A lot of Game Studies proper deals with representation in games, particularly surrounding things like race, gender, sexuality, class, and body type. That may seem like the most basic statement ever (like, duh!), but as I think more about studying games as Game Studies, I need to answer questions about […]
alexlayne
211 posts
It’s a long running joke between friends of mine (ok, mostly between Sam and I), that I hate narrative. I skip quest text, I skip cut scenes, and I never look up the lore to a game I play. This semester, however, has thrown me into the narrative deep end. […]
One thing that critics like myself don’t do nearly enough is nod to just how difficult it is to be a game creator. Every game is flawed. Every game designer is flawed. It is easy to pick something out after a game is released and say you would have done […]
Note: I received a free review code for this game. But my review is not indebted to the company, nor is it influenced by it in any way. This game is on iOS for $4.99 As soon as I saw a review code for this iPad game come across our […]
This year at the Games+Learning+Society conference, I’ll be presenting with my friend and colleague Cody for the Well Played series. Our presentation, titled “Just Give me the Controller: Scaffolded Learning, World Building, and the Witness,” will focus on how the game The Witness is able to create an environment that […]
Recently Jessica Lachenal at The Mary Sue wrote a post about what The Mary Sue means to her. She was preceded by many contributors and readers doing the same, and they talked about topics ranging from (finally) getting paid for one’s work to the importance of positive fan reaction. It […]
As most readers are no doubt aware, Pokemon Go has swept the world. Despite having a terrible interface, completely unreliable servers, no tutorial or manual, and limited creativity in gameplay, many, many people still find the game absolutely enjoyable. I myself have spent hours and hours every day since I […]
If you live in the United States, this will probably come as no shock: people are angry. People everywhere feel oppressed, targeted, slighted, and unheard. What’s particularly interesting is that people who are in power, who have always been heard, who have not been oppressed as a group are the […]
Jean Baudrillard had a fascination with the “real.” Is Disneyland real? It’s a physical place, sure. You can pack your family up, get into a plane, land, spend your hard earned money, see princesses, go on ride. But in another sense, it is also a simulation. It is a simulation […]
Last week I was lucky enough to be part of a really cool program: an IT camp for girls between 12 and 15. I taught a game design unit, and we talked about game theory and the positive impact of games on our world. We made games, some of which […]
Whenever people (often women, but not always) find out I play and study video games, they usually respond with the same refrain: “ugh, I just don’t have time to game.” It’s a good point; gaming does take up a lot of my time. I spend many late nights playing games. […]
By and large, constable, the good’s an illusion, a fable folks tell themselves so they can get through the day without screaming too much. –Andre Linoge The concept of morality has been constantly explored in video games since the beginning: protagonist/antagonist, good/evil, light/dark. There is a black and white morality […]
I have been a feminist since I could talk. For better or worse, I have always seen injustice, prejudice, racism, sexism, and unfairness in the world, and it always deeply disturbed me. Of course, I have grown and changed as a feminist. I’ve had to confront ways my privilege has […]
Obsession is one of the most frightful things I’ve encountered. I’m not talking about how we think of obsession in popular culture: someone counting calories, watching a show over and over, or even wanting to spend most of your time with your puppies (I’ve been known to proclaim that I’m […]
Gamers have long had the stereotype that they are overweight, greasy, caffeine-addicted hermits with pale skin and acne who never left their parents’ basements. Gamers are depicted this way in many popular shows and movies, such as Southpark’s “Make Love Not Warcraft.” In the episode, the boys gets fatter, more […]
Recently while playing The Division with a friend, he pointed out that you could kill the dogs that wander around the town. For those who haven’t played, there are often dogs walking around the post-pandemic landscape. They don’t bite or jump or attack. They just bark randomly and otherwise mind […]