Game Over: Facing Failure
Gamers are no strangers to failure. Hauntingly unsolvable puzzles, platform levels requiring the sort of ninja skills only an actual ninja could possess, bosses who literally rip characters to shreds…
Exploring The Relevance And Importance Of Second Life
“I don’t need to get a life. I’m a gamer. I have lots of lives.” You’ve probably seen this line circulate the internet a lot. It makes for an easy-to-market…
Nosgoth Preview
Nosgoth was not the game a lot of people were expecting when Square Enix revealed the next entry in the Legacy of Kain series. Fans were dubious of a new…
Dead Upon Pre-Order
Pre-orders have become ubiquitous with AAA game releases, and even some indie titles. We see them everywhere now, and it’s starting to get out of control. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning,…
The Power of Spectacle – A Simple Man’s Analysis of E3
Gaming, on the whole, has gone through quite the change over the last few years. With the rise of “geek chic” and the popularity of franchises like Call of Duty…
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,…
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 ‘Boy King’ of Art: Comparing the evolution of Games and Film
The ‘video games as art’ debate has raged on for years. We all know it is a ridiculous argument that is so overwrought and talked about that it basically has…
Gaming’s Low Standards of Writing
Video game writing is rubbish. Not all of it, sure, but for the most part, it’s rubbish. And not just big budget, AAA, blockbuster titles – most indie games have…
“Are Video Games Art?” – Asking The Wrong Question About Games Gets The Wrong Answers
As video games continue to grow as a medium, we’ve seen them stretched out into every possible direction. We’ve seen games built with the sole purpose of pulling out a…