When the LEGO Ideas Maze was first announced, I was initially ambivalent. The set seemed like a strange choice for a LEGO Ideas set, and I decided not to get it, and I mostly forgot about it. But, when it was released, I kept going back to the LEGO site […]
Charlotte Hyde
106 posts
Alison Rapp’s recent harassment and ultimate firing from Nintendo of America is yet another example of a phenomenon I have been becoming more and more concerned about: internet shaming. Her story is terrible and terrifying, but unfortunately, it’s not uncommon. The implications of Internet shaming by Internet mobs are bigger […]
I’m currently writing my dissertation, a process that is simultaneously going better and worse than I anticipated. Writing the dissertation, it seems, brings a lot of my anxieties to the forefront. Finishing the dissertation is symbolic of leaving my program and community, leaving grad school (and my identity as a […]
Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to have many productive conversations about LEGO Serious Play and composing in the classroom. These conversations have led me to thinking more about what it means to compose through LEGO, specifically how does working with LEGO bricks help us propose a solution to a problem, […]
I’ve been writing about Nevermind for the past couple of years and still I keep coming back to it. Nevermind is particularly intriguing to me because the game combines horror and psychological suspense with biofeedback in an attempt to create a game that could possibly help players manage their anxieties. […]
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been slowly building the LEGO Ghostbusters Firehouse. The build is taking awhile both because it’s huge and because, unfortunately, I have other responsibilities. Initially, I was going to hold off on the build because of these reasons, but building really helps me de-stress […]
LEGO has always been fiercely protective of its brand and reputation, and even though their decisions don’t always make sense, they have tried to stay away from politics and violent themes. Their approach has always seemed somewhat contradictory to me. I’ve written about their aversion to politics before, and I […]
This holiday season, with the release of Star Wars, I found myself thinking a lot about fandom and how our love of various things (games, LEGO, movie franchises, etc.) becomes part of our conversations in both real life and on the internet. I’m not a fan of Star Wars. I […]
I write and talk and think a lot about gender representation in toys, games, and just in general media and the world around me. My aim and hope is to show the places where gender representation is missing or problematic. When I think about girls having access to and playing […]
(SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW) Last night I watched an interesting indie horror movie called Lost After Dark. I picked it up because I grew up loving 80’s horror movies and this one promised to the “best 80’s horror movie not filmed in the 80’s.” Sounded good to me, even though I […]
Today’s Power Hour review is really a review of a game within a game. I love LEGO Dimensions, but as I’ve written before, it’s pretty expensive. I’ve been mostly skeptical about the Level Packs, which come with both LEGO builds and a new level, but also come at a pretty […]
Somehow I missed this LEGO commercial from last year, but this week Facebook has been showing it to me daily. It’s a good commercial, but not a perfect commercial. The commercial shows a girl playing with LEGO sets as well as creating her own LEGO builds while integrating the creations […]
In what seems to be turning into a theme, LEGO has me once again scratching my head over yet another weird decision. LEGO Dimensions released last week, and I’ve been having a blast with it, as you know if you listened to our latest podcast, but the LEGO community at […]
This week, with the release of LEGO Dimensions, I’ve been thinking a lot about LEGO and cost. One of my favorite things about LEGO is the built in constraints: there are only so many pieces and colors to choose from. This is why I get such joy from a really […]
It’s starting to feel like fall, which always makes me want to watch scary movies and play creepy games. So, this morning I went looking for a spooky game on Steam, and I found Port of Call, a free to play indie adventure game. I like to play these quick […]
LEGO first drew me back in almost 3 years ago after I fell instantly in love with the Space Shuttle Expedition set, but they hooked me with the level of thought and detail they put in their designs. Half the fun of building a LEGO set comes from the hidden […]