If you’ve been paying attention to the world lately, than like me you’re probably a little angry, frightened and exhausted (Crabapple, Molly. “We Must Risk Delight After a Summer of Monsters.” VICE. Aug 28 2014.). I feel this way even though none of these issues affect me directly: I could be perfectly unaware of them … Continue reading Gamers are the Worst: and other personal thoughts
I have some lingering thoughts on violence I didn’t discuss in my previous two posts on the subject (“Everything Looks like a Nail… / …When All you Have is a Hammer.” bigtallwords. Aug 13 2014.). About two days ago my partner finished a completionist run of both Batman games, Arkham Asylum and Arkham City (she … Continue reading Crime and Punishment: Criminology According to Batman
Continuing from my previous thoughts, Spec-Ops and Hotline Miami, perhaps the two most visible “violent games about violent games,” have player-characters who only use violence to interact in the world. While Spec-Ops is far more on-the-nose about how destructive that attitude is, both put the player in a scenario where violence is the only language they have to communicate … Continue reading …When All You Have is a Hammer
One of the things I find most fascinating about the conversation about videogame violence is the nebulous threshold that separates “inappropriate” from “provocative” portrayals, “excessive” from “effective” ones. Reactions to Spec-Ops: The Line fluctuate widely, with some praising its harsh frankness and others ridiculing its shallow pretensions. People are either captivated or duped by it: it … Continue reading Everything Looks Like a Nail…
The Magus by John Fowles follows an entitled, selfish English graduate as he escapes his failed ambitions and relationships to a Greek island. There he meets Maurice Conchis, a billionaire intellectual who may be (but probably isn’t) connected to a supernatural force. The novel, set just after the Second World War, explores post-war masculine anxiety, … Continue reading Life at the Grindstone: the small significance of grinding
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