What fun will 2014 hold for Game on Girl? Give us your suggestions!
This week, writer Mark and podcast editor Ryan join us to discuss our favorite TV shows, movies, games, and books from 2013. Listen and see if we included your favorite! If not, let us know in the comments! Until next time, game on!
Regina & Rhonda & Mark & Ryan
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Published by Regina McMenomy
Regina is a gamer, writer, teacher, and podcaster living in the Pacific Northwest. She completed her Ph.D. in 2011 from Washington State University in Vancouver and continues to teach there part time. Regina’s research interests focus on women and technology, and her dissertation discusses female gamers and identity in digital role playing games. A lifelong geek and technology enthusiast, Regina recently started a Girls Who Code club in support of their mission to close the gender gap in technology.
To continue the conversations about gender and gaming that Regina started during her research, she started a podcast called Game on Girl. Called the “NPR of game podcasts” by Chris Brown of The Married Gamers, the podcast features women involved in the game industry, and tackles some of the complicated issues in the gaming community. Season 2 began in the spring of 2018 and will premiere new episodes monthly.
View all posts by Regina McMenomy
TV – I've really enjoyed Sleepy Hollow, Orphan Black, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I've been enjoying Almost Human – it reminds me of Fringe in some ways, but it's no surprise because JJ Abrams was involved with both – but it's not as good as I'd like it to be. I loved Orange is the New Black, like most everyone I know who watched the entire series. Bomb Girls (sadly canceled before its time), Lost Girl, Bob's Burgers, and Archer are all amazing shows that I discovered on Netflix.
Movies – The only movie I watched in theaters was Pacific Rim, which I loved.
Books – Out of all the books I read in 2013, I enjoyed the Partials series by Dan Wells and the Princess series by Jim C. Hines (Regina, I think the Jim C. Hines series is right up your alley! Just disregard the names of the books and read for the characters). Both young adult, but one of them is dystopian, while the other is fantasy. And I'm currently listening to Ready Player One on audiobook because the audiobook was much easier to get through my library than the book. I was pleasantly surprised when I picked it up and saw Wil Wheaton's name on the cover!
Games – I really enjoyed The Walking Dead game and Gone Home. I completely understand all the accolades that those two games have received, but I'm probably the exact kind of person those games were aimed toward (crossing my fingers for season 2 of The Walking Dead game to go on sale on Steam). I was in tears at the end of both games. Papers, Please was fun, in a crazy, monotonous, "oh man I feel like a horrible person" kind of way. I've only played a little of Lilly Looking Through, but it's a gorgeous game.
Board games – My friends and I have a semi-regular game night where we play Cosmic Encounter, which is delightful but turns us against each other so easily during each round. Settlers of Catan and Cards Against Humanity will make appearances at our next game night. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I've played way too many hours of Sims 3 because I got it in a Humble Bundle. I was pressured into playing Candy Crush and play it much too often.
I'm STILL waiting for Plants vs. Zombies 2 to come out on Kindle Fire because that's where I play the first one. It looks like I could be waiting quite a while longer for it to come out!
TV – I'm in Finland, so we are sometimes a bit behind on the TV-series. A new one I enjoyed this year was Elementary. I like crime and detective stories. I also liked the British show Call the Midwife.
Movies – Gravity gets a vote from me. Excellent storytelling.
Books – Master of Crows by Grace Draven. A dark and broody fantasy book with a strong romantic element. An other book in the same style, a strong romantic fantasy but with a MM romance instead was the excellent book Brute by Kim Fielding. A strong story about a man with a disability who learns to love himself while taking care of somebody else.
Games – I know it came out in 2012, but I played Dishonored in spring of 2013, and I have to say it was the big studio game I enjoyed the most during the past year, and still play every now and then. And the game introduced me to a new genre of games, the sneak about ones. But my game of the year title goes to a small Indie game called The Swapper. I really liked the story, the environment, the atmosphere and the puzzles. All around a great experience.
Board Games – No new board games for me this year, but then again, I'm more of a jigsaw puzzle builder. A few new ones have found their way into my collection again.
What great collections! Thanks to you both for sharing! I am going to go look up several of your suggestions here. 🙂
Here's a small sampling of my 2013….
TV
The Walking Dead
Orphan Black
Modern Family (you almost forget just how good this show is)
Justified
Orange is the New Black
House of Cards
Parks & Recreation
Movies
Star Trek Into Darkness
Anchorman 2
Mandela
Gravity
(and then A LOT I haven't seen yet like Fruitvale Station, Enough Said, etc)
Books
Double Down
Games
Gone Home
Bioshock Infinite
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
GTA V (despite it's disturbing content and misogyny there is some fun gameplay)
Tearaway
It was a good year, wasn't it Chris? 🙂