Gamifying simple skills is one avenue of putting games in the classroom (Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing), but games offer more than a fun means to teach simple skills. Dys4ia is a game that deals with gender identity and the difficulties that someone with gender dysphoria faces in a distinctly gendered
When the Wii was announced there were so many rumors: “You can turn the Wiimote and nunchuku into a virtual gun!” and “In Zelda the nunchuku is the bow and the Wiimote is the drawstring!” or “The nunchuku is the shield and the Wiimote is the sword!” Needless to say, it hasn’t revolutionized gameplay
Everyone is hungry for new IP, but there isn’t enough supply to meet demand. It’s a common issue with videogames, but it’s not isolated to the medium. Not only do sequels dominate film, but even repeated reboots (The Hulk and Spiderman) are on their way to become a permanent fixture. Its safe and ea
What happens when you mix an RPG and a shooter to make a game like Borderlands 2? Nick Dinicola at Pop Matters wasn’t too fond of the love child: At the risk of sounding misanthropic: I hated it. In my experience, groups of two or more tended to play Borderlands 2 as a shooter, while I still wanted
Making a scifi game lets you bend all the rules. You don’t have to use real science at all, but it’s rewarding when the genre takes a page out of a real textbook. While playing Waking Mars is a balance of flora, developing it is about the balance between real science and making a fun game. “After w
I love Star Wars. I work in an office with a lot of people, all of whom are cooler than me. So earlier today when my boss asked what the wooly-white denizens of Hoth are called, I blurted out “Wampa!” a little too eagerly. In an attempt to dampen my extremely apparent nerdiness, I appended the the i
“Edugame” seems like a redundant neologism because all videogames are inherently educational, but they are a genre and there is something ineffable that links them together — something about them is just off. I run from Number Munchers like I run from a textbook; games like this are didactic excerci
Niko’s cellphone was annoying as all hell. I hated it. I hated Brucie, and I hated him even more when he called. I liked the Jamaican guy, but I hated when he called. I liked a lot of people, but I hated when they called. I wanted do a mission, or go on a rampage, but no, I had to feel bad because I