Touching Obama’s hair and my hope for the future of games
Revisiting what Obama’s reelection calls for us to do.
race
Dutch videogame maker aims to confront Europe’s colonial past
Herald’s narrative revolves largely around one question: How does your cultural heritage influence your identity? For many—including the point-and-click period drama’s protagonist, Devan Rensburg—it’s a complicated question, made even more complicated by the world’s history of colonialism. The “viol
Nova Alea has a go at criticizing the state of urban housing
Molleindustria’s Nova Alea is a parable in search of a game. It is the story of real estate speculation, housing bubbles, and capitalism run amok. The story takes place on a chessboard—that or a graveyard for skyscrapers. Maybe both. “For its masters,” the gentle-voiced narrator intones, “the city w
LARPing for Social Good: The Power of Live Action Role Play
This article is part of a collaboration with iQ by Intel. Fantasy entertainment once considered only for children has evolved into a social tool for diversity. LARPing inspires empathy and understanding for gender identity and oppression issues. When Anna Anthropy created Dys4ia (2012), an autobiogr
Go Sunset a Watchman
This past summer saw, within a month of each other, the arrival of two of the year’s most unwanted works: Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman and Tale of Tale’s Sunset. No one asked for, and no one is celebrating, Watchman’s publication. Leaving aside the troubling context surrounding the “discovery” of
Design & punish: A review of Prison Architect
To punish less, but to punish better.
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 disembodied racer at the heart of Project CARS
Racing cars in a lonely world.
There’s no glory to be had in Not a Hero
Laughing in the face of politics.
The legacy of Theresa Duncan and the technology behind its preservation
Theresa Duncan’s daydream narratives reanimated in the Cloud
Herald, an interactive period drama, to examine biracial identities in the colonial era
In our increasingly globalized society, the question “where are you from” has gotten mighty complicated for people. While it used to incite some inoffensive small talk, the question now raises a litany of asterisks and asides. For some, it even carries racist undertones, seen as a less direct way of
Can virtual reality make us more empathetic?
Scientists are learning that changing bodies changes minds.
Dragon Age’s post-racial (high) fantasy
How Inquisition takes the politics out of race.
Celebrate the life of Martin Luther King with us today
What dreams may come.
The next time someone doesn’t understand systemic prejudice, send them this game
Procedural rhetoric is at its finest in Parable of the Polygons.
The Whiteness Project and why we should listen to white people talk about race
Whiteness does not exist in a vacuum. Listening to white people talk about race may be hard to swallow, but it’s important.
What does it mean to be an Irish character in a videogame?
And: how one sniper made an unexpected difference.
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day from Kill Screen
We’re taking the day off.
Gran Turismo 6 is the racing game of our dreams
Holy hell this game is pretty.
New PBS Game/Show asks if games have a race problem. (Hint: they do!)
Also, an aside about my hair.
Touching Obama’s hair and my hope for the future of games
President Obama gave a stirring speech at his Inauguration. Americans seem willing to listen, but will games?