Instead of rules, there’s ritual; instead of winning, there is play. While we colloquially conflate gaming and playing, there is a strong emphasis on their nuances when we take on this frame.
Category Archives: Criticism
Those Who Fight
This isn’t goodbye. It’s going to be even more interesting from here on out!
Moving On
What is it that we want?
How Do I Help?
I’m a firm believer of action when it comes to battling against the injustices that happen in life. In every instance, every person can do something to help. The problem is, a lot of people have no idea how to help in situations like this.
Play and Be Real About It – What Games Could Learn From Kink
Content Note: This article will be talking about kink and philosophy surrounding it, and no graphic depictions or descriptions of sex. I should note that kink culture, politics, and activities are outside of this piece, but they are worth interrogating.
Passing Through: Another Take on Identity in Activism and Design
This past year, I’ve sat down with a lot of creators about representation in games. One of the first questions out of their mouth to me is “How do you depict minorities well in games?”
Countdown: Thinking of Time in Text Games
What hasn’t really been discussed often is how to critique these sorts of games, or, what is their particular contribution to play.
In Tongues
I have a lot of problems with indie development culture, and Unity represents a lot of them. Mainly a buy-in to technological progression that steadily closes its gates to people outside of tech fields and devalues aesthetic expression not associated with contemporary ideas of polish.
commune ity
are we a community?
How We Say
What is the discourse around games criticism saying to us? Or, in particular, what is considered part of the ‘conversation’?
Our Flappy Dystopia
I’m going to get right to it: any critique or reporting on games that doesn’t include an intersectional perspective on the presence capitalism in games is incomplete.
The DIY of Games Criticism?
I’ll be the first to admit that the first dozen or so articles I wrote about games bore a strong resemblance to undergrad critical theory essays.
On Civility
On the other end, when does the criticism of anger, or toxicity, creep into taking away survival tactics from the oppressed? We are on a journey to find where the line between anger and toxicity is, anger being a productive tool and toxicity being harmful to innocents.
On Anger
This new year, I made a resolution to be critical without the negativity. I brought a lot of my negative feelings to social media, completely valid negative feelings, that set a tone for people to interact with me.
Inspiring Games I Played in 2013
Games I played this year that left an impression on me.