(Spoilers ahead) Supermassive Games’ Until Dawn had me rolling my eyes from moment one. The first chapter, with its cast of self-centered teenagers and cliché narrative, annoyed me to my bones because it’s a scenario that perfectly fits in the horror movie framework and it’s one I’ve seen countless times […]
Ashley Barry
23 posts
A few weeks ago, on a brutally hot day, I met someone I’ve admired for some time. I attended Felicia Day’s book signing at the Brookline Booksmith, an independent bookstore the Boston community holds near and dear. My stomach gurgled in a nasty way as I approached the table where […]
You find yourself licking the salt from your lips, an automatic action, as you guide your small boat through a flooded metropolis, the motor sputtering like an old man struggling to catch a breath. The encompassing silence in the seemingly desolate city would be crushing had it not been for […]
With her humongous axe and fire orange braids, I grinned like an idiot as I led Thora, Jotun‘s viking protagonist, from one pissed off giant to the next. Not only does she possess a diverse body type, sturdy and difficult to take down, she’s also unwavering in her courage and that’s a […]
A couple of days ago I downloaded Prune for iOS at the recommendation of a beloved friend who knows me so well it’s ridiculous and a tad scary. In the game, the player has to shear off branches with the swipe of a finger, an action that alters the direction […]
It’s no secret that Journey is one of my all time favorite games, having extensively written about its brilliant use of silence and its characterization of landscapes. Though it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, I find the entire experience to be relaxing and fulfilling. Whether it’s the cool blues of […]
We’ve been talking a lot about Tauriq Moosa’s recent Twitter hiatus, because of the far-reaching potential. Personally, I’m unable to equate my experience with Moosa’s experience because I’m a white female on the Internet and not a person of color. I can’t possibly understand his experience with blanket negativity and outrage culture, […]
I’ve been a fan of the Fallout franchise for some time now. I have very fond memories of exploring the desolate outskirts of Washington D.C. with my well read super mutant companion, Fawkes. In Fallout: New Vegas, I would often take pleasure in observing the rolling desert from the dinosaur […]
Though there have been some great strides in the presentation of empowered female characters in videogames, developers still have a long way to go. In a recent dialogue with Samantha Blackmon and Alisha Karabinus about female characters who fall short of their potential, we found ourselves asking why narratives and […]
You’re the lone occupant in a desolate hotel reminiscent of the Overlook Hotel, the haunted building in Stephen King’s The Shining. The corridors appear to stretch on forever and ever, growing longer with each and every step. Is it a trick of the mind? Your stomach plummets as a winged figure zooms at you from down the hall, shattering the […]
If I hadn’t discovered roleplaying, I wouldn’t have known what it was that set my ever-restless soul afire. I considered myself a serious writer at the delicate age of seven and, having come to this realization at such an early age, I carefully consumed and documented the world much like […]
Consider a few of the common components that comprise a narrative: complex characters, conflict, setting, resolution, dialogue, etc. Is dialogue a necessary element? Is a silent protagonist capable of weaving a powerful story that captivates and inspires? I find that videogames are comparable to picture books because they’re both visual mediums that can be visually read or interpreted. In […]
Joseph Garrett is a Minecraft playing star. His alter ego, a mischievous orange and white feline named Stampy Cat, has over 5.6 million subscribers (at the time of this posting) on his family oriented YouTube channel. The seasoned YouTuber caters to his younger audience by utilizing humorous sound effects and […]
Imagine a mechanical world that rotates and changes at the push of a button. Monstrous creatures, toe-like in appearance, float up and down the corridors of an old house. You cringe as you hear them spew nonsensical words in odd frenzied voices. They want to transform you into one of […]
I recently had an enthralling conversation with a close friend about the various representations of strong female characters. My friend, using Morrigan from the first Dragon Age game as an example, explained that the sorceress doesn’t have to forfeit her traditionally feminine appearance to be a strong and able character. […]
Vampires are fascinating in that they operate on the fringe of a culture and society. In some ways, they represent the ultimate outcast, often othered for their monsterness, and because of it, they needn’t adhere to what’s traditional or considered socially acceptable. In some instances, they’re almost auto-excluded from social […]