Gaming: Stories & Guides

Name	Category	Origin	Purpose	Storage Duration
act	Required	.facebook.com	Used to distinguish between two Facebook sessions for the same user, created at different times.	Session
c_user	Required	.facebook.com	The Facebook user ID of the currently logged-in user.	90 days
fblo_	Required	nerdspot.events	Used to log in users via Facebook.	6 months
fbm_	Required	nerdspot.events	Used to log in users via Facebook.	3 months
user-is-logged-in	Required	nerdspot.events	Saves that the user is/was logged in.	31536000 seconds
LF9x	Required	nerdspot.events	Unique ID that identifies the user's session.	14000 seconds
datr	Marketing	.facebook.com	Used to identify the web browser used to connect to Facebook regardless of the user logged in.	2 years
_fbp	Marketing	.facebook.com	Used by Facebook to display a range of advertising products, such as real-time bids from third party advertisers.	3 months
fr	Marketing	.facebook.com	Used to show and measure ads and improve the relevance of ads (including measurement of conversions). Determines the relevance of ads based on site behavior and/or current search queries.	3 months
sb	Marketing	.facebook.com	Used to show and measure ads and improve the relevance of ads (including measurement of conversions). Determines the relevance of ads based on site behavior and/or current search queries.	2 years
spin	Marketing	.facebook.com	Set by Facebook at login - exact usage unknown.	25 hours
	Marketing	nerdspot.events	Used to collect consent for tracking the user ID in Matomo. No cookie is set.
	Marketing	nerdspot.events	Used to collect consent for tracking the user email in Matomo. No cookie is set.
wd	Statistics	.facebook.com	This cookie stores the dimensions of the browser window and is used by Facebook to optimize the display of the page.	7 days
_GRECAPTCHA	Statistics	https://www.google.com	Cookie set by Google reCAPTCHA to protect the site from spam by bots.	180 days
mtm_consent	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to remember that consent was given by the user.	Unlimited
_pk_cvar.*	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to temporarily store data for the visit.	30 minutes
_pk_hsr.*	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to temporarily store data for the visit.	30 minutes
_pk_id.*	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to store details about the user (e.g. a unique visitor ID)	13 months
matomo_ignore	Statistics	stats.pcsg-server.de	Flags the user as ignored from tracking.	Unlimited
_pk_ref.*	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to store the attribution information (e.g. the referrer initially used to visit the website).	6 months
_pk_ses.*	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to temporarily store data for the visit.	30 minutes
MATOMO_SESSID	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Created when opt-out feature is used. Helps prevent CSRF security issues.	Temporary
_pk_testcookie.*	Statistics	nerdspot.events	Used to check whether the visitor’s browser supports cookies.	1 second
xs	Preferences	.facebook.com	This cookie contains several pieces of information about the user’s session.	3 months

Super Mario Day

On March 10th Mario has - as every year - once again his big appearance: the plumber in red with a penchant for green pipes!

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Pixel-art illustration for “33 years of Monkey Island”

33 Years of Monkey Island: Why the Adventure Became a Classic

Thirty-three years after The Secret of Monkey Island debuted, its wit, puzzle design and unlikely pirate Guybrush Threepwood still felt remarkably fresh.

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Anonymous lone figure stands before an open circular bunker door and a cyan-lit ruined wasteland in detailed pixel art

Fallout 3: Why the Escape from Vault 101 Still Works

Fallout 3 turns its tutorial into a home, then destroys its routine. See how the escape from Vault 101 teaches freedom before the open world even begins.

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Street Fighter at 39: The Buttons That Changed Fighting Games

The first Street Fighter tried to measure how hard players hit two giant arcade pads. Its more practical replacement became the six-button language of fighting games.

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Pixel-art bedroom with a platform game on a CRT, a controller and a handmade model of brick steps and a pipe

Super Mario Bros. at 41: Learning to Read World 1-1

A good first level must make unfamiliar rules feel discoverable. Revisit the small decisions behind World 1-1 and the limits of its celebrated teaching.

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Pixel art of a boy lying on a bedroom carpet with a joystick, watching a spooky mansion with three figures on a CRT screen.

Maniac Mansion at 39: The Puzzle Starts with Your Team

The mansion stays in place, but your team changes how you read it. Revisit the character choice that made this 1987 adventure more than a sequence of locked doors.

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Pixel art of friends passing a controller around a low table with coloured tokens in a retro attic bedroom.

Jackbox Player Limit: Options for More Than 8 Players

The Jackbox player limit depends on the game: Quiplash 3 and Drawful 2 have eight individual places, Bracketeering has sixteen and Lie Swatter has one hundred. For twelve friends, choose enough places or use the rotation below.

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Pixel art of a pirate map with three colored routes on a retro bedroom rug, beside a model sailing ship and a CRT showing a moonlit cove.

Monkey Island at 36: Room to Get Stuck

A blocked puzzle need not stop the whole evening. Monkey Island’s structure reveals how several unfinished tasks can feel more inviting than one compulsory answer.

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Pixel art of two children comparing monster cards in open binders at a retro bedroom desk, with separate card trays, an hourglass and an adult nearby.

Pokémon Card Trading Party: Rules, Setup and a 90-Minute Plan

Organise a physical Pokémon card swap for children with cards approved at home, a clear way to say no and one announced trade-back deadline. Includes a 90-minute schedule and printable materials.

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