Game/Life Balance U.S.

Jon reviews his new Steam Deck in our 2022 holiday special! …but probably not the holiday you’re thinking of. Plus: Cody lost his expensive headphones but WON a brand-new gaming PC, and he and Jon discuss whether it should become part of a new VR rig. They also recount their recent experience at a friend’s wedding in Wisconsin with some of the best cocktails basically ever, then wrap up by reminiscing about their favorite Nintendo 64 memory to celebrate the 64th episode of Game/Life Balance U.S. Sit back and enjoy a Wisconsin brandy old fashioned while you listen! Theme song credit: Subterranean Kamikaze by Juan Medrano and zircon via OverClocked ReMix - download at https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01730 Visit our sister show in Australia at https://gamelifebalanceaustralia.com Check out other geeky podcasts on the GonnaGeek Network at https://www.gonnageek.com/

Cody reviews alcoholic Mountain Dew and Jon recaps his Allegiant Stadium and Cosmopolitan bottle service experiences. They also discuss disgusting malt beverages, $1,500 bottles of vodka, and Las Vegas vibes. Plus: Cody went to another symphonic performance of Distant World: Music from Final Fantasy, and Jon has returned to Eorzea to play critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, which includes a free trial with unlimited playtime up to level 60 and includes the award-winning first expansion Heavensward. Theme song credit: Subterranean Kamikaze by Juan Medrano and zircon via OverClocked ReMix - download at https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01730 Visit our sister show in Australia at https://gamelifebalanceaustralia.com Check out other geeky podcasts on the GonnaGeek Network at https://www.gonnageek.com/

Jon helps Cody talk through his home gaming setup and explains how kids destroy houses. Plus: Jon’s basement cricket and escape artist dog; a FULL GAMER review of Assassin's Creed Origins; a debate about movies that are more than 3 hours long; and trading time for loot in “sit back” versus “lean forward” video games such as critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, which includes a free trial up to level 60 with unlimited playtime and includes the award-winning first expansion Heavensward. Theme song credit: Subterranean Kamikaze by Juan Medrano and zircon via OverClocked ReMix - download at https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01730 Visit our sister show in Australia at https://gamelifebalanceaustralia.com  Check out other geeky podcasts on the GonnaGeek Network at https://www.gonnageek.com/

Hear how Hades holds up in 2022 and how Cody and Jon handle gaming around their kids. In their first episode from a 3-year hiatus, you'll also hear about where they've been, why they're back, and whether a sound effects soundboard can make the show even worse than it already was in the first place. Intro music credit: Subterranean Kamikaze by Juan Medrano and zircon via OverClocked ReMix - https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01730  Outro music credit: Unity by TheFatRat with permission - https://soundcloud.com/thefatrat/thefatrat-unity-1

Look, let’s just call this episode like it is: Cody and Jon don’t really have anything significant to talk about, so they just improvise comedy for a while. Listen to this episode, but expect hilarity in lieu of actual content! Show Notes: * Jon brings up Harambe McHarambeface, and Cody crushes his dreams by pointing out that the story is fake and stupid * What do you drink after you get home from the gym? Cody and Jon discuss why the answer probably should not be “cookie dough” * Cody rages because sports seasons are happening, and explains that sports seasons are dumb * Welcome to Dumb * In an unexpected twist of fate, Cody introduced himself to one of his neighbors, which Jon then both admits is a big deal and then berates Cody because he says it isn’t a big deal, mostly because Jon’s a jerk and can’t make up his mind * “Sorry, what were you saying? I was busy drinking water because my life is so interesting.” * Life Stuff * Jon visited Chicago and didn’t even tell Cody he was in town, because he has no heart and they aren’t real friends * Jon goes into painstaking detail about how board games are printed, then reviews both the first and second edition of A Study in Emerald, a board game based on the award-winning short story of the same name by Neil Gaiman * Jon also explains the concept behind a board game called Codenames, which Cody actually owns and now really wants to play * Cody then tells a ridiculous story about how he both literally and figuratively found gold while digging through a neighbor’s discarded goods over Labor Day weekend * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Subterranean Kamikaze‘ by Sixto Sounds,zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

Jon gives a glowing Kentucky Route Zero review and tries to help Cody understand how it’s like Twin Peaks. If you don’t know what to do in the gym or you’ve never stepped foot in one before, it can seem like a pretty scary place. What are all the machines for? How do I do use them? Is everyone looking at me? That’s why we’ve put together the ultimate gym guide for beginners, that covers everything from what to pack in your gym bag, right up to your very own beginner’s workout. Once you’ve read through this guide, you’ll know everything there is to know about working out in the gym and smashing your fitness goals. Show Notes: * Jon tells a story about how he used to own hermit crabs, which Cody refuses to believe * Debate on how to pronounce the word “route” in “Kentucky Route Zero” * Cody trashes L.A. Fitness, which is a garbage gym with garbage policies and nobody should ever go there, and then tells and epic (short) gym story about exercise, testosterone supplements and sleep habits * Then, Cody covers a LIVE BREAKING STORY involving live podcasting, which is hilarious and involves bad timing and his girlfriend * Full Gamer * Jon is generous in his Kentucky Route Zero review because it felt like Twin Peaks to him, and Twin Peaks is good * “It’s different from any other experience with a game—in terms of storytelling—than anything I’ve ever seen” * It’s interactive and you should play it with your girlfriend! TUNE IN TO LEARN WHY * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Subterranean Kamikaze‘ by Sixto Sounds,zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

Jon returns from Las Vegas (one of his favorite travel destinations) and Cody returns from two weeks in Spain with some travel tips for listeners. Show Notes: * Jon explains what happened last week when his power went out, which abruptly ended last week&#8217;s episode * Cody and Jon discuss Jon&#8217;s guest appearance on Game/Life Gaiden, an offshoot of the Game/Life Balance brand that he co-hosted with AC of Game/Life Balance Australia * Full Gamer * It&#8217;s more like &#8220;Half Gamer,&#8221; as Cody discusses joining a Free Company in Final Fantasy XIV (which he only started playing a few months ago), but does so in a reasonably accessible way * Jon tells an amusing story about being left behind in a raid while he was watching a cut scene in Final Fantasy XIV * Cody explains why he loves the social aspect of the Free Company (FFXIV&#8217;s version of a &#8220;guild&#8221; as they&#8217;re known in other MMORPGs) and tells a similarly humorous story involving Power Rangers poses * Jon and Cody discuss the difficulty of playing online games while around significant others, and how they deal with it * Life Stuff * Despite his regrettable decision to stay at the MGM Grand, Jon claims that this was his favorite trip to Las Vegas out of all the times he&#8217;s been over the last several years * Jon discusses &#8220;fine dining&#8221; in Las Vegas and how going to nice restaurants and visiting nice swimming pools can completely change your view of the city * Someone tried to sell drugs to Jon. HEAR WHAT HAPPENED * Cody and Jon get in a fight over shrimp cocktails in &#8220;Old Las Vegas&#8221; * More Life Stuff * Cody spent a month in Spain, and if you&#8217;re curious about Spain at all, then you should check out his friend&#8217;s blog, Sunshine and Siestas, to learn all about the culture and how to travel there * Jon asks Cody about the work culture in Madrid, which is super bizarre because people have dinner really late (around 10 p.m. a lot of the time) yet still show up at work around 9 a.m. the next day in some cases * Not satisfied with just hanging out in Madrid for two weeks, Cody also discusses his favorite parts of visiting Toledo and Sevilla when in Spain (though he didn&#8217;t make it to any other countries once he arrived there) * Cody says to check out his Brian Noonan Show podcast for a more comprehensive list of travel tips from his point of view, then spends THIS podcast discussing cool things about Madrid, including their public transit system and Buen Retiro Park * Cody and Jon get in a fight over Final Fantasy XII * Cody shares his UTTERLY TERRIFYING experience at a bus station in Spain after missing a high-speed train and having to take an overnight bus instead * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our <a href="https://www.youtube.

Cody and Jon discuss the fantasy writing workshops, board games, and other geek culture they experienced at the world&#8217;s largest gaming convention: Gen Con 2016! Show Notes: * Jon and Cody discuss sharing a hotel room with 12 adult dudes, and how whiskey pouring can complicate sleep sometimes * Cody gives a high-level overview of the writing seminars offered at Gen Con 2016, some of the interesting takeaways from the authors on the panels he attended, and a little background about his writing interests and his first foray into writing a fantasy novel * Jon describes the huge difference between staying at a hotel directly connected to the Indiana Convention Center and staying at a hotel further away during Gen Con * Some of their favorite board games played at Gen Con 2016 were Eldritch Horror, Legends of Andor, and Seasons * Just as Cody and Jon start to pivot to another subject after their Gen Con 2016 talk, A GAME/LIFE BALANCE U.S. FIRST OCCURS! You won&#8217;t want to miss this UNIQUE YET CLICK-BAITY EVENT that, like an RKO, came outta nowhere! * Cody plugs BitBash, the indie video game festival that he&#8217;s going to attend yet again this year, which you can follow on his Instagram feed at Instagram.com/CodyGough * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Subterranean Kamikaze‘ by Sixto Sounds,zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

Cody bit the bullet and started playing Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, his first massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). He and Jon welcome special guest and FFXIV fanatic Brad to talk about the game, MMOs, and more. Show Notes: * Jon tries to trick Brad, this episode&#8217;s special guest, into thinking they&#8217;re actually going to talk about pro wrestling for an hour * Cody and Jon welcome special guest Brad to the program, since he&#8217;s been playing Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn since its inception and thus knows a ridiculous amount about the game and its extremely unique history * Full Gamer * Jon explains a bit about the massively multiplayer online RPG (MMORPG) genre and typical play styles of its players * Brad explains the history of Final Fantasy XIV and why its initial release was unsuccessful, including graphical limitations and experience point caps * Learn why Square Enix decided to try to re-launch the game and how they listened to fan feedback rather than simply shut it down * Hear about the final days of the &#8220;original&#8221; release of Final Fantasy XIV, and how a cataclysmic event was coordinated with their server shutdown timeline to create an awesome in-game epic battle that served as an &#8220;ending&#8221; to the game before it was re-launched * Jon discusses his MMORPG history, including Everquest and World of Warcraft, and how it impacts his view of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, especially considering the social aspect of the games * Brad and Jon agree that Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is a World of Warcraft &#8220;clone&#8221; in a way, based on its carrot-on-a-stick adventure/reward system * The biggest differentiation between FFXIV and other MMORPGs from a gameplay perspective is that you can &#8220;do everything&#8221; and master multiple classes, which is not possible in many other MMOs * Why did neither Cody nor Brad enjoy World of Warcraft when they played a free trial, but they were hooked when they played a similar (to a newcomer) Final Fantasy MMO? * The story in World of Warcraft &#8220;is there if you want to engage with it as the player,&#8221; but it&#8217;s not integral, according to Jon, as opposed to the highly integrated and elaborate story in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn * Brad and Cody discuss some of the amazing puns in the game and the clear care taken to make story elements entertaining and memorable, including Metal Gear Solid references of all things * Everyone gushes about how awesome the soundtrack is, and why you should probably listen to it on YouTube * To add some balance to the conversation, Jon mentions a few features in the game that he didn&#8217;t know about until very late in the game, such as unclear quest indicators and other minor &#8220;unexplained&#8221; systems that make it more difficult to play certain classes due to the fact that it&#8217;s a more complicated game than WoW and other MMOs * Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is coming to Xbox One! Cody explains why it took so long, and when it will become available * Brad tells a hilarious story about a raid partner named Arnold Schwarzenegger whom most of the players on his server blocked at some point * Jon briefly discusses Free Companies (FFXIV) versus Guilds (WoW) and Level Sync in FFXIV, and Brad talks about how Level Sync works in later raids and dungeons * Brad talks about the most hardcore raid parties and how they literally schedule their lives around playing FFXIV raids * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more!

In this special bite-sized podcast, Cody sits down with Kim Hansen of Signl.fm to discuss her podcasting platform and share some fun stories from her background in the video game industry. Show Notes: * Cody thanks Buzzsprout for letting him use their equipment at Podcast Movement 2016 * Cody introduces Kim Hansen, CEO of Signl.fm, and she talks a bit about Signl.fm and its features (&#8220;Twitch for podcasting&#8221;) * Learn about how Signl.fm can help with podcast monetization, live streaming and listener engagement, transcription with IBM Watson, and more! * Kim also used to work for Bioware, and has some cool stories about her time working on Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 (in addition to some other cool games that weren&#8217;t necessarily ever released) * Fun fact: Mass Effect 2 had the fewest launch bugs of any Bioware property (at the time it was launched) * Kim also tells an awesome story about the Xbox achievements in the first Mass Effect game and helping gamers with strategy * Cody throws some shade at NPR for being ridiculously successful in the world of podcasting, as he learned during the week at Podcast Movement 2016 * Kim also discusses her role in developing the game Everlove: Rose, a narrative game of romance and mystery that was shockingly well-received, for a pretty entertaining reason * What was her favorite part of visiting Chicago? Tune in to find out! * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

Jon and Cody discuss their Independence Day weekend, complete with illegal fireworks displays, The Book of Mormon, and the Guns N&#8217; Roses &#8220;Not in This Lifetime&#8230;&#8221; tour. Plus, hear about a bizarre Anime called Belladonna of Sadness and a check-in with Summer Games Done Quick 2016. Show Notes: * Following a raucous Independence Day weekend, Jon and Cody reflect on their feelings about fireworks, which are strangely similar despite Jon being a cranky old man at this point in his life * Life Stuff * Cody saw The Book of Mormon in Chicago, and it was worth every penny * Cody also saw Guns N&#8217; Roses perform at Soldier field on both Friday, July 1, and Sunday, July 3 * Oddities * Cody discusses Belladonna of Sadness, an obscure 1973 Anime with a highly sexual plot that he saw at the very hipster Music Box Theatre in Chicago * Jon discusses Summer Games Done Quick, a charity speedrunning marathon taking place July 3-9, 2016 * Cody will be attending Podcast Movement Chicago 2016, so keep an eye out for him! * Cody will also be co-hosting an upcoming episode of Game/Life Balance Australia, so be sure to follow that show for updates! * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Subterranean Kamikaze‘ by Sixto Sounds,zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

Jon and Cody discuss the epic tale of the Mighty No. 9 launch, plus other Kickstarter projects they&#8217;ve backed in the past. Then, Cody launches into a tangent about the Tremors movie series, Jon talks about Father&#8217;s Day, and Cody shares some tips and tricks for booking international travel online. Show Notes: * Jon tells the sad tale of the Mighty No. 9 launch, which underwhelmed and under-delivered in more ways than thought possible * Cody shares his history backing video games on Kickstarter and why he doesn&#8217;t closely follow Kickstarter campaigns after he&#8217;s funded them (especially after the Mighty No. 9 launch going the way it did after so much hype) * Jon and Cody briefly discuss Exploding Kittens briefly, which is one of the most successful Kickstarter projects of all time * Somehow Cody gets on the topic of Tremors 5, a fifth movie in the Tremors film series that actually happened in 2015 * Cody refuses to let Jon change the subject, instead launching into a brief ranking of every Tremors film, which is relevant to roughly nobody * Life Stuff * Jon wishes himself and the hosts of Game/Life Balance Australia a Happy Father&#8217;s Day, then talks about how he ate ribs on Father&#8217;s Day like he does literally every year that he has ever recorded a podcast with Cody * In addition to patting himself on the back for being an awesome dad, Jon also tells yet another story of how his son is constantly trying to find ways of destroying himself, this time involving a hilarious habit with swimming pools * Cody saw Flight of the Conchords at Millennium Park, and literally refuses to believe that Jon has never heard of them, because that is a stupid thing for him to have never heard of * Jon received the most domestic male gift in history for Father&#8217;s Day * More Life Stuff * Cody explains his summer travel plans and what an airline means when it offers a &#8220;mystery deal,&#8221; which he actually did for the first time * The airline itinerary mystery deal Cody found on Kayak directed him to Vayama, which offered a full 100% refund if he canceled his transaction within one hour of booking his three flights&#8230; and it actually worked! * Naturally, Jon argues that Cody probably won&#8217;t get his money back, because he&#8217;s an awful person. The previous sentence can be read one of two ways, and either are probably accurate * In the end, Cody ended up booking his overseas flights on JustFly, which also had good customer service—so check it out! * Both Cody and Jon lament that they didn&#8217;t have a ton of adventures to recount on this episode, but preview an action-packed summer of podcasting coming soon * Cody tries to explain a very complicated but difficult to communicate joke between him and the hosts of Game/Life Balance Australia, which involves Costume Quest and gifting video games—leading, naturally, to another argument between him and Jon, whom he feels is just lying at this point (and please note that this sentence can also be read one of two ways) * Learn how to connect with us on the <a href="http://gonnageek.

Cody and Jon played a ton of board games at &#8220;Martin-Con&#8221; 2016 in Minneapolis, and they have a lot to say about them! Hear them delve into several board game reviews, then review X-Men: Apocalypse and talk a little Jessica Jones on Netflix. Show Notes: * Cody and Jon explain the legacy of &#8220;Martin-Con,&#8221; the annual tradition of Jon hosting their friends to play a bunch of board games, and how it has grown over the years * A serious discussion of &#8220;root brews,&#8221; involving mason jars, cans, pints, drafts, and obviously Cody not having literally any idea what he&#8217;s talking about (hear also something about blokes) * Cody pitches some ideas for growing Martin-Con in the future, regardless of how Jon feels about it * Cody attempts to open the next segment dramatically, and it goes hilarious wrong * Full Gamer * Board game reviews abound as Cody and Jon discuss several games they played! * Chaos in the Old World: Cody played this game last year, but Jon played it without him this year because he&#8217;s a jerk. It&#8217;s a good game for advanced gamers, and super fun! It&#8217;s also where Jon got his son&#8217;s former nickname * Avalon: A Werewolf-like game that Cody and Jon have played about a zillion times, which is extremely accessible to any group of people (Cody even played with his girlfriend&#8217;s family last year!) * Last Night On Earth: Jon insists that this game &#8220;can be fun,&#8221; and Cody completely disagrees. Cody compares it to Eldritch Horror in a way, which he says is a bad thing, while Jon compares it positively and claims it&#8217;s a good thing (Jon is obviously wrong) * Roll for the Galaxy: A game that Cody played and Jon didn&#8217;t, which means that of course Cody gives it an average review, since he&#8217;s super critical of every game ever in this podcast (and also probably not very good at them) * Sheriff of Nottingham: Neither Jon nor Cody actually played this game at Martin-Con, but Jon did &#8220;referee&#8221; the game and said that everyone had a ton of fun and that it&#8217;s super easy and accessible and fun * Citadels: Another game that both Cody and Jon played, it&#8217;s another really accessible game but has a deceptively deep strategy element; somehow, Cody won this game, so of course he highly recommends it for basically anyone (especially since it&#8217;s a pretty quick game) * Battlestar Galactica: The review of this game is extremely complicated, so you&#8217;ll just have to listen to hear what they have to say about it&#8230; and there is a lot to say! * Following their foray into board game reviews, Cody and Jon briefly talk X-Men: Apocalypse, which is a movie that they actually feel the same way about, both because of the flow of the film and because of the plot * Jon goes on a random tangent about Jessica Jones, which he saw about half of, and Cody briefly compares and contrasts the first season of both that and Daredevil on Netflix

Jon bares his soul in this riveting episode, featuring his first 5k (did an injury hold him back, or did he run through the burn?) and a terrifying story of parenting that a lot of parents should be able to relate to. Show Notes: * Life Stuff * Jon ran his first 5k—or did he? Hear his exciting tale of how it all went down * To &#8220;run through the burn,&#8221; or not to run through the burn? That is the everlasting question among athletes! * Joy of Parenting * Jon has a scary parenting story regarding childhood development, which is both educational and provides a rare serious side look at the hosts of Game/Life Balance U.S. (well, mostly Jon) * Cody is headed to Minneapolis for Martin Con this weekend, and really hopes that he and Jon get to stream live to Twitch.TV via Darrel TV * Cody is hype about going to see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra this week * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Subterranean Kamikaze‘ by Sixto Sounds,zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

Why is there so much hate surrounding the new Ghostbusters movie, despite the fact that only one trailer has been released? Jon discusses the dark psychology of the Internet, and Cody plays devil&#8217;s advocate when it comes to maintaining the integrity of storied franchises. It&#8217;s a back-and-forth discussion you won&#8217;t want to miss! Show Notes: * Cody talks about the format of Game/Life Balance Australia, plus why they are kind of stealing their format, and also talks about fire tornadoes * Cody and Jon had a fascinating discussion over Google Hangouts regarding the new Ghostbusters film, and launch into a podcast about it with a quote from Jon * Current News * Jon argues that people online are too hyperbolic to have any meaningful discussion * Cody defends people who defend a franchise&#8217;s integrity, and how that applies to old Ghostbusters versus new Ghostbusters * Jon asserts that original works can&#8217;t &#8220;become worse&#8221; because a sequel or additional intellectual property in a series is released that is worse * Cody brings Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Indiana Jones, The Matrix, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and other storied franchises into the discussion * The overall quality of certain properties, such as Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, or Lost, can in fact lower the overall perception of something, Cody argues * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Subterranean Kamikaze‘ by Sixto Sounds,zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

Budweiser wants to change its name for the summer, and Jon thinks it is utterly ridiculous. Then, learn why Cody has Star Fox Zero commitment anxiety following his triumph over The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. Plus: Jon&#8217;s big birthday was so big, he literally forgets how old he is, and Cody does a quick hit on Captain America: Civil War. Show Notes: * This summer, for a limited time, Budweiser wants to change the name of its beer to&#8230; &#8220;America&#8221; * Cody and Jon search for various things on Google, including what you get when you mix a beer with orange juice, plus the top search results for both America and Europe * Balancing Act * Cody beat The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, talks a little bit about the gameplay and how much he enjoys playing games at 60 frames per second * The first 3 dungeons in the game are great, and then the game opens up to a ridiculous amount&#8230; but then there isn&#8217;t much left in the last half of the game, at least according to Cody * He discusses how he wrestled with &#8220;wanting&#8221; to actually play the game versus just wanting to finish it, and how much his sense of accomplishment has actually prevented him from playing Star Fox Zero, which he got the day it was released * Shockingly, Jon sympathizes with Cody&#8217;s commitment anxiety over starting to play new video games, and explains that&#8217;s why he&#8217;s replaying through Final Fantasy XIII right now * Jon explains that time is a precious commodity, and Cody explains how that translates to committing to video games, movies, TV shows, or really anything else, even if it&#8217;s purely &#8220;entertainment&#8221; * Life Stuff * It was Jon&#8217;s birthday this week, and he insists that he&#8217;s so old, he literally doesn&#8217;t know how old he is * He also set up his garden and got really hype about a rototiller, further proving that Jonathan is in fact a 60-year-old man * He also set up the 3 season porch with a TV, both making the room legitimate and forcing him to explain to Cody the concept of a 3 season porch * Cody describes the smell and chill of death emanating from Trump Tower in Chicago * Jon ruins Cody&#8217;s life by telling him that Axl Rose is on Twitter, which can&#8217;t possibly be true, for the love of all that is holy * Current News * Cody saw Captain America: Civil War, and explains why it was awesome * Jon apparently is lactose intolerant, so Cody gives him a detailed quiz on milkshakes * Fun fact: strawberry milk is a thing that exists! Hear how it is definitely made and definitely not kidding about that * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: ‘Subterranean Kamikaze‘ by Sixto Sounds,zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

In this very special episode, members of the GonnaGeek Network from across the U.S. join Cody at WGN Radio in Chicago to discuss their podcasting panel at C2E2, nerd convention highlights, what they&#8217;ve been watching on Netflix lately, and more. Show Notes: * Jon takes a birthday week off, so Cody welcomes several members of the GonnaGeek Network to the studios at WGN Radio for a podcast featuring several podcasters from across the U.S.! * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

Cody and Jon have a Netflix extravaganza, prompted by Cody&#8217;s choice to watch Marvel&#8217;s Daredevil Season 1 on Netflix almost exclusively on his cell phone. Hear them discuss everything from Black Mirror to horror movies to various versions of Star Trek, then get Cody&#8217;s aggressive thoughts on the newest Hearthstone expansion, Whispers of the Old Gods. Show Notes: * Jon agrees to discuss the podcast only in terms of emoji from now on (Cody does not actually agree to this at any point, but he rolls with it) * Jon gets a text message from THE WEATHER because he is INCREDIBLY RUDE * Balancing Act * Cody explains how the GonnaGeek Network tricked him into wanting to watch geeky TV shows, so he watched the first season of Daredevil on Netflix * For some reason, Cody&#8217;s girlfriend doesn&#8217;t like mindless excessive violence or superhero things, so Cody decided to watch the entire first season on his phone * Cody and Jon debate which films or shows would be best to watch on a phone versus on a big screen television with a corner tv wall mount, and Chris from the GonnaGeek Network helps Cody remember basically everything in the chat * Massive tangents about Star Trek series and Swimfan@ on Netflix make this basically the most hilarious episode ever&#8230; I&#8217;m not going to type it all out for you here, just listen and your life will be better, seriously * Jon talks a bit about Black Mirror and some other shows he&#8217;s watched lately * Cody nitpicks the first season of Daredevil on Netflix * Cody explains why Heroes is the worst TV show ever made * Current News * Hearthstone released a new expansion, Whispers of the Old Gods, and it has made Cody hate the game even more than he did originally * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

Cody shares some exciting news coming from Illinois, just in time for the 4/20 &#8220;holiday.&#8221; Then, Jon discusses his child&#8217;s hilarious sleeping habits and his own personal battle with becoming a runner, and Cody shares his favorite hidden gems in the world of video game music arrangements and radio drama podcasts. Show Notes: * Jon accuses Rob from Game/Life Balance Australia of being well-read and cultured, because he reads books * &#8220;Buying a bunch of games and not playing them is not nearly as impressive as buying a bunch of books and not reading them&#8221; * Jon makes jokes about a book called The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam, which is a callback to Episode 4 of Game/Life Balance Australia * Cody introduced Jon to introduce himself, after Jon introduces himself several times * Current News * This episode was recorded on April 20, also known as 420, also known as marijuana, weed, pot, etc. * Jon complains about the internet on 4/20 because he is butthurt that Reddit wasn&#8217;t as fun for one day of his entire life * Cody shares the news that the state of Illinois has even further decriminalized marijuana, taking the state several steps closer to legalizing the substance, at least according to Cody * Joy of Parenting * Jon gives an update on his son&#8217;s “big-boy-bed” transition saga, which now involves an elaborate puzzle contraption used to hide a light switch, plus an amazing analogy from Cody that is basically one of the smartest things ever said * Cody also explains how The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD has given him a brilliant idea for making Jon a better parent, because that&#8217;s how life works * Life Stuff * Jon talks about training for a 5k, why it&#8217;s important to him, and how he feels about running * Cody explains his bizarre super-privileged neurotic mental block that has prevented him from exercising regularly for several months until he discovered testosterone supplements for men which gave him the energy needed * Oddities * Speaking of video game music, Cody discusses Dwelling of Duels, a really awesome video game music web site that people should check out if they like live instrumentation of classic video game tracks * Cody raves about Friend of the Family, the newest member of the GonnaGeek Network, and insists that you check it out * Friend of the Family is one of a handful of shows produced by Strange N Unusual Productions, which produces radio dramas &#8220;that embrace the bizarre and spooky with a laugh&#8221; * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds,

Cody reveals his #1 pet peeve in the entire world, which happens to involve podcasting technical difficulties that occur both before and after this episode&#8217;s recording.  Then, Jon explains why he rage uninstalled a mobile game for the first time in his life, and some of the pros and cons of Clash Royale. Show Notes: * Cody visits the bomb dot com, which we aren&#8217;t going to link to in our show notes because it&#8217;s such an atrocious click-bait website * Jon raises the important question: why isn&#8217;t Game/Life Balance Australia this podcast&#8217;s &#8220;brother show?&#8221; &#8220;Sister show&#8221; doesn&#8217;t seem to make sense to him * On a related note, Cody and Jon debate Australian slang, all of which Cody is pretty sure is completely wrong * Cody compares himself to Rob of Game/Life Balance Australia, based on stuff he heard in their third episode * While elaborating on his biggest pet peeve on the planet, Cody makes a brilliant Legend of Zelda analogy, which Jon somehow doesn&#8217;t understand fully, even though it&#8217;s really genius * Since apparently this episode is in many ways a freeform podcast, somehow the topic of hypersensitivity on college campuses comes up, and Cody either tells or makes up stories about trigger warnings (it&#8217;s hard to tell) * Life Stuff (Jon) * Jon explains that he is an infinitely patient person who has never been frustrated at anything in his entire life, yet the mobile game Clash Royale infuriated him so much that he &#8220;rage uninstalled&#8221; it * Jon starts to explain the minutae of gameplay before Cody cuts him off, because Cody is a better podcaster than he is * Learn why Jon actually thinks the game is quite excellent, but was nevertheless compelled to uninstall it because he was terrible at it and he can&#8217;t handle adversity * Cody explains how he makes Hearthstone tolerable by muting his opponents, and why that automatically makes it a better game than stupid Clash Royale which Jon can&#8217;t handle because he is weak and I will crush him * Jon explains the term &#8220;being on tilt,&#8221; which is his first educational contribution to the podcast possibly ever * Life Stuff (Cody) * Cody refuses to make a &#8220;Jonathan sandwich,&#8221; then throws up in his mouth * After Cody&#8217;s girlfriend had family in town over the weekend, including a cat, he is now tempted to get a cat * The most difficult part of living with a cat, in Cody&#8217;s mind, is where exactly to put the litterbox, and fortunately/unfortunately for him, his current apartment can actually accommodate one that doesn&#8217;t interfere with his universe, mostly because his apartment is really long * Cats as a way to stave of Russians: yay or nay? Cody and Jon discuss * &#8220;Cats are really cute and fun, plus it would be, like&#8230; a practice run for having a kid&#8221; * Cody makes a comment about how expensive it is to have a cat, which Jon immediately misconstrues to mean something it doesn&#8217;t, because he enjoys being a contrarian, even if it does end up being humorous * Jon joins Team Cody in trying to convince his sister to not get a dog while living in the city of Chicago, because that is an abysmal and prohibitively expensive idea * To wrap up the cat conversation, Cody explains how his owning a cat could drastically improve ratings and views for their YouTube videos * Current News * Risk of Rain, a multiplayer roguelike platformer which both Jon and Cody really love, is now <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/risk-of-rain/cid=UP0341-CUSA04192_00-RISKOFRAIN0...

Cody describes his experience shopping at recreational Colorado marijuana dispensaries, where recreational marijuana use has been legalized. Learn about the laws and the culture in one of America&#8217;s first states to legalize weed! Show Notes: * Jon shows a shred of humanity by wishing Cody a belated happy birthday! * Joy of Parenting * Jon&#8217;s son has transitioned from a crib to a bed, and while the proposition was terrifying, the results have been hilarious * Life Stuff * Cody went on &#8220;spring break&#8221; in Colorado and had a chance to visit a number of recreational marijuana dispensaries * Learn about the regulations in place for legally buying weed in Colorado, the ridiculous variety of products and edibles you can purchase, what the implications are for the state (and its budget), and how it has affected the culture in Colorado * Also don&#8217;t miss Cody rave about The Green Solution, which he firmly believes is the future of marijuana in the United States * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com

Cody introduces special guest &#8220;Russian Jon,&#8221; a long-time friend of the podcast who discusses what it&#8217;s like to buy Steam games in Russia. Then, Cody recaps the GonnaGeek Network podcasting event he attended at C2E2, and the two Jons review the roguelike dungeon crawler Darkest Dungeon. Show Notes: * Cody and Jon introduce / re-introduce Russian Jon to the podcast, and he discusses what it&#8217;s like to acquire games on Steam in Russia * Russian Jon, a long-time friend of both Cody and American Jon (Regular Jon? AmeriJon?), tells some stories about growing up with them, how he knows the podcast, and what he does with his free time * Life Stuff * Cody discusses the panel he sat on at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), GonnaGeek Network Presents: Everyday Podcasting For Your Everyday Life * Cody talks about the benefits of being on a network and how cool it was that there was a huge crowd at C2E2 that really actively participated in the panel * Cody also explains how the weekend inspired him to get a brand-new podcast rig, and exactly why that may affect the sound quality of this episode * Full Gamer  * The two Jons review Darkest Dungeon, a roguelike, dungeon crawler video game created by indie game developer Red Hook Studios * Although there are some major problems with the game, its reception on Steam varies wildly; listen to hear what kind of gamer would enjoy this game most, and what kind of gamer should probably pass on the chance to play it * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com/

Cody gives a public service announcement about The Legend of Zelda dungeons and going to a teeth whitening dentist (in real life), and Jon reviews The Witness, the new puzzle game from Jonathan Blow. Show Notes: * Cody explains the importance of never, ever quitting a Zelda game while in the middle of playing through a dungeon, even if&nbsp;you&#8217;ve already played it several times in the past * Cody and Jon discuss March Madness, and you&#8217;ll be shocked at what they have to say about their brackets (or lack thereof) * Life Stuff * Cody explains the importance of going to the dentist for regular checkups, and gives a public service announcement encouraging everyone to go following his painful story of oral hygiene * Full Gamer&nbsp; * Jon is so hype about the new Jonathan Blow game &#8220;The Witness,&#8221; he claims it&#8217;s one of the best single-player experiences he can remember * Jon struggles&nbsp;to explain an abstract puzzle game without giving away any spoilers or strategies * Learn how to connect with us on&nbsp;the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit:&nbsp;&#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via&nbsp;OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com/

Jon did his duty as an American citizen by participating in the Minnesota caucus process, and boy, was it exciting! Plus: Cody delves into Sherlock Holmes after seeing a musical about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, then discusses ownership of fictional characters. Show Notes: * Jon explains his new-found love of red wine in a weird conversation about beer and Australia * Current News * Jon and his wife participated in the Minnesota caucus, and it was much more exciting than they had anticipated * Life Stuff  * Cody&#8217;s girlfriend brought him to see The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes, a musical at Mercury Theatre in Chicago,and it was awesome * Who &#8220;owns&#8221; a fictional character? Cody talks about The People vs. George Lucas and other instances of characters taking on a life of their own * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com/

Cody and his girlfriend Casey discuss the current production of 2666 at Goodman Theatre, which they had the opportunity to see over the weekend. They also finished watching Twin Peaks, and have a lot to say about its final episodes. Show Notes: * Game/Life Balance Australia has finally launched! Or, re-launched! &#8230;either way, Cody is excited about it! * Hear why Cody is now referring to his usual co-host Jonathan Martin as &#8220;Uncle Stabbo,&#8221; and meet this week&#8217;s guest host Casey * Cody reveals his true identity as a Nigerian princess, as discussed on Game/Life Balance Australia * Life Stuff * Cody and Casey discuss the book 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, doing their best to synthesize the plot part by part * Hear what they thought when they saw 2666 at Goodman Theatre, a 5-hour production adapted and directed by Robert Falls and Seth Bockley * Life Stuff (part 2) * Although Cody and Casey already discussed Twin Peaks extensively on the WGN Plus podcast You&#8217;ve Binge Challenged, they return to the subject to discuss the final episodes of the series now that they&#8217;ve finished it * Hear what they thought of the series&#8217; decline as Cody asks: how can really good shows like Twin Peaks and Battlestar Galactica become so un-watchable so quickly? * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://www.gamelifebalanceaustralia.com/

The Deadpool movie is set to surpass Passion of the Christ as the highest-grossing Rated R film of all time, and having seen it last weekend, Cody completely understands why. Hear all about it in this episode of the Game/Life Balance U.S. podcast! Show Notes: * Cody and Jon are really hype about the fact that Risk of Rain, one of their favorite multiplayer games, is going to be released on the PS4 with a robust matchmaking system * Cody and Jon discuss the basic tenets of the podcast, which somehow involves Vatican City and/or Rome * Current News * Deadpool is breaking box office records for rated R movies, and Cody explains why everyone needs to see the movie because it&#8217;s ridiculously awesome * Cody attempts to explain Deadpool&#8217;s background and origin story, despite not really knowing it very well * Life Stuff * Jon drank a ridiculous amount of wine with his family, and it was hilarious and awesome * Cody argues that Jon didn&#8217;t have difficulty recovering from his drunken episode because he&#8217;s getting old, but because he doesn&#8217;t get drunk often enough * Jon tells a crazy story about trying to give food to his son&#8217;s classmates, because Allergies * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://gamelifebalance.podomatic.com/

Jon tells a hilarious story about a &#8220;free to play&#8221; game he&#8217;s been playing on his phone, and Cody discusses how he&#8217;s learning about the Federal Reserve. Then, he and Jon delve into U.S. politics for a bit before Cody goes FULL GAMER and reviews The Order: 1886 for the PlayStation 4. Show Notes: * Jon tells a ridiculous story about Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, featuring a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR &#8220;micro&#8221; transaction * Cody discusses the book he&#8217;s reading, The Power and Independence of the Federal Reserve, and talks about his foray into learning about the Federal Reserve System&#8230; including how it somehow explains the assassination of John F. Kennedy (???) * Jon talks about The Big Short, which he saw over the weekend, and how it differed from his expectations * Cody jokes about the idea of doing a political podcast, then explains the resemblance between politics and playing a very complicated game * Jon brings up a good point about anti-establishment rhetoric in the current U.S. political environment, critical of a sometimes overly reductive and dismissive public * Both Jon and Cody take issue with presidential candidates and their supporters demonizing their opponents and making broad generalizations about people running for political office * Cody expresses reservations about Donald Trump as a human being, and asks deep, impactful questions about human nature * Life Stuff * Jon is hosting a gigantic family get together in his new house this weekend, and he&#8217;s pretty excited about it * Result: rampant references to Full House and Too Many Cooks, followed by an aside about how Jon&#8217;s son constantly gets him sick * Valid question: would Jon rather change a diaper, talk to Cody, or change Cody&#8217;s diaper? Riveting conversation, plus smoothies * Full Gamer * Cody reviews The Order: 1886, a PlayStation 4 exclusive video game he actually finished (!!!), by first focusing on the plot, and then how the in-game violence affected his experience * Were movies / cinema ever called &#8220;talkies?&#8221; Learn the answer in this piece of edutainment! * Cody and Jon discuss the pros and cons of quick time events * Cody plugs a cool Amazon price tracker tool called camelcamelcamel, and explains why he used it to buy a copy of Wrestlemania X-Seven * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://gamelifebalance.podomatic.com/

Cody and Jon are joined by a very special guest to discuss his experience with the competitive video game scene, including how to balance such a hobby with the rigorous demands of high school (!!!). Show Notes: * Cody and Jon welcome Chris Long to the podcast, a long-time listener of the podcast eager to share his experience with competitive gaming * Life Stuff * Chris talks about his experience building robots for robotics competitions, then makes Cody and Jon feel really old by talking about some other awesome high school things * Jon asks the question on everyone&#8217;s mind: why didn&#8217;t Space Ghost get a really cool streaming treatment? * Full Gamer * Chris talks about how he got into the Smash Bros. Brawl: Project M tournament scene, then talks Team Fortress 2 * Cody mentions that he actually participated in MELEE-FC Diamond, a major Smash Bros. Melee tournament in 2007, giving him mad street cred * Hear Chris explain how much time it takes him to organize and manage a Team Fortress 2 team, and how the seasons are structured * Yes: he schedules scrimmages, too. Hear what that&#8217;s like, including major challenges and roles for his team * Cody doesn&#8217;t understand why Chris doesn&#8217;t just build a robot to build him a computer, but apparently there&#8217;s a good reason why that&#8217;s a terrible idea * Life Stuff (again) * Jon tells a story about how his son has entered major meltdown mode, and how parenting apparently becomes difficult when you cannot physically stop a human being from constantly screaming nonstop * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://gamelifebalance.podomatic.com/

Cody somehow unexpectedly became a political writer when his post about Bernie Sanders went viral. Hear him discuss how it&#8217;s changed his life, including a surprisingly thoughtful discussion with Jon about politics and identity. Then, hear Jon go &#8220;FULL GAMER&#8221; and chat about the video game Sunless Sea. Show Notes: * Jon insists on recording a promo for the GonnaGeek Network, even though the broadcast already started * Current News &#8211; Cody wrote an article about Bernie Sanders and somehow became a political writer on the Huffington Post after it went viral on his web site * Jon talks to Cody about the Iowa caucus, including Brian Williams and MSNBC&#8217;s coverage of the event and why he really hates CNN * Life Stuff &#8211; Cody discusses how “going public” about his political POV is new territory for him, and chats about internet culture with Jon * They talk about how and why politics are tied to identity and ideologies, and also tackle surprising facts about internet trolls and what motivates them to be so awful * A Donald Trump supporter leaves a comment on this podcast during the YouTube broadcast, and Cody delivers a public service announcement to register to vote * Full Gamer &#8211; Jon discusses the video game Sunless Sea and explains what audience would most appreciate the game * Jon also bought The Witness, the newest game from Jonathan Blow, and explains the specific reason why he hasn&#8217;t actually started playing it yet * Jon briefly discusses the Fine Brothers controversy, which Cody thinks is just stupid * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://gamelifebalance.podomatic.com/

League of Legends brought in $1.6 billion in revenue in 2015, and Jon explains why that&#8217;s a big deal for video games and their fans. He then explains why he&#8217;s hype about The Witness, and Cody discusses why he&#8217;s addicted to the Yik Yak app. Show Notes: * Current news: League of Legends * Jon discusses how the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game earned $1.6 billion in revenues in 2015 — seven times more than its closest competitor in the genre * Cody has a brilliant plan to combine World of Warcraft with Facebook in order to maximize its profits so it can compete with League of Legends, and Jon ups the ante by introducing the concept of farming to the revolutionary idea * On a random tangent, Cody explains the origin of the phrase &#8220;and Bob&#8217;s your uncle,&#8221; which Jon refuses to believe is a thing that actually exists * Cody also explains the importance of keeping super PACs out of video games, then explains the best candy to pair with espresso: is it Nestle Crunch, Kit Kat, or Snickers? * Hype: The Witness * Jon discusses The Witness, the newest game from Jonathan Blow, and talks with Cody about Braid and why that game was also totally awesome * Somehow, for some reason, Cody ends up talking about AJ Styles&#8217; WWE debut in the 2016 Royal Rumble, and how it&#8217;s possible that Triple H won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in 2016 * Life Stuff: Yik Yak * Cody explains why he&#8217;s addicted to the Yik Yak app (to the best of his ability), and of course Jon makes fun of it, because College Students * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://gamelifebalance.podomatic.com/

Do you always finish what you started? How about in video games? What exactly does &#8220;finished&#8221; mean, anyway? Hear Jon and Cody discuss 100 percent completion and more in this exciting Game/Life Balance U.S. podcast! Show Notes: * Cody introduces the segments that will make up future of episodes of Game/Life Balance U.S.: Balancing Act, Current News, Full Gamer, Game LIVE, Hype, Life Stuff, and Oddities * Life Stuff * Jon bought a new house, and it was broken! So he talks about how he fixed it, and Cody wonders how much of their mutual enjoyment from &#8220;fixing things&#8221; is because of who they are and how much is because they&#8217;re just getting older * Oddities * Cody discovered the legend of Desert Bus, a bizarre video game created by Penn &amp; Teller of all people, and through Jon learns about Desert Bus For Hope, an equally if not more ridiculous charity event centered around said ridiculous video game * Hype * Jon is hype about something completely unrelated to video games, which makes Cody angry but also gives him an opportunity to accuse Jon of once again basically copying everything he does with his girlfriend * Cody is hype about video games like Mighty No. 9, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, and Star Fox Zero, which brings up a discussion about Amazon Prime&#8217;s new video game pricing and other ways to save money buying video games * Balancing Act * Jon miraculously achieved a 100% completion rate in Assassin&#8217;s Creed Syndicate, which is shocking because he hasn&#8217;t done that with a video game in at least a year and a half * Cody discusses how he can&#8217;t quit playing Metal Gear Solid V in a seemingly endless pursuit of a 100% completion with the game, and Jon explains why he needs to be happy just quitting things sometimes * Hear the difference between finishing what you started when it comes to video games, TV shows, books, and other projects, and why some are harder than others, as Cody and Jon strive to achieve a Game/Life Balance (in the U.S.)! * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://gamelifebalance.podomatic.com/

Cody and Jon discuss Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Then, Jon has figured out a legendary way to strike a balance between games and life, and Cody doesn&#8217;t understand how to podcast anymore but he DOES like reading books. Show Notes: * Jon finally saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens and discusses his thoughts and feelings about the film * Cody launches into a tangent about Quentin Tarantino films, including his thoughts on The Hateful Eight * Both Jon and his wife made agreed upon the same New Year&#8217;s Resolutions, and Jon explains why that has given him more time to play video games than he can remember having in recent memory * While he doesn&#8217;t necessarily make New Year&#8217;s Resolutions, Cody explains his thoughts behind forming new habits and how Lent is a good time for him to cultivate them * In a surprising tangent, Jon and Cody discuss books and what to read before going to sleep * Then, they vaguely promise new segments for the future of the podcast—stay tuned to hear what they have in store for the future of Game/Life Balance U.S.! * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://gamelifebalance.podomatic.com/

Cody Gough and Jonathan Martin debut their new lifestyle podcast after 4 years of hosting their video game podcast, Unqualified Gamers, which they ended at the end of 2015. Learn about the hosts, the new podcast, and their favorite video games of 2015. Show Notes: * Cody Gough introduces the Game/Life Balance U.S. podcast with Jonathan Martin * Cody and Jon explain why they stopped doing their old video game podcast, Unqualified Gamers, and why people should listen to Game/Life Balance U.S. * Learn about what types of games Cody and Jon like, what they have in common, and more about their backgrounds, including Cody&#8217;s professional accomplishments and Jon&#8217;s family pride * Don&#8217;t forget to check out the original Australian version of the Game/Life Balance podcast! * Cody and Jon name their honorable mentions for their games of the year: Final Fantasy XIV, Hyrule Warriors, Dying Light, and Elbow Room * Cody and Jon discuss their games of the year, including (in no particular order) The Swapper, Until Dawn, Final Fantasy Record Keeper, Sid Meier&#8217;s Civilization V: CivAddiction&#8217;s Multiplayer Modpack, Assassin&#8217;s Creed Syndicate, and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain * Learn how to connect with us on the GonnaGeek Network, syndication on WGN Plus, our YouTube channel, and more! * Podcast theme song intro/outro credit: &#8216;Subterranean Kamikaze&#8216; by Sixto Sounds, zircon, via OverClocked ReMix (http://ocremix.org) * Game/Life Balance AUS official web site: http://gamelifebalance.podomatic.com/

Learn why Jon sold his entire collection of physical video games and consoles, and why his wife is upset with his decision. Jon and Cody&#8217;s significant others join them with some surprising perspectives on collecting &#8220;things&#8221; and the emotional value of physical objects. Tune in for the final episode of Unqualified Gamers before Cody and Jon move on to their next venture, Game/Life Balance U.S.! Show Notes: * Cody and Jon explain the saga of why Jon decided to sell all of his video games * Jon&#8217;s wife Casey argues that it was a terrible decision for several reasons, including that the decision was made too quickly and that now he&#8217;s lost a sense of history from his game collection * Cody&#8217;s girlfriend Casey talks a bit about the relationship between objects and at what point something becomes a &#8220;collection&#8221; * Jon debates the utility of simply &#8220;having objects&#8221; while his wife insists that there&#8217;s a connection to those objects that make them more significant * Cody and Jon both reminisce about some of their fond memories of games, and how much the physical games have to do with the memories associated with them * Jon&#8217;s wife Casey argues that if only digital copies of things matter, then why not just take pictures of everything and get rid of the physical objects? * Jon and his wife make fun of people who shut down their computers&#8230; which Cody admits he does, basically all the time * Cody offers his Diablo II display case to Jon&#8217;s household to make everyone feel better about him getting rid of all of his games, but they instead tentatively settle on a copy of International Track &amp; Field for Playstation * Cody brings the conversation back around to Steam libraries and collecting games, including the guilt induced from purchasing new games when there are dozens of un-played games in a game library * Jon reveals one of at least one games that he DID keep, despite selling the vast majority of his collection, and explains why: lack of emulation * With some of the money he made from selling all of his games, Jon bought a brand-new computer and built it by himself for the first time ever! Hear how smoothly it went * Cody laments that he has a bunch of old NES games in excellent condition, but they aren&#8217;t worth anything—even Castlevania II: Dracula&#8217;s Curse in great condition * Jon discusses the role of emulation in game valuation, and Cody talks about other weird video game artifacts he&#8217;s recently found * Cody and Jon look back at the last 4 years of Unqualified Gamers (which started in January 2012, even though they say it started in January 2011) and reflect on the last few years of adventures together * Cody thanks many of the listeners and contributors who supported Unqualified Gamers over the years, including the GonnaGeek Network, and he and Jon thank everyone for being so positive and awesome * Always providing content, Cody explains what listeners can expect in the weeks leading up to the premiere of their new podcast in January 2016 * Cody and Jon explain why they&#8217;re ending Unqualified Gamers on the note of selling your video games, then recount the incredible story behind the name of their new podcast, Game/Life Balance U.S. Then hear what to expect when it launches!

Cody discusses the concept and efforts behind worldwide nuclear disarmament in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, including efforts from Reddit communities to participate in one of the biggest metagames he&#8217;s seen since Twitch Plays Pokemon. Then, he and Jon have a MAJOR announcement about the future of Unqualified Gamers! Show Notes: * Cody and Jon discuss whether 127 is a prime number (it is) in a moment of ominous foreshadowing * Cody explains how nuclear weapons work (kind of) in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and the inner workings of Konami&#8217;s &#8220;worldwide nuclear disarmament&#8221; event online * Members of two subreddits, /r/MetalGearPhilanthropy (which Cody mistakenly calls Metal Gear Philosophers throughout the episode) and /r/MetalGearPatriots, are particularly active in vying for disarmament and proliferation, respectively * Cody references &#8220;mainstream&#8221; pickup of the event, including WIRED and Ars Technica * Jon compares the event to events in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) * Meanwhile, in real life, Cody and Jon actually saw each other in the flesh over Thanksgiving! Hear them recap their turkey day weekends, including Cody seeing Jon&#8217;s son running around and being hilarious * Hear why Jon is still playing Final Fantasy XIV, and what his latest plans are for his PC gaming life * PC building with Jonathan Martin * Cody and Jon make a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT regarding the future of Unqualified Gamers * You will not want to miss next week&#8217;s episode, for anything, no matter what * Also on the GonnaGeek Network this week, check out Legends of S.H.I.E.L.D. Episode #99 and All Things Good and Nerdy Episode #187: Clever Cosplay Returns

Jon has a bone to pick with the upcoming downloadable content release schedule for Star Wars Battlefront, and Cody debates with him whether Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is guilty of DLC misdeeds.  Show Notes: * Photo credit: Marco Verch via Flickr * Jon recounts the tale of one man&#8217;s ridiculous customer service experience with Sony * Cody counter-points with some good customer service experiences he&#8217;s had with Sony, which somehow leads to Jon talking about a subscription he has that allows him to listen to old baseball games&#8230; which is completely pointless * Jon is not a fan of how difficult it is to unsubscribe from basically anything on the iTunes Store * Jon claims that if you get a &#8220;dumb&#8221; customer service representative, sometimes you can get totally screwed * Cody posits that stupidity isn&#8217;t the only thing that can affect your customer service experience, as many people are great and many people are just kind of terrible people * Jon and Cody argue about whether they&#8217;re even arguing at this point in the customer service conversation * They transition into downloadable content (DLC) discussion mode, starting with a reference to the atrocious DLC in Plants vs. Zombies 2: Garden Warfare * Jon gives a primer on the Battlefield video game series, since Star Wars Battlefront is essentially a Battlefield game and the third game in the Star Wars: Battlefront series * Jon explains the $50 Season Pass available to order pre-release, and why he thinks that&#8217;s too expensive and splits the player base too dramatically * Is the initial offering for the game too thin at $60 for a game that&#8217;s been in development for a very long time? Cody doesn&#8217;t think it is, and discusses with Jon * Cody discusses his history with the Call of Duty DLC map packs and how dissatisfied he was with the maps * Jon compares Destiny&#8217;s latest expansions to the price of the season pass to highlight its absurdity to him, and Cody argues why the content is &#8220;worth it&#8221; to some * In Cody&#8217;s world, it&#8217;s just as offensive to have spent $20 on a game like Gone Home as it is to spend fifty bucks on some DLC, then reminisces on his multiplayer days playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and 3 with his friends * Jon concedes that he is probably &#8220;just old&#8221; and seamlessly transitions into a discussion on in-app / in-game purchases, which seem a little more frightening * Cody helps enable the most seamless transition basically ever * Cody explains the online multiplayer in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, including Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), your staff, R&amp;D, and offense/defense when infiltrating bases in multiplayer mode * Jon is a fan&#8230; up until Cody starts talking about how you can buy insurance, using real-world money, to &#8220;insure&#8221; your virtual characters from being captured by online adversaries * The verdict is out regarding exactly whom is the target of the game...

Jon reviews Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree&#8217;s Woe and the Blight Below, including a brief history of the Dragon Quest / Dragon Warrior franchise and a primer on Musou games. Plus, Cody has an exciting announcement about the future of Unqualified Gamers! Photo credit: gullevek via Flickr Show Notes: * Jon briefly mentions Google&#8217;s addition of podcasts to Google Play Music, which is a big deal for the world of podcasting * Cody teases an announcement, which Jon fears may be an announcement of an announcement, which may just end up being a bunch of Vaguebooking * Jon talks about his internet connection, which is running at a slow speed of legendary proportions, although you&#8217;ll really only notice if you&#8217;re watching the video of this podcast on YouTube * Jon gives a feature-length Dragon Quest Heroes review, starting with an overview of the relationship of the Dragon Quest series with North American audiences, including when in 1990, Nintendo Power ran a promotion packaging a free copy of Dragon Warrior with a paid yearly subscription * Jon discusses Musou games in general, then gives a review rife with comparisons to Hyrule Warriors, which Cody talked about on basically a zillion episodes in a row in the past * In a surprising twist, although Jon likes Dragon Quest Heroes more than Hyrule Warriors in general, he does point out one thing he misses from the WiiU game from his past * An unexpected, accidental seamless transition finds Cody briefly mentioning a bachelor party and how he brought his WiiU to play Smash Bros. with friends, and ended up playing Hyrule Warriors in an airport * PSA: Cody reminds the listener that neither he nor Jon advocate drinking and driving * Without giving any details, Cody briefly mentions that he is still playing Metal Gear Solid V, and just over 70 hours into the game, he has finally unlocked multiplayer mode (and maintains a game completion rate of less than 40%) * Cody promotes All Things Good and Nerdy Episode 183 &#8220;Halloween Hangover&#8221; and the series finale of Voices of Defiance, both fellow podcasts on the GonnaGeek Network * Jon brings up the fact that there&#8217;s going to be a new Star Trek television series, which he simply hopes won&#8217;t be as bad as Enterprise, which he hated; Cody remains neutral on the matter for various reasons * Cody finally makes the first official announcement about an upcoming change with the podcast—tune in to future episodes to learn more details!

Cody is joined by occasional co-hosts Casey and comedian Russian Jon for a joint Broforce review, a game described as an &#8220;assault on the senses,&#8221; patriotic hyperbole, and more. Photo credit: Czar via Wikipedia

Cody and Jon welcome video game enthusiast and broadcaster J.D. Fox to the podcast to praise and rage over IGN&#8217;s recently released list of the Top 100 Games Ever Made. Photo credit: Axel Pfaender via Flickr Show Notes: Cody introduces video game enthusiast, veteran broadcaster and fellow Drake University alumnus J.D. Fox to the podcast. In groups of 10, Cody, J.D., and Jon review IGN&#8217;s list of the top 100 video games ever made, which follows: 100. The Walking Dead: Season One 99.   Advance Wars 98.   Perfect Dark 97.   Galaga 96.   The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker 95.   Super Mario Galaxy 2 94.   Donkey Kong ‘94 93.   Ico 92.   Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island 91.   Batman: Arkham Asylum 90.   System Shock 2 89.   The Oregon Trail 88.   Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 87.   SimCity 2000 86.   Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! 85.   X-COM: UFO Defense 84.   Contra 83.   Fallout 2 82.   Resident Evil 2 81.   The Secret of Monkey Island 80.   Final Fantasy VII 79.   Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 78.   Fallout 3 77.   Zork I: The Great Underground Empire 76.   Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening 75.   EarthBound 74.   League of Legends 73.   Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness 72.   Spelunky 71.   Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield 70.   Mega Man 2 69.   Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec 68.   Suikoden 2 67.   Final Fantasy Tactics 66.   GoldenEye 007 65.   Burnout 3 64.   The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 63.   Super Smash Bros. Melee 62.   Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge 61.   Grim Fandango 60.   Donkey Kong 59.   Persona 4: Golden 58.   Team Fortress 2 57.   MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat 56.   StarCraft 55.   Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast 54.   Thief II: The Metal Age 53.   Ms. Pac-Man 52.   Pokemon Yellow 51.   Mass Effect 2 50.   Dota 2 49.   Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 48.   The Last of Us 47.   Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 46.   Metroid Prime 45.   Diablo 2 44.   Banjo-Kazooie 43.   Resident Evil 4 42.   Counter-Strike 1.6 41.   Metal Gear Solid 40.   Dark Souls 39.   Journey 38.   Mass Effect 37.   Silent Hill 2 36.   BioShock 35.   World of Warcraft 34.   Shadow of the Colossus 33.   Battlefield 1942 32.   Rock Band 31.   Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 30.   The Legend of Zelda 29.   Red Dead Redemption 28.   Final Fantasy VI 27.   Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 26.   Half-Life 25.   Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 24.   Sid Meier’s Civilization IV 23.   Star Wars: TIE Fighter 22.   Halo: Combat Evolved 21.   Super Mario Galaxy 20.   Street Fighter II 19.   Deus Ex 18.   Baldur’s Gate 2 17.   Portal 16.   Grand Theft Auto V 15.   Minecraft 14.   Super Mario World 13.   Chrono Trigger 12.   Sid Meier’s Pirates! 11.   Super Mario 64 10.   Tetris 09.   Halo 2 08.   The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 07.   Super Metroid 06.   Half-Life 2 05.   Portal 2 04.   Super Mario Bros. 03.   Doom 02.   The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 01.   Super Mario Bros. 3

Cody discusses his latest computer technology curses, including his first impressions of Windows 10. Then, Jon explains his video game bender and reviews Super Meat Boy, Broken Age, and Until Dawn. Plus: Cody describes his experience at Nintendo World in New York City, and Jon gives an update on his ongoing house-buying drama. Photo credit: dronepicr via Flickr

Catch up with Cody and Jon as they talk life milestones, Devil in the White City, Hearthstone, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and Final Fantasy: Type-0 HD. Photo credit: Diavolomezzo via Flickr Show Notes: * Cody talks microphones, acoustics, and what kind of podcast you can expect to hear * Jon chastises Cody for not making enough Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney jokes when he interviewed Sam Castree III, Ace Attorney on the podcast * Cody rants about how Radiolab ripped off his story about the Cryptolocker virus; Jon tries to debunk his theory of being ripped off directly, but Cody uses the power of the lottery and math to thwart his efforts * Jon tells an endless, boring, rambling story about why he hasn&#8217;t been on the podcast lately, and somehow manages to do so while clicking his mouse the entire time * Congratulations to Mister Manager, since Jon thinks he&#8217;s a big deal now because he sold his house (hear how it happened!) * If you&#8217;ve ever wanted to learn about listing a house, buying or selling a house, or any other miscellaneous real estate questions&#8230; then this is definitely not the podcast for you. But Jon talks in painstaking detail about those things anyway * Fun fact about Walt Disney and his dad, which serves as a seamless transition into Cody talking about Devil in the White City, an excellent book * Cody explains that reading Devil in the White City is infinitely more fun and rewarding than playing Hearthstone in literally every way * Jon claims that the Arena is still &#8220;kind of&#8221; fun, but Cody insists that Hearthstone generally just really sucks and is not a game &#8220;for him&#8221; * Cody gives an update on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which he&#8217;s now played for a bit over 50 hours * Cody describes the &#8220;buddy&#8221; system, including D-Horse, Diamond Dog, and Quiet, which is very cool * Cody also discusses the prevalence of side missions and dispatch missions in the context of main story missions * Jon discusses his first impressions of Final Fantasy: Type-0 HD, which Cody had also begun playing before he got MGSV * Jon explains the premise and beginning of the game, and he and Cody discuss how the &#8220;tutorial&#8221; near the beginning nearly ruined the game for both of them * Cody calls out the voice acting after Jon calls out some inconsistencies in what graphics had increased resolution and what graphics seem to have been forgotten * They discuss pacing in games and how things like the tutorial in this game can really mess up a game * Cody plugs the GonnaGeek Network, specifically All Things Good and Nerdy * Reminder that you can subscribe to Unqualified Gamers on iTunes, and even leave reviews, which we would LOVE for you to do

Cody welcomes Sam Castree III, Ace Attorney, who discusses some fundamental legal needs of video game developers. Hear Sam walk Cody through the process of how a video game developer should select and leverage legal counsel from day one of development. Show Notes: * Sam Castree III, Ace Attorney, talks about how he got into practicing video game law, including an incident with a friend&#8217;s free-to-play game being ripped off and listed for sale by another company in Vietnam * Sam briefly touches on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and how it applied to the situation * For more information, you can check out Sam&#8217;s published paper, Cyber-Plagiarism for Sale!: The Growing Problem of Blatant Copyright Infringement in Online Digital Media Stores * Sam reveals that he was sworn in on Halloween, and Cody reveals why that is perfectly appropriate for Sam, whose trademark for years has been the color orange * Sam discusses word-of-mouth, networking, and other methods of growing a business * Learn the importance of establishing &#8220;the basics&#8221; when beginning a video game development venture * Background info on &#8220;one size fits all&#8221; lawyers and why to NOT use them when entering into an entertainment-specific business venture like video game development * Cody asks Sam to walk him through the legal process from square one, beginning with the moment a potential video game developer picks up a dev kit * Sam starts with the importance of defining what type of company you have, e.g. sole proprietorship, limited liability corporation, corporation, partnership, etc. * Sam talks about Lawyers for the Creative Arts (pro bono &amp; low-cost legal help in the Chicago area), which he has worked with in the past * Sam explains independent contractor agreements, why it&#8217;s important to have them when someone contributes to your game, and what happens to those agreements after 35 years * On a related note, learn why Superman has been dealing with litigation for decades * Also learn about how different contracts work under different court jurisdictions, and why it&#8217;s important to get local legal help * In a rare moment, Cody contributes his expertise by mentioning one good piece of legal advice he&#8217;s ever heard: get everything in writing * Sam backs him up and actually explains why this is important * Sam goes into the details of different types of partnerships, such as general partnerships, and when and what kind of partnership may be a good idea * Sam explains the legal benefits and privileges gained from filing for a copyright, including some of the policies surrounding how and when you can do it * What do you do if you accidentally &#8220;rip someone off&#8221; when making a game? Sam explains! * Why using someone else&#8217;s content in your game is definitely a no-no * Cody and Sam talk about overseas litigation, and the reasons why it can be pretty ridiculously difficult to pursue * Sam talks trademarks and how protectable they are * He delves into King Digital&#8217;s attempt to trademark &#8220;saga&#8221; to protect their games like Candy Crush Saga, and why the trademark filing wasn&#8217;t quite as strange as everyone initially thought (although it was still pretty bad) * Cody brings up the iDroid from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and asks Sam about the &#8220;i&#8221; prefix as a trademark * Sam also talks about logo usage in games, and what can and can&#8217;t get you into trouble, including an interesting situation that is currently being &#8220;tested&#8221;

Cody gives a Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain review based on his first 30 hours of gameplay. Check out the first episode featuring Jon&#8217;s brand-new microphone, and hear him follow Cody&#8217;s review with a chat about Diablo 3, Hearthstone, and Bojack Horseman. Show Notes: * Cody kicks off the review by discussing the storyline of the series, including how accessible this game is to Metal Gear newcomers * Jon asks about the new open world format of Metal Gear Solid V, and Cody addresses how the change in structure affects the feel of the series * Cody describes what &#8220;open world&#8221; means to the Metal Gear Solid series, including the new &#8220;episode&#8221; structure of the storyline * Jon inquires about the actual game mechanics, so Cody explains the iDroid system, the sneaking and combat mechanics, and what &#8220;stealth game&#8221; precisely means in the context of the Metal Gear series * Moby Dick references and symbolism! Hooray! * Cody explains Mother Base and the private army you build throughout the game, and how those mechanics affect your progression through the game * Upon further questioning from Jon, Cody explains the Fulton recovery system, also known as &#8220;the giant balloons you attach to things,&#8221; and Jon finds the idea utterly insane * On a side note: fortunately for everyone, microtransactions seem to be all but missing from this game, which Cody and Jon are fine with * Without giving away any spoilers, Cody describes the uncharacteristically hyper-violent opening to the game, which sets a somber tone that Hideo Kojima somehow masterfully maneuvers into a much different overall feel * Jon talks about why he&#8217;s pretty much &#8220;done&#8221; with Diablo 3 (for now) * Mandatory Hearthstone talk, since Jon downloaded it to his phone again, and Cody can&#8217;t quit it despite the amount of self-loathing that it entails * After Cody plugs All Things Good and Nerdy on the Gonna Geek Network, Jon talks about the show Bojack Horseman, and how it is not at all the kind of show he expected it to be when he started watching it * Following a final plug for Gallifrey Public Radio, Cody impresses everyone with his ability to roll the letter &#8220;r,&#8221; even in completely inappropriate situations

Cody explains the intricacies of the CryptoLocker ransomware trojan, and how he&#8217;s dealing with the effects. Plus, hear about all the games he played at BitBash 2015, Chicago&#8217;s alternative / indie games festival. Show Notes: * Cody explains why he&#8217;s recording a solo episode and what happened to his home PC * Hear all about the CryptoLocker Virus, and what it will cost Cody to get rid of it so he can use his home computer again * Cody discusses BitBash 2015, Chicago&#8217;s alternative games festival, including some background on the festival and how well he liked the way it was organized this year * Cody talks about all the games he played (or saw people play) at BitBash 2015, many of which you can preview in video form on his Instagram account: * Downwell by Devolver Digital, &#8220;a game about a young man going down an endless well with gun-boots.&#8221; * Gunsport by Necrosoft Games, which &#8220;takes place in an alternate future where humans have grown tired of war. Nations&#8217; petty disputes are now settled with the World&#8217;s Game, Gunsport.&#8221; * Chambara, &#8220;a local multiplayer stealth-deathmatch game with only two colors, allowing players to seamlessly camouflage themselves with the environment.&#8221; * Yojimbrawl, &#8220;a fighting game with very fluid fighting mechanics made by Evan Greenwood (Programming), Dawid Strauss (Art) and Deon van Heerden (Music/SFX).&#8221; * Fotonica, &#8220;a first-person game about the thrill of speed and traveling flawlessly through complex environments.&#8221; * Particle Mace, &#8220;a 1-4 player game for Windows/Mac/iOS by Andy Wallace about defending yourself in a hostile universe by swinging particles into enemies.&#8221; * Johann Sebastian Joust, &#8220;a no-graphics, digitally-enabled playground game for 2 to 7 players designed for motion controllers.&#8221; * Elbow Room by Deep Dark Hole, &#8220;a game about personal space, perpetual motion, and hitting a single key better than anyone else.&#8221; * Cody also discusses the 18 and up &#8220;adult games&#8221; area at BitBash, including some incredibly lewd but incredibly humorous games * If you&#8217;re a video game developer and want to talk to Cody on the podcast, then email him and Jon at [email protected]!

Jon Reviews Rocket League and Dying Light, and Cody reviews Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Plus: Jon&#8217;s thoughts on the science-fiction short story Flowers for Algernon, and Cody raves and rants about a couple sci-fi movies—both good and bad. &nbsp; Show Notes: * Jon and Cody talk about the most ridiculous technical difficulties ever, including ones that shouldn&#8217;t even exist * Jon discusses his new-ish passion for reading books, and how he basically hates himself for not really reading books when he was young * &#8220;Man. Books are really good.&#8221; -Quote of the episode * Jon explains his thoughts on short stories, including profound observations like &#8220;short stories are usually short&#8221; * Jon found a list of the 100 greatest science fiction short stories ever written, including Flowers for Algernon, written in 1958 by Daniel Keyes * Speaking of science fiction, Cody talks about a classic sci-fi film that he recently watched for the second time: the Stanley Kubrick classic 2001: A Space Odyssey * Cody explains how you have to kind of be &#8220;conditioned&#8221; to watch a movie like 2001, and Jon talks about his experience viewing it * Jon got a free PS4 game with his PlayStation Plus subscription this month, which is normal; what&#8217;s less normal is that it&#8217;s a brand-new game, Rocket League * Jon explains that Rocket League is basically cars playing soccer, and Cody can&#8217;t understand the appeal * Jon talks about how Rocket League could actually help improve the popularity of international futbol / soccer in the United States if it becomes popular enough, and he usually sees over 100,000 people playing online * Cody explains the popularity of the game by bringing up an essay by Tom Wolfe on the birth of the demolition derby (Clean Fun at Riverhead, for those interested in reading it), but discredits himself by comparing soccer to hockey * Jon also has been playing Dying Light by Techland, the Polish video game developer that created Dead Island * Jon explains that Dying Light is a first-person zombie survival game, but it&#8217;s not a shooter (technically, it&#8217;s an open-world first person survival horror video game); instead, you&#8217;re helping citizens on the island survive the zombie apocalypse * The city where the game takes place is incredible, and the game gives incentives to not actually fight, which Jon thinks is awesome * Jon explains how skills are unlocked and how the &#8220;talent tree&#8221; works, plus why he thinks it (and the story) is cool, despite his and Cody&#8217;s general fatigue over too many zombies these days * Cody mentions that he&#8217;s played all the Metal Gear Solid games other than Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, which puts him at a perceived disadvantage to getting the most out of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes * He beat the game in under 3 hours, but had less than a 10 percent completion rate with the game, so he doesn&#8217;t think it&#8217;s a big of a ripoff as the initial press around the game suggested * Cody explains how the storyline &#8220;makes sense&#8221; on its own and actually doesn&#8217;t require a t...

Cody has a bone to pick with customizable card games, specifically Hearthstone, specifically the Hearthstone Arena, specifically the amount of luck involved in winning games in it. Plus, catch up on Jon&#8217;s progress in the massively multiplayer online RPG Final Fantasy XIV, and hear what the hosts have been up to in their spare time lately. &nbsp; Show Notes: * The Unqualified Gamers podcast is now on WGN Plus! Cody explains what that means for the show * Jon describes his house hunting adventures * Cody recounts the tale of his day job&#8217;s company picnic, and how a massive weather system affected its outcome * Learn about Chicago&#8217;s utterly ridiculous weather systems, plus how to become the most popular co-worker at your company in the event that disaster ever strikes * Jon and Cody parody Donald Trump for a bit, mostly because of some of the ridiculous things he&#8217;s been saying lately * Despite being a very critical audience, Jon is still a fan of Final Fantasy XIV, and he explains some of the major reasons why it&#8217;s a great MMORPG * Jon makes comparisons to World of Warcraft while hammering home some of the points he made in Episode 114 of Unqualified Gamers * Cody finally gets to his points about Hearthstone, which mostly consists of whining about how unfair it is * He and Jon debate the merits and pitfalls of randomly generated numbers in competitive gaming * Jon explains why he has no sympathy for Cody, and why he should have more fun playing the game * Cody plugs the Unqualified Gamers&#8217; Gen-Con podcast recording at Gen-Con Indy 2015

Cody announces the exciting addition of the Unqualified Gamers Podcast to the WGN Plus lineup, and what that means for the podcast. Jon discusses Final Fantasy XIV after he and Cody are finished discussing such compelling topics as unicycles, fruit flies, downtown Rochester, and the unfortunate passing of Nintendo&#8217;s late President Satoru Iwata. Show Notes: * Cody speculates about why Jon always records episodes from a nondescript hotel room somewhere * Cody makes a major announcement: Unqualified Gamers has joined WGN Plus! * Jon disregards the announcement entirely to go on an unwarranted rant about unicycles and unicyclists * Cody defends unicycles as thief-proof, but Jon disagrees * Epic tale of Cody vs. Fruit Flies: The Reckoning * Speculation on the best ways to get of fruit flies, plus fun facts about fruit flies that may or may not be true * Detailed description of precisely where Cody will let the bodies of the fruit flies fall * According to Jon, there is something very, very wrong with Rochester, Minnesota * Learn about the Mayo Clinic and what Jon thinks it means to Rochester * Jon explains why he thinks Rochester&#8217;s downtown is the way that it is, and why he thinks Rochester is one of the most depressing places in the world * Cody compares Rochester to other places that are built &#8220;around&#8221; one specific thing, and how it affects the surrounding area * Cody discusses the sad passing of Nintendo&#8217;s Satoru Iwata, and how he reacted as a fan and as a gamer * He then unleashes on someone from Google+ who used the news to get attention, which he found disrespectful * Jon trolls Cody, because Jon is a huge jerk * Fortunately, Jon stops being an idiot for three seconds to show his respect for Mr. Iwata before moving on * Finally getting down to games, Jon reviews Final Fantasy XIV after playing about 40 hours on the PlayStation 4 * Learn about the game&#8217;s storyline, how the game is different than World of Warcraft, and why Jon thinks it&#8217;s successful as a &#8220;traditionally priced&#8221; MMORPG * While he enjoys the game a lot, Jon doesn&#8217;t think it will ever come close to his love for World of Warcraft * Cody is climbing up the ranked ladder in Hearthstone, and he is extremely excited about it * Learn why he&#8217;s burned out on the Arena, and what class he&#8217;s using to progress in Ranked mode * Cody shamelessly plugs the Unqualified Gamers Live Podcast Recording Friday, July 31, 2015, at Gen-Con Indy in Indianapolis, IN

Cody reviews CivAddiction’s Multiplayer Modpack, a massive mod that completely overhauls Sid Meier&#8217;s Civilization V. You can find more the official modpack thread at http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=548835. Learn about this massive overhaul of Civilization V and hear whether Cody thinks it&#8217;s worth your time! &nbsp;

Jon reviews Crypt of the NecroDancer before he talks about his obsession with this year&#8217;s Final Fantasy V Four Job Fiesta. Hear whether he got a decent starting character, or if he&#8217;s just going to FAIL MISERABLY. Plus: Cody actually played video games this week, specifically Geometry Wars 3! And, of course, there&#8217;s some requisite Hearthstone talk in there, including Cody&#8217;s opinion on expansions Naxxramas and Blackrock Spire. Show Notes: * Jon talks about what it&#8217;s like to drive long distances with a baby * Speaking of driving: Cody talks about driving from Chicago to North Carolina! * Jon explains Crypt of the NecroDancer, and Cody talks about why he should probably play it * He grills Cody for details on his new Hearthstone obsession, which included purchasing the Naxxramas and Blackrock Spire expansions * Cody explains the difference between the two expansions and discusses whether they&#8217;re worth the cost * Cody reviews Geometry Wars 3 and talks about how the game is different than its predecessors * For the second year in a row, Jon is participating in the Final Fantasy V Four Job Fiesta, and explains how you, too, can get involved to help support a good cause * Cody claims that he has discovered the best type of single-player video game to play with friends (trading off lives), and he talks about how he tested it with Rogue Legacy, a game that both he and Jon had chosen as a &#8220;Game of the Year&#8221; recently * Shameless plug for the Unqualified Gamers video game podcast LIVE at Gen-Con 2015 * Cody plugs Gonna Geek Network podcasts Voices of Defiance and the GonnaGeek.com Podcast&#8217;s 100th episode

Jon recaps E3 2015, including press conferences from Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, and he and Cody discuss their reactions to various announcements. Plus, hear what games Cody has purchased so far in the 2015 Steam Summer Sale! Show Notes: * Jon and Cody brace for a podcast with some vicious technical difficulties, and this time it&#8217;s actually Jon&#8217;s fault * As they postulate which Elder God they angered to bring about their horrible luck with computers recently, Cody and Jon debate about how to pronounce the name of H.P. Lovecraft&#8217;s fictional character Cthulu * Cody is sitting in a chair that is over 35 years old, and he is fine with that * Which of the &#8220;big three&#8221; (Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo) WON E3 and is objectively better than literally every other one? Cody asks Jon for his input * In Jon&#8217;s estimation, Sony and Microsoft held very similar press conferences based on their major focus on games and rapid-fire game trailers; however, most of Microsoft&#8217;s games are coming this year, whereas Sony talked about a lot of things coming in 2016 * Microsoft&#8217;s press conference: * Microsoft announced Gears of War 4, which looks like it will have more of a horror/thriller element than the previous installations in the series * Microsoft also talked Halo 5, but neither Jon nor Cody are the target audience for that game&#8230; or for Forza Motorsport, because they don&#8217;t &#8220;do&#8221; racing games * Rare came out and announced a huge Rare collection, featuring a bunch of their games from the Nintendo 64 era onward, including Blast Corps, Banjo Kazooie, and more * Rare also announced an open world adventure game that looks like a pirate-based multiplayer game, which got Jon very excited * The new Tomb Raider looks ridiculously gorgeous, and looks like it will be less focused on combat, which Jon supports * Dark Souls 3, which will be the last game in the series, should also be pretty good, even though they only showed a teaser trailer * Jon goes into detail describing Microsoft&#8217;s Hololens, and the Minecraft demo they performed on-stage, which was ridiculous * Cody saw some negative reactions after Microsoft announced that they are going to make the Xbox One compatible with Xbox 360 games, but Jon doesn&#8217;t think that&#8217;s a valid thing to be upset about * Jon and Cody discuss the pros and cons of backwards compatibility: it&#8217;s not good for everyone, but there are definitely situations where it can be an issue * Sony&#8217;s press conference: * Jon explains the back story behind The Last Guardian, made by Fumito Ueda, the same guy who made Shadow of the Colossus and Ico, which was the game that kicked off Sony&#8217;s press conference with a gameplay demo on the PlayStation 4 * Both Cody and Jon are hot for Horizon, the second game Sony showed off during its press conference, because it is basically the most beautiful game ever and features tribes hunting robot dinosaurs&#8230; and as a PS4 exclusive, it could be a system seller * Sony somehow nabbed Street Fighter V exclusivity, which will help sell some PS4 consoles * An on-stage demo of No Man&#8217;s Sky got Cody even more hype for the game, and Jon describes why he&#8217;s so amazed by it * Jon tells Cody why he should know Media Molecule, and why people were excited for the extremely bizarre game &#8220;Dreams,&#8221; which they then try to describe * FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE OH MY GOD HOLY SHIT GET HYPE #HYPE #FFVIIREMAKE #GETOUT * Jon explains why it&#8217;s such a big deal, but let&#8217;s face it, we all know already * Jon is actually pretty excited about PlayStation View,