The Strategy to Stop Killing Games in the EU - Ross Scott | grokludo 25 YouTube video by The Junglist

I went in-depth with Ross Scott on the @stopkillinggames.bsky.social movement -- discussing strategies for inclusion in the EU's Digital Fairness Act, technical concerns around middleware/3rd-party services, and the sometimes spicy discourse surrounding SKG:
youtu.be/vlh0YLOJbo8

ADHD, Dopamine, and Rats Pushing Levers - Clinton White | grokludo 24 YouTube video by The Junglist

This week Dr Clinton White explains the evolutionary role of neurodivergence, the misunderstood nature of dopamine, variable reinforcement schedules and the appeal of randomness, and why ADHD minds can be more vulnerable to gambling-like systems in games:
youtu.be/gviTu9hH4vg

Please find an hour to watch this - real Aussie journalism unconstrained by US/Israel minders in MSM #auspol #iran #freepalestine

Killer Queen creator Nikita Mikros joins grokludo to talk about making arcade-only indie games, painful times for arcades during covid, and the new projects he's working on.

youtu.be/9iOaxVY4KRE

I'd love to see some of that type of thing in action! Apparently there are modern Kriegsspiel dens, but I've have had trouble finding one to visit. Would be fun just to observe and learn for an evening!

In early 1800s wargaming, a judge or "vertrauter" (trusted one) could take your orders, then walk away while you sat in uncertainty, and later come back with the result. It simulated the delayed information a commander would have in the field.

Kriegsspiel and the Prussian Pioneers of Wargaming - Jon Peterson | grokludo 22 Jon Peterson is the author of Playing at the World, a deep dive into historical tabletop games leading up to Dungeons & Dragons, which just released its 2nd Edition. Jon is a fantastic source of knowledge on all things tabletop, and has travelled to several European museums to translate wargaming publications dating as far back as the 1600s. I took the opportunity to quiz him about Kriegsspiel – a wargame that Prussian officers used as a training tool in the 1800s. Translating as "war game," Kriegsspiel has had many versions over the centuries, as it evolved out of Chess and slowly took on more realistic, simulation-like properties. Families would concoct their own rules, bit by bit edging closer to the D&Ds, Warhammers, and XCOMs we'd recognise today. As Jon illustrates, it's more than just interesting history; Kriegsspiel is a giant whose shoulders support many modern gaming staples. And not only did the Prussians enjoy it recreationally, its mandate to be used in training seems to coincide with a period of Prussian dominance on the battlefield, leading other military powers to develop their own kriegsspiels. Today, of course, every modern military runs simulations and wargames. It's not only a way to manage risk and learn, but also to increase cohesion with allies. But the notion of combining random outcomes with empirically derived statistical tables goes back to one particular version of Kriegsspiel, and is perhaps the most important leap in the genre. I hope you enjoy this episode, and thank you for supporting grokludo!

Jon Peterson is the author of Playing at the World, a deep dive into historical tabletop games leading up to Dungeons & Dragons, which just released its 2nd Edition.

Jon is a fantastic source of knowledge on all things tabletop, and has travelled to several European museums to translate […]

It’s neck and neck between Wong and Burke as to who is the most reduced person when in power. They shrink down under responsibility to a tiny hard hearted autocue reader. Narry a whit of common sense to be found for terms on end.

Jeremy and Nick Ballou talking on the grokludo podcast.

We're back 😀 How much does time spent gaming affect sleep, happiness, and quality of life? What happens when we move from self-reporting to measuring on-device?

Nick Ballou is behind one of the largest studies on gaming habits ever done. The early findings might surprise you.

youtu.be/cSa_03V4NrU

I've had multiple people message tonight about some Zio proganda fest on the ABC and I gotta say I'm pretty ok with having no idea what the fuck they were talking about. Just cut the cord already, why would you ever listen to habitually news that lies about genocide and war?

How do we design games that advance us, instead of appealing to compulsions from our evolutionary history?

Evolutionary psychologist Peter Gray contends that some games already do.

The Evolution of Play as Our Learning Superpower - Peter Gray | grokludo 20 YouTube video by The Junglist

YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sBy...

Podcast:
open.spotify.com/show/6GMbpa2...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...

I always write a bit more on the grokludo website:
grokludo.com

In the last grokludo of 2025, Peter Gray explains the evolutionary advantage of play, the "instinct to practice other instincts," and how games are the most effective workout for our cognitive muscles.

Autism expert Tony Attwood explains some of the benefits of gaming for players with autism, and how one of the main ones - emotion regulation - can be a blessing and a curse.

Full ep: youtu.be/42bN90Nz6F4

Nice work man 🔥

Autism expert Tony Attwood says he is "very concerned" about loot boxes and the rising of gambling in games, especially for gamers with autism.

"Often they're not disclosing information to others where someone can be, shall we say ... it may be a partner, parent, friend, of moderation."

So good!

Autism expert Tony Attwood is “very concerned” about the rise of gambling in games Tony Attwood, a specialist in autism and adjunct professor at Queensland's Griffith University, operated a private clinic for many years focusing on Level 1 autism (previously called Asperger's Syndro...

Tony Attwood, an adjunct professor at Queensland's Griffith University, operated a private clinic for many years focusing on Level 1 autism.

He's also the latest guest on @thejunglist.bsky.social's podcast, #grokludo, and uses the platform to voice his concerns about the rise of gambling in games.

Under a secretive billion dollar new deal, refugees in the Australian community are being ripped out of their homes and sent to Nauru.

"It's a wild escalation... Scenes similar to ICE'", says Ogy Simic of the @ASRC1

www.instagram.com/reel/DSCEmf_...

The Joy and Stress of Gaming With Autism - Tony Attwood | grokludo 19 YouTube video by The Junglist

Autism expert Tony Attwood joins grokludo this week to talk about how people with autism experience games, and maintaining healthy hobby habits.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=42bN...

Newly discovered Game of Life spaceship looks like a Star Destroyer

conwaylife.com/forums/viewt...

Excited for this. Sy Hersh's memoir "Reporter" was a great read.

What the Core Elements of Game Design Teach Us - José Zagal | grokludo 18 YouTube video by The Junglist

YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcTi...

Podcast:
open.spotify.com/show/6GMbpa2...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...

I always write a bit more on the grokludo website:
grokludo.com

What can we learn from breaking down game design to its core elements?

@jzagal.bsky.social joins grokludo this week to talk about the Game Ontology Project - reducing and categorising game design elements to study them piece by piece.

This was fun and I maintain that stupidity should be one of the guiding principles of game marketing

When press releases go terribly right 😄

@mode7games.bsky.social used to send absurd press releases with Monty Python-esque language, and... it's great? I dug up some old ones for Paul to read out loud.

Full ep: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEl1...

Labor and LNP voting against a motion to recognise Israel's genocide in Gaza

If you weren't already convinced of what complict scum our entire political class is

The Inconvenient Truths of 'Stop Killing Games' - Paul Kilduff-Taylor | grokludo 17 YouTube video by The Junglist

Full interview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEl1...

I asked @mode7games.bsky.social about the third-party services & complex architectures forming the "higher end" of difficult end-of-life plans for games.

He contends the language itself is problematic, and trying to account for all scenarios in vague regulation will harm indies most.

The Forever Renter Generation YouTube video by The Sunday Shot

⅔'s through, @davemilbo.bsky.social talks about the conflict-averse ALP gov & the Ratchet Effect, where Conservative govs have done everything to drag the economics to the Right & Labor has done nothing to reverse it.

I didn't hear 'Ratchet' but agreed wholeheartedly. 🫤

youtube.com/shorts/m9L86...