Why I’ve been playing nothing but Fallout 4: an explainer for concerned loved ones

On a recent Sunday afternoon, you may have noticed Cleatus — Fox’s robotic NFL mascot — wearing a new set of protective armor. This costume wasn’t promoting a nonprofit initiative meant to distract from professional football’s abundance of PR debacles, nor was it celebrating Thanksgiving or Christmas. It was an ad for a video game: Fallout 4.

As your pupils dilated and the molten cheese dribbled from your pizza roll, you likely found yourself in one of two camps: the camp that recognizes the Fallout brand and feels the sudden, stinging pang to buy this video game; or the camp more or less unfamiliar with the brand, but probably hears it referenced in sentences like, “You know, I haven’t seen my girlfriend since she bought Fallout 4,” or, “My husband doesn’t sleep, and I blame Fallout 4.”

In either case, you probably slurped the string of cheese-like substance back to your lips, saving your favorite sports jersey from a trip to the dry cleaner, and found yourself in need of more information, not just about Fallout 4 but the rest of the franchise and other games like it. That’s why I’ve invited my lactose-intolerant friend, Product Hunt Editorial Director Russ Frushtick for this week’s episode of What’s Tech? I know Russ Frushtick, and let me tell you, Russ Frushtick knows Fallout 4.