Feature
The Wolf Among Us falters in episode two
Smoke and mirrors is right.
Author: Josiah Harrist
Josiah "Duke" Harrist is a novelist, English teacher, and world traveler. He currently lives in a part of Chicago no one has ever heard of.
Review
With The Wolf Among Us, Telltale takes a turn for the nihilistic
Ah, the pain of nostalgia.
Essay
What Can Our Smartphones Say to Stilt Houses?
The games Josiah Harrist played in the Third World reminded him of the Mario and zombies of his home. But will the fantasies of videogames outlive the technology that outlines them?
Review
Can a Videogame Give You Closure?
Tyler Glaiel’s Flash hit has blossomed into a much moodier and complicated appraisal of human existence in its PlayStation Network debut. We take a closer look at Closure and how a lot of darkness can bring a lot to light.
Essay
A Low End Theory
Wondering why so many games send us through hell? Look on the bright side.
Essay
Infected Zones
The little-known Russian videogame Pathologic offers a harrowing apology for environmental abuse, and asks some difficult questions about how we relate to the world.
News
Global Gaming Project: In Ghana, the little children use their feet and rhythm to go all-or-nothing in Ampe.
Video We love games of all shapes and sizes, and guess what? So does the rest of the world. This is part of a larger project to document a homegrown game from every country in the world. The binary is such a pure form. Either or. Black or white. Right or wrong. Win or lose. It’s easy. Stanley Kubrick thought so in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Programmers did, too, when they were figuring out computers. It’s something universal. Try out Ampe with some friends and they’ll agree: it’s simple. None of this rock/paper/scissors nonsense. Three choices is one too many.…