Get the new episode! (Right click and save as to download, or hit us up on iTunes or Stitcher) This week, we talked games and mental illness with Philippe A. Ménard, a scriptwriter at Ubisoft Montreal, among other things, who recently held forth on anxiety and depression in gamers at […]
Yearly Archives: 2015
379 posts
I remember when Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventures first launched. Pea was about 3 1/2 and really liked video games (still does for the record), but still spent most of her time demanding that I play the games that she wanted to watch. When she asked for Skylanders I was a little skeptical. […]
Patience is an essential component of farming and, as it turns out, is a value I wish I had used when I decided to purchase the most recent “official” Harvest Moon release, Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley. As you might remember from my previous review on the title, I had […]
The first video in Sarkeesian’s new video series, Positive Female Characters in Video Games, launched yesterday. In this video she covers the Scythian from Sword & Sworcery. While there are bound to be some growing pains as she begins this new series, Sarkeesian does a solid analysis of the game’s […]
This week, I’ve been playing Life is Strange, rereading I am Charlotte Simmons, and thinking about unlikable characters. Both Life is Strange and I am Charlotte Simmons are filled with characters that I just do not like, but nevertheless I’m fully invested in both narratives this week. Unlikable characters often […]
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 […]
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 […]
Envision yourself shut up in a security office. A flock of murderous animatronics stalk the corridors. Above, you hear the rattling of the vents. One may be inside. There’s no one around to help you. Is it a trick of the mind or are you in danger? What do you […]
One of the many things that we talked about in episode 97 of the podcast (it’s a good one and you should go back and listen to it right after you finish reading this post) was the incredible lack of diversity among the popular Twitch streamers and YouTubers. While there […]
I spend a good deal of time watching, thinking about, and analyzing anime. Prior to the start of each anime season (which is broken up into fall, winter, spring, and summer), I meticulously comb over the list of upcoming premiers and choose those series I believe have potential to be […]
Recently, LEGO rejected a LEGO Ideas submission featuring the women of the Supreme Court, citing LEGO’s rule of not engaging with current politics. On one hand, I see their point; I don’t really want political LEGO sets, and I can certainly think of more than a few politicians that I […]
I’ll never forget the moment, years ago, when I mentally “picked” a flower while walking into a Blockbuster Video. I glanced at their sidewalk planter, which had a number of beautiful pink and purple flowers in it, and I swear I saw a hand icon in my vision and heard […]
Batman: Arkham Knight has been pushed back for a second time. The game is now slated to be released on June 23, 2015 rather than June 2. As a consolation prize Rocksteady Studios has released some gameplay footage to hold us over…yeah right. Hurry up already, I want to play […]