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Tag: God of War

Machine Gods: Religion in Games
Posted on Jul 16, 2013Jun 24, 2015

Machine Gods: Religion in Games

[Originally posted on PopMatters] The banner stretched over the entrance to Bioshock’s Rapture, “No Gods or Kings, only Man,” makes for a good descriptor of most modern games. Games are spaces where any “Gods” that show up are just a name, a boss fight, or a battery for the player’s magic. Protagonists aren’t accountable to any … Continue reading Machine Gods: Religion in Games

On “Grown Up” Games
Posted on Sep 14, 2012Apr 25, 2015

On “Grown Up” Games

Earlier this week I celebrated my twenty-fifth birthday and, while I don’t want to get too shmlatzy about the whole ordeal, the day was marked by that same arbitrariness/ceremony/ennui that all birthdays come with after puberty. I’m an adult. I have been for a few years now. But now it’s starting to hit home a … Continue reading On “Grown Up” Games

Forced Failure and the Undignified Hero
Posted on Jul 24, 2012Apr 13, 2015

Forced Failure and the Undignified Hero

[Originally posted on PopMatters] Games are about agency. They also blur the line between character experience and audience experience. The audience is the main character in a game, and the events of the story impact the audience directly. All that holds immense narrative potential, of course. In a game, then, the hero’s victory is the … Continue reading Forced Failure and the Undignified Hero

Playing the Bad Guy Feels Good
Posted on May 8, 2012Sep 14, 2016

Playing the Bad Guy Feels Good

[Originally posted on PopMatters] Last week, Daniel Tovrov wrote a piece for Popmatters on the cult of iconic movie “bad guys”.1 Through the characters of Gordon Gekko of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Tony Montana of Scarface, and Patrick Bateman of American Psycho, Tovrov argues that, even though these figures are cautionary tales about unchecked … Continue reading Playing the Bad Guy Feels Good

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  • RT @critdistance: This week: eight good ones, from Atari and Intellivison to present platforms and challenges. critical-distance.com/2022/05/15/may… 1 day ago
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