In 2019, the announcement of Metro: Exodus launching exclusively (for a year) on the Epic Games Store resulted in review bombing on Steam, a digital distribution platform. This review bombing resulted in both negative and positive editing of reviews for the Metro games. Continue reading The Review Bomb as Editing
Some of my earliest gaming memories involve visits to my grandparents’ house. My grandmother was a gamer. It felt a little strange writing that sentence, but it’s true. My grandmother played games on a bulky old Dell that sat on a crowded little desk. In that same room at my grandparent’s house sat a piano against one wall and a line of boxes on the … Continue reading Gaming at Grandma’s House
In terms of gaming, 2022 was like visiting a theme park. I was drawn to some exciting new attractions but also revisited some comforting favorites. Games like Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto V, Back 4 Blood, Planet Zoo, and No Mans Sky offered the familiar and many hours spent both solo and with friends. I also shot my way through some games (Far Cry 3, Far … Continue reading 2022: My Games of the Year
A fun yet limited romp. Saints Row tells a rags-to-riches story within familiar framing–play a boss who, with the help of allies, tackles missions spread throughout a city (Santo Ileso). This third-person action-adventure game will have you shoot up bad guys, complete a decent selection of missions, and even larp (these were among my favorite sequences in the game). Various villains block the protagonist’s path … Continue reading Saints Row (PS5, 2022)
Video games provide space for the imagination When I was a teenager, I played a ton of Rollercoaster Tycoon. I was a theme park manager in charge of a slew of parks. It was my responsibility to keep the books in the green lest the stakeholders got antsy. This required planning for the future, considering the park’s design, and managing the experiences of my guests. … Continue reading Inventing Narratives as Gaming Practice
Video game-related nostalgia is something that crops up every now and then, particularly in winter when I find myself spending more time inside seeking comfy experiences and entertainment. For a few reasons, winter tends to be a reflective season for me. In that vein, I decided to work on a little video project where I discussed nostalgia and one of my favorite games–Harvest Moon 64. Continue reading Nostalgia: Harvest Moon 64
