Search Results for “journey” – Page 6

Bioshock: Infinite

…effort turned gargantuan tragedy, like the city of Columbia itself.

Without further ado, I am proud to present Critical Distance’s Bioshock: Infinite Critical Compilation.

1. There’s always a lighthouse, a man, a city: The Launch of Bioshock: Infinite

Before the release of the game proper, a longform interview with Infinite’s lead designer, Ken Levine, was ran on Polygon, with reporter Chris Plante. Among other things, they discussed the journey that led to the creation of Infinite, including some quotes by Levine. “The way I create video games, it’s more like sculpture.”

On March 25th, 2013, one…

Assassin’s Creed II

…that AC2’s vast scope and fast story pacing diluted the possibility of strong characterization and compelling storytelling. You do get to “meet” all the “star” historical characters, but you never really get to know them.

Going on the premise that the Ezio story fits the mold of Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” monomyth, Stanislav Costiuc provided a breakdown of story sequences as they fit the narrative arc of a hero’s journey. For most sequences, the pacing keeps the story arc tight, and coherent. Costiuc also provided counter story directions for sequences 4 to 10 (Florence to Tuscany to Venice) that could…

April 14th

…avenues.

How Journals Are Bringing Humanity to Video Games | USgamer Andrew King contextualizes the enduring trend of journal-writing in games by examining the historical practice of private, vulnerable writing.
Journey to the Mother-Tongue – ZEAL – Medium Petar Duric connects Journey‘s silent tragedies to his own experiences seeking belonging in a family that survived the Yugoslav Civil War.
You cheated the game – I Need Diverse Games Tauriq Moosa weighs in on the experience of receiving online abuse as a games journalist, and warns against letting online harassers take up all the oxygen in the

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February 16th

…hope, evaluating the limits on player agency in the overall experience.

Huddled Together | Bullet Points Monthly Reid McCarter, in an ongoing issue on winter in games, looks at the tension and strain between survivalist pessimism and the persistence of social bonds in The Last of Us.

The Bittersweet Journey Of A Short Hike | Kotaku Narelle Ho Sang unpacks shifting player expectations in approaching a Journey Of A Short Hike and synthesizes those thoughts with the game’s overall messaging.

“In this game about the things we miss in life, even if it’s due to…

March 22nd

…is the Safety Blanket Millenials Reach for in These Trying Times – Uppercut Caitlin Galiz-Rowe discusses how virtual economies generally and Neopets specifically simulate an idealized, equitable, and comforting vision of prosperity for all which has never actually existed in reality.

Climbing Mount Celeste Is Aiding My Own Mental Health Journey | Sidequest Emily Durham climbs the mountain and makes peace with the difficult but worthwhile journey.

“I’ve had to be patient through my difficult adjustment to my medication, and Celeste has given me something to focus on that isn’t my side effects. Celeste has forced…

July 12th

…yearning to jump right into whatever console or device you are playing on and set off on a journey. Whether it’s instrumental or features vocals, the opening music offers the promise of something new, thrilling, and entertaining.”

Pioneering Protagonists

Which voices are given prominence, given agency in the games we play? Not a new question, but one of recurring importance, as two authors this week explore the protagonists of key games and the representational stakes they bring to the conversation.

Never Mind The Last Of Us, Here’s The Real Game With The First LGBT+ Protagonist…

Final Fantasy VII

…and producer Yoshinori Kitase (translated by aitaikimochi from Final Fantasy VII Remake: Ultimania), Nomura reveals that the final text seen on screen in the game, “The Unknown Journey Will Continue,” came about because Kitase wanted something “that connects to what lies beyond the ending.” In the same interview, though, Kitase himself says that “From here on out, we’re not drastically changing the story and making it into something completely different than the original. Even though it’s a Remake, please assume that FF7 will still be FF7 as usual.”

The tension is palpable: although what lies beyond the ending…

This Year in Videogame Blogging: 2020

…chose articles that stood out to me for saying something original or speaking to a perspective that is underrepresented, and tried to avoid repetition when it comes to either the points made or the people making them.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to include every piece of writing that I truly loved, but I hope the overall selection takes you on a worthwhile journey through the discursive landscape.

Part 1: Taking action in games cultures

Accountability

Content warning: sexual assault and abuse in the workplace.

What it’s like sharing your #metoo with Kotaku (a cautionary

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Elizabeth LaPensée, Ph.D | Critical Distance: Keywords in Play, Episode 1

…do the opposite of what would be expected in games…

[chuckles]

Elizabeth: rather that the journey itself, is a right to left journey. So you start in the Tar Sands in Alberta and from an Anishinaabek world view, thinking about being positioned from the Great Lakes and looking south down over the lakes then you’re coming from that direction. The Tar Sands from the right and then you’re heading in the direction of left in towards the Straits of Mackinac. And so, there is a specific reason for why you are taking that movement and it really is reflective…

February 20th

…From’s least-loved Souls entry.

Gliding Through Self-Discovery: How Japanese Breakfast Guided My Procellous Journey With ‘Sable’ | Epilogue Gaming Flora Eloise traces the sonic contours of her time with and adjacent to Sable.

“Playing Sable at a period of my life where I feel uncertain of the various masks with which I wear and which others use to perceive me, Sable’s journey spoke to me in a manner that Japanese Breakfast’s own music and Michelle Zauner’s H Mart did in their respective mediums.”

Critical Chaser

A little warmth to close out the week.

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