Jim, Brian and Tom put the show on hold for a while.

Jim, Brian and Tom talk about how games are streamlined, what this often means, and how one identifies a good or bad sequel.

Jim, Brian and Tom talk about preorders, game advertising, bundles, and discounts. Y'know, marketing.

Brian, Jim and Tom discuss negativity in online games, games that approach online communities in a new way, and the challenges associated with "speaking up" about loaded and offensive language.

Jim, Tom and Brian discuss ways that sex and violence are depicted well and poorly in video games, whether violence is over-used in games, and how games are different from movies and books in this respect.

Jim talks about design innovation in games, how this relates to the indie game scene.

Tom talks about how game distribution has changed over time, the perils of a used game market, and app store curation.

Brian, Jim and Tom talk about some of their favorite games of 2012 and general trends in game development over the last twelve months.

MoMa announces the acquisition of 14 video games. Jim, Brian and Tom discuss their reactions to the list and talk about each game in detail.

Tom, Jim and Brian talk about how the presence of wikis/game guides/loot tables has changed the way we experience games, and the ways in which this is good and bad.

Tom discusses the role that specific features of hardware platforms have played on game development. Jim talks about third-party middleware components.

Jim, Brian and Tom all oppose loot-flation, but do find time to talk about memorable and beloved loot drops.

Leveling has evolved quite a bit from early RPG games. Many games promise differentiated leveling paths or varied 'character builds' but often an optimal path exists - Jim, Brian and Tom talk about the huge social pressure to fit with the norms in online multiplayer games.

Fairness is hard to define and often gets thrown around by gamers without a lot of thought. Jim, Tom and Brian talk about the line between (un)fairness and bad game design, and the how fairness is interpreted differently in online and single-player games.

Jim, Tom and Brian discuss the new wave of viable F2P games that have been built from the ground up, MMOs that have been converted to F2P post-ship, and inevitably, FarmVille.

Jim, Tom and Brian work out a definition for grind - not-fun time you spend in a game you wish you hadn't, and talk about the way elements of grind have become pervasive in modern gaming.

Tom reviews arcade games - from SpaceWar! to Donkey Kong. Brian talks about game development frameworks.

Games can be art or junk food. Jim, Tom and Brian would much rather pay decent money for a short, high quality game, but there is a tendency is to compare the the cost/duration of video games to movies.

Story-driven games and degrees of freedom in games are covered. Is a choose your own adventure interactive story really a “game”? The way games deal with suspension of disbelief, either elegantly or poorly, is reviewed and the team wraps up with a summary of EvE Online for Jim.

Brian, Jim and Tom talk about beloved games and give some general background on their goals and interests regarding games. They each provide the following background info: Five games you love A game you wish you loved, but you can’t Your most memorable gaming experience A pet peeve in gaming (something that is easy to fix or avoid) A wish or dream (something that is hard to fix or do) What games you are playing now