The laws of thermodynamics are at work when you play a videogame. Raymond Neilson explains his idea of entropy as a metaphor for game-playing in an analysis of Max Payne 3. The process of playing, then, can be seen as equivalent to extracting work from a system for the purposes of “fun”. The non-tr
The indie puzzler Gateway combines a plethora of game device tropes, portals, gravity manipulation, self-shadows, and does so unapologetically. David Johnston, the game’s creator, acknowledges the influence of other games: It helps me to see what other ideas people have tried and what works as a gam
What if you could play Snake in 3D? The new qrth-phyl, by Hermit Games, is basically a 3D version of the arcade and cell phone classic, but the levels are random. Jeffrey Matulef on Eurogamer explains: Qrth-phyl features self-generating code, so the challenges won’t play out the same way twice, and
Mircrosoft recently filed a patent for an “Immersive Display Experience” to make a virtual game room. The detailed description states that images outside of the HD display could engage a player’s peripheral vision. It definitely sounds like a Kinect 2.0 that would be more group-friendly than a VR he
Moscow stray dogs have learned to ride the subway and startle folks into dropping their food by barking. If that doesn’t work, they’ll beg for food from sympathetic girls. The strange strategy of Russian street dogs inspired a Pirate Kart game called Russian Subway Dogs. In this game, you play a do
