Simon Ferrari

Pride and Its Dark Side

Negative emotions such as fear and disgust are familiar territory for games. But Simon Ferrari suggests that games can, and perhaps should, go further, using his paralyzing anxiety in the intergalactic strategy game Neptune’s Pride as one example.

Folk Game Story Corner: The Game With a Hat

The Game With a Hat is more than just an amalgam of other party games. It’s a game about getting closer to people—maybe in more ways than one. Simon Ferrari takes us through the intricacies of this guessing game, best played on a rainy farm.

Review: Minotaur Rescue

Does it matter why these minotaurs insist on riding asteroids straight into the sun? Maybe they are the victims of a tragic intergalactic mining accident. Or perhaps, long ago, Hercules banished them from their home on Crete by tossing them into space. And why have we, the players, been condemned to

Popping Smoke

?The Call of Duty series represents the extreme forward guard of “hyperrealism” and technological might in contemporary game design. It’s a bombastic, McBay take on American foreign policy. Parents, commentators, and critics look on in horror as frenzied gamers lap up each new entry: Call of Duty ga

When a Bell Tolls

In a year when almost every critic gave Red Dead Redemption a near-perfect score, why didn’t anybody tell me that I needed to play Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood? I get it: You enjoyed the sense of place created by Redemption‘s open range. You got to ride a horse that felt natural, its animations sm