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

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

Sine Mora EX Builds a Beautiful Bullet Hell

Not my genre, but a very pretty game to look at.

Hard as hell, too.

Sine Mora EX Builds a Beautiful Bullet Hell

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

monsters tell the truth

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

Hold me before I go under

We Become What We Behold Takes on Viral Divisiveness

Five minutes well worth your time.

We Become What We Behold Takes on Viral Divisiveness

The More I Have, the Less I Play

Embarrassment of riches.

The More I Have, the Less I Play

Completion

Learning the Barbarian

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

Learning the Barbarian

fuck death

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.

Youtubers Life Asks: Can You Have Much of a Life as a Content Creator?

Simming content creation. Brutal.

Youtubers Life Asks: Can You Have Much of a Life as a Content Creator?

The Witness Sees Investigation As the Most Important of Human Virtues

Finally playing The Witness. Jonathan Blow remains pretty brilliant.

The Witness Sees Investigation As the Most Important of Human Virtues

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

Playing to Lose: The Tragedy of This Is the Police

This Is the Police is not hard boiled. It is hard, hard boiled.

Playing to Lose: The Tragedy of This Is the Police

Beautiful Minecraft Sees Minecraft As a Sculptural Tool, Not Just a Game

Another nice book by No Starch Press. Not exactly my thing, but Minecraft fans will likely dig it.

Beautiful Minecraft Sees Minecraft As a Sculptural Tool, Not Just a Game

The Moving Pixels Podcast Investigates Gravity Bone and Thirty Flights of Loving

Thoughts on the works of Brendon Chung:

The Moving Pixels Podcast Investigates Gravity Bone and Thirty Flights of Loving