like? - How We Envision the Future - Extra Credits

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Duration: 5:48
Updated: 16 Mar 2016
views: 10060

The way we envision life in the future says a lot about our lives today. From ray guns to cyberpunk, our vision of the future has evolved over time, but lately there hasn't been a broadly articulated vision that's unique to the 21st century. We've simply mashed together elements of familiar futuristic worlds instead of imagining our own. Why not, and what does that say about us? (---More below) _________ Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1S3GGwc

wn.com/What Does Tomorrow Look Like How We Envision The Future Extra Credits

Game Writing Pitfalls - Lost Opportunities in Games - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 7:53
Updated: 06 Jan 2016
views: 249070

Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Episode details below...) Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ A video game takes up more of our time than movies, TV, or books, but they have far less to say. Literally: while TV scripts have about 120 words per minute of dialogue, we timed several narrative heavy games at about 16 words per minute. Many of those words are aimed at giving the player game information, not plot exposition, but even so, games like Destiny waste the time they do have on instructional text or throwaway lines. Characters simply restate what's going on around them or make meaningless comments to cover the gap in boring sections of gameplay. Contrast that with the Witcher 3, which dispenses instructions in five words and then proceeds to tell a story. Good dialogue should meet at least one of four basic criteria: 1) Tells us about the world 2) Tells us about the speaker 3) Tells us about other characters, or 4) Moves the plot forward. When games have so few words to build their story, it's a shame to see those opportunities wasted on filler. ___________ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1O4IlQv

wn.com/Game Writing Pitfalls Lost Opportunities In Games Extra Credits

The Lottery - Why People Favor Worse Odds - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 7:12
Updated: 02 Mar 2016
views: 12824

Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Episode details below...) Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ A huge experiment in player psychology occurred in October 2015 - but it went unnoticed in the games industry because it was the lottery conducting this experiment. The Multi State Lottery Association (MUSL) significantly lowered the odds of anyone winning the Powerball. With fewer winners, the jackpot grew and grew, and in the first week of January 2016 we saw what would turn out to be the biggest player numbers in Powerball history. Even though the odds of winning are worse, the appeal of the giant jackpot makes it so there's an exponential increase in the number of people who want to try their luck. We have to wonder, is there a point where the odds become so low it actually discourages players, or will the size of the reward become irresistible no matter how unlikely we know we are to win? Game designers expect players to be rational actors who will favor the most efficient route to success (power leveling, loot grinding, and son). But the lottery results suggest that may not always be the case. Many games, especially MMOs, could stand to experiment with incentive systems that incorporate more "Big Score" type events like the lottery and less "The Job" type grinding that we're used to. ___________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1QmCh70

wn.com/The Lottery Why People Favor Worse Odds Extra Credits

Why Aren't There Science Fiction Games? - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 7:29
Updated: 17 Feb 2016
views: 4033

Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Episode details below...) Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ There's a difference between Science Fiction and Science Fantasy. Broadly, sci-fi (like Star Trek) makes us believe that it could happen in our universe as technology advanced. Science fantasy (like Star Wars) wants us to embrace fantastic elements like knights and magic laid over a hi-tech backdrop with space ships and laser guns. Games have a ton of great science fantasy games, but even the common trope of the gritty space marine tends to be just a knight in different armor. Games like Mass Effect, Fallout, and System Shock come close because they're built on scientific foundations (humanoid enemies, the apocalypse, and so on) but they still give you magical powers or indulge in scientific hand-waves. Meanwhile, if the goal of science fiction is - as John W. Campbell once said - to "make the marvelous seem mundane, and then the mundane will seem marvelous" then many games let us down by forcing us to experience the same overblown things repeatedly until we get tired of them. (Looking at you, Final Fantasy summons!) But good mundanity gets us to imagine what technology would look like (and do for us) in our regular lives. That's called mechanical transference, and it's something hard sci-fi is really good at creating. ___________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1XwHr34

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Still Skeptical of V.R. - Five Challenges for Virtual Reality - Extra Credits

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Duration: 7:42
Updated: 20 Jan 2016
views: 233930

*Sponsored* Go learn things! 10 Day Free Trial: http://www.lynda.com/extra Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Episode details below...) Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ Recommended for you! Extra Play - Battle of the Dans Mario Kart: http://bit.ly/1Wyr1Vy ___________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1HN30IA

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Propaganda Games: Sesame Credit - The True Danger of Gamification - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 7:39
Updated: 16 Dec 2015
views: 1003205

Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Episode details below...) Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ China has gamified being an obedient citizen with the creation of Sesame Credit. The game links to your social network and gives you a score for doing things that the government approves of, but it also reduces that score for doing things the government disapproves of. Even your friends' scores affect your own, and being friends with people who have a low score will drag your score down as well. This insidious system applies social pressure on people to ostracize their friends with lower scores, either forcing those friends to change their ways or effectively quarantining their rebellious ideas. While many sci-fi visions of a dystopian future have centered around a bleak government that controls through fear, Sesame Credit shows us that a government can use gamification and positive reinforcement to be just as controlling. And it's real. While currently the system is opt-in, the government plans to make it mandatory in 2020. Once mandatory, it may give rewards for good scores or penalties for bad ones. And in the meantime, making it opt-in has already set the tone for the game: people participate willingly, so they find it fun, and they set a very high standard for what the "average" score should be. Already people have begun sharing their scores on social media. ___________ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1O88ssO

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Why Are There No Good Video Game Movies? - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 8:58
Updated: 10 Feb 2016
views: 17630

Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Episode details below...) Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Special thanks to Movie Bob! Check out his channel: http://bit.ly/1TcRdb9 Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ Why are there no good movies about video games? We asked our friend Movie Bob to weigh in, since this topic is his specialty. And there's no single answer to it. True, video games have a different storytelling style because of their interactive nature, but books and plays and even song also have different approaches that have been adapted successfully. The bigger concern is that the people with money and the power to make decisions in the film industry didn't grow up with our classic games. Looking back to Tim Burton's Batman, that movie was a hit that spawned multiple comic book movies - but they were all based off old franchises (Dick Tracy) or new fads (Spawn) instead of the most popular and enduring characters (Spiderman). They picked the wrong properties. Another challenge is that in games, caring about the story isn't necessarily part of caring about the game. Street Fighter has a narrative that most players don't even know about. But what if there's something worth adapting about a game aside from its story or mechanics? What if you adapted its core gameplay: a first-person experience of war. It would be distinct, and it would be distinctly Call of Duty. It even has the potential to feel more personal for the audience and to tell a good, original story that may not even need to connect to the game beyond that persepective. ___________ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1PNOAKB

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The Antihero - Can Games Create Antiheroes? - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:06
Updated: 25 Nov 2015
views: 276638

Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Episode details below...) Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ An antihero is someone whom you want to see succeed, even though it almost feels like you shouldn't. They're not villains, whom we can love but whose plans (like world destruction) we can't support. The antihero has an objective we agree with, but a personality that just grates on us. In Western literature, the predecessors of the antihero include Shakespeare's Hamlet or John Milton's Satan from Paradise Lost: they had grating, yet attractive, personalities, but their goals were not really those of a hero. Lord Byron introduced the first real antihero in his poem, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, which became so well known that "Byronic hero" is another way to describe the antihero. Since then, we have seen antiheroes in everything from Kafka's Metamorphosis to detective noir and pulp sci-fi novels. They tend to appear when a new generation of writers in a genre wants to escape the stale cliches of their predecessors. Games may be due for an antihero movement, but since they are interactive, it's difficult to make an actual antihero rather than just a character who acts like a jerk in between action sequences. Brooding is not very engaging for the player, for example, so how do you create brooding moments for an antihero when the player is in control? How do you make players feel that angst? ___________ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1jxKc5x

wn.com/The Antihero Can Games Create Antiheroes Extra Credits

Games You Might Not Have Tried: Winter 2015 - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 8:16
Updated: 09 Dec 2015
views: 303994

Grab a GAME plushie and more from our shop! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Play our whole list of Games You Might Not Have Tried! http://bit.ly/1wsJSun ---- (Find game details below...) Join us live on Twitch! http://bit.ly/ECTwitch Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Find us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage ___________ For our long-running Games You Might Not Have Tried series, Extra Credits reviews and recommends a selection of video games that might have slipped under your radar. Here's the full list! *Undertale (0:30): http://bit.ly/1NBEuXH *Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide (2:01): http://bit.ly/1R2wJ3H *The Beginner's Guide (3:28): http://bit.ly/1Ttq8gu *Read Only Memories (4:30): http://bit.ly/1NyQ7Df *The Black Watchmen (5:31): http://bit.ly/1MHVnnU --James Recommends: http://bit.ly/1Ixilhk *Mini Metro (6:40): http://bit.ly/1SGynpm ___________ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1XSxOtX

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Games You Might Not Have Tried #8 - Find New Games - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 8:45
Updated: 24 Feb 2016
views: 20605

Grab a GAME plushie and more from our shop! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Find game details below...) Play our whole list of Games You Might Not Have Tried! http://bit.ly/1wsJSun Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQg9o... Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ For our long-running Games You Might Not Have Tried series, Extra Credits reviews and recommends a selection of video games that might have slipped under your radar. Here's the full list! * Thea: The Awakening (0:25): https://extra-credits.gamesrepublic.com/game/strategy,thea-the-awakening,5056.html * Axiom Verge (2:05): http://store.steampowered.com/app/332200/ * Mordheim: City of the Damned (2:59): https://extra-credits.gamesrepublic.com/game/strategy,mordheim-city-of-the-damned,5060.html * the static speaks my name: (5:08): http://store.steampowered.com/app/387860/ * LISA (5:40): http://store.steampowered.com/app/335670/ * Tearaway: Unfolded (6:52): http://amzn.to/1oHy6tL ___________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1VEDVSK

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Places of Horror - The Secrets of Scary Settings - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:58
Updated: 28 Oct 2015
views: 244098

Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Episode details below...) Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ Horror settings fall into two basic categories: places of disempowerment and places of isolation. Places of disempowerment - such as alien worlds and the bottom of the sea - force us into situations where we don't understand the rules of our environment, and can never tell when our expectations will be suddenly reversed. Places of isolation, like remote cabins and arctic research stations, make sure we know that no one will help us: if we can't find a way to survive, we will simply die. The inherent terror in these settings can be amplified by giving them a haunted past, such an ancient graveyard or an abandoned asylum, or by making the place itself possessed of malice and willpower that's directed against those inside it. Finally, these settings can provide psychological landscapes that reflect someone's inner struggles and fears directly back onto them. ___________ Recommended for you! Extra Credits - How the Uncanny Instills Fear Horror that Lingers: http://bit.ly/1tGnvhF Extra Play - Battle of the Dans: http://bit.ly/2041A2U ___________ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1S91rG8

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Free to Play Laws - Can We Stop Predatory Practices? - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:47
Updated: 27 Jan 2016
views: 212998

Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Episode details below...) Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ The European Union (EU) has passed laws regulating free-to-play games, but their focus has been on limiting the way Free-to-Play games target children. It's not a bad start, but since children only make up a small sliver of the F2P market, it still leaves the major targets of predatory F2P companies unprotected. People with depression, compulsive personalities, or people who form close bonds with the internet community are deliberately exploited by companies that expect to pump thousands of dollars of revenue out of a single one of these users by preying upon human psychology. We're leary of the form that F2P regulatory laws could take, especially seeing as the versions in the EU triggered both Apple and Google to overcompensate by punishing innocent developers, but as long as companies continue to build game economies on the assumption that they can exploit these "whales" then we are running a dangerous risk of requiring government intervention to protect the players. ___________ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1FN6mp6

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What to Look for in 2016 - Industry Developments to Watch - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:25
Updated: 03 Feb 2016
views: 142567

Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Episode details below...) Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ It's a brand new year, and there a few interesting trends we're keeping an eye on as 2016 shapes up. For starters, the Portable Steam Machine may create a unique space for itself in the market. Since Apple devices like the iPad took over the mobile scene, there haven't really been any portable games designed around a controller input other than Nintendo 3DS - and its control scheme is unique enough to make porting to other systems difficult. The Portable Steam Machine, on the other hand, is built to play on both a handheld and a computer and it has a built in controller that unlocks diffferent avenues for game designers wishing to be successful in multiple sections of the market. We're also keeping an eye on the rapid acquisitions of non-Chinese game developers by Chinese corporations like Tencent and Snail Games. The quiet but rapid rush of acquisition we've seen over the last year has now reached a phase where it needs to pay off, and Chinese companies need to be more strategic about their investments. But they've been largely more hands-off than Western firms like EA when they acquire games, and the relationship between Riot Games and Tencent (which recently acquired 100% ownership) will serve as a bellwether to see how this shakes out. On similar lines, China recently lifted its ban on consoles, so we may see new Chinese game developers form to build games in their new console market. We're interested in whether those games remain in China or become localized and exported to other countries, bringing another new voice and new cultural perspective to game design. Finally, we hope to see whether the Western acquisition bubble will pay off. Microsoft and Activision invested billions of dollars into acquiring Minecraft and King Games (Candy Crush), respectively - even more than Disney paid for the acquisition of Marvel or Lucasfilm. If these investments pay off, expect to see a change in the valuation of all game development companies - but if not, expect to see investor funding dry up for such huge acquisitions. ___________ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1o6I9Yw

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The Delta of Randomness - Can You Balance for RNG? - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 7:17
Updated: 11 Nov 2015
views: 242956

Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Episode details below...) Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ Randomness has three major functions in game design: 1) it creates exciting moments, 2) it gives the weaker player a chance to win occasionally, 3) it forces players to adapt to changing circumstances. When adding random elements, game designers must look at the delta of randomness, or the difference between what baseline impact that element has without a random effect and the realized impact it has with its random effect. Hearthstone once again provides an easy example: a card with a random effect should have its baseline below the average power curve on the assumption that its realized random effect will boost it over the curve. Surprisingly, cards with the least variability in their random effect tend to be more exciting for both players than cards with a large but unreliable random effect. Large randomness can swing the game in ways that make it seem like the outcome was decided the moment one player lucked into a huge random draw. But small random effects can still give one player a slight advantage without completely shutting down their opponent, giving both a chance to play around the inherent RNG in the cards. ___________ Recommended for you! Extra Play - Hearthstone Arena: Mage Draft: http://bit.ly/1Si6VxE ___________ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1kM8OYT

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Destiny is Gaming's "Law & Order" - Video Game Comfort Food - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:44
Updated: 04 Nov 2015
views: 224416

*Sponsored* Go learn things! 10 Day Free Trial: http://www.lynda.com/extra Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Episode details below...) Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ Destiny is rarely great, but it is consistently good - enough to become a "comfort food" in the games world. The first person shooter style gameplay is familiar enough to most players, and executed well enough by Bungie, to feel interesting and accessible without requiring too much gameplay. Even as the game evolves over time, the designers have consistently hit good notes without reaching for brilliance or attempting to introduce radically new design ideas or even, frankly, fix all of the design flaws that have been around since the game's underwhelming launch. This is because the game must appeal to a large audience, and while it doesn't offer the best in PvP or the best in PvE, it does both well enough that players who enjoy either of those options can often agree to settle on Destiny in order to play with their friends. ___________ Recommended for you! Extra Play - Battle of the Dans Mario Kart: http://bit.ly/1Wyr1Vy ___________ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1MgU3YG

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Game Literacy: Games in Education - Should We Teach Game Basics? - Extra Credits

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:16
Updated: 09 Mar 2016
views: 167

Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP ---- (Episode details below...) Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! http://bit.ly/1GwiJWQ Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ___________ We've long advocated for games in classrooms on Extra Credits, but as the idea has become more widespread, we've also encountered some unforeseen problems with the idea. Mainly, games literacy: a familiarity with the basics of games that would allow students to play them in the same way that written literacy allows them to read or write their homework. Even as schools have taken big steps to overcome the technology gap of old, outdated computers that can't run modern software by providing students with tablets or updating their computer labs, they're now running into the problem of games literacy. More and more children are encountering games at a young age, but it's still far from all of them, and a student who doesn't understand how to use a controller or the concept of XP won't get much out of educational game systems. Card and board games are an option, since physical games tend to be a lot easier to grasp, but they don't scale well - imagine a class of 30 children trying to play the same board game. You could also put students together in groups, but that puts a burden on students who do have games literacy to become teachers for their peers, and it may be embarrassing for students who lack game literacy to reach out to their classmates for help. So the question becomes, should we teach games literacy in schools in the same way we teach written literacy? While we initially thought no - students, especially young ones, already have more than enough critical skills to learn - we've realized since then that games literacy can be taught alongside traditional subjects. Basic games can help students learn to read, or learn to do math, teaching them a traditional core skill through simple systems that will also introduce those kids to the fundamentals of game literacy. ___________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1eIHTDS ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/1R7F9bo

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WW2: The Resource War - I: Arsenal of Democracy - Extra History

Order: Reorder
Duration: 8:44
Updated: 05 Apr 2016
views: 9824

Hearts of Iron IV comes out on June 6! Check out the game: http://pdxint.at/hoi4_arsenal_democracy To understand nations at war, you have to look at how their economies function. With World War II on the horizon, Europe and Asia dug themselves in for a fight - and a look at each other's resources told them what to expect. --- (Episode details below) Support us on Patreon! http://bit.ly/EHPatreon Grab your Extra Credits gear at the store! http://bit.ly/ExtraStore Subscribe for new episodes every Saturday! http://bit.ly/SubToEC Watch the WW2: Resource War series! http://bit.ly/1PRaI22 Play games with us on Extra Play! http://bit.ly/WatchEXP Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): http://bit.ly/ECTweet Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ECFBPage Get our list of recommended games on Steam: http://bit.ly/ECCurator ____________ European economies were so closely connected that some people expected they have to avoid another world war or destroy their finances, but in fact World War I had taught them how to prepare for just such a scenario. Germany, France, and Great Britain all invested in their military before war broke out. When evaluating these economies to see how war would affect them, we look at four main factors: GDP, population, territorial extent, and per capita income. Broadly, this helps us determine how resilient, expansive, self-sufficient, and developed a nation is. All of those factors determine how a nation must conduct its war. For example, the vast territorial holdings of the British Empire meant that they had vast resources to draw upon but needed a long time to mobilize them, which helped Germany determine that they needed to strike fast and win big if they hoped to win the war before Britain's full resources came into play. Japan also estimated that they could win a war in the Pacific if they managed to win before the US had been involved for more than 6 months. These calculations drove the early strategies of the Axis powers, but the participation of the US would later prove to be a crucial factor. ____________ BONUS! Economies of Japan and China before WWII: GDP (Bn USD-1990) Japan - 169.4 Japanese Colonies - 62.9 China (exc. Manchuria): 320.5 POPULATION (mil) Japan - 71.9 Japanese Colonies: 59.8 China (exc. Manchuria): 411.7 TERRITORY (thous sq.km) Japan - 382 Japanese Colonies - 1602 China (exc. Manchuria): 9800 AVG ANNUAL WAGE (USD-1990) Japan - 2,356 Japanese Colonies - 1,052 China (exc. Manchuria) - 778 From: “The Economics of World War II: Six Great Powers in International Comparison” by Mark Harrison Buy the book! http://amzn.to/1oxvdKQ ____________ ♫ Get the intro music here! http://bit.ly/1EQA5N7 *Music by Demetori: http://bit.ly/1AaJG4H ♫ Get the outro music here! http://bit.ly/23isQfx *Music by Sean and Dean Kiner: http://bit.ly/1WdBhnm

wn.com/WW2 The Resource War I Arsenal Of Democracy Extra History