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Gamer Grooming and the Golden Age of Board Games

Plus: what a new free-for-all mode means for ‘Overwatch’

By Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion
A group of four people playing a tabletop game Getty Images

Ben Lindbergh and Jason Concepcion discuss the addition of a free-for-all deathmatch mode to team-based shooter Overwatch (1:05), then bring on makeup artist Ada Trinh to discuss her work with Blizzard, Riot, and esports athletes; why gamers need help in the complexion department; and why it matters that competitive gamers look good (7:00). Then they talk to ESPN senior baseball writer (and Paste Magazine board-game reviewer) Keith Law about his gaming past, the current golden age of tabletop gaming, why tabletop games are making up an ever-larger share of the "gaming" category on Kickstarter, the parallels and differences between board games and video games, how designers have developed tabletop adaptations of video games, and which board games he thinks gamers should try (26:04).

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