You Just Lost The Game

We are really lucky to get lots of listener suggestions for the show, more good questions than we can possibly answer in a mailbag episode once or twice a year. So we’re starting a new segment we call… Decoder Rings Back! Every month, host Willa Paskin will personally call up a l ...  Show more

We can’t make this show without you, our listeners. Today, you can help support Decoder Ring – and get a really good deal. To join Slate Plus for just $59/year, visit slate.com/decoderplus on December 31st and type in the promo code DECODER50 at checkout. Slate Plus members get t ...  Show more

We’ve all gotten a little too involved in a video game. I’ve talked repeatedly about how I’ve gotten lost in trying to complete maps in open world games like Assassin’s Creed. And there’s a million stories out there about kids who spent all their parents' money on upgrades in Far ...  Show more

Survivor 45 is on! Eighteen new castaways are marooned on the islands of Fiji and there’s already some surprising friction between the group. What drives Emily to confront Bruce the moment they get to the barge? Rick Devens and Jay Wolff dig into this moment and the other major t ...  Show more

The first Pokémon videogames, ‘Red’ and ‘Green’ were launched in Japan on 27th February, 1996. The franchise went on to be the most successful ever video game to TV adaptation, and the highest selling trading card game in history of cards.  Created by Satoshi Tajiri, the gameplay ...  Show more

The earliest known reference to Polybius comes from coinop.org, a forum for arcade cabinet collectors that was active in the early 2000's. There are anecdotal accounts of the game being discussed on usenet forums in 1994, but those have not been confirmed. All we know is, there a ...  Show more