Despite all indicators to the contrary, I love learning things. Anyone who listens to me speak, however, knows that I love displaying any and all knowledge I hold within my brain with the subtlety of a rooster dressed as Liberace. (Let’s call this effect Liberace’s Co…. never mind, too easy.) This isn’t a matter of ego per se, it’s just my response to the Domino Effect of my brain: I hear someone mention a topic I even remotely know about and I dive headfirst into the discussion with reckless abandon. That’s when the word-vomit happens, when I detach from myself and watch (often in horror) as I talk a person half to death about whatever subject they so carelessly mentioned. It’s a “tell me about your character” moment. I can’t help it.

For instance, a friend of mine once said to me, “If I ever need to distract you I’ll just ask you about horror films.” Then she handed me her phone and said “talk about Hellraiser” and I went into my usual “did you know it’s based on a novella by Clive Barker?” and the person on the line was like “sir, this is 911, do you have an emergency?” and I was like “hell yes I absolutely do! People don’t know that Hellraiser and Nightbreed happen in the same universe. I need a cop with one of those bullhorn thingies.”

Which is why I love Adam Conover and his show “Adam Ruins Everything,” the newest addition to my pantheon of Smart Aleck deities whose existence gives me hope that I can one day be a know-it-all with great hair. The premise of the show is in the vein of programs like Good Eats (Alton Brown has long been an exalted figure in my mind’s Hall of Fame) in that it exists to educate and entertain, with a narrative to each episode that informs the flow of the show. Where “Adam Ruins Everything” differs from its predecessors, though, is that it’s shtick maintains throughout the episodes: Adam is a know-it-all, and he teaches people (often a recurring cast of characters) the truth, whether they like it or not. (Always not.)

It’s a situation that I sympathize with on a personal level and I’m glad to see that someone (even a fictional TV character) is as prone to the fired-synapse-induced-word-vomit as I am. Adam is incapable of keeping quiet when someone nearby voices a misconception or seems unaware of the truth about a subject. In the premise of the show, truth and education is the sword that must cleave through the tide of misinformation that surrounds the good people of Everywhere, All The Time. Adam is also depicted as having both a command of knowledge and literal magical powers, as if he’s the Marvel character with the MOST annoying origin story ever. Better yet: Imagine if Q from “Star Trek” was played by Bill Nye.

So, if you’re in the mood for a show that offers a protagonist that can’t help but tell people things the same way most gamers can’t help correcting someone when they say “D&D is a boardgame” (twitch) then check out Adam Ruins Everything on TruTV or clips on youtube.

But what about you? Is there some piece of info in gaming that you can’t help but tell people? Well, consider the comment section one of those bullhorn thingies… but try to keep it brief.

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