There are some things I wanted to say about Exit Fate that got left behind when I wrote about it and then wrote about it again and kinda wrote about it that one other time (“The Perspective of Privilege.” The Border House. May 1 2013; “On the Difference Between ‘J’ and ‘W’.” bigtallwords. May 5 … Continue reading Further Thoughts on Exit Fate
[originally posted on PopMatters] Somewhere during the first third of Final Fantasy VII, as the party grows and events begin coalescing, the protagonist, Cloud, complains that he’s turning into a “three-ring circus.” This is a cute bit of meta-humor as the game followed the then common convention of having party members travel around inside the body … Continue reading We Are One: JRPGs, the Group Journey, and the Mechanics of Cooperation
Most recently I’ve written on PopMatters about a very, very, very, very troubling game called Expeditions Conquistador (PopMatters. Feb 18 2013) (it’s wonderfully designed, but more about why it’s so troubling is somewhere in the pipeline, I have a feeling I’ll be writing about that game for a while) and a more general article about … Continue reading Women are not Objectives
The video games I love most, I love for their stories. I studied Literature in university and I have worked at two different movie theaters. I’ve been an arts and entertainment journalist/critic for five years now and counting. I’ve previewed and reviewed novels, short story collections, poetry, albums, films, concerts, ballets, graphic novels, plays, concerts, … Continue reading The Case for Characters
[This piece was written as a part of Critical Distance‘s January 2013 Blogs of the Round Table feature] At a friend’s encouragement I’ve decided to finally tackle Final Fantasy Tactics. Occasionally I’ll find myself really latching onto a quirk in a game that makes it seem unique. Many of these little quirks I jump all … Continue reading How Agnes Taught Me to Appreciate Difficulty
bigtallwords 