Game on Girl

Greetings Geeks and welcome to another episode of Game on Girl! My apologies for the lag in episode releases for Game on Girl. I came back with the best of intentions for monthly content on our podcast feed but as my favorite poet says, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." That's certainly how the last few months have gone for me. But I am back with a fantastic LIVE episode interviewing Jaimie Cordero from Espionage Cosmetics. We met up at Rose City Comic Con on September 8th. I attended Jaimie's panel, Level Up: Be a Nerd Boss on Friday of the con. Hearing her speak on the panel left me with many of the questions you hear in the interview. Of particular note is the way that Jaimie runs much of her business like she would run a raid in the glory days of WoW and the Burning Crusade (B.C.) expansion. Recording Live Live episodes present their own challenges and this one is no exception. I was able to edit out some of the background noise and the interruptions we faced but the recording is still a bit rough. Thankfully, you can hear Jaimie and that's the important part. She shares a truly personal story with us, one she admits she doesn't share often and leaves us with such a great message. I am so thankful that she agreed to the interview. It was beyond the highlight of the con for me. Espionage Swag I was able to get some pretty cool stuff that just happened to be out of stock (!) on the site at the time. One of my favorite moments of this interview wasn't recorded. When I sat down, Jaimie took one look at my nerd wrapped nails and said, "Oh you're an OG fangirl." I showed off my nails and she said, "I've been involved in every nail wrap run we've done for the company and I can tell you those wraps are five years old! It's great to see they still hold up!" And hold up they did. I wore the classic "Chainmail" wraps all weekend. To Discuss What is your best networking advice? What's a difficult moment you've had in your life that shaped a big decision? Let me know on Twitter @doclizz. Until next time, game on! Regina    

Greetings, Geeks! Welcome back to season two of Game on Girl! I have an amazing interview this week with Matisse Fletcher from the Living Computers Museum + Labs in Seattle, Washington. Matisse shares with us her journey to becoming an event planner for the museum and talks about what it's like to have a job that combines a variety of skills in the most unique way. She shares a bit about her process as an event planner and how important it is to create art in living spaces. Matisse is a published author having written a children's book about the museum. Ada and the Living Computers is available at the museum or you can email Matisse to get a copy. The museum has a unique mission to empower through preservation and nostalgia. Listen to hear Matisse tell us how that plays out in her event planning fantasies. About Living Computers Living Computers: Museum + Labs provides a one-of-a-kind, hands-on experience with computer technology from the 1960s to the present. LCM+L honors the history of computing with the world’s largest collection of fully restored — and usable — supercomputers, mainframes, minicomputers, and microcomputers. A new main gallery offers direct experiences with robotics, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, big data, the Internet of Things, video-game making, and digital art. To Discuss What was your first fandom? What is your first memory of using gaming or computer technology? Tell us in the comments! Until next time, game on!Regina

Welcome to Game on Girl! Nananea returns in the first episode of season 2 of my original podcast. For this episode, we chat with Nananea about what she's been up to in the five years since we originally had her on the show. She shares her experiences as a community manager for Robot Entertainment and her story about working her way into the game industry. We also talk in-depth about a pretty significant personal announcement she made a few months ago. She shares her experience with us and describes the joy of knowing she has a truly supportive community around her. I must admit, it was a very moving discussion. Check out her Patreon and subscribe to her Twitch and YouTube channels. The Gamer Types In the second segment of the show, I talk with the content manager for The Geek Embassy, Isabela. In bringing back Game on Girl, I realized just how long it has been since I talked about the Gamer Types from my dissertation. I grill Izzie (nicely!) about what she remembers about the types and introduce a NEW gamer type that I am adding to the mix. Keep an eye out for an article detailing each Gamer Type and my modifications soon. To Discuss What is your biggest motivation for gaming? To escape? To connect? Let us know in the comments! Until next time, game on!Regina Don't miss the latest from TGE: The Geek Embassy Watches - Ready Player One! 

Hello Everyone. This is Regina from The Geek Embassy. If you’ve been a fan of the podcast for anytime you know we’ve gone through some changes in the past few years. We started out as the Game on Girl podcast and then expanded to become The Geek Embassy. Along with the expansion of the site much of our podcast content changed. The Geek Embassy looks at pop culture in a much broader and more topical way, talking about recently released TV shows and movies, books we find interesting, and a Pathfinder campaign written by one of our ambassadors. It’s great content, fun and engaging, but definitely different from where I started on my podcasting journey. What we haven’t done a lot of lately are interviews and honestly, I’ve been missing that part of podcasting. Really, it was talking about gender and gaming that got me started podcasting in the first place. So I’ve decided to bring Game on Girl back and to start hosting interviews again. In an effort to prioritize quality over quantity, and to maintain some of my sanity, I will be doing interviews once a month. But don’t worry! The Geek Embassy will still be doing regular episodes of Watches, Reads, and Plays on its very own podcast feed. You can  Check it out at https://thegeekembassy.podbean.com/   This feed will go back to what it started as, Game on Girl: Conversations about Gaming and this podcast will become part of The Geek Embassy podcast network. So stay tuned for more great gender and gaming content! And until next time, game on! Regina 

Greetings Geeks! Welcome to The Geek Embassy Reads! In this episode we discuss Becky Chambers' novel, "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet." (aff. link) Book Description Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in the far reaches of the universe—in this light-hearted debut space opera from a rising sci-fi star. Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain. Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe. Our Discussion This book was quite the divisive read for our ambassadors. Two of us loved it, two of us hated it, and one was in the middle. We wrangle a bit with the discussion, bouncing back and forth between each outlook. Although we are divided about the book, everyone could at least come up with a few positives for the characters, story, and universe Chambers created. Most of the tension came from the different expectations we had as readers. Evan and Dante both felt the plot lagged and didn't enjoy the vignette story telling approach. Isabela, Max, and I all fell in love with the characters and the world Chambers built. The choice to have the plot more as background to the characters didn't offset our expectations as much because of that affection. But it is definitely not a traditional style of storytelling. Favorite Angry Planet Quotes   You're the only thing that makes sense. Sissix: I've never coupled with a human before. I may not understand what (Jenks) is going through, but i know he's hurting. It's okay to be scared. Scared is good, it means we want to live. What a quintessentially human thing, to express sorrow through apology. This crew’s been through enough, and I won’t allow you to put them through more. Potatoes are such a waste.  They serve as a vehicle by which to consume salt and butter.  Why not just buy a salt lick and skip the potato?   To Discuss Although having both is ideal, would you rather read a book with excellent character development or a pressing and exciting plot? Until next time, get your geek on! Regina, Isabela, Dante, Max, and Evan

Greetings Geeks and welcome to the latest episode of The Geek Embassy Watches! This week we watch Black Panther, the latest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a top contender for most socially significant movie this year. And it's only February!  Black Panther Plot Recap After the death of King T’Chaka during the events of Captain America: Civil War, Prince T’Challa returns home to Wakanda, a secluded nation in eastern Africa that presents itself as a third-world country but in reality is the most technologically advanced nation in the world thanks to their monopoly on the metal called vibranium.  After being coronated as the new King and the new Black Panther, sworn protector of Wakanda, T’Challa confronts hidden truths about his deceased father and an American named Erik “Killmonger” Stevens, who attempts to claim the throne and the title of Black Panther for himself. Our Discussion  This super fun episode features great moments. With a full house of contributors, we discuss all the moments we loved and those we absolutely adored in this episode. From the powerful female warriors, to the outstanding costumes, cinematography, and design. Tahani joins us for the first time and adds some great commentary to the mix. Among the highlights: Tahani's favorite line is gorilla barking, Dante coins "gender-if-ically," Evan's soul is charged, and Max finds himself pleasantly engaged.  New Format So we are changing things up a bit. The content on the YouTube page will now be a "hot take" episode. Short, sweet, and to the point. The podcast episode will be our standard one hour in-depth discussion. Enjoy both! To Discuss The "rapid fire" questions we considered: Favorite character? Line? Technology? Until next time Wakanda Forever! Regina, Dante, Evan, Max, and Tahani  

The Geek Embassy cannot contain its enthusiasm about the newest Star Trek series. Star Trek: Discovery is the most recent offering in the Star Trek universe. Airing exclusively on CBS All Access, season one wrapped at the end of February. Don’t miss our previous episodes discussing episodes 1 & 2, episodes 3 & 4, episodes 5 & 6,  episodes 7 & 8 , episode 9,  episode 10 & 11 and 12 & 13. Star Trek: Discovery From CBS All Access: Star Trek, one of the most iconic and influential global television franchises, returns 50 years after it first premiered, with Star Trek: Discovery. The series will feature a new ship, new characters and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers. Star Trek: Discovery premieres September 24 on CBS All Access. Ten years before Kirk, Spock and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien. Our Discussion Dante and I have been part of the Disco conversations since the start of the series but joining us for the last two episodes are Liam Dynes and our very own GoT fan, Nicole Tanner. Nicole apparently has never enjoyed a Star Trek series... ever but she really enjoyed much of what Discovery had to offer. We touch a bit on the entire season to catch up on Nicole's perspective. Then we do a quick recap of episodes 14 and 15 before we debunk our predictions from the last episode. Highlights include a discussion of Burnham as the imperfect heroine, the slow burn of the season finale, and our excitement about this continuing story.  As always, we would love to hear what you think. Let us know in the comments.  Until next time, get your Disco on! Regina, Dante, Liam, and Nicole

The Geek Embassy cannot contain its enthusiasm about the newest Star Trek series. Star Trek: Discovery is the most recent offering in the Star Trek universe. Airing exclusively on CBS All Access, episodes premiere every Sunday night in the US. The second half of the season began again in early January and wraps at the end of February. Don’t miss our previous episodes discussing episodes 1 & 2, episodes 3 & 4, episodes 5 & 6,  episodes 7 & 8 , episode 9, and episode 10 & 11. Star Trek: Discovery From CBS All Access: Star Trek, one of the most iconic and influential global television franchises, returns 50 years after it first premiered, with Star Trek: Discovery. The series will feature a new ship, new characters and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers. Star Trek: Discovery premieres September 24 on CBS All Access. Ten years before Kirk, Spock and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien. Our Discussion Joining us for this episode is a very special guest, Liam Dynes. Liam and I connected through a online writers group and have been talking about ST:D since it first aired. He told me about many of the fan theories that turned out to be true this season (including mirror Lorca and his attempts to return to the mirror universe). So it seemed only appropriate to bring him on the show and have him geek out with us. Warning: he is a fan so the three of us get pretty excited talking about these two action packed episodes. We are seeing some speedy resolution to the highly intricate and ambitious plot we've seen here. We touch a bit on the complaints we've all heard that Disco is not "Star Trek enough" and the talk that another sci-fi show is following Gene Roddenberry's legacy much more closely. Dante talks in-depth about the issue of over-ownership of fandoms in his recent article, Your Fandom Does Not Belong to You. Make sure to give that a read. To Discuss This feels like it's always my question about this show but OMG CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT HAPPENED? AND THAT? Until next time, get your Disco on! Regina & Dante & Liam

The Geek Embassy returns talking about the newest Star Trek series for TGE Watches. Star Trek: Discovery is the most recent offering in the Star Trek universe. Airing exclusively on CBS All Access, this series releases every Sunday night. The second half of the season began again in early January. We start our discussion with episodes 10 and 11 and will continue to discuss episodes every other week until the first season ends in March. Don’t miss our previous episodes discussing the pilot movie, episodes 1 & 2, episodes 3 & 4, episodes 5 & 6,  episodes 7 & 8  and episode 9. Star Trek: Discovery From CBS All Access: Star Trek, one of the most iconic and influential global television franchises, returns 50 years after it first premiered, with Star Trek: Discovery. The series will feature a new ship, new characters and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers. Star Trek: Discovery premieres September 24 on CBS All Access. Ten years before Kirk, Spock and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien. Our Discussion Clearly, Dante and I are far more excited about Discovery's direction than Isabela. We discuss the unexpected plot twists and feeling on edge throughout the show. The impossible internet theory came true to everyone's surprise. I have a pretty wild take on that as well... We will see if it pans out! Catch our predictions at the end of the episode. After we finished recording I mentioned this might be my favorite Trek. This is saying a lot since I have a long history of loving Star Trek series. This series puts me on edge. I care about and worry for the characters. Everyone feels at risk in a very real way. The gripping and unpredictable story keeps me, a plot guesser, on my toes. To Discuss What are you thinking about the series? How about that wild theory being true? Until next time, get your Disco on! Regina, Dante, and Isabela  

Greetings Geeks! The latest in the TGE Watches series: We discuss Marvel’s Runaways, the latest in the MCU airing weekly on Hulu. For our first episode, we discuss episodes 1-4 of the series. We meet our heroes and our villains. See things that cannot be unseen. Watch and wait as the story unfolds. See our insights about episodes 1-4, episodes 5-6. and 7-8-9. Official Marvel’s Runaways Description There are times when pretty much every teenager thinks his or her parents are evil — but what if it was actually true? That’s the situation six Los Angeles teenagers find themselves in when they stumble upon a terrible secret and realize that their parents have been lying to them for their entire lives. The offspring begin an investigation to try to figure out what their guardians are after, while the adults wonder if their kids are hiding secrets of their own. The unlikely crew of teens bands together — led by de facto leader and primary strategist Alex Wilder — to stop their parents before it is too late. The Marvel series is from executive producer Josh Schwartz, whose resume of young-adult fare includes “The O.C.” and “Gossip Girl.” Dante’s Opening Description We begin with five houses, all alike in dignity, in fair Malibu where we lay our scene.  From ancient gods break new mutiny where innocent blood makes parental hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these five foes, a group of starcrossed children uproot their lives; whose misadventures change their minds, hope with their deeds bury their parents’ Pride. Our Discussion We start our discussion with our predictions from the last episode. Then we cover all the action and inaction of the episode. We enjoyed the finale even if we didn’t get a big fight scene at the end. To Discuss Are you all in on Marvel’s Runaways? Looking forward to the second season? Or did it not grab you? Until next time, get your geek on! Regina, Dante, Isabela, and Evan  

Greetings Geeks! The latest in the TGE Watches series: We discuss Marvel’s Runaways, the latest in the MCU airing weekly on Hulu. For our first episode, we discuss episodes 1-4 of the series. We meet our heroes and our villains. See things that cannot be unseen. Watch and wait as the story unfolds. See our insights about episodes 1-4 and episodes 5-6. Official Marvel’s Runaways Description There are times when pretty much every teenager thinks his or her parents are evil — but what if it was actually true? That’s the situation six Los Angeles teenagers find themselves in when they stumble upon a terrible secret and realize that their parents have been lying to them for their entire lives. The offspring begin an investigation to try to figure out what their guardians are after, while the adults wonder if their kids are hiding secrets of their own. The unlikely crew of teens bands together — led by de facto leader and primary strategist Alex Wilder — to stop their parents before it is too late. The Marvel series is from executive producer Josh Schwartz, whose resume of young-adult fare includes “The O.C.” and “Gossip Girl.” Dante’s Opening Description We begin with five houses, all alike in dignity, in fair Malibu where we lay our scene.  From ancient gods break new mutiny where innocent blood makes parental hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these five foes, a group of starcrossed children uproot their lives; whose misadventures change their minds, hope with their deeds bury their parents’ Pride. Our Discussion We cover so much of the plot of Marvel’s Runaways in this session. The fans of the book start feeling better about the pacing now that some serious action is taking place. We enjoy the new romances that evolve and share all the many feels we have about the ‘ships. We discuss at length exactly how hard the fall will be in this next episode as we see the parents embrace their truly terrible natures. What’s your grade for the series so far? Are you loving it? Have a prediction for the finale? Share it with us in the comments! Until next time, don’t Runaway! Regina, Dante, Isabela, and Evan  

Sorry for the confusion, folks! The correct episode is uploaded now. :) Greetings Geeks! The latest in the TGE Watches series: We discuss Marvel’s Runaways, the latest in the MCU airing weekly on Hulu. For our first episode, we discuss episodes 1-4 of the series. We meet our heroes and our villains. See things that cannot be unseen. Watch and wait as the story unfolds. Official Marvel’s Runaways Description There are times when pretty much every teenager thinks his or her parents are evil — but what if it was actually true? That’s the situation six Los Angeles teenagers find themselves in when they stumble upon a terrible secret and realize that their parents have been lying to them for their entire lives. The offspring begin an investigation to try to figure out what their guardians are after, while the adults wonder if their kids are hiding secrets of their own. The unlikely crew of teens bands together — led by de facto leader and primary strategist Alex Wilder — to stop their parents before it is too late. The Marvel series is from executive producer Josh Schwartz, whose resume of young-adult fare includes “The O.C.” and “Gossip Girl.” Dante’s Opening Description We begin with five houses, all alike in dignity, in fair Malibu where we lay our scene.  From ancient gods break new mutiny where innocent blood makes parental hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these five foes, a group of starcrossed children uproot their lives; whose misadventures change their minds, hope with their deeds bury their parents’ Pride. Our Discussion Pacing is still an issue for those of us familiar with the comic books. Character development is awesome. We discuss more about the comics this episode, especially the fact that the parents are more fleshed out an sympathetic characters. We have theories as to why the show runners are making that choice. Listen and let us know if you agree. Questions for YOU Most compelling moment from episode 5 “Kingdom” Most compelling moment from episode 6 “Metamorphosis” Bold prediction for the next two episodes Overall letter grade for episodes five and six Until next time, get your geek on! Regina, Dante, Isabela, and Evan

Greetings Geeks! The latest in the TGE Watches series: We discuss Marvel's Runaways, the latest in the MCU airing weekly on Hulu. For our first episode, we discuss episodes 1-4 of the series. We meet our heroes and our villains. See things that cannot be unseen. Watch and wait as the story unfolds. Official Marvel's Runaways Description There are times when pretty much every teenager thinks his or her parents are evil -- but what if it was actually true? That's the situation six Los Angeles teenagers find themselves in when they stumble upon a terrible secret and realize that their parents have been lying to them for their entire lives. The offspring begin an investigation to try to figure out what their guardians are after, while the adults wonder if their kids are hiding secrets of their own. The unlikely crew of teens bands together -- led by de facto leader and primary strategist Alex Wilder -- to stop their parents before it is too late. The Marvel series is from executive producer Josh Schwartz, whose resume of young-adult fare includes "The O.C." and "Gossip Girl." Dante's Opening Description We begin with five houses, all alike in dignity, in fair Malibu where we lay our scene.  From ancient gods break new mutiny where innocent blood makes parental hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these five foes, a group of starcrossed children uproot their lives; whose misadventures change their minds, hope with their deeds bury their parents’ Pride. Our Discussion At this point, we have more questions than answers. Thankfully, Dante, Evan, and Isabela are all familiar with the comic book series which is a help and a hindrance. Listen and watch to see our guesses for how the story evolves. Questions for YOU Favorite character Least favorite character Character I love to hate Bold prediction for the next two episodes Overall letter grade for the series as a whole through four episodes Until next time, get your geek on! Regina, Dante, Isabela, and Evan

Hold on to your hats, Sci-Fi lovers! The Geek Embassy is taking on the latest Star Trek series for TGE Watches. Star Trek: Discovery is the most recent offering in the Star Trek universe. Airing exclusively on CBS All Access, this series releases every Sunday night. We will meet to discuss the latest in a beloved fandom every two weeks through the mid-season finale in December. Don’t miss our previous episodes discussing the pilot movie, episodes 1 & 2, episodes 3 & 4,  and episodes 5 & 6. Star Trek: Discovery From CBS All Access: Star Trek, one of the most iconic and influential global television franchises, returns 50 years after it first premiered, with Star Trek: Discovery. The series will feature a new ship, new characters and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers. Star Trek: Discovery premieres September 24 on CBS All Access. Ten years before Kirk, Spock and the Enterprise, the USS Discovery discovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer learns to understand all things alien. Our Discussion Episode 7 was a hit with all three of us. Time travel episodes are a long standing Trek tradition and are often fan favorites. “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad” doesn’t disappoint. It doesn’t hurt that Harry Mudd is an absolute delight, even if he is a cad and a scoundrel. Episode 8 returns directly to the Klingon plot line. We finally see Admiral Cromwell in captivity and the return of the Klingon Captain L’Rell. Our main characters are off the ship and on a planet looking for native technology to possibly help The Federation see through the Klingon cloaking device. More mixed feelings are expressed about this episode. We enjoyed some aspects of the story and some others not so much. “If you want peace, prepare for war” certainly seems to set up the need for a big fight in the mid season finale next week. Really, you need to watch this episode just to see us all “Disco” at the end. Until next time, get your Disco on! Regina & Isabela & Dante  

Greetings, ladies, gentlemen, and others. A bit of a departure this week from my usual ramblings, in celebration of my favorite holiday: All Hallow’s Eve. Instead of a written piece, The Geek Embassy has granted me the opportunity to present a dramatic reading of a piece penned by one of the great masters of modern ethereal horror: H. P. Lovecraft, and his short story, The Outsider. I will be the first to express bias towards this tale, as it imitates the voice of another famed horror writer, Edgar Allan Poe, a personal favorite of mine. And it is true, Lovecraft is the mind behind Cthulhu, one of the most recognizable icons in popular contemporary culture. But just as Poe penned more than The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart, so too did Lovecraft offer more than tales of Innismouth and the brood of Yog Sothoth. So today, tonight, this very hour, The Geek Embassy presents a tale of a singular being, isolated in a far-away tower in a far-off land. A being thirsty for discovery, for freedom and exploration, who may yet find themselves drowning… To Discuss What are some of your favorite scary stories to get you in the Halloween mood? Or, if you’re not a fan of horror, what do you like to do special for the season? Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll speak to you next time. Happy haunting!