Video games allow us to play in the realm of the macabre. We can be monsters, killers, and super villains. We can exist in worlds that are full of human wreckage, zombies, death, decay. Like our fascination with post-apocalyptic movies and books, video games allow us to explore countless realms […]
alexlayne
211 posts
If you’re like me, WoW was one of the most fun (and intense) gaming periods of your life. Many people I know went down a WoW hole for sometimes months, sometimes years. If you’re really like me, you’ve tried to go back several times, but the game had changed so […]
CW: Visual depictions of sexism and violence As the semester kicks off, I’ve been doing a lot of reading for a class I’m teaching for the first time called Communicating Through New Media. The class covers a wide range of topics relating to how to most effectively communicate through new […]
This month’s Blog of the Roundtable topic over at Critical Distance is a very intriguing one. We often talk about peripheral things that happen in games as being some of the most important and impactful (though hidden). The way video games deal with player death is certainly no exception to […]
The magic circle is an interesting place. This is particularly true when looking at values, morality, and consequences for our actions. By Huizinga’s definition of the magic circle, things that happen in a game cannot have consequences in our daily lives. This is why, despite many similarities, school isn’t a […]
In the most recent issue of ADA: A Journal of Gender, New Media, & Technology, Joseph Reagle published a really interesting article called “Naive Meritocracy and the Meanings of Myth.” Meritocracies are something I’ve been studying since early in my graduate career. They fascinate me, because they should work; yet, […]
I was very excited to see Critical Distance’s Blog of the Round Table theme this month, because (1) I’d been itching to write about Destiny 2 and this gives me the perfect chance and (2) I think this is an absolutely fascinating topic that I hadn’t thought nearly enough about. […]
Patchwork is a beautiful board game designed by Uwe Rosenberg, with game art by Klemenz Franz. While this game doesn’t fit into my mission to play, review, and critique all of the top 30 games on Board Game Geek as part of my Critical Perspectives on Board Games series (so […]
I wonder how differently my parents and my parents’ parents saw the world as adults compared to me. I grew up digital, and now in my early 30s, I spend a lot of time contemplating my relationship with technology and the physical realm. Every couple years I feel this need […]
Mansions of Madness is far from the most complicated game I’ve played (I’ve played Food Chain Magnate, ok), though unboxing it was still very intimidating. I’ve certainly never been a “minifig” person, and I know there are those who love that kind of stuff. What most intrigued me about the […]
I was chatting with some of the NYMG folks the other day, and it occurred to me that everyone, even game scholars, need to be reminded of the value of making time for play. This summer I’ve been playing a ton of sports (mostly disc golf), but I haven’t been […]
I know in a previous post I set out to review the top 30 board games ala Board Game Geek, starting with Food Chain Magnate. I have to deviate from that a little bit because of a new game I tried and fell in love with at a game night […]
Someone recently asked me if it’s frustrating talking about harassment in games year after year. Yes, of course it is. When we started NYMG over 6 years ago, I did it with the idea that we would have a hand in ending the harassment women face online. Little did we […]
I am exactly three weeks away from the end of my Spring semester. Each year I, like most academics, come up with a rigid summer schedule. I’m going to do all the things; I’m going to read all the books; I’m going to play all the games; I’m going to […]
This post is the first in a monthly series where I play, review, and share some reactions to the top 30 board games as determined by Board Game Geek. Board games should not be beyond the reach of serious critical inquiry. Board games crush video games in the Kickstarter arena, […]
As I’ve talked about before, I’m currently on a board game kick. Of course, considering the 20% per year growth projected over the next ten years, I’m certainly not the only one on a board game kick. Will board games ever surpass video games in popularity and sales? I’m not […]