New Year. Not Happy New Year. Just New Year. - Adam

Just kidding! Happy New Year everyone! In our first pod of 2023, Adam and Steph catch-up on everything they've been up to over Christmas and look ahead to the excitement (and exhaustion) of a new university semester. They chat about Steph's Christmas present, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin, a very fictional book about game development because one character gets too much maternity leave, and also realistic rendering engines for blood didn't exist in 1996. It is nevertheless a really good book, so it gets a hearty recommendation.

After some PhD updates and a discussion on the impending end of the world (by completing a PhD), they pivot to another post-apocalypse: the world of The Last of Us. Adam badgers everyone to watch the HBO's adaptation of the PlayStation classic. Steph has some doubts about how TV should approach video game adaptations. They argue a bit. Surprise! It nevertheless gets another hearty recommendation because IT'S A MASTERPIECE.

Finally, MultiPlay has some big developments! January has been a year long already. Can we go back to Christmas and Crash Bash?

Check out Adam and supervisor Pete's article on how The Last of Us series expands its game's universe and values: https://theconversation.com/the-last-of-us-hbos-adaptation-elevates-the-video-games-themes-of-love-and-family-198539

Check out Tomorrow and Tomorrow on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58784475-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow

Check out our Linktree to join the Discord: https://linktr.ee/Multiplaynetwork

Don't forget, MultiPlay still has an open CFP for its May hybrid anniversary conference so get those abstracts in: https://multiplaynetwork.org/call-for-papers/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/multiplayn

Send questions and abstracts to networkmultiplay AT gmail DOT com

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