Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy Show 289. This time out we discuss the failure of Concord and why we feel its a turning point in the industry.

See you online,
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to show 288

This time out we talk about the following subjects.

1. Anime
2. What gives players a "Power Fantasy"?
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEPE2eVGE0o
3. Digital games vs physical games

See you online,
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Show 287: Speculation about trends in entertainment: streaming, movie theaters, and games

Have you been in a movie theater and found yourself to be the only one there? Have you read the news and found massive layoffs in the gaming industry? Do games and movies seem like a rehash of the same thing? Has your favorite game gone "live service?" We've noticed the same thing...so let's talk about it.

 We have to...so let's talk about it.

Welcome to show 286 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show. This time out we talk about artificial intelligence.

See  you online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 285.  Here are the topics this time:

1. You can buy the pants but you have to  wear them here - the digital-only future
      Accursed Farms Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Accursed_Farms
2.  When games are delisted and e-shops shut down
3.  Early Access

See you online

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 284,

This time out we discuss the following subjects:

1. Is there a "disconnect" between the industry and gamers.
2. Adding DRM to older games.
3. Isometric games
4. Why does a game like Baldurs gate three succeed while expectations for Starfield fall to negative reviews?

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Teslacon is an immersive steampunk event that means a great deal to us.  It's been awhile since we shared a bit about the great time we have each year.  We also brought out  an interview from the past with the man who started it all - Eric Larson.

Julie Whitefeather and Fran Kosac

Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy Show 282

This time out we discuss various types of player goals. Whether short term, intermdiate or long term, what keeps us playing.

Player Goals and narrative de-escalation

Sites Cited: Player Goals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uCUZRBmam0

See You Online,

The No Prisoners No Mercy Team

Welcome to The No Prisoners, No Mercy Show.

This time out we talk about Apple Minis and Steam Decks.

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

This time out we discuss the recent Unity Game Engine Controversy and Starfield.

See you online.

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to show 279

1. Bobby Kotick, Microsoft and Activision
2. Starfield
3. Warframe
4. a.i., writers and the future

Discussion:

What breaks immersion?

See you online
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Sites Cited:
https://kotaku.com/starfield-open-world-rpg-scifi-ship-cargo-inventory-1850796380
https://kotaku.com/starfield-release-review-accessibility-xbox-pc-steam-1850793327
https://www.pcgamesn.com/warframe/heirloom-skins
https://www.pcgamesn.com/starfield/fallout-4-feature

Welcome to Show 278

Subjects:

1. Accessibility features/Cyberpunk 2077
2. Games that are good until you run out of things to do. How do you keep players playing after they reach the level cap.

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 277,

Subjects for this time out:

1. Retro games
2. Videogame adaptation movies
3. Movies and people who make them
4. Audiobooks and movie rights

See you online,
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to show 276,

Here are the topics this time out.

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

1. Artificial intelligence...I for one welcome our new AI overlords
2. Game Complexity, complicated game systems

Sites Cited:

Can an AI learn to be racist?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffraikes/2023/04/21/ai-can-be-racist-lets-make-sure-it-works-for-everyone/?sh=4882eea2e40d

Is Chat GPT liberal or conservative?
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/09/business/are-chatbots-liberal-or-conservative-depends-who-you-ask/

Testing the limits of Chat GPT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdAQnkDzGvc 

AI and lawsuits
https://www.reuters.com/legal/getty-images-lawsuit-says-stability-ai-misused-photos-train-ai-2023-02-06/

Extra Credits Youtube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/extracredits

TRIGGER WARNING:  This we one of our co-hosts talks about the loss of a friend.

1. Have toxic gamers ruined gaming? Have developers and publishers not listened to gamers?
2. Do we pay more attention to negativity?
3. Trigger Warning: Starting at  46 min. Chris talks about the passing of a friend. 

This time out we talk about the following subjects

1. Are cheap games bad? Are mobile games bad?
2. When good game companies go wrong
3. AI, creativity and how it effects us

See you online,
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy Show 273,

This time out we talk about the following subjects:

1. Microsoft's patent for personalized in game advertising. 

2. Solo games vs. multiplayer games vs. mmos. Which do you prefer and why?

3. Linear games with a single story arch vs. Open world sandbox. Which do you prefer and why? Does one format make for a more successful game than the other

See you online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show. This time out we discuss Conan Exiles.

Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy Show 271. This time out we discuss the following topics.

See you online,
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

1. Bethesda games, mods and updates
2. Stadia and cloud gaming

Welcome to Show 270,

This time out the No Prisoners, No Mercy Team talk about the following subjects:

1. Developers chasing high end graphics instead of game play, story narratives and optimization

2. With easier tools to make games some developers do not take optimzation into consideration and who has access to the consoles and computers needed to play their game.

See you online,
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 269,

The gangs all here. This time out we talk about Final Fantasy 14 - the good, the bad, and the very, very good! Along the way we discover what some games have done right that others have done wrong.

See you online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to show 268,

This time out the No Prisoners, No Mercy team welcomes a guest from the Space Game Junkie podcast back to the show.  This time out we discuss the good, the bad, and the very bad of gatekeeping.

See you online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 267,

This time we continue our discussion on accessability in gaming.  We also welcome a special guest from The Space Game Junkie Podcast back to the show.

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 266,

This time out the No Prisoners, No Mercy Podcast welcomes a guest.  In part one of two we talk about accessability and games. 

See you online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

This time out we talk about why some games "have legs" and some do not?  Why are some games a flash and a pan and some seem to be around forever? What makes something the "it" game?

See you online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

This time out the No Prisones, No Mercy Gang talks about the following subjects:

See you online!

1. A few notes about Elden Ring
2. Conan Exiles
3. Games we play to relax
4. Artificial intelligence in and out of video games
5. Intelligence - artifical and the lack thereof
6. What are we playing

Welcome to the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show.  This time out we discuss the following subjects:

1. Microsoft acquiring activision blizzard
2. When the producer doesn't understand the product
3. Where is entertainment headed?
4. What are we playing
5. fremdschämen

See you online
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

This time out we are please to welcome to the show author, screenwriter, and film producer Dedra Stevenson!

See You Online

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team 

Welcome to show 261,

This time out we discuss the following subjects.

1. NFTS and the game industry (see below)
2. What makes a great villain?
2. Star Trek

Sites Cited:
https://futurism.com/the-byte/650000-nft-yacht-metaverse
https://kotaku.com/we-live-in-hell-and-this-ubisoft-nft-that-requires-you-1848202326
https://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/news/2022/html/a_new_years_letter_from_the_president_2.html

This time out we have the second part of a two part show - an interview with authors M.K. Wiseman and D. Lieber. Ms. Lieber is the author of urban fantasy, paranormal fantasy, and steampunk adventure urban fantasy novels. Her latest books are The Assassins Legacy and The Treason of Robyn Hood.

Ms. Wiseman is a "full-on fantasy and steampunk geek, with a touch of the sci-fi." Her books latest books include Sherlock Holmes & the Singular Affair, Sherlock Holmes & the Ripper of Whitechapel

Welcome to Show 259 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show. This time out we have the first part of a two part show - an interview with authors M.K. Wiseman and D. Lieber.

Ms. Lieber is the author of urban fantasy, paranormal fantasy, and steampunk adventure urban fantasy novels. Her latest books are The Assassins Legacy and The Treason of Robyn Hood.

Ms. Wiseman is a " I am a full-on fantasy and steampunk geek, with a touch of the sci-fi." Her books include the soon to be released Sherlock Holmes & the Singular Affair, Sherlock Holmes & the Ripper of Whitechapel, Magical Intelligence and others.

Ms. Wiseman's website is here: http://mkwisemanauthor.com/

D. Lieber's website is here: https://www.dlieber.com/

This time out  we talk about hate raids on Twitch, their causes, background and what is being done to stop them.

See You Online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 257,

Here are the subject this time out:

1. EA dancing on corpses
2. The Metaverse - technology, history, social aspects, expectations
3. World of Warships
4. A funny gaming story from the military

Articles:
https://www.howtogeek.com/745807/what-is-the-metaverse-is-it-just-virtual-reality-or-something-more/
https://www.thebit.nz/news/facebooks-metaverse-faces-a-hardware-problem/
https://techxplore.com/news/2021-07-metaverse-internet-revolution.html
https://cryptomode.com/binamon-metaverse-will-include-its-first-planet-it-will-be-sold-for-millions-of-dollars/

Welcome to Show 256 -

This time out we are proud to welcome Dr. Richard Bartle to the show. Dr. Bartle, Fran and Julie talk about one of the subjects of the moment - The Metaverse.

See You Online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy - Show 255

Topics this time out:

1. What makes a game interesting, What makes a character interesting
2. Evil Races are bad game design - extra credits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymUEPKTEQaQ

See You Online,
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 254,

The gangs all here...almost. This time out we talk about how people express their real self in virtual worlds - or do they?

See you online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Sites Cited:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/06/competition-watchdog-to-probe-google-and-amazon-over-fake-reviews/#p3

https://kotaku.com/u-s-healthcare-is-so-trash-this-game-s-localization-ne-1847169929

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/unique-everybody-else/202106/how-people-express-their-real-self-in-virtual-worlds

Welcome to Show 253 - here are the subjects this time out.

1. Congratulations Dave Filoni
2. Game Companies - the good, the bad and the really bad
3. Remastered or creatively bankrupt?
4. The Ship of Thesus - is commander shepard in Mass Effect 2 actually Commander Shepard?
5. RIP Kentaro Miura

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

1. NFT- money for nothing
2. What makes a game difficult, fun and just generally no fun?

Cites Sited:

https://futurism.com/charmin-debuts-toilet-paper-nfts
https://www.coindesk.com/brooklyn-bridge-nft
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCc69RlV2qI
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CheckPointStarvation

Welcome to Show 251,

The gangs all here! This time out we sit down and talk about the good and the bad of the game we have been playing - Final Fantasy 14.

See You Online

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show 250. This time the gang talks a frustrating game mechanic - When is a game too long? When has a grind been stuck in front of you before you get to the new or good content? How many times have you been sent in a "fetch quest" only to be told by the quest giver to deliver it to the npc you just ran past? How my any times have you seen a game advertise how big the open world is only to discover there is nothing to do IN that world?

See you online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

This time out the No Prisoners, No Mercy team talks about the following subjects:

1. If Julie falls in the middle of the forest and no one is around to hear does the family dog hear?
2.Accessability in Video Games
3. Point - counterpoint/Final Fantasy IV
4. Games that we play that aren't game

See you online!

Welcome to Show 248. Here are the subject this time out. The gangs all here.

1. Cyberpunk 2077 - a warning about reviews and releases
2. The Authority of Print
3. Cutting out the middleman
4. The Unsilent Minority
5. Reviews or reassurance

Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy Show 247. This time out we discuss the following subjects:

1. HUG Mods...bring it in
2. A few bits of news
3. Carpet Baggers or Developers
4. Vocaloids and Vtubers and Twitch

See you online,
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to show 246.

This time out Julie, Fran, Steve and Chris talk about the following subjects:

1. MMO scams: https://www.mmobyte.tv/mmorpg-scams-you-need-to-be-aware/

2. Star Wars Squardrons, EA and replayability

3. ECCO

Welcome to Show 245,

This time out on the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show we finish our original conversation on Star Trek and Star Wars. Welcome to part II.

See You Online,
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 244,

This time out we talk about  Star Trek and Star Wars.  With the next season of Star Trek Discovery about to  come out and new Star Wars series on the way it seemed like a good time to discuss the subject.  This time we welcome Troy to the show as our guest.

See you online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy Show 243. Here are the subject this time out:

1.EA vs the investor - when is enough too much
2.Epic vs. Apple - Is Epic really the "underdog"
3.What are we playing - filthy vampires and ork mimes

Sites Cited:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64Y-Z8gl1Zc
https://www.macrumors.com/guide/epic-games-vs-apple/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euiSHuaw6Q4
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-tech/2020/08/14/an-epic-antitrust-battle-for-apple-and-google-789925
https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/13/21366438/apple-fortnite-ios-app-store-violations-epic-payments

Welcome to the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show. This time out we talk about the following subjects:

1. Play station network loosing transaction history and licenses for purchased games
2. Digital vs. Physical versions of games
3. Impartiality in reviews - saving the drama for your mama
4. Nintendo
5. Videogame prices and Virtual Private Networks
6. When "hours of stimulating gameplay" ruin the fun

See you online,
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 241 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show. This time out we talk about the following subjects.

See you online,
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Teacm

1. Game Companies who listen to their Fans and Fans who wished they hadn't.

2. When is it an MMO and When is it a live Service...and does it matter?

3. Game Developers who make font size adjustable and those who don't...and Why.

Sites Cited:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2016/03/17/yes-great-games-can-be-crafted-by-fan-complaints-and-responsive-devs/#6229b8ad3753

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140209/07573126156/ea-you-can-only-rate-our-dungeon-keeper-app-if-you-give-it-perfect-rating.shtml

https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2014/02/06/no-ea-everyone-is-not-playing-dungeon-keeper-wrong/#bfb63641f83a

https://kotaku.com/the-wow-classic-demo-is-the-hell-we-asked-for-1830211579

https://www.vg247.com/2019/07/12/game-developers-time-stop-listening-fans/

https://kotaku.com/the-wow-classic-demo-is-the-hell-we-asked-for-1830211579

https://kotaku.com/hooray-for-games-that-let-you-make-the-text-bigger-1825418258

Welcome to Show 240 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy. This time out the No Prisoners, No Mercy Team talk about the following subjects.

See you online!

1. Fallout 76 Wastelands
2. A gamers view of the pandemic
3. Esports are the only sports
4. Do we play games because they are the new hottness?
5. Fallout 76 Wastelanders
6. It's never been easier to be a hero

Welcome to Show 239

This time, while we are all shut in, we are pleased to spend time with author and filmmaker, Dedra Stevenson. We spend time talking about how to stay creative make it through this difficult time.

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Show

Welcome to Show 238,

This time out the No Prisoners, No Mercy Team discusses the following subjects.

1. The life cycle of video games. Fran, for example, is a die hard wow fan and even she doesn't care about the new expansion. Why do games become extremely popular and then fade? Is it video game tourism?

2. Avatars of people's dead relatives in virtual reality - Creepy or closure?

Sites Cited:

Biggest MMO Failures in History
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-biggest-mmo-failures-in-history/

Welcome to the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show 237!

This time out we talk about accessibility in video games, what developers can do to make games more accessible, the witcher, and Pokemon Go.

See you online

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Sites Cited:

http://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/full-list/

https://venturebeat.com/2019/10/08/accessibility-finally-matters-to-the-game-industry-but-it-needs-to-do-better/

https://io9.gizmodo.com/what-the-witcher-gets-wrong-and-right-about-disabilit-1840609870

http://www.caniplaythat.com/about-can-i-play-that/

https://ablegamers.org/

https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/10/21060877/pokemon-go-record-revenue-2019-niantic-labs-ar-growth

Subjects this time out:

Micky the Rat owns your childhood, Hollywood threatens a "general philosophers strike", Google Stadia,

sites cited:

https://roguerocket.com/2019/11/19/disney-plus-accounts/
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/18/google-stadia-review-pros-and-cons-of-googles-streaming-game-service.html
https://www.zdnet.com/article/thousands-of-hacked-disney-accounts-are-already-for-sale-on-hacking-forums/
https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2483451/judd-apatow-and-more-hollywood-directors-up-in-arms-over-new-netflix-feature

Welcome to Show 235,

This time out we talk about Star Trek and Star Trek Online.

See  you online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 234 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show. This time out the team talks about the following subjects:

1. Professional players protest - what is it all about
2. Blizzards history with the gaming market in china
3. Publisher Profit vs. The gamer - paying for content
4. Metal Guild Solid 5
5. Space Engineers

See you online,
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to a very special edition of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show! Join us as we welcome back to the show one of the people who started it all...Dr. Richard Bartle.

See you online
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team.

Welcome to show 232!

If you are like us you are always on the lookout for a new game. Sometimes its something you have overlooked. Join us as we talk with game developer Rod Harper about a return to Final Fantasy.

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The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 231,

This time out we talk about 2k games, Apex Legends, and more

Sites Cited:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcGZQDOOU6Y

https://www.polygon.com/2019/8/18/20811014/apex-legends-iron-crown-skins-developers-rant-ass-hats-freeloaders-pc-ps4-xbox-one

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kevin-mccarthy-blames-video-games-el-paso-dayton-mass-shootings-1229106

Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy Show 230,

This time out we discuss the following subjects:

1. Hoverboards are real
2. Simulator games. Cooking, truck, train
3. Roleplaying in videogames
4. Mickey the rat owns your childhood
5. Strategy games...one more turn
6. Retirement home for older gamers

Sites Cited:
https://www.gameskinny.com/qrfc6/9-strangest-simulator-games-you-need-to-know-about
https://screenrant.com/rogue-one-princess-leia-actress-cgi-carrie-fisher/
https://variety.com/2019/film/news/disney-fox-layoffs-2-1203288499/
http://psychochild.org/?p=1532

https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/4/20753648/jet-powered-hoverboard-english-channel-crossing-franky-zapata-success

https://youtu.be/nLqW7G879

Welcome to show 229 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show

This time out we talk about writing for video-games - what makes it good? What makes it bad? Along the way we talk about some of our favorite games.

See you online.

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 228!

This time out the No Prisones, No Mercy Team talks about the following subjects:

1. strategy games
2. Strategy Games: I have been trying my had at strategy games and see some people on the internet that claim they are a thing of the past. Is this true?
3. Is Facebook on its way out?
4. Is EA as bad as everyone claims? What can they do about it if they are?

Sites Cited:
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-history-of-the-strategy-game/
https://www.geek.com/news/what-happened-to-the-real-time-strategy-genre-1649869/
https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-ftc-fine-five-billion/
https://www.giantbomb.com/forums/general-discussion-30/is-rts-a-dead-genre-1816313/
https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/07/09/sean-murray-talks-about-how-companies-like-ea-and-bethesda-should-handle-rocky-game
https://screenrant.com/ea-bad-guy-originals-loot-box-microtransaction/
https://www.slashgear.com/ea-doesnt-know-why-theyre-the-bad-guy-well-heres-why-13583797

The real cost of facebook:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pFX2P7JLwA

Welcome to Show 227,

This time out we talk about the following subjects:

1. Electronic Arts, Parliment, and Surprise Mechancis
2. Leage of Legends and Bans
3. Netflix cancels Good Omens...sort of...
4. Disney beats us over the head with a major deciduous forest.
5. A warning about a dangerous hack
6. Main Topic: Will Classic WoW Kill Wow?

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team.

Welcome to Show 226

Subject this time out:

1. The "straight skinny" on Star Citizen. Has it been mismanaged? Have reports of what is going on at Star Citizen been exaggerated? What really goes into making a triple-A game?

2. Where did Anthem go wrong? Have we seen changes in the industry that has caused this?

3. Have business models that depend on microtransactions and loot boxes reached the point where the government is finally going to regulate the industry? Has the game industry reached the point where it is on government radar? Is it a moral conundrum? What will happen when the government finally steps in to police the games industry?

4. Is the walk-off at riot games a change in the way the industry works?

5. What have we been playing - a game bricks Fran's phone

Articles:

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-05-03-star-citizen-development-reportedly-troubled-by-mishandled-money-micromanagement

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/342217/Riot_Games_walkout_sees_150_developers_protest_forced_arbitration.php

https://kotaku.com/u-s-senator-introduces-bill-to-ban-loot-boxes-and-pay-1834612226

Welcome to Show 225:

This time out the No Prisoners, No Mercy Team talks about the following subjects:

1. Steam anything goes - until the U.K. Government steps in
(https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-03-07-rape-day-prompts-call-for-uk-government-review)
2. Elder Scrolls Blades
(https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net/en/blades)
3. Battlestar Galactica: The Souls of the Cylons, Star Trek, and The Expanse
4. Update on Star Citizen

interview about Battlestar Galactica
Souls of the Cylons:
https://www.beliefnet.com/entertainment/movies/2005/05/the-souls-of-cylons.aspx

Welcome to Show 224,

Topics for the show are as follows:

1. Steam and the anything goes mentality - now they have competition in the form of epic, discord and gog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUHl9ZThXU0
https://tagn.wordpress.com/2019/03/08/steam-policy-plays-out-as-expected/

2. With Epic Games, Good Old Games, Discord and Origin now competing against steam is this a case similar to what we see with streaming services with everyone trying to grab a "piece of the pie" when there is only so much pie to go around? Will We see the same thing as is happening with "Battle Royale" mode with every game offering them to the point we are sick of it?

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/03/disney-to-close-vault-for-good-as-it-moves-film-library-to-streaming-service/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-_xOhBaf8w

3. Mobile gaming vs. PC Gaming - have corporations begun to step away from rampant corporate greed such as we saw with EA's Dungeon Keeper and other "Pay or Wait" games?
https://variety.com/2019/gaming/news/nintendo-mobile-microtransactions-1203156557/

4. Gopher - just make good games
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-_xOhBaf8w

Welcome to Show 223:

This week we take about tales of Warcraft, Portals, and whether or not you really can go back to the good old days - and were they all that good to being with?

Artices:

https://www.mmorpg.com/world-of-warcraft/news/world-of-warcraft-portal-removal-in-815-sparks-a-firestorm-of-controversy-1000051725#GaDkz4wYgObpeqrq.99

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/338327/209_were_laid_off_from_Blizzard_as_part_of_earlier_Activision_Blizzard_cuts.php

https://biobreak.wordpress.com/2019/03/08/world-of-warcraft-how-could-you-get-me-back/

https://www.mmorpg.com/news/activision-blizzard-teams-up-with-newzoo-for-mobile-games-report-betting-on-billions-1000051702

Welcome to show 222. This time out the No Prisoners, No Mercy gang talks about the following subjects:

1. Esports and farming simulators:
https://unrealitymag.com/guy-trained-on-video-games-beats-formula-1-driver-on-a-real-track/

https://www.engadget.com/2019/01/23/farming-simulator-is-getting-its-own-esports-league/

2. Player Retention and live services
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RaphKoster/20190131/335683/What_Drives_Retention.php

 Welcome to Show 221.

This time out the No Prisoners, No Mercy team discuss the following subjects.

1. When games like Tell Tale Games and Wildstar close do we have the right to complain if we haven't played it in some time? Why did the games close?

2. If we could turn back the clock and bring back any of the games we have played in the past, what would it be and why?

3. What is good writing? Getting involved in writing.

See You Online

Welcome to Show 220.

We talk about her latest awards, her new book Desert Magnolia as well as her other books, and about acceptable (or lack thereof) between cultures. We also talk about her award winning film lemonade and Blue Jinni Media.

In the offering is advice from two professional writers about getting involved in writing.

Sites Cited and Contacts:

Website: https://bluejinnimedia.com
Lemonade the Film: https://bluejinnimedia.com/lemonade-the-film/
Email: info@bluejinnimedia.com

@Hakimastale and @bluejinnimedia on twitter and #dedrastevenson and #bluejinnimedia. On Instagram

Welcome to Show 219 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show - This time out we are excited to have with us the writers and producers of the Dr. Evermore television show. Join us as we find out how Dr. Evermore's art inspired the show.

See you online,

The No Prisponers, No Mercy Team

Cites for the Sites:

Dr. Evermore - a short documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ0n67eAOKw

Legion M who is producting the show:
https://legionm.com/

Contacts for our guests:

Evermor Instagram: evermortv
Erik & Perry Writer Instagram: ronin7entertainment
Evermor FB: @evermortv
Perry writer FB: @childofatlantis
Dr. Evermor Park FB: @worldofdrevermor
Evermor Twitter: @evermortv
Perry writer Twitter: @childofatlantis
Tya Kottler Twitter: @DrEvermor

This time out Julie, Fran, Chris and Steve discuss the Blizzard of ire aimed at Activision and Diablo Immortal. What companies have done this before? How could Activision not known their audiance? Or do they?

See you online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

1. Accessiblity in videogames
2. Book reviews: RPG books - stories set in games
3. Multiplayer games - will Fallout 76 be a flash in the pan?
4. Blizz-conned: Diablo Immortal
5. What are we playing?

Books and Sites Cited:

https://www.audible.com/pd/Challenge-Audiobook/B074G4GPMC?qid=&sr=&ref=a_series_c5_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=284b47b1-a5db-4711-9667-612f2ac7458e&pf_rd_r=3QYF0XYGA3CAQ15BYV7F&

https://www.audible.com/pd/Survival-Quest-Audiobook/B01CRDD6ZS?qid=&sr=&ref=a_series_c5_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=284b47b1-a5db-4711-9667-612f2ac7458e&pf_rd_r=PM5N8A8NQH3ENE6PM40K&

https://www.audible.com/pd/Ascend-Online-Audiobook/B073PG4DX8?qid=1541314974&sr=sr_1_1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=RSEVK9XF3JRJB8SNAYSR&

https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Land-Founding-A-LitRPG-Saga-Audiobook/B071DNLS1F?qid=&sr=&ref=a_series_c5_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=284b47b1-a5db-4711-9667-612f2ac7458e&pf_rd_r=7FS3MKAN4VVD9CXHC8YZ&

Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy - Show 215.1

This time Fran and I sit down and talk with Jen Usellis, otherwise known as the Klingon Pop Warrior. We talk about the Extra Life video game marathon for charity and her 24 hour broadcast.

See You Online

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Links:

http://www.extra-life.org/participant/jenbom
http://www.twitch.tv/ladyskymack
http://www.klingonpopwarrior.com
http://www.facebook.com/klingonpopwarrior

Welcome to Show 2015 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show

This time out we talk about the following subjects:

1. NPCs- the good, the bad and romancing the pixel
2. Anthem - stand(off) or deliver
3. Some of our favorite NPC stories
4. ECO
5. Riders of Icarus

Artices Cited:
https://kotaku.com/anthems-npcs-are-a-radical-shift-for-bioware-1828764719

See you online!

Welcome to Show 214!

This time out Julie, Fran and Chris talk about their reaction to WoW's latest expansion; beyond that when are we done with an MMO? Is it the treadmill that developers sometimes put players on in order to get them to keep playing and paying for the game? What do developers do to keep us playing in the first place?

See You Online
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy - Show 213

Battle for Azeroth: the love/hate relationship. As Sylvanas Windrunner goosesteps into Teldrassil we ask ourselves when is lore "just lore"? Do those individuals or corporations that own an intellectual property have a responsibility to the fans beyond a profit margin?

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 212. This time out the team discusses the following subject:

1. Blizzard, Chris Roberts and the great retcon
2. Wow Pulls a Wimpy
3. Can a game come back after losing it's audiance?

See you online.

Welcome to Show 211 - this time out we discuss the following subjects:

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

1. Morality in Video Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvNMXZFc8og

2. Self publishing vs. Creativity: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-06-07-robots-have-taken-over-1980s-east-coast-sweden-in-avalanches-new-game-generation-zero

This being Avalanche's first self-published game has also meant no outside interference. "We are calling all the shots but we are also taking all the risks," wrote Kraftling. "Some would probably say that an action game with tactical elements set in rural Sweden is a risk in and of itself, as opposed to, say, making a zombie survival battle royale game or something." - Emil Kraftling, game director, Avalanche Studios

3. Valve says it will allow any games: https://steamed.kotaku.com/valve-says-it-will-now-allow-everything-on-steam-unles-1826612274

Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy Show 210! This time the team talks about the following subjects:

1. Steam now allows anything online  except what is illegal or "straight up trolling" 

Welcome to Show 209 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show.

The gangs all here. This time out we talk about the following subjects.

1. The death of immersion through storytelling in videogames
2. GDPR - If you aren't paying for something, you are the product
3. Privacy and APPS from the developers point of view
4. What are we all playing

Sites Cited:

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20170526/298785/The_Divide_Between_Consumers_and_Game_Designers.php
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-04-17-what-does-gdpr-do

1. Tribute to Total Biscuit
2. Avengers Affinity War - Spoiler Warning!!
3. Middle Shelf Games
4.Players that have been cultivated like a crop
5.Waiting for a market correction in video games
6.Daybreak Games

Sites Cited:

http://www.thejimquisition.com/why-we-need-middle-shelf-games-the-jimquisition/

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/04/after-sanctions-daybreak-games-changes-its-tune-on-its-russian-affiliation/

Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy - Show 207.

This time our the No Prisoners, No Mercy team talks about the following subjects - see you online.

1. Facebook and corporate overreach
2. What does privacy mean to us?
3. Biting the hand that entertained you - when does constructive criticism end and damaging the game or community begin?
4. Do gamers become vitriolic they hurt the industry?
5. Robotech and Harmony Gold

Cites Cited:
https://biobreak.wordpress.com/2018/04/12/biting-the-mmo-hand-that-entertained-you/

Welcome to Show 206 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show!

This time out the No Prisoners, No Mercy Team talks about the following subjects.

See you online!

1. Why does your game still cost sixty dollars? Shouldn't digital distribution and microtransactions together mean it can be free? - an industry insiders view of the true cost of development and publishing videogames.

2. Why is permadeath is alive and well in video games?
https://www.gamesradar.com/why-permadeath-just-wont-die-video-games/

There was even a couple of games where permadeath meant you couldn't
play again. https://kotaku.com/one-year-later-those-two-perma-permadeath-games-arent-1788301072

3. Eco the game.

Steve Griffing's Youtube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYbD2uXlaFwnLmfwqpXtXag

Welcome to Show 205 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show. This time out the No Prisoners, No Mercy team talks about the following subjects.

See you online.

1. Buzzwords and Bandwagons - Can videogames influnce for the better or worse? What about betting games, casino games, or movies?
2.When is it time for a game series or mmo to call it a day? Is World of Warcraft "too long in the tooth"?
3. What game mechanics can revive interest in a game?
3. What would you ideal game be like?

This time out we take some time to address a serous issue.

Articles Cited:

https://kotaku.com/kentucky-governor-blames-violent-video-games-for-shooti-1823075688

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/no-mass-shootings-australia-20-years-how-did-they-do-n597091

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/15/us/nikolas-cruz-fbi-warned/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/18/us/florida-school-shooting-updates/index.html

http://noprisonersnomercy.com/2018/02/the-sad-truth/

Welcome to show 203!

This time out the No Prisoners, No Mercy Team talks about the following subjects

1. A primer for pvp games - the good, the bad and the frustrating

2. Whether or not realistic combat games translate to real world skills (I have read more than one article about gamers with "mad skills" that became drone pilots)

Article
https://www.wired.com/story/even-realistic-videogames-like-call-of-duty-wont-help-us-win-wars/

3.  Do we really need professional reviewers of movies and games. More than once I have read reviews saying movies (like the latest Star Wars movie) are terrible - only to go on
to make incredible amounts of money (Star Wars the Last Jedi has now made more than one billion dollars world wide). Many times I find myself saying as I read a reviewer that
hated a fun movie "if you want heavy handed drama go watch an Ingmar Bergman movie". With so many streaming services is the service of a "professional reviewer" about as
useful as a buggy whip? Do they still have an affect on the movie and gaming industry.

Welcome to Show 201 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Podcast,

This time out we talk about "best" versus "best selling" games and why the two don't always coincide.. What do they have in common? We spend some time talking about success versus profit and then move on to "Internet Tribalism" and perception.

See you online.

Sites Cited:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2017/01/23/the-top-video-games-of-2017/#1a44bae81475

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/12/2017s-best-selling-video-games--so-far-nintendo-microsoft-sony.html

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/892-best-pc-games.html#s8

Welcome to Show 201 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show. This time out Julie and Chris sit down to talk about an issue that is important to all of us...call it internet freedom, call it internet without boarders or net neutrality, it's important.

Happy New Year!

In part 2, Fran and I sit down with long time industry professional, author and partner in Blue Jinni Media. With the advent of virtual reality ever more present in the market place we sit down with Mr. Harper to discuss it's future and effect on game development. Will console VR outpace PC VR? Will the first success at VR games result on game publishers jumping on the band wagon? Will that drag down the industry or bolster it's success? Is it here to stay or will it be the next "laserdisk" fad? How has the game industry changed in the last 100 shows?

How many people will be suseptable to virtual reality sickness?

Join us for a peak at what may be the future of the game development industry.

See you online,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Welcome to Show 200! The show so nice we had to record it twice. This is part one of two part. In part one Julie and Fran sit down with Dr. Richard Bartle to talk about his life and the early days of videogames that made it what it is today.

1. How does the decline of pc sales and the increase of mobile gaming, virtual reality and MOBA games effect the gaming industry.

2. Dr. Bartle gives us the "nickle tour" of his life and what lead to the development of the "primordial ooze" from which all videogames where developed....M.U.D. (Multi-User Dungeon)

3. Dr. Bartle, Roy Trubshaw and the making of M.U.D.-building a better world

4. Pioneers in the game development - did you know Mark Jacobs gave up a job as a lawyer to make games?

5. The early days of Muse.

6. Industry pioneers Jessica Mulligan, Bridgette Patrovsky, Richard Bartle and some descrimination at Interplay.

7. When videogames added graphics - the first graphic worlds; Ultima Online, Meridian 59, and Everquest.

8. Everquest and DikuMUD gameplay (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DikuMUD)

9. What makes a compelling game?

10. Mud on a Rasberry Pi, Dungeons and Dragons, board games and other pursuits.

Welcome to show 199!

This time Fran, Julie and Chris talk about the following subjects:

1. Jim Sterling pushes Chris' buttons
2. Not buying a game - sending a publishers a message. When game publishers put game content behind loot boxes its time to send the publisher a message.
3. When gamers become apologists
4. Difficulty in Video Games, Gamespot video, Cuphead

Sites Cited:
Shadow of Mordor Nemisis system
https://www.polygon.com/middle-earth-shadow-of-war-guide/2017/10/9/16439610/the-nemesis-system-and-you

Cuphead, And The Problems With Difficulty In Video Games
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/cuphead-and-the-problems-with-difficulty-in-video-/1100-6454074/

Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy Show 198.

Your personal information was hacked, but don't feel bad - there are 143 million other Americans in the same boat. When will the excriment hit the oscillating air current distribution device? What is the solution? Are gamers especially susceptible?

Next, is videogaming culture racist?

Articles Cited:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=19&v=ZBma82g3Uag

https://www.themarysue.com/why-is-pewdiepies-fanbase-convinced-that-gaming-culture-is-racist-because-it-is/

Welcome to No Prisoners, No Mercy - Show 197

This time out we are talking about science fiction - Blade Runner: 2049 and the original Blade Runner, and how it effected the science fiction genre.

See you online, and in line,

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Sites Cited
Blade Runner 2049' Is A Box Office Bomb: 10 Reasons It Was Doomed
https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2017/10/08/10-reasons-blade-runner-2049-was-doomed-at-the-u-s-box-office/#26a2c6f824fb

Welcome to Show 196.

This time out Fran, Julie and Rod talk about the following subjects.

1. Fran grinds an axe – racing to the boss
2. The wrong kind of connections – high profile and other hacks
3. Security Blanket - Staying Secure
4. Fair Use laws - cover your butt before someone comes after it
5. Why do games fail? - An industry view
6. Destiny, Destiny 2, Total Warhammer, Elite Dangerous, Secret World Legends

Sites Cited:
https://www.lastpass.com

Welcome to Show 195 of the No Prisoners, No Mercy Show!\

When is a paid mod not a paid mod? Are games being sold to us piecemeal? This time out Rod, Steve, Fran and Julie talk about paid mods, third party DLC, Creation Club and Minecraft Market Place.

Sites Cited:

https://gamerant.com/bethesda-creation-club-paid-mod/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjCUuREQA24

1. Greed to play - amazon pays back 70 millions dollars

Welcome to show 193. Here this time out we discuss the following subjects.

See you online.

The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

1. Zombies and the future - zombie race car drives, zombie strippers and zombie footballers
2. Star Trek Discovery
3. Brain dead politicians
4. 10 things mmos must have to be great - better game design
5. Inovations in game design

Articles and Sites Cited
http://www.mmogames.com/gamearticles/10-things-mmos-must-have/
http://io9.gizmodo.com/so-george-romeros-next-of-the-dead-movie-is-basically-a-1795373715
http://readyplayeronemovie.com/

Welcome to show 192. Here are the subjects for this time out.

1. Video Game Movies and Games Made from Movies
2. Keeping up with tech curve - the future of videogames and hardware requirements
3. Is it possible to bring players back to a pvp game, once the game has lost players. How does a game developer maintain balance? Is it even possible?
4. Bringing players who don't pvp into a pvp game where the players have the reflexes of a rattlesnake on meth. Which developer will come up with a solution?
5. When the asshat quotient rises.
6. What makes a good movie sequel? Star Trek Discovery - the sequel that almost wasn't.

Sites and Articles Cited
https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2017/05/09/why-guardians-of-the-galaxy-2-is-the-most-important-marvel-movie-in-years/#2b4f182e4897

http://www.lorehunters.com/

See you online,
The No Prisoners, No Mercy Team

Warning - this show contains strong language

This time out we offer show 191.1 on a subject that has been the subject of a good deal of contention - gamergate. The videoclip discussed contains harsh language - we will let you be the judge of its content. We don't all agree and the subject at hand but it is the differences that make for an interesting discussion. The discussion was originally to be an addendum to an upcoming show.

The Video Discussed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3r0atokQvc