Wednesday, August 30, 2017

What Remains of Edith Finch Is What Remains of Anyone

Some thoughts (now that the game has been out for awhile) on the critically acclaimed Edith Finch.

I am not quite as in love with this game as many seem to be (including my oldest daughter, who said it changed her life), but I can't deny its thoughtfulness and interesting use of the medium. It excels at playing around with how a story can be told, which is admittedly pretty cool in many instances.

It may simply be my own general malaise that is influencing my somewhat personally tepid response. This is a very good game, probably one of the year's best. Dozens of critics and thousands of players are probably not wrong. My discussion of it, though, over at PopMatters is purely analytical, not evaluative.

What Remains of Edith Finch Is What Remains of Anyone

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Inside and the Monstrosity of Collectivism

This is a brief essay that I kind of wanted to write when this game came out, but when I reviewed it, I didn't want to give so much away.

Maybe I talked about some of this when we podcasted about Inside. Not sure.

Inside and the Monstrosity of Collectivism

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Of Pillow Forts and Play

Due to working on other projects (including my daughter's wedding, but also some academic writing), I haven't written anything for PM for awhile. Hopefully, I'll be turning that around. In the meantime, here's a little something that I wrote about Fortnite.

Of Pillow Forts and Play

Monday, July 24, 2017

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Dead Rising 4 Feels Sanitized

Dead Rising 4 seems calculated not to offend. I don't really get this given the genre of the game.

The audience that is interested in horror is paying to feel disturbed and distressed. That's what they're signing up for.

Dead Rising 4 Feels Sanitized

Monday, March 13, 2017

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Learning the Barbarian

There's no one better than a barbarian to teach you how to become civilized.

Learning the Barbarian

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

SEYTON

The queen, my lord, is dead.

MACBETH

She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Moving Pixels Podcast The Best Games of 2016

In which I talk about video games not published in 2016 and about things that are not video games.

Moving Pixels Podcast The Best Games of 2016

Friday, January 20, 2017

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Wednesday, January 11, 2017