Category: Read

  • Tracer Being Gay Is Ground-Breaking, But It’s Not Everything

    Tracer Being Gay Is Ground-Breaking, But It’s Not Everything

    Out of everyone, I have been one of the most skeptical when it comes to Overwatch‘s LGBT characters. I’ve been very vocal about my doubts that Blizzard would ever make good on its promise to confirm which characters are LGBT, even expressing concerns that the company had changed its mind for fear of angering bigots. But boy, did…

  • On The Portrayal Of People Of Color And Potatoes In Fantasy Games

    On The Portrayal Of People Of Color And Potatoes In Fantasy Games

    Fantasy RPG’s can take us to worlds we could only ever imagine. Worlds where dragons freely roam the skies and all the spooky monsters of lore actually exist. The only worlds that, even now, remain out of our reach are those with true diversity. Why is this still so difficult? Historically, people of color, those…

  • Why Are Black Video Game Characters So Controversial?

    Why Are Black Video Game Characters So Controversial?

    As a black gamer, 2016 felt like some sort of tipping point. After years of getting dumped on in the medium, relegated to offensive stereotypes and serving as no-name NPCs, this year black video game characters finally got to take the center stage. In multiple blockbuster titles. While it wasn’t out and out representation throughout…

  • What Westworld Teaches us About Virtual Reality

    What Westworld Teaches us About Virtual Reality

    “Welcome to Westworld” In HBO’s hit Westworld, adventurers come to the seemingly Grand Canyon sized theme park to live out their fantasies that their utopian world can’t supply. Whether it’s needing your fill of sex with some saloon gals, embarking on a dangerous bounty with a cowboy, or simply getting away from it all, there…

  • Giving Thanks to What’s Great in Gaming

    Giving Thanks to What’s Great in Gaming

    As I’m sure you know today is Thanksgiving is the US.  It’s a day of for spending time with loved ones, and giving thanks for what we have.  Given all the negativity swirling around the gaming world we figured it would be a great time to share what we love about this lovely hobby. If,…

  • A Good Bundle Offers 151 Games for $20, Benefits ACLU and Planned Parenthood

    A Good Bundle Offers 151 Games for $20, Benefits ACLU and Planned Parenthood

    A Good Bundle wants to raise money for two very good and very deserving causes. “A bunch of creators are sharing their works to combat some of the ugliness in our world,” explains the bundle’s description, with indie hits such as Gone Home, Proteus, Catlateral Damage and Read Only Memories being sold for absolutely peanuts.…

  • The eSports Glass Ceiling

    The eSports Glass Ceiling

    In the realm of competitive gaming, every woman is the odd one out. Indeed, a female face is a rare sight beyond the audience’s silhouette. While presenters and analysts are getting steadily more diverse, the eSports scene remains at a loss on how to get women on the real playing field, or, in some spaces,…

  • Mass Effect: Andromeda Finally Gives Us Indestructible Lesbians

    Mass Effect: Andromeda Finally Gives Us Indestructible Lesbians

    What does a lesbian bring on a second date? A U-Haul….. But, what should a fictional lesbian bring to a second date? A bulletproof vest. Such is the state of sapphic representation on television that fans expect their favourite bi and gay ladies to be killed off the second they’re introduced. Finally get a love scene with your…

  • Asylum Jam Returns To Show Horror Without Stigma

    Asylum Jam Returns To Show Horror Without Stigma

    Now in its fourth year, Asylum Jam is a 48 hour game jam where developers must create a horror game. There is just one catch. “The only rule,” explains Jam creator Lucy Morris, “is that you can’t use inaccurate stereotypes.” This includes using, “psychiatric institutes, medical professionals or violent/antipathic/’insane’ patients as settings or triggers.” The…

  • Diversity Done Right With Different Games Collective

    Diversity Done Right With Different Games Collective

    Emblazoned in a box on their home page, Different Games Collective proudly asserts its message: their goal isn’t to please the grand, monolithic ‘gaming audience’, it’s to “[create] community resources and events to support marginalized voices in DIY and independent games.” Strangely enough, sometimes it really is as simple as that. The Collective’s most recent…

  • Satire Barely Scratches The Surface Of Reality In The American Dream

    Satire Barely Scratches The Surface Of Reality In The American Dream

    Australian developer, Samurai Punk is inviting gamers to experience a future where guns are the solution to every problem. In their upcoming virtual reality title, The American Dream, players explore a vast futuristic complex and shoot everything. The complex, constructed by a group of respected gun manufactures, is a ‘World’s Fair’ styled attraction. Their goal is…

  • The Most WTF Video Game Urban Legends

    The Most WTF Video Game Urban Legends

    The internet is the boogie man’s playground for drumming up creepy tales of video games gone bat crap crazy.  Urban legends come and go, but it’s fun to torment ourselves with their theoretical probability around Halloween.  In no particular order, here are my favorite most WTF video game urban legends for your displeasure. Lavender Town Suicides When…

  • GX4 – This LGBTQ Convention Still has Room to Grow

    GX4 – This LGBTQ Convention Still has Room to Grow

    Once upon a time, there was a convention by the name of GaymerX which came to life via Kickstarter. After some disagreements over naming a LGBTQ convention “Gaymer” specifically, it became known as GX instead – though is still regularly called GaymerX by many. GX2 was the first one I attended. I fell in love…

  • Overwatch’s Gay Characters: Blizzard, It’s Time to Show, Not Tell

    Overwatch’s Gay Characters: Blizzard, It’s Time to Show, Not Tell

    The year is 2054. Frank Ocean’s third album, released just days ago, plays softly in the background. I load the hologram in the palm of my hand, the display of the news channel as mottled light on my digits. ‘Blizzard Continues to Tease Overwatch Gay Character Reveal’ Ever since Blizzard confirmed that at least one…

  • Battlefield 1’s Diversity Failure Ignores History

    Battlefield 1’s Diversity Failure Ignores History

    Rumors that the next Battlefield would take place in World War I swirled for months. When Battlefield 1 debuted in May 2016, blood-soaked trenches, daring air battles, and terrible music confirmed the new setting. While the internet collectively cheered, many were wondering about the implications of the first AAA first person shooter set during the…

  • Feminist Frequency: Progressive Gaming Friend or Foe?

    Feminist Frequency: Progressive Gaming Friend or Foe?

    In 2012 Anita Sarkeesian raised over $150,000 on Kickstarter to fund Tropes vs. Women, a video series aiming to tackle the many tropes attached to female characters in video games. Possibly one of the most divisive projects in crowdfunding history (second only to the ultimate potato salad), plenty of gamers have plenty to say on Tropes…