Jeremy Ray

@thejunglist.bsky.social

Chatting about game design, psychology, and policy at grokludo.com

Seán Dagher joins grokludo to talk about the life of a Shanty Man, singing in pubs to welcoming and not-so-welcoming crowds, and how teaming up with the Assassin's Creed franchise made gaming the most effective discovery vector for sea shanties.

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If you work or study at an Australian university, the @jewishcouncilau.bsky.social is urging you to write to your Vice Chancellor *this week* to oppose the retrogressive Universities Australia definition of antisemitism. Please speak out! Get in touch if you need help w/ talking points.

We're in a fuel crisis and by overwhelmingly focusing on road infrastructure, the government is just further entrenching us into car reliance. The UN recommend 20% of the transport budget should be spent on active transport. And Australia are at 0.2%. The next fuel crisis will hit us even worse.

In early 1800s wargaming, a judge or "vertrauter" (trusted one) could take your orders, then walk away while you sat in uncertainty, and later come back with the result. It simulated the delayed information a commander would have in the field.

Jon Peterson is the author of Playing at the World, a deep dive into historical tabletop games leading up to Dungeons & Dragons, which just released its 2nd Edition. Jon is a fantastic source of knowledge on all things tabletop, and has travelled to several European museums to translate […]

Kriegsspiel and the Prussian Pioneers of Wargaming - Jon Peterson | grokludo 22

Jon Peterson is the author of Playing at the World, a deep dive into historical tabletop games leading up to Dungeons & Dragons, which just released its 2nd Edition. Jon is a fantastic source of knowledge on all things tabletop, and has travelled to several European museums to translate wargaming publications dating as far back as the 1600s. I took the opportunity to quiz him about Kriegsspiel – a wargame that Prussian officers used as a training tool in the 1800s. Translating as "war game," Kriegsspiel has had many versions over the centuries, as it evolved out of Chess and slowly took on more realistic, simulation-like properties. Families would concoct their own rules, bit by bit edging closer to the D&Ds, Warhammers, and XCOMs we'd recognise today. As Jon illustrates, it's more than just interesting history; Kriegsspiel is a giant whose shoulders support many modern gaming staples. And not only did the Prussians enjoy it recreationally, its mandate to be used in training seems to coincide with a period of Prussian dominance on the battlefield, leading other military powers to develop their own kriegsspiels. Today, of course, every modern military runs simulations and wargames. It's not only a way to manage risk and learn, but also to increase cohesion with allies. But the notion of combining random outcomes with empirically derived statistical tables goes back to one particular version of Kriegsspiel, and is perhaps the most important leap in the genre. I hope you enjoy this episode, and thank you for supporting grokludo!

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It’s neck and neck between Wong and Burke as to who is the most reduced person when in power. They shrink down under responsibility to a tiny hard hearted autocue reader. Narry a whit of common sense to be found for terms on end.

We're back 😀 How much does time spent gaming affect sleep, happiness, and quality of life? What happens when we move from self-reporting to measuring on-device? Nick Ballou is behind one of the largest studies on gaming habits ever done. The early findings might surprise you. youtu.be/cSa_03V4NrU

Jeremy and Nick Ballou talking on the grokludo podcast.

I've had multiple people message tonight about some Zio proganda fest on the ABC and I gotta say I'm pretty ok with having no idea what the fuck they were talking about. Just cut the cord already, why would you ever listen to habitually news that lies about genocide and war?

How do we design games that advance us, instead of appealing to compulsions from our evolutionary history? Evolutionary psychologist Peter Gray contends that some games already do.

In the last grokludo of 2025, Peter Gray explains the evolutionary advantage of play, the "instinct to practice other instincts," and how games are the most effective workout for our cognitive muscles.

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Autism expert Tony Attwood says he is "very concerned" about loot boxes and the rising of gambling in games, especially for gamers with autism. "Often they're not disclosing information to others where someone can be, shall we say ... it may be a partner, parent, friend, of moderation."

Tony Attwood, an adjunct professor at Queensland's Griffith University, operated a private clinic for many years focusing on Level 1 autism. He's also the latest guest on @thejunglist.bsky.social's podcast, #grokludo, and uses the platform to voice his concerns about the rise of gambling in games.

Autism expert Tony Attwood is “very concerned” about the rise of gambling in games

Tony Attwood, a specialist in autism and adjunct professor at Queensland's Griffith University, operated a private clinic for many years focusing on Level 1 autism (previously called Asperger's Syndro...

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