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PMP#148: Resource Management Video Games

April 24, 2023 by Mark Leave a Comment

https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/partiallyexaminedlife/PMP_148_3-2-23.mp3

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Mark, Al, our editor Tyler Hislop, and Dr. Jamie Madigan of the Psychology of Video Games podcast talk about a wide range crafting and building games from Minecraft to Starcraft to Sim City to Civilization to Rimworld to Subnautica. Given what a time commitment these typically require, what makes some of them worthwhile?

Is it better to mix the building and crafting with some other goal like combat, or is the big advantage of these games is that they’re a relaxing sandbox. Is there something fishy about a game that needs to be played in conjunction with a wiki? How do these relate to board games? Is it more fun to build something or destroy it? Is playing these cooperatively with other people better or worse?

We bring up many games including Oxygen Not Included, Satisfactory, Factory, Cities: Skylines, Don’t Starve, Dungeon Keeper, Against the Storm, No Man’s Sky, The Sims, Pocket God, Dwarf Fortress, Icarus, Cult of the Lamb, Stardew Valley, Stellaris, Crusader Kings, Northgard, and more.

Follow @JamieMadigan, Al @ixisnox, Tyler @sacrifice_mc, and @MarkLinsenmayer.

Get bonus talking for this and nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop, or you can sign up directly via Apple Podcasts for a subscription for ad-free and bonus material for three of Mark’s podcasts together on the Mark Lintertainment Podcasts Channel.

If you like this podcast, try The Psychology Podcast with Scott Barry Kaufman and The History of Literature Podcast with Jacke WIlson.

Filed Under: Video Games Tagged With: pop culture podcast, psychology of video games, video game podcast

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Pretty Much Pop brings together philosophers, artists, comedians, and other smart folks to talk about media and how we consume it: TV, film, music, novels, games, comics, comedy, theater, podcasts, and more. Most of what (other) people like is pretty weird when you think about it, so thinking about it is what we do.

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