"Where is all the good writing about games?"
…out | ZAM – The Largest Collection of Online Gaming Information Danielle Riendeau identifies some new trends in the mechanical design of narrative-forward games.
“This may all seem like a fine detail, but the beloved balance of the game rests on the humble estus flask. Enemies…
…the future of open world games | ZAM – The Largest Collection of Online Gaming Information (video: auto-captions) Danielle Riendeau argues that infinity is a tricky thing to make use of as a designer.
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…critics offer explanations.
Meanwhile, on the other side of games industry capital flows, Youtubers are concerned about censorship, and their viewers are concerned about manipulation.
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With just one week to go until All Hallow’s Eve, many games critics are considering the scariest thing of all: our Kafkaesque relationship with institutions of power. Mwahahahaha.
Starting this week’s roundup are three pieces on randomness, chance, and probability that all just happened by coincidence to come out at the same time.
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…VICE | United Kingdom Patrick Klepek provides a personal account of his childhood experience with Doom 2 and the computer knowledge used to run and mod it.
…of Mafia III’s approach to historical storytelling.
“NPC chatter has become a hallmark of the open world genre, but rarely does this chatter go beyond “hey, watch it!” or “ahhhh, he’s got a gun!” Mafia III includes this same sort of chatter, but it also features NPC dialogue infused with an impressive…
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Visual Essay Jam
The online iteration of the Visual Essay Jam will take place from February 10th to 13th, and you can find its itch.io page here. (https://itch.io/jam/visual-essay-jam) Examples of visual essays, as well as tools and tips for creating your essay can also be found there. If you have any questions, or would like to gather a group together in person to do a visual essay jam, either on the weekend of the online jam or anytime afterwards, let me know on Twitter (@netgal_emi). Thanks for your interest, and I hope to go image-hunting with you soon!
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We spend time in caves, bedrooms, and bathrooms this week as games critics discuss how to make games cute, politically relevant, and intimate. This week’s roundup comes a little late, but it’s a good one!
We start with some thoughts on storytelling with regard to dire situations, and how visual and narrative techniques can work with the player’s desire to move ahead and explore.
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…ZAM – The Largest Collection of Online Gaming Information Kris Ligman’s treatment of Persona 5’s localization problems highlights serious issues around misogyny, transmisogyny, and rape culture.
In these two pieces, critics shine a light on the disturbed subconscious underpinnings of patriarchy. The lizard man
…While anti-harassment solutions based on “big data” and machine learning might be increasingly popular, today’s MOBA designers should weigh carefully the Tribunal’s unique advantage: providing a forum within which community norms evolve organically in socially responsible directions. That lesson is worth remembering.
Looking more specifically at inclusivity in gaming communities, this week three pieces identified strategies and successes in accessible and inclusive gaming.