Author Archives: Ethan Gach

At the Intersection of Police Brutality and Vigilante Tourism in Games

It’s hard to say what time it is, but it’s night. It’s always night in Gotham. Perched on the top of an abandoned factory I listen for the voices of two-bit thugs pulled up from the surrounding streets by a

/ 5 Comments

At the Intersection of Police Brutality and Vigilante Tourism in Games

It’s hard to say what time it is, but it’s night. It’s always night in Gotham. Perched on the top of an abandoned factory I listen for the voices of two-bit thugs pulled up from the surrounding streets by a

/ 5 Comments

Dust: An Elysian Tail Makes Hack’n Slash Feel So Right, Even When It’s Not

Dust: An Elysian Tail opens to a narrator describing the world of Falana as a lone, insurgent fighter takes on an army of opposing foes. Here, the shrouded combatant is mine to control, even though his fate is not. Beyond

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Dust: An Elysian Tail Makes Hack’n Slash Feel So Right, Even When It’s Not

Dust: An Elysian Tail opens to a narrator describing the world of Falana as a lone, insurgent fighter takes on an army of opposing foes. Here, the shrouded combatant is mine to control, even though his fate is not. Beyond

/ 4 Comments

BREAKING: Hulk doesn't just smash…Now he trolls too!

Film Crit Hulk has a column smashing Mass Effect 3’s detractors in which he explains, among other things, why the game’s ending is actually spot on and communicated the entire point of the three game series perfectly. Unfortunately, the not so jolly

/ 2 Comments

BREAKING: Hulk doesn't just smash…Now he trolls too!

Film Crit Hulk has a column smashing Mass Effect 3’s detractors in which he explains, among other things, why the game’s ending is actually spot on and communicated the entire point of the three game series perfectly. Unfortunately, the not so jolly

/ 2 Comments

Vive la Révolution: A French Studio Brings Democracy to Development

Even as studios become larger, and publishers hide more and more behind their PR departments, some video game creators are taking the opposite approach and bringing the development process back into the open. From video games funded by Kickstarter to

/ Comments Off on Vive la Révolution: A French Studio Brings Democracy to Development

Vive la Révolution: A French Studio Brings Democracy to Development

Even as studios become larger, and publishers hide more and more behind their PR departments, some video game creators are taking the opposite approach and bringing the development process back into the open. From video games funded by Kickstarter to

/ Comments Off on Vive la Révolution: A French Studio Brings Democracy to Development

A New Zealand judge is wrong. The U.S. itself isn't what threatens digital rights.

Comic-Con wasn’t the only meeting that wrapped up last week in San Diego. Of much more import, and thus to much less fanfare, the TPP concluded its 13th meeting there where it discussed, among other things, the kinds of copyright laws that each

/ Comments Off on A New Zealand judge is wrong. The U.S. itself isn't what threatens digital rights.

A New Zealand judge is wrong. The U.S. itself isn't what threatens digital rights.

Comic-Con wasn’t the only meeting that wrapped up last week in San Diego. Of much more import, and thus to much less fanfare, the TPP concluded its 13th meeting there where it discussed, among other things, the kinds of copyright laws that each

/ Comments Off on A New Zealand judge is wrong. The U.S. itself isn't what threatens digital rights.

The world may be coming to an end in 2012, but the Internet is just getting started

Today marks the beginning of two new Kickstarter campaigns. The first is for a new product that will potentially disrupt the current models governing the manufacture, publication, and distribution of video games. The second however, a modification to an already

/ Comments Off on The world may be coming to an end in 2012, but the Internet is just getting started

The world may be coming to an end in 2012, but the Internet is just getting started

Today marks the beginning of two new Kickstarter campaigns. The first is for a new product that will potentially disrupt the current models governing the manufacture, publication, and distribution of video games. The second however, a modification to an already

/ Comments Off on The world may be coming to an end in 2012, but the Internet is just getting started

Thanks to this videogame related ruling, I'm moving to Europe.

I’m moving to Europe. I’ve always wanted to, not least of all because it’s old, beautiful, and full of real castles. But there are other perks as well. For instance: mandatory paid vacation. That’s why Europeans have so much time

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Thanks to this videogame related ruling, I'm moving to Europe.

I’m moving to Europe. I’ve always wanted to, not least of all because it’s old, beautiful, and full of real castles. But there are other perks as well. For instance: mandatory paid vacation. That’s why Europeans have so much time

/ 6 Comments

Entitled, Insatiable Whiners. Yea, I'm Looking at You Gamers

Gamers, that most thankless sub-culture of righteous, misanthropic critics. We are never pleased, often discontented, and consistently better informed (or so we like to think) than our video game loving counterparts in every other part of the industry proper. Who could love

/ 11 Comments

Entitled, Insatiable Whiners. Yea, I'm Looking at You Gamers

Gamers, that most thankless sub-culture of righteous, misanthropic critics. We are never pleased, often discontented, and consistently better informed (or so we like to think) than our video game loving counterparts in every other part of the industry proper. Who could love

/ 11 Comments

How Universities Are Helping Video Games Move Forward

In a recent interview with Electron Dance, Dr. Dan Pinchbeck explained how the development paradigm he works in actually finds values in failed games, “If you are a developer and you take a risk and it doesn’t pay off, you’re

/ Comments Off on How Universities Are Helping Video Games Move Forward

How Universities Are Helping Video Games Move Forward

In a recent interview with Electron Dance, Dr. Dan Pinchbeck explained how the development paradigm he works in actually finds values in failed games, “If you are a developer and you take a risk and it doesn’t pay off, you’re

/ Comments Off on How Universities Are Helping Video Games Move Forward

Owning Games Isn't What it Used to be, and That Needs to Change

Much of our lives are moving online. Last night, I ordered Chinese takeout through Grubhub in-between talking with friends over Gchat and Twitter, and then later played a few (fruitless) hours of Modern Warfare 3‘s multiplayer, before returning to my

/ 2 Comments

Owning Games Isn't What it Used to be, and That Needs to Change

Much of our lives are moving online. Last night, I ordered Chinese takeout through Grubhub in-between talking with friends over Gchat and Twitter, and then later played a few (fruitless) hours of Modern Warfare 3‘s multiplayer, before returning to my

/ 2 Comments