Polygon’s Shake‑Up, Death‑Game Obsession, and RNGesus’ Good News Boost
The Week In Geek Recap
This week’s TWIG (That’s This Week in Geek) episode delivered 45 minutes of pure geek‑fuel, hosted solo by Nerd Pastor Nate. If you missed the live show, don’t sweat it—here’s the blog‑style recap, packed with all the news, laughs …and a Tenacious D parody you never knew you needed.
1. What We’re Watching / Playing / Reading
Watching: Spring anime season highlights (To Be Hero X already NPN’s AOTY contender).
Playing: The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy (Danganronpa & Zero Escape creators unite—yes, it’s glorious).
Reading: The Will of the Many, Assistant to the Villain (Checkpoint Book Club pick), Book of Five Rings, and—love it or hate it—Jujutsu Kaisen.
Your turn: Drop your current nerd diet in the comments!
2. Headlines That Hit Hard
Polygon Sold & Gutted
Vox Media unloaded Polygon to Valnet (owners of ScreenRant & CBR). Sale → mass layoffs; only a skeleton crew remains. Games journalism just lost another big chunk of its soul.
AniMay 2025
Crunchyroll turns May into “AniMay” with ad‑supported access to Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man, Spy × Family and more, plus merch collabs from Uniqlo to Planet Hollywood. Birthday-month flex, Nate? Absolutely.
Duolingo’s AI Face‑Plant
148 beginner courses built by generative AI = “biggest expansion ever.” Users = “we’d like our human teachers back.” The green owl went full Skynet—and the boycott hashtags hatched instantly.
3. RNGesus Delivers
(New segment!)
Need a hope‑buff? Nate shared a TikTok where a marathon runner’s earbuds read real‑time texts of encouragement from friends and family. Pure serotonin. Goal: serve at least one feel‑good clip each week. Got suggestions? Send ’em!
4. Main Segment — Why We’re Obsessed with Death Games
From 1924’s “The Most Dangerous Game” to Battle Royale, Hunger Games, Squid Game, and NP Nate’s beloved Danganronpa, we can’t stop bingeing “murder‑for‑sport.” Three big reasons:
Safe Fear – adrenaline without the actual spleen risk.
Strategic Fantasy – social‑deduction chess we play from the couch.
Moral Mirrors – extreme settings expose (or redeem) our true selves.
Cue mini‑sermon: Hope always cheats despair. Even in kill‑or‑be‑killed arenas, self‑sacrifice rewrites the rules—much like, y’know, the Gospel.
5. At This Point in Nerd History
Pokémon Emerald (GBA) turned 20! To celebrate, Nate performed a live acoustic parody of Tenacious D’s “Tribute,” complete with lyrical gems like:
“The game asked me, ‘Will you be May?’ and I said, ‘Nay—I'll be Brendan!’”
Instant classic—and yes, Mudkip supremacy was affirmed.
6. Upcoming Releases to Watch
Date Title Why Nate’s Hyped May 3 Thunderbolts (Marvel) Depressed Yelena + Bucky + Taskmaster = chaotic good? May 6 Best Served Cold (indie VN) Murder‑mystery bartending in a speakeasy—shaken and stirred. May 1‑5 LudoNarraCon 2025 Steam demos + panels on narrative design all weekend.
7. Meme of the Week
Red Panda’s Discord gem:
Simple. Effective. Chef’s‑kiss. Want the crown next time? Post your best memes in #memes‑and‑goofs.
8. Final XP
TWIG closed with the usual blessing:
God loves you
We love you
You matter
…and a reminder to join the Checkpoint Discord for Book, Anime, and Game Clubs (May picks: Assistant to the Villain, Vinland Saga, and cozy charmer Mailtime).
Until next Thursday at 7 PM ET: keep those hearts full, inventory slots open, and remember—hope always crits despair for 999 damage. See you in the comments, adventurers!
"Moral Mirrors – extreme settings expose (or redeem) our true selves."
-- just wrapped the short anime Death Parade this week, a very neat (but Danganbrutal, mind the cw/tw) look at this from the lens of who's allowed to arbitrate/evaluate those settings and how/why.