Video Games

Hiatus

Some of you might have noticed we aren’t updating much. Nightmare Mode is currently on hiatus as I take the time to reconsider our approach and ethos. We will post the occasional thing in the coming couple of months, as

/ 5 Comments

Hiatus

Some of you might have noticed we aren’t updating much. Nightmare Mode is currently on hiatus as I take the time to reconsider our approach and ethos. We will post the occasional thing in the coming couple of months, as

/ 5 Comments

Love in the Time of Shooters: A Conversation with Brendon Chung

  Brendon Chung is the man behind Blendo Games, which has produced a string of top-notch indie games since the studio’s founding in 2009, most recently Atom Zombie Smasher and Thirty Flights of Loving. Before PAX, I caught up with him to talk about

/ 5 Comments

Love in the Time of Shooters: A Conversation with Brendon Chung

  Brendon Chung is the man behind Blendo Games, which has produced a string of top-notch indie games since the studio’s founding in 2009, most recently Atom Zombie Smasher and Thirty Flights of Loving. Before PAX, I caught up with him to talk about

/ 5 Comments

On Entitlement: Are We Whiners, Or Just Passionate?

Image by Daniel Horacio Agostini, licensed under Creative Commons Just when you thought the word ‘fanboy’ had gone away and gamers could have conversations without throwing trite slurs at each other, there’s a new villain in town: ‘entitled’. It crops

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On Entitlement: Are We Whiners, Or Just Passionate?

Image by Daniel Horacio Agostini, licensed under Creative Commons Just when you thought the word ‘fanboy’ had gone away and gamers could have conversations without throwing trite slurs at each other, there’s a new villain in town: ‘entitled’. It crops

/ 2 Comments

Let games be as challenging as they need to be

In a terrifying piece on the future of video games, Steve Fulton describes the rise of the hardcore and how developers are reconstructing the challenge of yesteryear to make games that matter. It’s a piece that scares and confuses me.

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Let games be as challenging as they need to be

In a terrifying piece on the future of video games, Steve Fulton describes the rise of the hardcore and how developers are reconstructing the challenge of yesteryear to make games that matter. It’s a piece that scares and confuses me.

/ 14 Comments

Soundscapes – Back to Basics with Visual Novels

Like indie games, visual novels are a frontier where experiments in story telling can be done in ways a AAA title wouldn’t dare or have the resources to do. The Witcher 2 for example might have been a breakthrough in

/ 14 Comments

Soundscapes – Back to Basics with Visual Novels

Like indie games, visual novels are a frontier where experiments in story telling can be done in ways a AAA title wouldn’t dare or have the resources to do. The Witcher 2 for example might have been a breakthrough in

/ 14 Comments

How to Shep a Shepard – A cosplay help guide

(Cosplayer: Elizabeth DeLoria) This isn’t a step-by-step tutorial. Partly I didn’t leave a good paper trail, partly because I found it’s next to impossible to replicate a cosplay armour because of the lack of standardisation. Instead, I hope this works

/ 14 Comments

How to Shep a Shepard – A cosplay help guide

(Cosplayer: Elizabeth DeLoria) This isn’t a step-by-step tutorial. Partly I didn’t leave a good paper trail, partly because I found it’s next to impossible to replicate a cosplay armour because of the lack of standardisation. Instead, I hope this works

/ 14 Comments

Ten Characters I'd Like to See In Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!!

My kids will probably hate me when it comes to TV time. Not only will I be ruling our future space console with an iron fist, but the cartoons that take centre stage on the Holo-Viewer 4000 will be under

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Ten Characters I'd Like to See In Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!!

My kids will probably hate me when it comes to TV time. Not only will I be ruling our future space console with an iron fist, but the cartoons that take centre stage on the Holo-Viewer 4000 will be under

/ Comments Off on Ten Characters I'd Like to See In Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!!

I Am The Virus: Prototype As A Trans Narrative

Prototype is a game about a monster. It’s a game about science run amok. It’s a game about a nightmarish virus that wipes out most of New York City. And I can’t help but feel that it’s also a game

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I Am The Virus: Prototype As A Trans Narrative

Prototype is a game about a monster. It’s a game about science run amok. It’s a game about a nightmarish virus that wipes out most of New York City. And I can’t help but feel that it’s also a game

/ 3 Comments

After Pressing Start: Joe's Night at the Movies

Are you a kid or are you an adult? That’s what Viewtiful Joe asks the minute you press start. Kids meaning easy, adults meaning hard – you feel inclined to say adult, since no one wants to be a kid.

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After Pressing Start: Joe's Night at the Movies

Are you a kid or are you an adult? That’s what Viewtiful Joe asks the minute you press start. Kids meaning easy, adults meaning hard – you feel inclined to say adult, since no one wants to be a kid.

/ One Comment

Symphony is the face of addiction

I am a nested loop of habits and addictions. I have a serious caffiene problem in permanent relapse. Like most self-identifying writers, I have a suggestively named oral fixation: I’ve been chewing on a straw for the past hour and

/ Comments Off on Symphony is the face of addiction

Symphony is the face of addiction

I am a nested loop of habits and addictions. I have a serious caffiene problem in permanent relapse. Like most self-identifying writers, I have a suggestively named oral fixation: I’ve been chewing on a straw for the past hour and

/ Comments Off on Symphony is the face of addiction