WORLDS COLLIDE: On Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 and Style in skateboarding
The legacy of Tony Hawk videogames, in skateboarding and open worlds.
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The Impossible Scaffold
Architectural metaphor in videogames.
It’s Still a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World; Or, Who is Nathan Drake?
The Nathan Drake Collection is a tribute to videogaming’s idealized everyman.
Let’s talk about the ending of The Beginner’s Guide
Should Davey Wreden have released The Beginner’s Guide?
The fell kings of the cul-de-sac return on Deafheaven’s New Bermuda
The suburbs suck: from Rush to Arcade Fire to Deafheaven.
Shut up, Always Sometimes Monsters
The videogame equivalent of a teenager’s first moustache.
LEGO Dimensions and the promise of toys, toys, toys
Think of LEGO Dimensions as a playroom.
How Middle Eastern game makers can counteract Western misconceptions
Understanding Islamic culture through locally made games.
Digital Parents Just Don’t Understand
Since the time of Arthurian legend the cultural narrative of the Teen Chosen to Save the World has been about as close to a universal theme as it gets
Behind the new technology that makes gaming more accessible
Video games have not traditionally played well with visual impairments, but that could be ending.
Disclosure and the problem of internet-sourced ’90s nostalgia
The faceless faces behind ‘90s nostalgia.
Touched by a headshot
Destiny isn’t perfect, but its headshots might be.
The Abject Emptiness of ‘Everything’
Why the words “open world” are meaningless.
Learning to cope with pain with Metal Gear Solid
Hideo Kojima’s games can be brutal. For some, that’s the point.
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.
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 Seven Hour City
Half-Life 2’s City 17 remains a masterclass of subversive game design.
The powerless reality of Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
An inability to interact with the world of Rapture forces players to pay attention.
Game creator Erin Robinson Swink on the challenge of creating meaningful games
You cannot fail in Gravity Ghost, but it can still move you.
Rambling Through the Garden
A conversation with the makers of The Talos Principle.
Behind the Sega-core racing tunes of Horizon Chase
These screaming synthesizers are more revival than retro.
The Technical Challenges of Virtual Reality
Why a basic computer won’t let you step into virtual worlds.
The Literary Heritage of Sunless Sea
Or: why all those poor captains had to die.
The horror of Resident Evil 2’s police station
The impossible spaces of Resident Evil 2 recall The Shining’s Overlook Hotel.
Who We Aren’t Anymore
A look back to understand who we are now.