this week's brew 🎧
​what we played this week + supplementary materials to help you dig deeper.

In today’s episode of Geeks & Grounds, we’re piloting a new format! With the shift to bi-weekly episodes, I’ve decided the first episode of the month is meant to both provide a more dedicated space to highlight the guests co-hosts come to the show, allow us to chat about industry topics, and highlight upcoming indie games ~ without having to take up too much time on our second monthly episode, where the focus will be more about the monthly brew.
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This week, we kick off with a Joel Q&A. He's headed to London in September, so let's use this chance to reflect on his gaming journey, fave G&G titles, and his starter pack of games: the games that, if you know them, you'll know him.

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​Listen to the episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts!

✨ August Indie Games Highlighted ✨

​Tiny Book Shop | Aug 7​ Shop Sim Story-Rich Open a cozy book shop and build a life in a quaint town beside the sea. ​(PC)

​OFF | Aug 15​ RPG Pixel Art Story-Rich Odd-ball pixel art turn-based RPG that inspired games like Undertale and OMORI. ​(PC, Nintendo Switch)

​Sword of the Sea | Aug 19​ Adventure Exploration Atmospheric Restore a lost ocean as you surf across waves of save and glistening waters. ​(PC, PS5)

​Discounty | Aug 21​ Shop Sim Satire RPG Small town drama, lucrative trade deals, and growing a business empire. Surely THIS will heal a broken community? ​(PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox)

next week's brew ☕
​what we're playing for the month of June + supplementary materials to help you dig deeper.

I Was A Teenage Exocolonist was a G&G community choice! We’re playing this because the community voted it in during our Fall 2024 ranked choice voting period. In this narrative game meets RPG and (light) deckbuilding game, you'll grow up as one of the first generations in a space colony. Your choices will determine the course of your life...and the survival of your settlement.
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We'll be deep-diving this game -- and it's themes of colonization, coming-of-age, and community (among SO much else) on August 19th. Read all about it (including content warnings) in the playthrough guide:

I also am VERY excited to be playing this game, because of the amount of differentiation I think we’ll be getting in terms of what folks choose to do: this’ll be a fun one to discuss and see how our playthroughs diverge and intersect!

We shared our thoughts in this month's Indiescovery episode as we introduced the game, and in the August 19th episode, we'd love to hear more about YOUR playthrough! If you'd like send in your thoughts via email or voicemail either answering the question below, or just sharing an anecdote about your experience that you found interesting.
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And, save the date: August 23rd will be the community hangout to catch with one another and chat about the game! We'll see you in Discord at 3 pm PT!

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Reflection

Share your response by writing back to this message, submit a voice recording to be included in next week's episode, share in the community Discord, or simply ponder as you play. Of course, if you have other thoughts on the game you'd like to share not related to the question, please do so!

• Before playing: When given the choice to create a community or society, what would you strive to create or prioritize? What role would you want? ​
• Then, after playing , how did your ideal differ from the reality? What were some critical moments or skills that shifted your plans and how do you feel about the way you adapted?​

Pour Over

Supplementary books, articles, games, and resources to expand on what we're playing this month ~

• ​Some tips as you hop in (via GameGrin)
• ​Emergent Strategy - a non-fiction read about our relationship to change and how to foster communities — and a world — we’d want to live in. (Adrienne Marie Brown)
• ​Join the anniversary dev stream at 1 pm on August 28th!
  • From the publisher: Exo-versary approaches! The third anniversary of I Was a Teenage Exocolonist is this month, and we want to celebrate with you! We’ll be hanging out with the devs on Twitch and hosting some cool giveaways.
• ​The Colonial, Non-Colonial, and Decolonial in Video Games (via Game Developer)
• ​Monk & Robot - Two post-Utopian, sci-fi novellas about that aims to give readers hope for the future. (Becky Chambers)
• ​The Quiet Year - A TTRPG map game where players collaborate to build a society after civilization's collapse. (Buried Without Ceremony)
• ​Isles of the Emberdark - Invaders are attempting to exploit the resources and land of Patji, and two unlikely allies must work together to solve each other's crisis. (Brandon Sanderson)

the pastry case 🥐
​our grab-bag of topics related to the industry and other media we're into right now.

Industry News

In this week's news, we go over the payment processing chaos happening right now between Mastercard, Visa, Valve, and Itch.io. The articles below were our reference for our discussion:

• ​The chaos and confusion of Itch.io and Steam's abrupt adult game ban (via The Verge)
• ​Mastercard insists it has not "required restrictions of any" game on Steam or Itch.io, but Valve claims otherwise (via Eurogamer)
• ​Itch.io are seeking out new payment processors who are more comfortable with adult material (via RockPaperShotgun)

If you’d like to reach out to Mastercard or Visa to share your thoughts, please call their customer support lines and (kindly), inquire as to why you can't purchase or find certain products on Steam and/or Itch.

Stuff We're Enjoying

Jenny -

• Play: and Roger (TearyHand Studio), this game will end in 205 clicks (insertdisc5)
• Watch: Better Late Than Single (Netflix)
• Listen: True Believer (Hayley Williams)
• Read: Isles of the Emberdark (Brandon Sanderson)

Joel -

• Play: Date Everything (Sassy Chap Games), Expedition 33 (Sandfall)
• Watch: Better Call Saul​
• Read: Isles of the Emberdark (Brandon Sanderson)

Stay in the loop -- listen to the weekly podcast on Spotify and Apple, hang with the community in Discord, and find us on Instagram!

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Thanks for joining our digital café this week -- talk soon!

Jenny