Welcome back, viewers.
There were a lot of videos to go through for this month’s roundup, but I still managed to pare them down to a manageable list: here we have 21 incredible video essays from across the discourse spectrum. I hope you enjoy.
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Close Readings
- NO RELATION: Heroes Eventually Die (a close look at Armored Core 6) | David Brothers (9:29)
David Brothers ruminates on what it means to use the Dafeng Trainee in Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon as a repeatable punching bag. Who is the hero here, and who is the villain? - Analyzing Every Torture Scene in Call of Duty — All 46 of Them | Jacob Geller (42:07)
Look, I’ve been on the “hyper-analysis of Call of Duty” train before, so I have deep empathy for Jacob and the hellish rabbit hole he had to go down for this video, a survey of basically every torture scene in the franchise. He explores why and how torture has become so normalized, not just in games but in other elements of popular culture as well. - Shmovement vs. Movement in Video Games | Jiikae (11:17)
If you’ve ever wondered what the difference between movement and shmovement is with regard to games, this video has you covered. Jiikae breaks it down on a comprehensive level. - Story Machines Vol. 2: Sense-Making Plots | Games & Culture (22:43)
This video, the second in a series of essays on game design, ludology and narratology, argues that how we make sense of a game-world is itself one of the game’s narratives. - A Brief Moment of Meaning in Mario Sunshine | Malmrose Projects (9:58)
How much can we learn from a single wall? Turns out, quite a lot.
Behind The Scenes
- Inside Fallout’s Creation: A Deep Dive with Tim Cain | How to Drink (46:13)
An interview over Nuka Colas with the original creator of Fallout, Tim Cain. - Sega Rally Championship | PandaMonium Reviews Every U.S. Saturn Game | Episode 33 of 246 | PandaMonium Reviews (4:40:09)
I almost didn’t include this video because of its nearly-five-hour runtime. I almost didn’t watch it. But in addition to being a comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at the development chaos for Sega Rally Championship for the Sega Saturn, it also deftly weaves in the story of Yoshio Fujimoto, Japan’s first and only winner of the vaunted Safari Rally held every year in Kenya. - Wipeout 2097: The Making of an Iconic PlayStation Soundtrack – Noclip Documentary | Noclip (31:17)
How do you make one of the most consequential video game soundtracks of all time? According to Tim “CoLD SToRAGE” Wright, you start by changing your mind. - The Rise & Fall of Arcade Gaming | Lextorias (24:26)
Lextorias examines the phenomenon of video arcades and tries to piece together what’s happened to arcade gaming since the end of the arcade golden age.
Yo, Hear Them Out
- Felvidek – Game of the Year 2024 | Renegade Cut (18:24)
Leon Thomas highlights Felvidek, an incredible-looking Slovakian JRPG where you play as Pavel, a drunk 15th-century knight, as his GOTY. - The Turkish Resident Evil Clone You Haven’t Played | eurothug4000 (34:52)
I’m still not entirely sure I understand what Kabus 22 is, but as Marla makes clear in the video, it’s well worth checking out as a building-block of Turkish game dev. - Scorn is a Misunderstood Masterpiece | Pim’s Crypt (35:14)
Pim demonstrates where some critics and influencers went wrong in their judgment of Scorn, a 2022 adventure game that goes beyond its obvious aesthetic influences to challenge the player in multiple ways.
Discourse on Discourse on…
- I Don’t Know James Rolfe | Folding Ideas (1:16:56)
Dan Olson uses the life and works of The Angry Video Game Nerd, James Rolfe, to examine his own anxieties around “content creation.” - The Olson Problem | Jack Saint (23:16)
Jack Saint uses Dan Olson’s video on the life and works of James Rolfe to ask, “can we use the master’s trash slop to dismantle the master’s trash slop factory?” - Art Won’t Save Us from Capitalism | Lily Alexandre (42:01)
Lily Alexandre ruminates on whether it’s possible for any art – not just trash slop – to overcome the deleterious effects of capital. - Internet Loneliness and Loss of Community | Shanspeare (47:36)
Shaniya reaffirms that it is possible to congregate on the Internet, despite all of the obstacles the Internet under capitalism throws up.
Modest Proposals
- In Defense of the 7/10 Games | NakeyJakey (11:30)
Jacob Christensen reminds us that not every game needs to be good to be great. - We’re Celebrating the Wrong Indie Games | Pixel A Day (58:21)
Kat from Pixel A Day questions why the industry and media get behind games like Dave the Diver and Stray instead of the bevy of actual indie delights out there. - The Games Industry’s Quest for Validation | Jenny Geist (21:39)
Jenny Geist critically examines the video game industry’s need to be seen as legitimate. - All the RAGE: A Franchise Retrospective | Noah Caldwell-Gervais (1:43:16)
Noah Caldwell-Gervais really, really did not enjoy the Rage franchise, and goes into great detail with regard to why. - My Never Ending Quest To Love Baldur’s Gate 3 | Sputnik34 (36:59)
After months and months of trying, Dom Locastro finally lets go of his attempt to enjoy Baldur’s Gate 3.