Playing the Fool

Not much of a stretch for me.

Playing the Fool

New York's alright if you like tuberculosis

This is Fear from a 1981 performance on Saturday Night Live, a Halloween episode. Apparently, reruns of this episode during that season excised the performance.

I love how the band fucks with the audience, the audience responds nastily to them, and the band fucks with them all the more. "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones" is an inspired choice for pissing off the venue.

It's all so pretty.

Nothing beats a good moral panic

Every single generation.

They tempered brutality with Elegance, debauchery with Taste.

--Robert Fuller, speaking on the nature of the members of the Hell-fire Clubs of the 18th century, Hell-Fire Francis

Playing Sophisticated Trash: Duke Nukem 3D and the History of the First Person Shooter

Everything goes better with trash, even the history of video games.

Playing Sophisticated Trash: Duke Nukem 3D and the History of the First Person Shooter

Best of the Moving Pixels Podcast: The Often Less-than-Super-Heroic Super Heroes of Video Games

Still thinking about what to write about this week, especially since I'm working on some other things on the side over the break, which involves super heroes.

Maybe that's why I pulled a discussion that we had on the podcast a few years ago from the archives about super heroes and video games.

Best of the Moving Pixels Podcast: The Often Less-than-Super-Heroic Super Heroes of Video Games

She'll be better at this than I ever was. She's smarter than me.

I was all blunt force. She's a goddamn ballerina.

I wanted to take the punch. I thought, that'll scare 'em.

It was probably too many punches that put that thought in my head.

The Taming of the Dude: From Harlequin Romance to Virtual Boyfriends

Or, One at a Time Please, Ladies: From Heathcliff to My Virtual Boyfriend.

Like I said, harder than times. Tougher than luck.

The Taming of the Dude: From Harlequin Romance to Virtual Boyfriends

well, I've been up for ages

Harder than times. Tougher than luck.

and you touch the silk in your lapel

MIA

Addicted to Death: More Thoughts on Gaming and Masochism

Who doesn't like pain?

Who doesn't like oatmeal?

(Well , probably somebody.).

Addicted to Death: More Thoughts on Gaming and Masochism

Moving Pixels Podcast: Infiltrating Metal Gear Solid V

It's hard to believe that Hideo Kojima has been telling a story for 30 years. This week, we talk about his last time working with one of the oldest, continual sagas in video game history.

Moving Pixels Podcast: Infiltrating Metal Gear Solid V

Adverbs make me suspicious

Grading essay exams on American realism. Some decent ones, some less than decent ones. Drudgery, nevertheless.

Adverbs always make me suspicious in literary analysis. When an essay begins almost immediately with a line like, "in the story, the author vividly describes," I immediately assume you have nothing to say.

After all, why are you padding this out already? I know the "vividness" of Stephen Crane's prose is not going to have anything to do with the remaining essay, nor could you easily define the difference between vivid and non-vivid prose in any case, nor would you have a purpose in doing so.

Maybe the rest of the essay will turn out fine. We'll see.

I'm just saying that it makes me immediately wary of the quality of what will follow.

The Flame in the Flood: Gaming As Naturalism, Gaming As Romanticism

Flames, floods, and forces beyond our control.

The Flame in the Flood: Gaming As Naturalism, Gaming As Romanticism

and her lips are like the galaxy's edge

Managing to Survive as The Flame in the Flood

A girl and her dog.

And catastrophe.

Managing to Survive as The Flame in the Flood