The No Fun Issue

FEAR. GLUTTONY. PSYCHOSIS. FRUSTRATION. PAIN. SICKNESS. REJECTION. DISGUST. Welcome to the "No Fun" issue.

Manufacturing Discomfort 

Mark Essen (Messhof) creates games that thrive on discomfort, from the sickening drone of Randy Balma to the merciless difficulty of Flywrench. We explore how his background in art and film, and his preference for controlled randomness, shapes his uniquely unapproachable yet alluring designs.

I Am King of the Ogres

A Love Story

Videogame Feminist of the Decade

Why the Best Feminist of the Decade is You

Licking Her Boot

A talk with the independent gamemaker, critic, sadist, and creator of Mighty Jill Off, Calamity Annie, and Redder

Tura, Lost At Sea

I ended up in the ER convinced I was dying. Turns out I was having a panic attack — and EverQuest became the therapy no one prescribed me.

Some Russian

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has a different story to tell.

The Sound of Sickness

Audio designers on things that crash, squeal, vomit, and boom.

Axe to Grind

 Hey, Guitar Hero prodigy! Thanks for making me feel like shit!

Every Choice Leads to Loss

Stephen Lavelle's games don't let you win—and that's the point. His rigged systems of loss reframe what games can say about control, grief, and the limits of choice.

Intensive Care

Krystian Majewski talks about identity, animation, and adventure in his game Trauma

Winner

Is competition such a bad thing?

Calling Off the Engagement

How a zombie game pulls me in and pushes me away

The Local Vocal

Turning Japanese dreams into Western realities.

Monday Morning

An ordinary morning, rendered as an all-text adventure in the key of Zork.

Editor’s Letter: No Fun

Simply put, games are no fun. So let’s talk about that.