web02.fireside.fm Fri, 08 May 2026 18:30:54 -0500 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) ctrl-alt-expletive - Episodes Tagged with “Games” https://www.ctrl-alt-expletive.com/tags/games Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:45:00 +0000 Join us for a laid back catch up on what's going on in the world of software, enterprise business, news for software and tech, and miscellaneous bureaucracy. en episodic Weekly catch up with Michael, Mark, and mates, about software, business, news, and brews Mark McCracken & Michael McCarthy Join us for a laid back catch up on what's going on in the world of software, enterprise business, news for software and tech, and miscellaneous bureaucracy. yes technology,news,software,cloud,data,infrastructure,careers Mark McCracken & Michael McCarthy mark.mccracken@ctrl-alt-expletive.com Episode 11: Tech for Good: Games for Kids in Hospital, with creative director Nikki Stearman https://www.ctrl-alt-expletive.com/11 049e1b52-63b0-4705-83ca-1e7de450ebb3 Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:45:00 +0000 Mark McCracken & Michael McCarthy 11 Tech for Good: Games for Kids in Hospital, with creative director Nikki Stearman full Mark McCracken & Michael McCarthy We've got BAFTA winning Creative Director Nikki Stearman, talking about tech for good. She shares her experience designing and crafting experiences for children who are about to go to hospital, to help them understand what the environment and procedure will be like. 1:07:43 yes <p>We've got BAFTA winning Creative Director Nikki Stearman, talking about tech for good. She shares her experience designing and crafting experiences for children who are about to go to hospital, to help them understand what the environment and procedure will be like.</p> <hr> <ul> <li>Michael's office refurb continues, as he trades signed music memorabilia for music speakers</li> <li>The great rebrand is in the works</li> <li>Lenny steals a lunch</li> <li>Nikki shows off her BAFTA</li> </ul> <hr> <h2>Quickfire Questions</h2> <ol> <li>Mac or PC?</li> <li>Greatest gaming console ever?</li> <li>Greatest game ever?</li> <li>Most addictive game on your phone?</li> <li>Yorkshire or East Anglia?</li> <li>Morris Ring, Morris Foundation, or Open Morris?</li> <li>Spend a day doing Freelance work, or a day doing your permanent job?</li> <li>Do you version control your code?</li> <li>Is big tech fundamentally evil?</li> <li>Death of Flash – sad or not sad?</li> </ol> <hr> <h2>Breaking prod?</h2> <p>Well that won't earn you a BAFTA! Nikki does her homework.</p> <hr> <h2>Big Topic: Tech for good, making games for kids</h2> <ul> <li>Tech for good – conscious choice or something you walked in to? </li> <li>Do you worry about screen time? </li> <li>Would you / have you ever taken a role you feel morally ambiguous about?</li> <li>How close do you get to the end user of your product?</li> <li>What’s a kid’s first interaction like with the games your company makes?</li> <li>Does it show demonstrable results in treatment?</li> <li>Do you make any games in your spare time?</li> </ul> <p>Research from Dylan Yamada-Rice on <a href="https://digitalgood.net/dg-research/exploring-childrens-attitudes-towards-notions-of-the-digital-good-through-hybrid-arts-practice/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Exploring Children's attitides towards notions fo the digital good through hybrid arts</a></p> <hr> <h2>News</h2> <ol> <li><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgkjvr7x5x6o" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Are noise cancelling headphones causing health problems?</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.turing.ac.uk/news/childrens-views-ai-will-form-manifesto-world-leaders?utm_source=LinkedIn&amp;utm_medium=Text_link&amp;utm_campaign=Turing-News_childrens-views-ai-will-form-manifesto-world-leaders" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Children’s views on AI will form the manifesto for world leaders</a></li> <li><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/16/researchers-are-training-ai-to-interpret-animal-emotions/?utm_source=pocket_shared" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">AI to help us understand animal’s emotions</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/10/sri_lanka_monkey_blackout?utm_source=pocket_shared" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Sri Lankan grid taken out by monkeys</a></li> </ol> <hr> <h2>Recommendations</h2> <hr> <h3>Music</h3> <p><a href="https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/this-is-classic-club/pl.de3d438ba0724b3a8f309f333d9095b2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">This is Classic Club</a> playlist, dance anthems (apple music)<br> <a href="https://music.apple.com/gb/album/fear-is-on-our-side/447611770" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear is on our Side</a> album, Alternative (apple music)<br> <a href="https://music.apple.com/gb/album/mystic-cigarettes/279131194" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Saafi Brothers - Mystic Cigarettes</a> album, electronic (apple music)</p> <hr> <h3>Podcasts</h3> <p><a href="https://www.cloud-dialogues.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Cloud Dialogues</a> podcast from our guest on episode 7, Georgia Smith</p> <hr> <h3>Books</h3> <p><a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/192339/the-power-of-bad-by-tierney-roy-f-baumeister-and-john/9780141975801" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">The Power of Bad and How to Overcome it</a></p> <hr> <h3>TV</h3> <p><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001c3f7/am-i-being-unreasonable-series-1-episode-1?seriesId=m001c3f9-structural-1-m001c3f8" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Am I being unreasonable?</a> (BBC iPlayer)</p> <hr> <p>If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend us to someone else who would like it, leave us a rating/review, or give us some feedback.</p> <p><a href="https://www.ctrl-alt-expletive.com/feedback" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Give us your feedback about the podcast</a></p> <hr> <p>Special Guest: Nikki Stearman.</p> Games for kids in hospital,Games for children in hospital,Games,Design,Kids,AI,Hospital We've got BAFTA winning Creative Director Nikki Stearman, talking about tech for good. She shares her experience designing and crafting experiences for children who are about to go to hospital, to help them understand what the environment and procedure will be like.

  • Michael's office refurb continues, as he trades signed music memorabilia for music speakers
  • The great rebrand is in the works
  • Lenny steals a lunch
  • Nikki shows off her BAFTA

Quickfire Questions

  1. Mac or PC?
  2. Greatest gaming console ever?
  3. Greatest game ever?
  4. Most addictive game on your phone?
  5. Yorkshire or East Anglia?
  6. Morris Ring, Morris Foundation, or Open Morris?
  7. Spend a day doing Freelance work, or a day doing your permanent job?
  8. Do you version control your code?
  9. Is big tech fundamentally evil?
  10. Death of Flash – sad or not sad?

Breaking prod?

Well that won't earn you a BAFTA! Nikki does her homework.

Big Topic: Tech for good, making games for kids

  • Tech for good – conscious choice or something you walked in to?
  • Do you worry about screen time?
  • Would you / have you ever taken a role you feel morally ambiguous about?
  • How close do you get to the end user of your product?
  • What’s a kid’s first interaction like with the games your company makes?
  • Does it show demonstrable results in treatment?
  • Do you make any games in your spare time?

Research from Dylan Yamada-Rice on Exploring Children's attitides towards notions fo the digital good through hybrid arts

News

  1. Are noise cancelling headphones causing health problems?
  2. Children’s views on AI will form the manifesto for world leaders
  3. AI to help us understand animal’s emotions
  4. Sri Lankan grid taken out by monkeys

Recommendations

Music

This is Classic Club playlist, dance anthems (apple music)
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear is on our Side album, Alternative (apple music)
Saafi Brothers - Mystic Cigarettes album, electronic (apple music)

Podcasts

Cloud Dialogues podcast from our guest on episode 7, Georgia Smith

Books

The Power of Bad and How to Overcome it

TV

Am I being unreasonable? (BBC iPlayer)

If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend us to someone else who would like it, leave us a rating/review, or give us some feedback.

Give us your feedback about the podcast

Special Guest: Nikki Stearman.

]]> We've got BAFTA winning Creative Director Nikki Stearman, talking about tech for good. She shares her experience designing and crafting experiences for children who are about to go to hospital, to help them understand what the environment and procedure will be like.

  • Michael's office refurb continues, as he trades signed music memorabilia for music speakers
  • The great rebrand is in the works
  • Lenny steals a lunch
  • Nikki shows off her BAFTA

Quickfire Questions

  1. Mac or PC?
  2. Greatest gaming console ever?
  3. Greatest game ever?
  4. Most addictive game on your phone?
  5. Yorkshire or East Anglia?
  6. Morris Ring, Morris Foundation, or Open Morris?
  7. Spend a day doing Freelance work, or a day doing your permanent job?
  8. Do you version control your code?
  9. Is big tech fundamentally evil?
  10. Death of Flash – sad or not sad?

Breaking prod?

Well that won't earn you a BAFTA! Nikki does her homework.

Big Topic: Tech for good, making games for kids

  • Tech for good – conscious choice or something you walked in to?
  • Do you worry about screen time?
  • Would you / have you ever taken a role you feel morally ambiguous about?
  • How close do you get to the end user of your product?
  • What’s a kid’s first interaction like with the games your company makes?
  • Does it show demonstrable results in treatment?
  • Do you make any games in your spare time?

Research from Dylan Yamada-Rice on Exploring Children's attitides towards notions fo the digital good through hybrid arts

News

  1. Are noise cancelling headphones causing health problems?
  2. Children’s views on AI will form the manifesto for world leaders
  3. AI to help us understand animal’s emotions
  4. Sri Lankan grid taken out by monkeys

Recommendations

Music

This is Classic Club playlist, dance anthems (apple music)
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear is on our Side album, Alternative (apple music)
Saafi Brothers - Mystic Cigarettes album, electronic (apple music)

Podcasts

Cloud Dialogues podcast from our guest on episode 7, Georgia Smith

Books

The Power of Bad and How to Overcome it

TV

Am I being unreasonable? (BBC iPlayer)

If you've enjoyed the show, please recommend us to someone else who would like it, leave us a rating/review, or give us some feedback.

Give us your feedback about the podcast

Special Guest: Nikki Stearman.

]]>