This week I'm joined by Chris Benefield, a longtime friend I first met during our days in graduate school way back in 1998. Chris has a masters degree in Educational Psychology, and is now working toward an advanced degree to become a school counselor. In the episode, we discuss our history of arguing, "Who is the bigger nerd?" and explore how social comparison theory affects geekdom, "Sure, I'm a nerd - but I'm not THAT nerdy." I ask Chris why he cannot get into tabletop roleplaying games such as Dungeons & Dragons, and he asks me why I'm unwilling to dive into Magic: The Gathering (MtG). He discusses the merits of MtG, and we explore how games like Hearthstone, SolForge, and Eternal scratch a similar itch. We delve into our approaches to mindfully engage in hobbies and time management, which leads into our use of social media - for better and sometimes worse. Along the way, we review our trip to GenCon 2012, and talk about trying to remain a nerd while parenting young children.
Enjoy the episode, and please provide feedback if you would like Chris and I to continue recording similar discussions as we are considering spinning this off into a separate podcast.
Ryan Kelly, PhD on the Power & Dangers of Gaming
Greg Leatherman on VRECast, Safe Spaces & Gay Representation in RPGs
Adam Johns & Adam Davis on Critical Core & Autism
Enrique Bertran on Streaming Star Wars & Launching a Patreon
François Alliot on Reigns and Probabilistic & Adaptive Game Design
Jana Flesher on RPG Systems, GM Tips & Midwifery
James Haeck on Critical Role's Alignments and D&D Waterdeep
Marc Allie on D&D and Transformers
Ed Grabianowski on Freelance Writing and Spacelord
Jase Nolan on Running D&D and Casting Hearthstone
Kevin Hovdestad on Esports
Kyle Newman on Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana
Elizabeth Roithmayr-Clemens on Suicide Prevention
Steve Lubitz on Hearthstone's Meta & Potential Troubles
Danny Rupp on Worldbuilding & Mental Health in D&D
Aaron Retka, Managing Editor for Geeks Who Drink
Eric Roth on Tabletop Gaming with a Physical Disability
Gaming Disorder Panel with Adam Johns, LMFT and Drs. Connell, Kelly, and Bean
Andy Hand on Designing 5th Edition Monsters to Raise Money for Suicide Prevention
Mike Shea on D&D Streaming & Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
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