Category: Read
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The Real Women Resistance Fighters that Inspired Call of Duty: WWII
After years of meandering about in modern and futurist space wars, Call of Duty is finally going back to its roots – World War II. Whether this is a response to fan complaints or an answer to Battlefield 1 is a matter for debate. Also in response to EA, Activision and developer Sledgehammer Games have…
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There’s No Escaping Stardew Valley’s Capitalist Hamster Wheel
The premise of Stardew Valley is simple: quit your desk job at the soulless Joja Corp., move to the beautiful coast, take up a simple life as a farmer. Joja Corp. is the closest that Stardew gets to having an antagonist. Not only do they serve as a comparison for the idyllic life that the…
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Connection Lost: Major Carnage
Death is something that we all have to deal with at some point in our lives, whether by losing loved ones, pets, or even witnessing something horrific like an accident or an act of violence. We will also end up meeting the Reaper ourselves one day, unless we happen to be the first immortal ever…
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The Vivid Escapism of Concrete Genie
The new trailer for The Last of Us part II left me with a lot to think about, but I was absolutely captivated with the announcement for PixelOpus‘s Concrete Genie. If The Last of Us is the sort of game you play for some hard questions about human nature, Concrete Genie looks like the perfect…
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We Need to Talk About That Last of Us Part II Trailer
The new trailer Sony just dropped as part of PGW 2017 for The Last of Us Part II starts out pretty grim. We see a woman, hands bound, being dragged through the mud as rain sluices down through the trees. The black coats of her captors shine by the glow of their torches. Lightning announces itself…
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What Hellblade Reminded Me About Living With Depression
The shaman is the person, male or female, who…has an overwhelming psychological experience that turns him totally inward. The whole unconscious opens up, and the shaman falls into it I couldn’t get this quote by Joseph Campbell out of my head while playing Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Not just because he’s one of my favourite narratologists…
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The Problem With Subtle LGBTQ Characters in Games
Over the last few years, we have seen a steady increase in LGBTQ characters in games both as little-known NPCs and as characters at the forefront of the action. Tracer, the most well-known Overwatch character (she’s the only hero on the box art) is a lesbian. Destiny 2 NPC, European Dead Zone vendor Devrim Kay,…
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What’s One Angry Gamer So Pissed Off About?
What you’re about to read has the potential to piss you off, but for all I know you may find it funny. With that stated, let me make something clear: I hate politics. For the most part it ruins lives and relationships. Why do you have to mention that? You might be wondering. Because we…
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The Fortnite Fortnitemares Update Is Cool, But Doesn’t Fix Loot Boxes
Fortnite’s new update brings players Fortnitemares, an appropriately spooky event arriving just in time for Halloween. The event contains 25 new story quests, Spooky Llamas, new weapons, and new themed heroes. (The themed heroes look like new skins.) All of this is awesome. I love in-game events that reel me back in. I’m also totes…
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Horror Games That Don’t Rely On the ‘Mental Illness is Scary’ Trope
If I asked you to think about the average horror game setting, then chances are that your mind probably wandered to an abandoned mental hospital, or a spooky forest inhabited by “crazy people.” I know mine does. The horror game market is so overly saturated in games about mentally ill villains, that it’s clear many…
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Birdo : Gaming’s First Transgender Character
As time goes on we’re seeing more and more transgender and LGBTQIA game characters introduced to the world. When LGBTQIA people are included in some sort of media people are often quick to pick it apart and figure out whether the representation is positive, realistic, and helpful or whether it has harmful implications, misinformation, or hate.…
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Town of Light Dev’s $10k Take This Donation is Another Win for Mental Health in Gaming
‘Although we’re ok, telling each other about our gaming experiences, we’re not really comfortable talking about ourselves, things we think will make us seem different’ That’s how journalist Susan Ardent introduces the idea behind Take This, a non profit started by herself and fellow writer Russ Pitts. Founded in 2013, the charity seeks to inform…
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Are Horror Games Becoming Gradually Less Ableist?
It’s dark, you’re alone, and you find yourself walking down a long, dank and dirty hallway. Something is groaning and screaming in another room, so you look for a weapon. In a set of drawers filled with unwashed medical equipment you find a meat cleaver. The wailing is getting louder now, and you hear desperate…
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Halloween Events: A Great Way to Thank Your Fav Devs
It’s easy to burn out on your fav game if you play it non-stop. One way game devs work to bring you back is by giving you sweet n’ spooky events. I personally can’t get enough of the Halloween Overwatch skins. Sure, some of the events cost irl money, but hey – if you like…
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The Difficulties Of Being A Transgender Livestreamer
If you’ve read my bio or the title, I guess, you’re aware that I’m a transgender woman and an active livestreamer. But it’s not always easy doing both of those things. There are a few things some of us have to put up with. These problems are why somedays I don’t even want to turn…