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January 19th

…is one of asymmetrical warfare, possibly meant to teach a common language of tactics much like we use sports metaphors today. Christian Nutt mulls on the toys we played with as kids and did the influence they had on us.

Owen Vince talks about Skyrim and “living by the sword”. And Zolani Stewart does a critical Let’s Play of an older FPS: Perfect Dark.

Tony Wilson dares to imagine Gone Home with guns. Amsel von Spreckelsen talks about portrayals of “psychopaths” in games. And at The Escapist, Rob Rath on Job, The Outsider and Dishonored.

The…

February 2nd

Delicious friends, how glad I am to see you! Come closer, take a look around. I have brought you the finest in games writing, hand-picked for your enjoyment.

Try a bite! It’s This Week In Videogame Blogging.

The Formalisms of Discussing Formalism

“Across Worlds and Bodies: Criticism in the Age of Video Games,” Brendan Keogh’s call for more close readings in the Journal of Games Criticism continues to make waves. Lana Polanski and Zolani Stewart discuss the kyriarchal structures of academia at length in this untitled podcast, while Mattie Brice weighs in with her own

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Episode 15 – Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month or maybe, as the discussion recognizes, in submission to it, we at Critical Distance are honored to be host to a discussion of three highly intelligent black critics to discuss both the concept of Black History Month and what it means to be black in video games and the wider culture. Now, I’ll just get out of the way and let them take it from here.

CAST

Mattie Brice: Alternate Ending

Zolani Stewert: The Fengxi Box

Evan Narcisse: Kotaku

SHOW NOTES

Bow Nigger

The Arcade Review

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May 11th

…has options you can check in the menu to turn on “full screen glow”? Who else holds suspension of disbelief and immersiveness as their highest goals?

And back with Eurogamer, Tony Coles poses: is Solitaire the first roguelike?

A/V

At Gamasutra, Mike Rose has the story of how the unusual party game compilation Sportsfriends came to be.

Indies are also on the minds of the fine people over at Not Your Mama’s Gamer, who in their most recent podcast interview Dominique Pamplemousse developer Deirdra Kiai.

Past Critical Distance contributor Zolani Stewart has posted the…

July 27th

…

Let’s Talk

This article by Dan Grilopoulos on Eurogamer delving into the origins of Minesweeper could have gone further into today’s competitive scene, but it is still an interesting piece on the ubiquitous software. In it, he interviews the original developers behind the game and Microsoft’s better-known plagiarism.

Back on Paste, Ansh Patel interviews Arvind Raja Yadav, game designer of the recently released Unrest, a game set in ancient India. (Full disclosure: I am a backer of this game.)

Meanwhile, at Sufficiently Human, Critical Distance contributor Lana Polansky and alumnus Zolani Stewart get into discussion over

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August 10th

…writes about the story in Transistor (spoilers here too) and how the love story of this digital game lightly critiques the digital world.

Daniel Galera has a wonderful long-form read this week that lets you relive the wonder of Prince of Persia while simultaneously making poignant observations about agency, algorithms, youth, love and more.

Zolani Stewart, who has also recently joined the Critical Distance team, brings us another long-form read this week about the history of Sonic The Hedgehog and his status as a fluid media object moving between mascot and fully realized character.

Finally, Perter Christiansen…

August 17th

Hello everyone! This week is loaded to the brim with writing and criticism of all kinds, so let’s get to it. It’s This Week in Videogame Blogging!

Streaming

I want to start with the surge of video criticism that’s been emerging lately.

Brendan Keogh has been looking at the first Modern Warfare title, showing us how the old blockbuster is more interesting than it seems on first glance. Stephen Beirne reflects on the act of interpretation and value while drawing a pretty picture.

Jody Macgregor has a critical Let’s Play series of the first Thief,

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September 21th

…of culture as some Japanese fans believed the original Toad to have been female.

Design, Culture, Coverage and Other Great Debates

Studying games from a sociological background, Joe Baxter-Webb examines PC gamer culture – how it’s discussed and portrayed online, and how this reflects back on games culture and perceptions of it from those who don’t identify as a part of it.

Alternately, Zolani Stewart and Lana Polansky posted a podcast that discusses leaving videogames behind when its culture and spaces are no longer those with which one can, or wants, to identify.

Joining in the…

September 28th

…has rolled up a big ball of essays on Katamari Damacy on Metafilter. Finally, Zolani Stewart talks about the use of image and space at his own blog.

Rolling in Engrams

The time has come, Guardian. You have made it to… THE CAVE. Kirk Hamilton lines up the first shot with Kotaku’s review of Destiny, which frames The Loot Cave as a critical design flaw of the game. Michael “Sparky” Clarkson flanks with a focus-fire on The Loot Cave.

Matthew Gallant scouts out the area in depth, discussing the game mechanics at work in and around The…

October 19th

…the Night, Not, I Hope, Unarmed

That’s it for this week! As always, we value your contributions via Twitter mention and email.

There is still a bit of time to get involved in October’s Blogs of the Round Table. It’s a fun topic touching on Halloween, so I encourage you to give it a whirl!

Did you know we’re commissioning new features? Because we are! Head over here to learn more.

And a few more sites and resources to relax into your Sunday:

–Arcade Review is a quarterly magazine edited by our contributors Zolani Stewart…