In Game of Thrones the character Varys poses a riddle. Three men each command a swordsman to kill the other two. One man is a king, one is a rich man, one is a priest. The question, then, is who among the three has the most power, and therefore the […]
Design and Development
106 posts
If you’re looking for a terrible, terrifying experience, the kind of thing that will really cap off your Monday, don’t think cinematics, creepy atmosphere, and shadows. Instead, try this horrifying experience The Writer Will Do Something by Matthew S. Burns, a Twine game set in a panicked meeting of game developers […]
Life Is Strange is shaping up to be one of the most innovative games around right now, but the innovation is so invisible and well crafted that you might not even see it. Dontnod’s sophomore effort is taking the dramatic episodic adventure to all new levels with the second installment, “Out of […]
Earlier today, Twitter user Erika Imperial (@icequeenerika) posted a screenshot of Pillars of Eternity, calling creators Obsidian Entertainment out for the inclusion of a Kickstarter-backer’s paid message, a message about the “horror” of discovering a lover was in fact transgender. Erika pulled in noted critic Katherine Cross, and the screenshot […]
Earlier this month, Ian Bogost wrote an article eulogizing Maxis, the innovative studio behind SimCity and The Sims. It’s a thoughtful piece, definitely worth a read, especially if (like me) you have a soft spot for sandbox/system games. Saying goodbye to a loved studio wasn’t Bogost’s only focus, though. Amid […]
Ever since the announcement of the new Legend of Zelda game for the Wii U at E3 last year people have been pondering the existence of a female Link character. The usual suspects on the internet exploded. People swore their allegiance to a male Link and vowed to disown Nintendo […]
About two weeks ago, I had the privilege to attend the 2015 Game Developers Conference (GDC) through an opportunity at work. For those who may not be familiar with the annual gaming conference, GDC is the largest gathering of professional game developers. But rather than the industry trade show feel […]
The term “serious games” is problematic. We play for fun and enjoyment, yes, but the idea behind serious games is that they are somehow more impactful…more real…than other games. But these games also try to fill a void that is lacking in the world of AAA titles and platformers. Serious […]
Stealth mode is to games what the brokeback pose is to comics. It’s the Rob Liefeld of game design, mysteries wrapped in enigmas wrapped in how in the hell are you even doing that come on now. I’m a croucher. I admit it. Especially in a game I’m just learning, […]
The first day at PAX East is extremely overwhelming. As the escalator descended into a landscape of colossal screens and mainstream logos, I wove through throng after thong of colorful cosplayers and eager gamers on the EXPO floor. I attempted to wait in line for the Oculus Rift but the […]
Fresh from multiple narrative and writing based GDC panels, my head has been full of theories on best incorporating narrative into game design and all the ways narrative reveals itself in games. At one writing roundtable today, an attendee proposed a question on how to explore and build a game’s […]
What exactly marks a good writer? I don’t know that there’s a real answer, even with two creative writing degrees under my belt. I can break down a story and analyze the elements, the way everything fits together, the way it might weigh in on various scales of quality, both […]
Here is my confession for the day. I play Farmville on my phone…and I like it. It’s an all too familiar trope, by now. Core gamers play “real” games like Halo, Warcraft, Dark Souls, or League of Legends. Girl “gamers” play Candy Crush. I’ve written before about gaming identity and […]
At Sunday’s Oscars, John Legend and Common performed their amazing song, “Glory,” from Selma before ultimately winning the Oscar for Best Original Song. If you haven’t seen the performance yet, it’s a must: But as powerful as the song is, it’s the acceptance speech (starting at 6:05) that captured my […]
Among the Sleep delves into a fictional child’s innermost fears in a world where the shadows stretch impossibly long and coat racks look like monsters or shady strangers. While the game features some horror title standards, like a physically weak protagonist, poorly lit environments, and the occasional jump scare, there’s […]
I’ve been thinking a lot about the continued impacts of GamerGate lately, though not perhaps in the larger sense of wondering what it all means, but how it jibes with my experience with and in gaming media. While it’s been several years since I did any writing about games outside […]