How Gacha Makes Games Worse | Episode 99 | Asians Represent!

Daniel and Drew dive into the world of tabletop gaming storage, Chinese genealogy, bullet time, and more! - Check out Drew's article, Paper Families, Paper Trails: Genealogy and the Chinese Exclusion Act here: https://www.slcl.org/sites/default/files/2025-04/pastports-052025.pdf Support the launch of Daniel's wuxia TTRPG Wandering Blades here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tonyatplusoneexp/wandering-blades Strangers in the Land by Michael Luo: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/704981/strangers-in-the-land-by-michael-luo/ //SPONSOR  Asians Represent! is proudly sponsored by Hero Forge! Hero Forge offers fully customizable tabletop miniatures with dozens of fantasy species and thousands of parts to choose from, all within your browser. Visit ⁠HeroForge.com⁠ to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week. //FOLLOW  Website | aznsrepresent.com  Twitter | @aznsrepresent  Twitch | @aznsrep  Follow Daniel @danielhkwan and Drew @DrewQuon on Twitter!  //CONTACT  If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at ⁠aznsrepresent.com⁠  //MUSIC Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

CW: Discussion of policing, firearms, and crime Enjoy this episode of the John Who? podcast - a spin-off of Asians Represent! For this episode of the podcast, Brandon Lim of Black Belt Cinema joined Daniel and Drew for a discussion about John Woo's 1992 Hong Kong action masterpiece, Hard Boiled. They discussed the impact of this movie on Hong Kong and Western cinema, the effects of the handover of Hong Kong on storytelling, and more! Hard boiled - this shit’s never over easy! Follow Black Belt Cinema on Instagram @blackbeltcinema and Brandon @brandonslimbs! Check out Daniel's new wuxia action TTRPG, Wandering Blades, at ⁠⁠wanderingblades.com⁠⁠ //SUPPORT  Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Patreon for ad-free audio and exclusive series! ⁠patreon.com/aznsrepresent⁠ Join the conversation on our Discord server | ⁠discord.gg/aznsrepresent⁠ //SPONSOR  The Asians Represent! podcast is brought to you by HERO FORGE! Visit ⁠HeroForge.com ⁠to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week! Head to ⁠diceenvy.com/aznsrepresent⁠ for all of your dice needs! //FOLLOW  Website | aznsrepresent.com  Blue Sky | @aznsrepresent  YouTube | @aznsrepresent  //CONTACT  If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at ⁠aznsrepresent.com⁠  //MUSIC Acid Jazz by Kevin Macleod

Ever wondered how an Asians Represent podcast episode comes together? In this special No Dice, No Problem episode, Daniel and Drew sat down for a laid-back chat about Battletech and to answer listener questions...only to end up planning some episodes for the next exciting season of Asians Rep! Check out the John Who? podcast: johnwhopodcast.carrd.co Learn more about Wandering Blades: wanderingblades.com Watch exclusive NDNP video podcasts at patreon.com/aznsrepresent //SPONSOR  Asians Represent! is proudly sponsored by Hero Forge! Hero Forge offers fully customizable tabletop miniatures with dozens of fantasy species and thousands of parts to choose from, all within your browser. Visit HeroForge.com to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week. //FOLLOW  Website | aznsrepresent.com  Twitter | @aznsrepresent  Twitch | @aznsrep  Follow Daniel @danielhkwan and Drew @DrewQuon on Twitter!  //CONTACT  If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at aznsrepresent.com  //MUSIC Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Ruled over by immortal dragons, Grand Cathay is the largest empire in the world of Warhammer fantasy. For this episode of the podcast, Daniel, Drew, and Izen explored the history of this Chinese-inspired fantasy setting by Games Workshop! *Correction: At the 15:21 mark, Izen mentions that there are 46 officially recognized ethnic groups in China. There are actually 56. //SUPPORT  Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Patreon for ad-free audio and exclusive series! patreon.com/aznsrepresent Join the conversation on our Discord server | discord.gg/aznsrepresent Check out Daniel's new TTRPG, Wandering Blades, at wanderingblades.com //SPONSOR  The Asians Represent! podcast is brought to you by HERO FORGE! Visit HeroForge.com to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week! Head to diceenvy.com/aznsrepresent for all of your dice needs! //FOLLOW  Website | aznsrepresent.com  Blue Sky | @aznsrepresent  YouTube | @aznsrepresent  //CONTACT  If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at aznsrepresent.com  //MUSIC Euphoria by PAVALON

Daniel and Drew discussed the impact of US tariffs on the tabletop industry, the launch of the John Who? podcast, the closing of Daniel's LGS, their recent Wandering Blades one shot, and the most durable miniatures on this episode of No Dice, No Problem! Check out the John Who? podcast: johnwhopodcast.carrd.co Learn more about Wandering Blades: wanderingblades.com Watch exclusive NDNP video podcasts at patreon.com/aznsrepresent //SPONSOR  Asians Represent! is proudly sponsored by Hero Forge! Hero Forge offers fully customizable tabletop miniatures with dozens of fantasy species and thousands of parts to choose from, all within your browser. Visit HeroForge.com to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week. //FOLLOW  Website | aznsrepresent.com  Twitter | @aznsrepresent  Twitch | @aznsrep  Follow Daniel @danielhkwan and Drew @DrewQuon on Twitter!  //CONTACT  If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at aznsrepresent.com  //MUSIC Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In this episode, we dove into how game design can create toxicity in communities. How do the design choices behind popular MOBAs like League of Legends, DOTA, and Honor of Kings encourage (intentionally or not) toxic player behaviour? //SUPPORT  Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Patreon for ad-free audio and exclusive series! patreon.com/aznsrepresent Join the conversation on our Discord server | discord.gg/aznsrepresent //SPONSOR  The Asians Represent! podcast is brought to you by HERO FORGE! Visit HeroForge.com to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week! Head to diceenvy.com/aznsrepresent for all of your dice needs! //FOLLOW  Website | aznsrepresent.com  Blue Sky | @aznsrepresent  YouTube | @aznsrepresent  //CONTACT  If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at aznsrepresent.com  //MUSIC Euphoria by PAVALON

Fresh from Breakout Con 2025, Daniel and Drew discuss their first in-person Warhammer 40K match, Daniel's wandering Blades playtests, Drew's encounter with Canadian border control, and more! Learn more about Wandering Blades: danielhkwan.itch.io/wanderingblades Watch exclusive NDNP video podcasts at patreon.com/aznsrepresent //SPONSOR  Asians Represent! is proudly sponsored by Hero Forge! Hero Forge offers fully customizable tabletop miniatures with dozens of fantasy species and thousands of parts to choose from, all within your browser. Their custom dice are currently funding on Kickstarter. Visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heroforge/custom-dice today to see all backing tier options, and to gear up for your next big tabletop adventure with our new Custom Dice. And don’t delay–the Kickstarter ends April 4th //FOLLOW  Website | aznsrepresent.com  Twitter | @aznsrepresent  Twitch | @aznsrep  Follow Daniel @danielhkwan and Drew @DrewQuon on Twitter!  //CONTACT  If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at aznsrepresent.com  //MUSIC Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This is the 100th episode of the Asians Represent podcast! Daniel interviewed every member of the team to get their thoughts on the impact of the show. This episode also features a special appearance from an early contributor to the show! //SUPPORT  Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Patreon for ad-free audio and exclusive series! patreon.com/aznsrepresent //SPONSOR  The Asians Represent! podcast is brought to you by HERO FORGE! Visit HeroForge.com to start designing your custom miniature today and check back often: new content is added every week! Head to diceenvy.com/aznsrepresent for all of your dice needs! //FOLLOW  Join our Discord server | discord.gg/aznsrepresent Website | aznsrepresent.com  Blue Sky | @aznsrepresent  YouTube | @aznsrepresent  Follow @aznsrepresent Blue Sky! //CONTACT  If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at aznsrepresent.com //MUSIC Euphoria by PAVALON

Daniel and Drew talk about going back to school, their upcoming appearance at Breakout Con, Daniel's trip to Japan, and their growing obsession with the game Balatro! Learn more about Wandering Blades: danielhkwan.itch.io/wanderingblades Watch exclusive NDNP video podcasts at patreon.com/aznsrepresent //SPONSOR  Asians Represent! is proudly sponsored by Hero Forge! Hero Forge offers fully customizable tabletop miniatures with dozens of fantasy species and thousands of parts to choose from, all within your browser. Their custom dice are currently funding on Kickstarter. Visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heroforge/custom-dice today to see all backing tier options, and to gear up for your next big tabletop adventure with our new Custom Dice. And don’t delay–the Kickstarter ends April 4th //FOLLOW  Website | aznsrepresent.com  Twitter | @aznsrepresent  Twitch | @aznsrep  Follow Daniel @danielhkwan and Drew @DrewQuon on Twitter!  //CONTACT  If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at aznsrepresent.com //MUSIC Honey Bee by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

While it is widely accepted that gacha games have predatory monetization, what isn't discussed as often is how the mechanics that surround them actively make gaming experiences worse. In this episode, Liana and Pam discuss the gacha experience and how it leads to bad design and unsatisfying but addictive experiences. //SUPPORT  Help us produce new and exclusive content! Join us on Patreon for ad-free audio and exclusive series! patreon.com/aznsrepresent //SPONSOR  Head to diceenvy.com/aznsrepresent and use code AZNSREPRESENT to get 10% off!  //FOLLOW  Website | aznsrepresent.com  Blue Sky | @aznsrepresent  YouTube | @aznsrepresent  Follow Liana @valorliana and Pam @thedovetailor Blue Sky! //CONTACT  If you have questions about this episode’s themes, suggestions, or anything else related to Asians Represent, get in touch with us at aznsrepresent.com //MUSIC Euphoria by PAVALON