May 30, 2021: Game Theory In The Age Of Chaos

This is a collection of political essays by game designer Mike Selinker (Lone Shark Games). Originally published as blog posts before the 2020 election, they draw connections between what was going on at the time and the world as gamers know it. I enjoyed it very much.

As a pundit, Mike is head and shoulders above most of what the media has to offer these days. He is well-informed, clear, completely literate, and always entertaining. Not always concise, but then, good punditry should be florid sometimes! He makes no secret of his own progressive convictions but makes no attempt to cover up the warts of the progressive movement. He also footnotes himself when he made a particularly bad or pointless prediction. Thus, his statements carry credibility. He does not just own his words; he maintains them.

Each essay is followed by a page of comment by Richard Malena-Webber, and in fact my only complaint about this book is that Rich was writing to a one-page format, and when that page was full, he had to stop. There were places where I would have willingly read much more.

You can get this heavy little tome (532 pages!) directly from Lone Shark Games, and if you like reading political commentary, you will understand and appreciate the unique point of view Mike has brought to the table.

-- Steve Jackson