Postscript
The Endless Stream of New Game Releases Is Exciting, but Also Exhausting
In 2018, even new things feel old by the time they come out.
'1870' Reclaims a Cyberpunk Future from Colonial Wreckage
If your life depended on it, could you approach an indigenous community and worldview without being an asshole?
In ‘Slay the Spire,’ Knowledge Is Your Weapon and Your Downfall
In 'Slay the Spire,' having too much of one kind of knowledge can screw you completely.
The Strange Greatness and Missing Legacy of 'Planescape'
It's a widely hailed as a classic, one of the richest and smartest RPGs ever made. So why didn't it inspire imitation?
'World of Warcraft' Has Finally Left Me Cold
Despite the 'Battle For Azeroth' update, the reality that I have other things to do meant that I couldn’t get back into 'WOW.'
A Narrative Strategy Game That Confronts the Nature of Power
A lot of games are about collecting of power and resources, but 'Dust & Salt' asks how and why you want to wield them.
Anya Silver Taught Me to Appreciate Melancholy
Why we should hunt for the down moment, the vignette hiding from the sun.
'Tony Hawk' Is More Honest About Video Game Skateboarding Than 'Skate'
When Pro Skater tells me to whack on a button to do that kickflip, it’s as far away from the actual act as you can get. But it helps to put something in focus.
Can a Video Game Make You Belatedly Appreciate Brutalism?
'Fugue In Void' is a hard-edged game about Brutalism and inescapable architectural detail.
Metal Gear Solid Has Always Been About The Busywork of War
The world of Metal Gear repeats, over and over again, with minimal differences.
In 'PUBG' You're a Super Soldier. In 'Fortnite,' You're a Super Engineer
Fortnite turns us all into Elon Musk, asking us to turn this stuff into that stuff, knowing that knocking shit apart in our path forward will probably be worth it.
Where are the Radical Politics of Cyberpunk?
The aesthetics and politics of the genre shadow a harsh reality: there might not have been all that much “punk” there to begin with.