Gaming with Science Gaming with Science Podcast

#SpaceExploration #StellarHorizons #Space #CompassGames 
Find our socials at https://gamingwithscience.net 
This month we head to the final frontier, with Stellar Horizons from Compass Games. We also have our very first guest host, Christoph Wagner from Kennedy Space Center. We talk about near-future space exploration, colonization, asteroids, launch failures, space pirates, and more.
Timestamps:00:44 - Meet Christoph Wagner03:19 - Science facts - Rusty Mars and poisonous oxygen05:26 - Stellar Horizons game overview & mechanics15:25 - Science overview17:01 - Reusable rockets18:47 - Space politics and game factions23:50 - Astronomy in the game26:00 - Space combat and space pirates!29:25 - Getting to Mars & the Lagrange points32:26 - Game tweaks wish list39:41 - Final grades
Game Results: - Game 1: Earth destroyed by asteroid - Game 2: China and Russia save Earth from asteroid!
Links:
Stellar Horizons official website - https://www.compassgames.com/product/stellar-horizons/  (Note: Rules PDF *is* downloadable from here)Kennedy Space Center - https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/The Great Oxygenation Event - https://youtu.be/qERdL8uHSgI

Let's talk birds! In this episode we cover Wingspan, an amazing game by Elizabeth Hargrave and published by Stonemaier games. Also, Jason just got back from a conference and has tons of fun science facts to share.
One note: we had an audio glitch that resulted in lower audio quality than normal, which we didn't realize until after the recording. Quality will be back to normal next episode.
Timestamps:00:33 - Conference news about hemp, COVID evolution, and bird pangenomes07:58 - Wingspan overview12:50 - Making a bird sanctuary21:04 - The power of corvids23:40 - Assembling an ecosystem26:47 - Actions, goals, and other ways to win29:50 - Cornell Lab of Ornithology is awesome!31:35 - Grades & wrap-up
Find our socials at https://gamingwithscience.net 
Game Results:
Game 1: Brian 65, Jason 81
Game 2: Brian 71, Jason 85
Links:
Official Wingspan website - https://stonemaiergames.com/games/wingspan/
Cannabis genebank - Zachary Stansell - https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/geneva-ny/plant-genetic-resources-unit-pgru/docs/hemp-collaborations/
Bird pangenome - Scott Edwards - https://edwards.oeb.harvard.edu/
COVID19 evolution - Lucy Van Dorp - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucbpvan/
Cornell Lab of Ornithology - https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home
Macualay sound library - https://www.macaulaylibrary.org/ 

We dive into one of Jason's all-time favorite games: Robo Rally, where you program little robots to play capture the flag while shooting each other with lasers and avoiding deathtraps. Also, some stuff about remote-controlled bacteria and computers destroying the world with paperclips.
TImestamps:
0:04 - Remote-controlled bacteria2:18 - Robo Rally background7:54 - Game mechanics and updates12:07 - CPUs, GPUs, and computing17:32 - Machine learning22:12 - Factory automation25:38 - Grades and final thoughts
 
Links:
Life-sized RoboRally- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDYBq-oJ0fM
CPG Grey and AI- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9OHn5ZF4Uo- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvWpdrfoEv0

Our very first episode. We start with bio-inspired (or just plain biological) sensors, and move on to the game Photosynthesis, which is about growing trees until you harvest them for victory points. 
Timestamps:1:09 - Artificial maple seed sensors3:30 - Plants as land mine sensors5:45 - Introduction to Photosynthesis8:50 - Ecological Succession (or maybe Forestry)14:19 - How seeds move around16:24 - Not that much photosynthesis in Photosynthesis18:12 - Soil fertility24:14 - Gameplay experience31:42 - Grading the game
Game results- Game 1: Jason 77, Brian 62- Game 2: Jason 92, Brian 64
Links:- Photosynthesis official website - https://blueorangegames.eu/en/games/photosynthesis/- 3D-printed maple seed sensors - https://www.nature.com/articles/d43978-023-00195-5- Plants as land mine sensors - https://newatlas.com/land-mine-detecting-plants-created/2568/