REVIEW TO THE DEATH: Analogue: A Hate Story  vs. Super Deep Throat

    Cut to the chase and call Analogue: A Hate Story and Super Deep Throat companion pieces. The first, Christine Love’s newest femi-techno product o’ praise; the second, a game about having sex with women’s mouths. Yet, despite this

"Unlocks" and the gamification of gaming

  “LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD INSTANTLY!” I blinked. I had just launched Battlefield 3, and for some reason there a pop-up promising me…fairness? “Tired of fighting an uphill battle against Battlefield veterans?” it continued.  “The Ultimate Shortcut Bundle unlocks 119

A new way to teach history

As the nation’s education system continues to falter, many are looking for a new way to teach students. The games like those created as part of Mission U.S. could help revitalize the classroom when schools need it the most. “Less

Why classic games break the facade of creativity

As a self-proclaimed creative type, it wasn’t long before I realized most myths about creativity were bullshit. Give an ultracreative to the point of parody like Peter Molyneux a completely blank folder, an unending budget, a next-next gen console, and

1979 and the potential of games as historical-political narratives

Games haven’t been given much of a chance to articulate historical narratives in a meaningful way, let alone serve as political commentary. The most successful title to achieve the latter would have to be Bioshock, and while its forthcoming sequel

Dead Space 2 and the value of multiple simultaneous perspectives

By integrating choice and multiple user-controlled view-points into the game, Dead Space 2 provides a refreshing alternative to traditional video game cutscenes. In the extraordinarily crowded field of video games, many seek attention through cutscenes of increasing complexity or realism.