Episode 88: Legos and Lady Parts: On Gamer Anticipation and Participation (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe) In this episode we talk about the games that we are most looking forward to in the coming months and why as well as discussions on the latest goings on […]
Miscellany
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Why Games? I have a soft spot in my heart for slam poetry. I love words and I love music, and slam seems to find the balance between them. I’m also a huge nerd, so I was particularly happy when I found this gem by Rachel Rostad: The thing about […]
Before the week is over and you start getting your GamerGate fatigue (or maybe you already have it), I hope you will indulge me in reading this post, even if it’s the last one you ever read about GamerGate. (For GamerGaters) Let me start by saying that I want to […]
When you think about what comprises a game review, what comes to mind? Certainly traditional review elements like a critique of the game’s mechanics, its fluidity, its narrative if that’s something that’s important to you, its graphics and sound, and even its “fun factor” are all things that would be […]
Last week The Evil Within released, a game I had some high expectations for the title, given that the design team design team includes the self-proclaimed “father of survival horror”, Shinji Mikami. However, while the game seems to tick off all the boxes (creepy hospital- check! Stoic, jaded hero- check! […]
“If you have any kids, they’re going to die too. I don’t give a fuck. They’ll grow up to be feminists anyway.” [All quotes used can be found here. They are tweets shared by feminist game designer Brianna Wu that she received before fleeing her home] Saying you’re going to […]
During last week’s podcast I chose the Borderlands series as my “guilty pleasure” games. The series as a whole is pretty irreverent, the characters are exaggerated, and the games repeatedly present unabashedly non-serious and goofy situations. In many ways, the series reminds me of classic cheesy horror movies- bad, but […]
WARNING: This post may be a little bit spoilery for the Destiny storyline, but it’s definitely worth the read 😉 Unless you’ve been under a NYMG you know by now that Alex and I have been playing a lot of Destiny (Bungie 2014)…and I do mean a lot. I won’t […]
Episode 87: On Guilty Pleasure Games; Or, It was Destin(y)ed to Happen (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe) In this episode we talk about guilty pleasure games and what constitutes them.
It may be a little odd to think of Super Smash Bros. as a stand-alone, legitimate handheld title. Although I had bought into the hype long ago and had already mentally committed myself to buying it, I had my doubts about the new Super Smash Bros. for 3DS. Super Smash […]
Last night I pulled out some readings for my classes- things which, despite being barely a decade or less old, are already slightly out of date classics by even academic standards on new media. I got a brief chuckle from Nakamura’s Cybertypes and Castronova’s Synthetic Worlds, both of which mention […]
Recently I had a conversation with someone who mentioned that game developers were afraid to incorporate more diversity – specifically, in this instance, female characters – in video games. He went on to explain that, in their eyes, the costs often outweigh the benefits for them. No matter what they […]
So often, when anyone calls for greater diversity in video games, their requests are met with one very common answer: “You want something different? Make it yourself.” These days, we’re told, anyone can make a game. It’s so easy. The tech requirements have been reduced to almost nothing; with a […]
Earlier today as I was watching my favorite nostalgic fan stream, I was hit with one of those nagging, persistent questions that weigh on your mind until you discover the answer. A show I didn’t recognize had come on; it was a live-action comedy show called Taina that had aired on […]
We’ve talked a lot over the past few weeks about #gamergate, Anita Sarkeesian, and Zoe Quinn. Recently, they were accused of lying about the threats they were receiving, and of course we have all been accused of trying to kill the entire gaming industry. Zoe and Anita have had to […]
I have a love-hate relationship with Harvest Moon DS Cute. For those who are (perhaps blissfully) unaware, Harvest Moon is a series of farming simulation games that incorporate elements and tasks of real, and even ordinary, life. In addition to planting and tending crops, collecting wild plants, fishing, digging, and […]