The video game industry doesn’t really understand women that well. There are a lot fewer women making games than there are men, and a lot fewer women being represented by games than men. One of the much-discussed results of this is that an awful lot of female characters in games …
E3 – Reintroducing Gamers To Colors
So much gray. So much brown. So much black. That’s been the story of modern gaming ever since the push for “gritty realism” became a focal point of Triple A game marketing. And while there have always been the games that broke free of that to introduce a little more …
How Far is Too Far? Censorship and Storytelling in Games
Reading about a pair of girls who tried to murder their friend in order to meet Slenderman, I was struck by two things. One, while it is a tragic story, perhaps even more depressing is how utterly unsurprising it is these days. My reaction, which should have been one of …
Nintendo – E3’s Strong Female Protagonists
I’m going to blow your mind right now. Ready? Women. Play. Video Games. I KNOW… I know. Hard to believe, right? At least, I get the feeling it’s hard for the Triple A game publishers to believe. At some point on Monday during E3, after several hours of press conferences …
The E3 Conference Wrap-Up: Part 2 – Sony And The Big N
And onward we travel, into the second half of Artistry in Games’ E3 conference wrap-up! We already covered Microsoft, Ubisoft, and EA in part one, and now it’s time to move on to Sony and Nintendo, from Monday night and Tuesday morning respectively. We’d already seen a few surprises, a …
The E3 Conference Wrap-Up: Part 1 – The Two ‘Softs And EA!
E3 2014 is finally upon us. The event affectionately referred to as “Gamer Christmas” is in full swing, and it’s brought with it a handful of new games and big surprises across all platforms. Did you miss the conferences from the “Big 5”? Don’t fret, because I’ve got you covered. Below …
Transistor Review
Beauty is only skin deep. While the phrase may have been coined with people in mind, it applies to video games as well. While a game may look gorgeous or appealing, once you delve into it you discover an ugly truth beneath the surface. Transistor is not a superficial beauty however, far …
Meridian: A New World Early Access Impressions
Meridian: A New World is a sci-fi real time strategy game being developed by the one man team of Elder Games. Yes, this is a one man team making an RTS game. While he has had assistance from some individuals in areas, at the end of the day, this one guy has …
A Song For Viggo: Profoundly Emotional Papercraft Game With A Difficult Story To Tell
As video games continue to mature as a storytelling medium, we see more and more people come forward and try to tackle sensitive subjects through the medium. Everything from cancer, to gender identity, to mental illness, has been approached with respect by game makers all over the world, both telling …
Musical Moments: Transistor
When thinking of games for this column, I usually draw inspiration from those that really resonated with me. Most of the games featured have been released for at least a year or more. Thus, it gives me great pleasure to actually cover a new release for a change, that being the fantastic Transistor. I finished my play-through …