A lot of people are asking me why I haven’t written about the racist slur employed by PewDiePie recently. I already did and so have many others. The perpetual use of the n-word within gaming isn’t fueled by neo-Nazi ideology and didn’t emerge with the election of Donald Trump. You can’t […]
Kishonna Gray
13 posts
Friday the 13th: The Game (Gun Media) is a third-person horror, survival game where you either play as a camp counselor trying to survive or as Jason trying to kill all of the camp fornicators. I was ecstatic to see this game as I recall playing the 1989 version on Nintendo. Being an […]
The new academic year is upon us and we have resumed normal activities: developing courses, revising syllabi, faculty meetings, advising students, and of course, catching up on research projects we didn’t complete this summers. We are experts now on navigating teaching, research, and service. The Big Three is etched into […]
There is something aesthetically appealing about historical games that I value and appreciate. While I am not a huge fan of contemporary war games, I am fascinated with games that feature historical combat. One of my favorite games of all time is Call of Duty: World at War. This game […]
“Xbox, record that.” For Xbox gamers, you have either heard it or said it yourself. This simple phrase is the practice of recording something. “Xbox, record that” cues the system’s in-game DVR, through which a gamer can record, edit, and share clips from actual gameplay. This small but significant tool within […]
In this interview Kishonna talks with Kahlief Adams, host of Spawn on Me blog and podcast and creator of #Spawn4Good, about race, games, and activism. KG: Give us a little bit of your background. How did you get into gaming? What’s the first game you remember? KA: My name is Kahlief […]
After completing NBA 2K’s Living Da Dream, I was left only with feelings of wishful thinking: wishing that gaming would allow characters of color to exist in a fantasy world of possibilities. Instead, we were once again handed a series of tropes, stereotypes, respectability politics, and essentialist assumptions about Black […]
I have been keeping an active tab counting the number of women of color in positions of power and control in video games. And before I proceed, I know someone will fill the comments with Purna and Shiva but I am looking for representation outside of the zombie-killing Black girl […]
Social media has been employed as a significant site of mobilizing for Black Lives Matter especially with the power of Black Twitter. This form of “social public” as Andre Brock outlines allows users to generate culturally relevant content and disseminate it to their audience. And that scope is beyond the […]
I realize the world has been anticipating my next blog post about Spike Lee’s Livin’ Da Dream. But the much awaited 1st quarter assessment of NBA 2K16’s Livin’ Da Dream was stalled midway through gameplay. I became mostly frustrated and upset at the cliché storylines, the bickering of Women of […]
While I am a huge fan of sports, I am not particularly an avid follower of sports video games. During my undergraduate years, I would consistently slay anyone who dared to challenge me in Madden, NCAA, 2K, and even Top Spin (yo, my backhand was nasty). My interest for these […]
There was a story recently stating that police and social services would be called on parents who let their children play Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, and other Mature rated games. The recommendation also suggested that children should not have Facebook accounts. While I don’t agree with this recommendation […]
I’ve struggled with the concept of ‘gamer’ for a long time. I’ve always considered myself a gamer because of my engagement with the culture since I’ve been a child. But hearing many prominent feminists whom I respect and adore deny their gamer identity, I have begun to challenge my own […]