This week I wrote about the uncomfortable dissonance created by the violence in recent releases like Tomb Raider and Bioshock Infinite (“Killing Spree: The Inconsistency of Video Game Violence.” PopMatters. May 7 2013). Both of these games try to treat murder as a profound horror while at the same time making shooty fun and sweet … Continue reading Just Killing in Binary Domain
[Originally posted on PopMatters] A man in a tuxedo is dropped into former Soviet Russia to destroy a chemical weapons plant. After infiltrating the plant through the ventilation system, he finds a grate leading into a stall in a public bathroom. Beneath him is a guard sitting on the toilet in a forest green trench coat. … Continue reading Killing Spree: The Inconsistency of Video Game Violence
Last week I wrote on Exit Fate for The Border House (“The Perspective of Privilege.” The Border House. May 1 2013.). A pretty good discussion arose in the comments section that went a few different directions, ultimately ending on the semantics of J and W RPGs. Throughout the original piece, I referred to Exit Fate … Continue reading On the Difference Between “J” and “W”
[Originally posted on The Border House] For the past month I’ve taken up the self-imposed challenge of playing nothing but JRPGs. There are few reasons for this but all of them can be traced back to “I like them.” In playing and replaying games in the genre I’ve noticed some patterns emerge. Initially, summarizing these patterns … Continue reading The Perspective of Privilege
[This piece was written as a part of Critical Distance‘s April 2013 Blogs of the Round Table feature] Throughout Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, Batman is assisted remotely by Barbara Gordon, a computer genius and the former Batgirl. Oracle, as she now calls herself, analyzes information, tracks down keys to the locked doors standing in … Continue reading Oracle and the Non-Playing Character
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