December Roundtable: Gift Giving in Games

December Roundtable: Gift Giving in Games

No matter what, if anything, you celebrate this time of year, there’s just something nice about gift giving. We may give or receive games as gifts (and what greater joy is there than the gift of playing a game together?), but today, we’re talking about gifts in games. Who’s good at it? Who’s bad at it? Is gift giving as intrinsic to romantic relationships as games would have us believe? Let’s find out.

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November Roundtable: Food and Cooking in Games

November Roundtable: Food and Cooking in Games

We’re getting into hibernating season up here in the Northern Hemisphere, which means it’s time for feasting. The crops are ready for harvesting. The cornucopia is assembled. What are we eating (in games)?

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LoreQuest: Three Fantasy Novels that Dungeon Delvers Will Love

LoreQuest: Three Fantasy Novels that Dungeon Delvers Will Love

Imagine you are exploring the sun-bleached halls of a ruin—well, ruin might be a strong word, because these halls have a classical beauty that captivates your imagination—but to the best of your knowledge, you are the only living person who roams them. You amble through high-ceilinged galleries and collect seaweed from the flooded lower chambers. You catch a fish. You find a skeleton that has been laid out in a ceremonial tableau, and you contemplate who she was and what kind of culture lay her to rest.

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September Roundtable: Beginnings

September Roundtable: Beginnings

September often feels like the year is winding down, but, if you’re anything like Sidequest’s editor in chief, it’s also one of the most exciting times of the year. No, not because pumpkin spice is here. No, it’s not even because Halloween is right around the corner and it’s the perfect time to pick up “seasonal decor” that just becomes year-round decor. It’s because it’s the beginning of the school year, and nothing fills us (okay, me) with joy like new pencils and books and a bunch of learning to do.

But we already did a back to school roundtable, so we’re not talking about school. We’re talking about beginnings. What makes a good beginning? What makes a bad beginning? Let’s find out.

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August Roundtable: Stars in Games and Space Games

August Roundtable: Stars in Games and Space Games

It’s August, which we refuse to think too deeply about. But you know what’s great to think too deeply about? Stars. On nice, clear summer nights, you can see all kinds of stars if you’re lucky, even if those stars are in games. So let’s talk about them! (more…)