The disappointing conventions of Mad Max
Avalanche Studios fails to capture the spirit of George Miller’s films
Stop what you’re doing and gawp at these perplexing architectural collages
What’s the difference between art and architecture? Here’s Archdaily’s Vanessa Quirk with a run of the mill definition: Art is a form of self-expression with absolutely no responsibility to anyone or anything. Architecture can be a piece of art, but it must be responsible to people and its context.
Time Magazine might not get virtual reality, but The New Yorker does
Watching traditional media outlets like Time scramble to try and wrap their minds around something like virtual reality is, well, kinda adorable. Don’t get me wrong: for all the patronizing smugness we feel about knowing a bit more about emerging technologies (since we’re, you know, a videogame arts
Your brain on anxiety: an interactive explanation with Nicky Case
Last year, Nicky Case and Vi Hart released Parables of Polygons, an experiment inspired by Bret Victor’s work on Explorable Explanations. Their aim: to bring the best parts of interactivity to a blogpost that might help explain how systemic biases and prejudices can take shape. After being a finalis
Touched by a headshot
Destiny isn’t perfect, but its headshots might be.
Ghosts of Memories sets its puzzles across beautiful, impossible structures
Ghosts of Memories is an upcoming iOS and Android game set in a mystical, isometric world of impossible architecture. While the game it resembles most, Monument Valley, presented its puzzles as compact structures to be rotated, explored, and manipulated, Ghost of Memories spreads its puzzles out acr
The Abject Emptiness of ‘Everything’
Why the words “open world” are meaningless.
You can play this psychedelic forest game with a moss controller
If nature was able to make a videogame I think it would be Alea. And it’s not just because it’s a twee, musical hike through a “psychedelic forest.” Nor is it due to its two graphics options: “Shrub” and “Tree.” I say that because you can play it with a moss controller. Like, actual moss, those gree
Learning to cope with pain with Metal Gear Solid
Hideo Kojima’s games can be brutal. For some, that’s the point.
Calling all international writers: we want to work with you
Let’s explore the world of gaming together.
Oculus gets touchy-feely, shows off motion controls
The lead virtual reality company gets in touch with interactive entertainment.
Magic Flute reimagines the famous opera as an urban puzzle adventure
I can name few games based on renowned European operas, and even fewer based on famous Japanese adaptations of classic European operas. In fact, only Magic Flute fits the bill. Created by LabLike, Magic Flute is a tile-based puzzle game for iOS set in the world of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic
What the hell is Broken Reality?
What the hell have I gotten myself into for you people? Is there a virus on my computer? I feel like there should be a virus on my computer. All I wanted to do was write a story about videogames when I found myself on the Tumblr for a game called Broken Reality. Of course, aside from “game” being in
Movable Play continues October 6th
Join us October 6th for more talks from the creators of great mobile games.
Allison Road aims to engorge its chilling sights and sounds with your help
In a genre dominated by Slender clones and zombie-infested action game hybrids, P.T. filled a void in many horror fans’ hearts; a small, but twisted taste of what the larger Silent Hills project would be, it succeeded as its own, compact experience and also gave folks something to look forward to. S
SOMA finds the horror inherent in glitch art
The hell of malfunctioning machinery in SOMA
Turning Spaceteam into a card game that doesn’t suck
It’s hard for me to imagine Spaceteam as a card game. My burning memory of it is playing it over a table of half-eaten sushi somewhere in France. A bunch of us were sat around in a square, smartphones trembling in our hands, frantically shouting at each other as loud as hungry ravens. How any of us
On the Other Hand
Twenty-five years after Jim Henson’s death, a glimpse of the man who kept his most iconic puppet singing: Steve Whitmire.
Go beyond the music visualizer in today’s Playlist pick
Sign up to receive each week’s Playlist e-mail here! Also check out our full, interactive Playlist section. Panoramical (PC, Mac) BY FERNANDO RAMALLO & DAVID KANAGA Forget the “music visualizer” that has been spinning webs of geometry on your PC since the ’90s. Panoramical finally makes it as outda
In Bloodsport, you can run but you can’t hide
In this prequel to Badblood, you are not playing a game. You are the game.
Surprise! Simogo’s new "quiet" videogame isn’t what you’d expect
SPL-T isn’t what you’d expect from Simogo. Sure, the studio has certainly delved into puzzles before. You could even say puzzles are a staple of Simogo’s house style as some of its best games included particularly memorable ones: Beat Sneak Bandit, DEVICE 6, and Year Walk especially. But the Swedish
PC modder culture reaches new heights
Gone are the dull gray boxes of old. Today, players mod their PCs with all sorts of forms, themes, and tech.
The Walls Have Ears is security theatre with a side of voyeurism
The Walls Have Ears is security theatre, but what isn’t? Body scanners at airports, metal detectors at sports stadia, fancy uniforms that imply nonexistent authority—it’s all a big show. The Walls Have Ears is about that show, but you’re a performer. More accurately, you’re a desk jockey at an unnam
The Seven Hour City
Half-Life 2’s City 17 remains a masterclass of subversive game design.