June 18th
byWhat is a role playing game? You might have a fixed idea of what the genre is and how it works, but this week some writers are challenging those assumptions and asking you to see them differently. That plus discussions of gender…
interactivity
May 28th
byHow can game creators design for specific flavours of fear? This question is a big theme of writing this week, in what has turned out to be a particularly good selection of critical writing on games. I’m excited to hit “publish” on this…
May 21st
byWorried about the future? Pull up a chair! This week features writing on fear and the economy in games such as Night in the Woods and Prey. The thrill of reaching an audience The Personal-Essay Boom Is Over – The New Yorker…
May 7th
byOn your own in an unfamiliar place, where nothing is real, and powerful structures overshadow everything? Games critics this week venture out alone. Technical limitations Narrative-focused games are encouraging increasingly nuanced analyses of inaction, peace, and pacing. Gamasutra: M. Joshua Cauller’s Blog –…
April 30th
byThis week saw some social media drama in the games criticism sphere, as Georgia Tech Professor Ian Bogost invoked the pantomime conflict that is Ludology vs. Narratology. Beyond that discussion, it’s been a busy week for quality writing, with a lot of…
April 23rd
byShining a light on media can help reveal the dark truths lurking beneath the surface. This week in videogame blogging, critics discuss power fantasies, prisons, and psychoses. Persona 5 We start with some writing on the problems with the latest game in…
December 11th
byIs there a lot of nihilism in the subcultures that have grown around videogames? Many of the writers featured in this week’s roundup are considering interactive media in relation to their own feelings of disempowerment and alienation. How do we use this medium…
September 25th
byI’m blown away by the volume of high-quality writing this week. All the great stuff seems to be coming out at once! It’s overwhelming. To make it all a little easier to digest, I’ve broken this week’s roundup into four parts. Take…
August 7th
byHope you’re keeping well and having an exciting Summer! I got to meet some of our regular readers this week at games academia’s big annual get-together. It was a great reminder of how insightful our supporters are, and how important it is to bridge…
June 26th
byI am spending a few days staying in a cheap Bed and Breakfast in an run-down Victorian seaside resort in the North of England. It is a spooky place where nothing seems to make sense. At one point I saw a white…