Author Archives: kunzelman

On Truth: Red, White & Black

Posted on 05/31/2012 by kunzelman

I don’t know how to start this. Truth: Red, White & Black is about superheroes. That isn’t right. Truth: Red, White & Black is about comic books. Ugh. 1. Superheroes Truth: Red, White & Black is the story of the … Continue reading →

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On Cow Boy

Posted on 05/30/2012 by kunzelman

Cow Boy is an odd thing. There is a seriousness in it that can’t be forgotten–a boy is rounding up his entire outlaw family and turning them in. He is a bounty hunter, and whether that job description came as … Continue reading →

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Cabinet Interview with Sianne Ngai

Posted on 05/25/2012 by kunzelman

This isn’t something substantive, but rather it is a moment where I tell you video game and comic book people that you have to read this interview that Sianne Ngai did with Cabinet last year. Ngai writes on aesthetics in a really … Continue reading →

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On Zero-Player Games

Posted on 05/24/2012 by kunzelman

Jesper Juul has posted a fascinating article titled “Zero Player Games: Or What We Talk About When We Talk About Players” over at his blogzone. It is a cowritten piece between Juul and Staffan Björk, and I found it interesting for … Continue reading →

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A Brilliant Bit By Erin Manning

Posted on 05/22/2012 by kunzelman

I am writing a conference paper and crunch time is upon us. I don’t have a lot of time for blog posts, but I think you will want to read this bit by Erin Manning from her book The Politics of … Continue reading →

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“Creators are more important than fictional characters and corporations.”

Posted on 05/10/2012 by kunzelman

Today was going to be my review of Kotsko’s Why We Love Sociopaths but I got busy writing something for Nightmare Mode and running errands, so that has to wait at least one more day. Instead, you get this gem that Jamaal … Continue reading →

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On Plink

Posted on 05/07/2012 by kunzelman

Go play Plink. Do it right now. I don’t have a lot of things to say about the game. It is poetry in motion, and when you are playing with a few other people, you can really feel it click. … Continue reading →

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On The Last Broadcast

Posted on 05/04/2012 by kunzelman

I watched The Last Broadcast recently. I really liked the film (though I thought the end was a cheesy cop out), and if you’ve seen The Blair Witch Project, there are some really interesting shared aspects between the two films. The Last Broadcast came out … Continue reading →

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Video Games and Tony Barlow’s Sharp Teeth

Posted on 05/01/2012 by kunzelman

I just finished reading Tony Barlow’s Sharp Teeth. It is a brilliant novel about werewolves in L.A. written in verse. I realize that nothing about that previous sentence sounds even remotely interesting, but trust me. Anyway, about halfway through the novel … Continue reading →

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Abjection and the Video Game

Posted on 04/27/2012 by kunzelman

Over at RPS, Jim Rossignol has a great article up about the way that bodily functions are represented and accounted for in video games. Rossignol highlights two reasons that biological functions like eating, urinating, etc. are included in games: 1. … Continue reading →

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