Category Archives: Video Games

On Bastion

So I didn’t like Bastion the first time that I tried it. It was last summer, I think, when the demo showed up on Live. I read all of the push about the game, about how it was beautiful, about loss and … Continue reading

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On Zero-Player Games

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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On Plink

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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Video Games and Tony Barlow’s Sharp Teeth

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

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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I Have Feelings About Handheld Video Games

I purchased a DSi. The last time that I had a handheld system was probably in middle school and elementary school. I played my Pokemon Red and Blue, my Dragon Warriors, my Dragon Warrior Monsters. A Link to the Past got … Continue reading

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Kill Screen Interviews Ken Levine

I am going to see Jacques Ranciere later today, so I don’t have time to make a well thought-out post, but I did happen to see this fascinating interview with Ken Levine that Kill Screen posted the other day. I recommend reading the … Continue reading

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On The Republia Times

So somewhere on the internet I found a link to this game called The Republia Times (or just Republia) by Lucas Pope. The basic idea is that you are a newspaper editor in an oppressive regime whose family is being … Continue reading

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Suikoden vs Mass Effect

I am feeling brain sluggish today, so I don’t have anything super smart to tell you. The end of the semester is coming up, as some of you might be aware of, and that is a draining, horrific time for … Continue reading

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Tim Cain’s GDC 2012 Talk: Fallout

I’m not sure who this post is for, really, but I think that someone might get some use out of it, so I am going to make it. Tim Cain, one of the design and programming leads on one of the … Continue reading

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