Virtual reality: the Sims had it long before I was aware that it was something that was possible outside of kitschy sci-fi movies. It was the best and most efficient way to give a Sim some much needed entertainment, if you could afford it anyway. Once the Sim had strapped […]
Miscellany
1089 posts
Now for all of you youngin’s who don’t know what Tuesday Cafe was let me start with a little story. As a new-ish grad student and a budding technorhetorician I entered Connections MOO on a Tuesday evening for the first time almost 20 years ago. The place was full of […]
Below is a post that follows in the vein of arguments I have made here and here about procedural ethics. Where many theories of games, and ways of analyzing games, start at the code and move forward, procedural ethics starts at the code and moves backwards. Rather than see code as something […]
For me Mario Party showdowns begin long before the actual competition, at least in the early editions anyway. It doesn’t begin the first time we enter a mini-game or a lost duel. No, it begins at the character selection screen where, as long as I’m playing with at least one […]
The Yoshis are back and their fixing a mix up from the stork. Having never played a Yoshi game before, the new 3DS version seemed like a good opportunity to jump into the franchise. The 3DS has done wonders for catching me up with the old school Nintendo platformers so […]
Let me start by saying that I have not entirely been following the so-dubbed Spaklegate fiasco closely. Mostly what I’ve seen are hurt reactions by people who cared about what things like sparkleponies was doing for people, particularly for graduate students. It made us feel comfortable, and it let incoming […]
Like everyone else, I was hyped for the release of Infamous: Second Son (Sucker Punch, 2014) after seeing the trailer at E3 last year. A new infamous with a young Native American character on a next-gen system that looked absolutely beautiful. Kinda grungy, all flashy, and starring a minority character. […]
Episode 74: Failing (in Order) to Win: The Role of Failure in Games and Game Studies (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe) The episode where we talk about failure in gameplay and game studies. We are joined this week by guest co-host, Jennifer Lynn. A fun […]
Back in July of last year Microsoft announced new changes to the multiplayer system for their then upcoming Xbox One. This primarily referred to a reputation system that they would be implementing in an attempt to create a better social community. Today Microsoft announced some new details on the monitoring […]
“Metroidvania,” Defender, and three super powered little girls. These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect nostalgic side-scroller. But Radian Games intentionally added an extra ingredient to the concoction: classic animation. Thus The Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville was born. Using their ultra-superpowers, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup have dedicated […]
Earlier this week Lean In partnered with the Girl Scouts of America to initiate a campaign to encourage young girls to take leadership roles by reducing the stigma they often face for speaking up or taking charge. While this may be a mark of leadership in boys, such behavior in […]
Episode 73: Right, Wrong, and Everything In Between: On Ethics in Video Games (“Save As” to download or head over to iTunes to subscribe) The episode where we talk about ethics in and around games.
The other day in my job search seminar class we discussed a topic that seems to make a lot of job-seeking, soon-to-be-graduates flinch: the increasing emphasis recruiters and employers place upon potential candidates’ social media pages. Of course this isn’t anything new, and a rather large number of the class […]
WARNING: EXPLICIT If you’ve read my reviews before, you know I tend to try and be cautious in my criticisms—partially because I tend to review indie games and partially because I understand we all have different tastes in games. This weekend I excitedly snatched up a copy of Plants vs. […]
I can’t recall what exactly what drew me to sign up for Thief for my Power Hour Review. The trailer certainly is awesome. Watching it I get nostalgic for Kingdoms of Amular and Fable. It seems like it is going to be one of those big story games. Fighting evil, […]
The advertisements that appear on the sidebars of Facebook pages are creepy. It’s true for a number of reasons. For instance I’ve heard stories passed around of people – specifically “edgy” looking girls – who have posted pictures on their personal social media pages only to have their faces wind […]