![[Talk 4/17] Building Worlds While the Actual World Burns](https://storage.ghost.io/c/25/84/2584b75d-4bd6-4cce-8259-f1d1c65abbb5/content/images/size/w800/format/webp/2026/04/Kara-Stone-Joshua-Dawson-Header.png)
15 years of the best of game-based arts and culture
Games, play, and culture with Jamin Warren
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Resist gamer stereotypes, reject the Halo 4/Mountain Dew/Doritos tie-in
There is a moment in the seminal Simpsons espisode in which Homer gains hundreds of pounds to go on paid disability, where he is unable to fit into a movie theater seat, and the smarmy theater owner promises, if Homer will “kindly leave”, to “treat you to a garbage bag full of popcorn.” Homer is abo
A documentary primer on game design by game designers
Books about videogames are filled with screenshots that don’t quite capture the essence of a game like video footage does. The upcoming documentary design primer, What’s in a Game, plans to cover topics like monetization, co-operative play, and control schemes, among other aspects of game design.
What if the presidential election was settled in Mortal Kombat?
Slate asks a most pertinent question. Watch for Romney’s devastating “tax evasion” move and Herman Cain’s “creepy ad” rejoinder. Great stuff.
Identical rhetoric from Romney and Obama captured in retro game footage
Both Obama and Romney gave speeches to accept their nominations. Speeches that promise a better America and preach belief in the American people. As the New York Times noted: Sometimes these [promises] result in eerily similar speeches from both sides of the political arena. It can be tough to tell
Virtual worlds aren’t real, but our feelings are
At the end of Inception, the spinning top leaves ambiguity about if Dam Cobb is finally in the real world. It led to plenty of debates about what the ending “meant.” For Brendan Keogh at Unwinnable, the lack of resolution itself was significant. But the whole point of that final scene – or indeed,
People want games journalism that speaks to their maturity
Indie game designers typically learn from other game designers, not videogame journalists. The critical essays on videogames are more for the adult gamers who want to find something worthwhile in their experiences. Luke Rhodes reflects on his research into the subject. My interview with Jenn Frank r
LIMBO fanart you wear on your face
Makeup as LIMBO fanart. Perhaps the artist can make a whole Halloween costume out of LIMBO‘s setting.
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