Episode 26: Being Big Brother in Orwell

Unlocking Games

First, an important note: This will be our last episode for a while. Brandon and I have both developed outside commitments that keep us from spending the time to do more episodes right. We might be back someday! But please enjoy this and each of our past episodes - we're proud of each one, and I think they'll still be relevant down the line.

To anybody who has ever listened to an episode: I sincerely thank you.

We're also releasing this episode outside of our normal schedule, because there's a natural connection to an event coming up on this Tuesday, 4/4/17:

Over 190 movie theaters will run special screenings of 1984.

You should find one!

This connection will make sense if you even glance at the PC game Orwell. While not an official tie-in to 1984, it's obviously heavily inspired by that book.

You play a government employee who monitors the web and private communications for evidence of terrorism. You have frequent choices about whether or not to report chunks of information. You might wrongly imprison someone, but you might also fail to prevent a bombing.

Orwell is fun and compelling to play, mostly avoids getting preachy, and provides a unique way to think about current events. It's $9.99 on Steam, and has a free demo available.

Games Mentioned in this Episode

• Mr. Robot (featured in episode 3)
• Papers, Please (featured in episodes 7-9)

Show Notes & Links

• Killscreen's coverage of Orwell
• More info on the upcoming 1984 movie screenings