Playing DEFCON with a Nuclear Arms Expert 

14:38 The sound track for this game is prefect for the game content. A Woman sobs, another coughs, footsteps walking down a hall. Constantly with that low hum like you are in a bunker safe from the carnage. The nerve-wracking WANK! when the DECON level goes up, then more in rapid succession as the missiles are flying, the low concussive booms in the background. In the end the final score. Game over. I love this game.

I've always felt the best way to explain this game is that you aren't trying to win so much as trying to lose the least. Which is more or less how nuclear war would go.

The video brought to you by Left Ear Only Gang

This would have been a lot more enjoyable if the audio balance wasn’t so far to the left!

Speaking as a war veteran, the only people I have ever met who argue for war and nuclear deterrence in terms of body count, are people who have never and probably will never experience war. One life lost is a fucking tragedy, and the people who devalue life so easily, are naïve.

Didnt know i needed this video

ICBM is also a good game to play. listening to rob in my left ear ad seeing him on the right really made me inspect my headphones to see if they were broke

I lost my right ear hearing from all the nuclear radiation

6:30 Actually in game ABMs from your silos only have a 25% chance of an intercept per hit Far from perfect but also way better than irl ABMs.

Great video talking with the Expert. One time playing this game, dont know how I pulled this off. I believe it was only ai enemies, I had no alliances, struck cities but silos as well, and ended up with 0 Million Deaths. Didnt get hit once

disarmament should be everyone's ultimate goal. unfortunately, it just isn't feasible. An example is two people pointing guns at each other. Both people won't drop the gun until the other does. Neither side will drop the gun until they are unable to hold it any longer.

5:00 "Think you're getting Kyiv back? I don't think so."

This was so great! Oh my gosh what a great discussion on a favorite topic of mine. Just bought Defcon and ICBM 😂

The reason they cant move their naval fleets is because they are right clicking too close to the fleet. The game also wont let u click/move really close to land.

How about a game of tic-tac-toe Professor Falken?

i'm just sort of listening to this in the background but as soon as he responded to "cynical 90's kids" with CHALLENGER the first thing that came to my mind was Columbia. not quite the same but i was hanging out with a buddy of mine playing the playstation 1 and the whole trailer shook and we were like wtf and went outside and saw the contrail and a little puff of smoke and only found out some time later that it was a space shuttle full of people. real wierd thing to have actually seen even though we were so physically and emotionally removed from it.

When you watch this video, and find out the Audio is only on the left side tickling you: Ha ha, haha, hahahahahhahaha. 😂🤦‍♂️

1:07:52 'we're almost there we just need more money' summarizes the military-industrial complex. Most of the US 'defense' budget does not go to fighting personnel but to for-profit corporate military contractors. They get the best of both worlds: because their money comes from the government (i.e. you the taxpayer) their funds are guaranteed. As a private entity however they can keep most of their books closed to oversight and public scrutiny. Even better, at the end of the day if they screw up (e.g. look up how many delays and budget overruns plagued the F-22 and F-35 projects) Congress gives them MORE money to fix the errors they themselves created. But sure, let's feel 'patriotic' by waving flags at parades 'for our troops.'

I think they should have played the game, recorded it and then had a podcast about nuclear war while commentating on what they did in the game.

4:21 game start 9:48 defcon 4 15:48 defcon 3 23:47 defcon 2 33:47 defcon 1

In Hearts of Iron and Total War games, you have at least the option to request peace or offer peace. I don't see that kind of war having that option ;_;

This video was fantastic, great idea! Great game and was interesting to hear from an expert!

I demand a replay (please?) with him knowing how to play

46:12 *FINALLY switches from Mono to Stereo again*

Doc seems more devastated by the story of the runner up going to school that all the deaths because of nuclear weapons.

Lesson Nº 1: never use a Mac if you're traying to unleash your nukes on the enemy (34:39).

Really interesting discussion! This is the only game I’m glad I’m terrible at

Such a great idea, loved it! Interview skills could be improved though, ideally you want to ask less leading questions and let the interviewee do most of the talking

Ha wow I read his book and ended up here randomly while searching for games. 👏

Defcon is the civilian equivalent of 'Able Archer'

Ha, just re-watched this last night on Twitch and wondered if it was going to get scooped for YT! A fine piece of work. I've added the game ICBM to my Steam wishlist btw!

2 seconds in and that audio has made my decision on watching any further for me.

and here we are again the fear of a nuclear war

Unless the AI got a big upgrade, no, even a new player that has just a couple of games under his belt against other humans will be playing better than the AI.

The game that War Games is based off on.

1:09:45 anyone have links to where I can read more about this incident? I had no idea this happened.

My right ear seems to be broken I literally thought my right AirPod was dead or just messed up

Here's my opinion on nukes: nuke=bad

The same argument about anti ballistic missile system success rates in this game can also be applied to literally everything else in this game up to and including the players themselves. An assumption that 100% of involved mechanisms will function 100% of the time with 100% efficiency is just silly.

Might have helped to sketch out a bit more what is going on in the game, I didn't really know what people were trying to do or why?

So that blue AI player was obviously playing as Wakanda...

My left ear enjoyed this video

solid state / liquid lasers and hyper velocity projectiles that use magnetic acceleration, paired with quantum AI might enable a feasible missile shield

What are all those line demarkations in the ocean off the East Coast of Australia? 41:25 This is a beautifully crafted strategy game, but good grief is it depressing! @_@

My left ear enjoyed the video

my left ear enjoyed it

Read Scott Horton's new book: Hotter Than The Sun

You can't move any naval unit within the designated coastlines without mods. Would highly recommend any mod that increases realism towards NATO boundaries. That said, yeah dude, don't park your subs directly on coastlines. That's how you eat ASW from enemy bombers.

Nice, do more like this!

Half of Canada's population W 😅🤣

This game looks terrifying. Enjoyed the vid. Some really good points here

Left ear robert...

watched the whole thing.

Look! What a silly game about war! 10 minutes later: *oh no.*

00:05:03 DOGCON 4

Defcon one now. 33:47

My left ear loved this video

Assuming that russia is a "responsible nuclear power" is a grave mistake.

My left airpod loved this one!

1:16:22 Throughout the 90s we had a deal with Iraq that prevented them from building WMDs. As long as that deal was in place international inspectors were breathing down their necks enough that even with things they were hiding they never had enough breathing space to do anything about actually building the weapons. Result? Iraq couldn't build WMDs. (this is not my saying, this is what the intelligence agencies concluded in their report after our invasion) In North Korea we never negotiated a deal and hence in their isolation they could do whatever they wanted on their territory. Result? They built nukes! In Iran we had a deal that prevented them from any large scale development necessary for the capacity to build nukes. We were constantly breathing down their necks. When we abandoned the deal they immediately ramped up that capacity and expelled any check on their WMD aspirations. Would you rather have a criminal on parole who is constantly monitored and has to report to the police that they are refraining from further criminal activity or a criminal you let go completely free because you say 'well, they will lie anyway and commit crimes anyway so why should we ask them to check in with police once in a while? We will just threaten them with guns and that should stop them...'

You are weird but what you said was petty cool

who thought it was a good idea to record in mono

wow, Rob just really hates Mexicans huh. Sao Paulo is *right there* man

Can I get this game on Android....or is it PC only

The game is perfect . . . the users are 'finnicky'😶

When do we get the recently tested lasers and hypersonic missle updates so you can have a proper rematch.

whats wrong with the sound

You can't hold a controller with nuclear arms. Stop booing. I'm leaving.

100 likes Good job

… listening to this today as the British defense minister is threatening nuclear war with Russia and Putin is speaking in Moscow right this minute. We’re closer to Armageddon than ever before. There is no place to hide - we will all die. Keep that in mind when tempers get high arguing over Ukraine.

A great game, but nuclear war seems so pointless.

Imagine if an adversarial power patrols using warships/air forces with enough firepower to wipe out most of your major cities a mere 20 nautical miles off your coast in the name of 'freedom of navigation.' Heck, imagine if that distance is 100 nautical miles at a 'safe' distance. How would you react?

Nice pre programming for what’s about to happen.

“Shooting down ICBM’s is offensive “ WTF? No thats self defense

does that dude know what murder means?