I’ve written about games and stories and the connection between game studies and literary studies in the past, but after continuing to watch Westworld, I find myself coming back to this network of relationships, this interplay between game and story. Because something that Westworld has brought to mind for me […]
Yearly Archives: 2016
260 posts
This might sound blasphemous, but the women in Mafia III and Luke Cage fascinate me most. These women are simultaneously complex and maddeningly shallow. I say this to mean there is centuries of tears, laughter, abuse, and love tied up in each and every one of them, but at the same […]
The energy in my house was electric. I read through the directions, slowly, to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I had opened the package up on the drive home because I couldn’t wait to see what it looked like, what it felt like in my hands. There were so […]
I’ve written about Overwatch before, and my reasons for finally caving and playing Blizzard’s massive online battle arena (MOBA) game were deeply rooted in my experience with the fandom. As a gamer and a fan of two of Blizzard’s other major IPs, Diablo and Starcraft, the fact that I didn’t […]
One child grows up to be Somebody that just loves to learn And another child grows up to be Somebody you’d just love to burn -“Family Affair,” Sly and the Family Stone (1971) Family. It’s a big deal for me. I live and die for mine. I am a fierce […]
Episode 138: “Her Name is Moon-Moon!”: Remasters, Sequels, and A Tale of Games to Come (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn). This week we talk about what we are playing and looking forward to in the coming couple of months as we find […]
When I was little, I wanted to be a cowboy when I grew up. Okay, there was a short period in preschool during which I wanted to be a ballerina, but I soon realized that tights are itchy and, also, that I can’t dance. Being a cowboy seemed a much […]
In Part One of this series, I argued that feminist and cultural studies scholars can and should be talking about games that simulate reality. Often these types of games (sports, racing) get overlooked because they are simply supposed to mimic reality. Thus, any critique would de facto be a critique […]
For the marathon this past weekend (remember: you can still donate!), I played Hearthstone and then Left 4 Dead 2, and for the first time in the long hours I’ve put into the latter, I did not invert the controls. For years, I’ve been inverting Y axes in dozens of […]
This week I started working on the Brick Bank, a build I’ve been looking forward to for months. I was mostly excited because attached to the bank is a laundry mat, and LEGO has jokes. The set has several references to money laundering. The big, modular sets also tend to […]
You know how much I need you To have you, really feel you You don’t have to change a thing No one knows the love you bring Be real black for me – “Be Real Black For Me,” Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway (1972) Over the course of the last week […]
Back in April I posted a thought piece on whether or not systems themselves can be the cause of harassment, hate, and toxicity. My post was inspired by a research study that found a strong correlation between systematic behaviors and human ones: when systems informed a player they were being […]
Last week, a friend mentioned the recently released film The Girl With All the Gifts, and its associated book. I’d never heard of either, but it’s no surprise to anyone around here that I’m a huge zombie nerd, so the trailer immediately caught my attention, because it’s a human story […]
Recently, LEGO released the Disney Castle, and I was both excited and conflicted when I saw the set. The LEGO Disney Castle had been rumored for a while, but I didn’t pay much attention to the rumors. In my mind, I imagined the set would be more like one of […]
When it comes to performance, I’m something of a jack of all trades. I’ve studied music, theatre, and dance, and even though writing took the front seat on the bus of my vocational life, I can still shake off my mental cobwebs enough to play each of the four instruments […]
Episode 137: A Turtle Named Shelly: Firewatch With Me (Right click and save as to download, or find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn). This week we come together to talk about turtles, bees, and mysteries in the Wyoming mountains. That’s right we’re talking about Campo Santo’s Firewatch which was (finally)released last […]