To Play or Pause

[Originally posted on PopMatters] Much of the discourse from proponents of the “video games are art” position is centered on the medium’s interactivity as its distinguishing advantage. Audience participation, as it were, is the reason why games exist. No other mode of storytelling so often depends on the actions, reactions, and experiences of its audience … Continue reading To Play or Pause

Review: Scarygirl

[Originally posted on PopMatters] Outside of Nintendo, creating a platformer is a bit of a lost art. One would think that a genre so simple in design and so storied in history would be more readily explored by developers, but the yearly output of platformers has slowed to a trickle. In any case, a platforming … Continue reading Review: Scarygirl

Remembering the Good Times: A defence of video game classics

[Originally posted on Joystick Division] Some time ago a friend of mine borrowed Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. He hadn’t played it When it was released and since that time it’s constructed a very respected legacy. It’s one of those games that you just “should” play. To be high-minded about it, Prince of … Continue reading Remembering the Good Times: A defence of video game classics