Enough with the post-apocalypse. What about the pre-apocalypse?
A lot of games are about saving the world, but Eco might actually do it.
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Magic Mike XXL and the human side of ogling meaty man bits
Magic Mike, John Marston, and butts butts butts.
The new Terminator movie is what happens when old people get scared of technology
Baby boomers versus wearables. With explosions.
Going to Hell: DOOM II and the Descent Into Chaos
DOOM II didn’t iterate on DOOM—it opposed it
The economics of Bloodborne; or, why you keep clocking into Destiny
The Bloodborne economy values its workers.
The frenetic past and bright future of the bullet hell shooter
Danmaku games have proven uniquely resilient.
There is one problem with every wrestling game ever made
Wrestling is fake. Its games aren’t fake enough.
eSports are gaining in popularity, but do the games support it?
Imperfect games and perfected strategies may create an esports bubble.
The hardcore gamers of Tinder
What is the ultimate player of Tinder like?
The politics of beauty
Capitalism, modernism, and the dehumanization of art.
Mulaka, Never Alone, and videogames as cultural agents
Games can keep history alive.
The demonic properties of an ampersand
The classic roguelike NetHack has a surprisingly complicated portrayal of evil.
How to disappear completely from the internet
Pictures for Sad Children was a cherished webcomic until its creator decided it shouldn’t be.
The only thing worse than a Terminator is other people
The most consistent character of the Terminator movies isn’t a terminator. It’s a psychiatrist.
The strange body politics of Hideo Kojima
Metal Gear Solid proves there’s nothing more dangerous than a weaponized body.
How Beyond Eyes went from a beautiful student project to one of the stunners of E3
Exploring the gorgeous, painterly world of Beyond Eyes with creator Sherida Halatoe.
When will videogames be part of the cultural canon?
A college professor on the difficulties—and rewards—of teaching videogames.
Cuphead, Fleish & Cherry, and the influence and impact of classic animation
Why creators need to be careful when resurrecting the images of classic animation.
The aesthetics of a videogame conference
At E3, you can tell a publisher’s power by the carpeting in their booth. Seriously.
GTA Online’s heists prove that there’s no honor among thieves
GTA’s worlds have always been full of assholes. Online, it’s even worse.
The new BattleBots is harder, better, faster, and finally all grown up
BattleBots, now with 100% more Silicon Valley sheen.
Why is Batman great? He has the best villains
The secret to any Batman game is an embrace of the rogue’s gallery.
Getting mad at videogames
When the competition gets way too salty.
In praise of silence in videogames
From Ocarina of Time to Call of Duty, games can be at their best when they’re quiet.
Feel Battalion: the videogame logic of Inside Out
Pixar’s Inside Out is like Steel Battalion inside your head.