Category: Read
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The Dog Whistle Tactics of This is the Police’s Marketing
This is the Police is an indie, adventure/strategy game which released August 2nd, 2016. The game follows police chief, Jack Boyd as he comes into contact with the “ugly underbelly of Freeburg,” a very New York-like city as he tries to make 500k in 180 days. The game promises the freedom to be as good…
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Weapon Dating Sim Boyfriend Dungeon Looks Bae AF
I’ve never really clicked with dating sims like Boyfriend Dungeon before. Not because I’m an emotionless husk with no ability to forge meaningful relationships. I mean, yes, but that’s not why. It might be because I’m too susceptible to this sort of thing, and once I digitize my love life along with everything else, there’s…
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Wolfenstein 2 #NoMoreNazis – Genuine or Cynical Marketing?
‘There is only one side’ claims the video Bethesda posted last week to promote the Nazi stomping Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus. And really, who could argue with that? Dating back to their 1981 incarnation in Muse Software’s Castle Wolfenstein, and elevated to mythical status through a young ID Software’s 1992 genre-definer Wolfenstein 3D, the Nazis…
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The New Normative Trump Games Comb-over Spectacular
Here at New Normative, we’re all about games branching out to niche topics, and there’s nothing stranger than the thought of intelligent coders devoting their time to games featuring the Mango Mussolini himself, Donald Trump. Still, all art has something valuable to say about the human condition, even if it’s just a warning that something,…
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There’s No Such Thing as a ‘Good’ Loot Box
In the last few weeks, much has been written about video game loot boxes. The articles and social media posts have raised some pertinent questions: ‘are loot boxes gambling?’ and ‘is it right that children have access to them?’ being just a couple of examples. But time and time again I’m seeing the argument come…
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It’s Time to Question the Good Guy Narrative around CD Projekt Red
I knew I’d found something special in Cd Projekt Red’s The Witcher 2 when I saw this achievement: Friend To Trolls – Spare all Trolls in the Game – 15 G. I’d just started gaming again after a two year hiatus. I was rusty, and The Witcher 2 can be tough. I was reacting, not exploring;…
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Convention Survival Guide for Gamers with Anxiety
Conventions are primed for social anxiety overload. With TwitchCon today and tomorrow, and BlizzCon the first weekend of November, we want to help you destress with tools for managing your anxiety. We aren’t doctors, but we are convention-goers. Have a safe space This can be a quiet corner at a nearby Starbucks, your car with…
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Universal Paperclips: Can Manipulative Mechanics Succeed As Commentary?
“Use neuro-resonant frequencies to influence consumer behaviour” I can’t tell you exactly how long I’d been clicking away at Frank Lantz’s browser-based stationery synthesis simulator Universal Paperclips when this box popped up. What had begun as a fairly benign experience suddenly went all Skynet, offering a hint of something infinity+1 more sinister than the minimalist monochrome…
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Five Genius Suggestions For Saving The Fallout Franchise
Fallout 5 rumours have been few and far between this year, but that hasn’t stopped me from shuddering with Super Mutant rage every time I remember what Bethesda did to the once inimitable post- apocalyptic RPG series with Fallout 4. While most of us remember the expansive, non linear quest lines, the agonising moral choices,…
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Life Goals and Dead by Daylight
The wooden-pallet crashes down, stunning my Killer character and giving the Survivors a chance to scatter like scuttling spiders. I mutter and swear as I destroy the barrier, before setting off in hot pursuit of a straggler. He dodges and weaves incredibly well, managing to lose me in a tangle of hay bales and dilapidated…
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Stardew Valley’s Diversity Problem and the Mod I Used to Fix it
Early on in Stardew Valley’s development, longtime fans of farming simulators such as, Harvest Moon and Rune Factory, had a few hopes for the Western take on a genre, long dominated by the hyper heteronormative, mono-racial series that is, Harvest Moon. One of those hopes was that Stardew Valley would be racially diverse. And to…
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Middle-earth: Shadow of War Orc Slavery Highlights LOTR’s History of Racism
As reports and complaints about Middle-earth: Shadow of War‘s loot boxes abound, criticisms of the game’s core content are beginning to do the rounds too. Monolith Productions’ fantasy RPG features ‘orc slavery’ as a key component of the game. Player character Talion (along with Celebrimbor, the wraith that cohabits his body) must bend and break…
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The Sims Isn’t Just a Game, It’s a Therapy Tool
There’s always been a bit of controversy around The Sims. From the way Maxis/EA handles monetizing content, to the frequency in which they implement features. But, for all intents and purposes, Maxis/EA is made of human beings and human beings are fallible. As others have pointed out, making games is hard work, and there are…
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Stream Etiquette For Trans Allies
I’m sure you’ve all seen some variation of Twitch etiquette for different Twitch streamers. They typically have suggested rules that will make the viewing and chatting experience better for you and the streamer. But not everyone has met a transgender person before, or how to be an ally to them. I’m going to share some basic…
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Diversity Experiences of IndieCade 2017
One thing that really stands out about indie games is the plethora of non-traditional games. I don’t just mean in terms of mechanics, but experiences. I know someone’s going to shout about “social justice warriors,” but I’m betting many of those same people choose female avatars when given the option or even main a female…
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Dishonored’s Heart, Micronarratives, and Heroic Elitism in Game Stories
There’s a heavy, acrid quality to the air in Karnaca tonight. I can’t feel it, of course; there’s a controller, a screen and a universe of suspended disbelief between us, but I can feel it. The fading sunset wavers on the edge of the horizon, leaking out crimsons and ochre and silvers along the surface…