What It Takes to Build a Game in a War Zone
The offices of GSC Game World smelled like a gas station. The Kyiv-based studio, responsible for the cult-classic immersive sim S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and its hotly anticipated direct sequel S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, had…
The Overwatch League Ruled Esports. Then Everything Went Wrong
These troubles come during an economic downturn and a dampening of esports hype, with investors and sponsors growing impatient with the growth-before-profit model. 100 Thieves, the second-most-valuable esports team in…
Toxicity in Gaming Is Rampant. This Nonprofit Is Fighting Back
“It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this,” says the famous quote from the iconic game The Legend of Zelda. In life, it is dangerous to go it alone—and having a supportive…
A 3D Printing Renaissance Is Coming for Tabletop Games
Both Wilson and Ziff highlighted several sour debates over 3D printing in the subculture. “3D printing can sometimes be a dirty word,” Ziff says. “There’s some dissent about the quality…
I Threw a Holiday Party in Horizon Worlds. It Didn’t Go Well
Reasonable people can debate whether or not a social VR application is meaningfully different enough from, say, a video game to earn an entirely new moniker. What reasonable people cannot…
Video Games Need Better Dinosaurs. Paleontologists Can Help
The most marine-centered event at GSA was also one of the loudest voices in the chorus for pro-ammonite games. The final night of the conference, I stumbled up to a…
Machine Learning Could Create the Perfect Game Bosses
Camping at the location of orbs is a solid strategy: The player must pick up orbs to win (imagine if Pac-Man’s ghosts merely lingered near the entrances to each corner…
How Indie Studios Are Pioneering Accessible Game Design
The creation of No Fail Mode did not detract from a central mechanic of Tunic: exploration. Players are actively encouraged to seek out the unknown and regularly return to visited areas…
Three Music Legends Collaborated on One Nintendo Game. Sparks Flew
The positive reception to Kingdom Battle meant that Brillaud, Soliani, and Kirkhope were soon discussing plans for the sequel. Soliani wanted to do what Nintendo does with all of its sequels:…
2022 Game-of-the-Year Nominees Favored Indies With Animals
What do a lost cat, a demonic lamb, and a cute fox have in common? All are mammal main characters from indie games that earned nominations at the 2022 Game Awards.…
What It Takes to Make a Kinder, Gentler Video Game
Destiny’s Sword is a sci-fi adventure where players command a squad of futuristic peace-keeping troops. But it’s not just about battlefield performance. It’s also about paying attention to the squad’s…
This Google-Backed Nonprofit Proves Games Can Teach and Be Fun
When my eight-year-old son told me he was making his friends happy and fighting bullies in a video game, I was curious. He told me about Kind Kingdom, a game…
‘Age of Empires’ Is 25 Years Old. Fans Are Shaping the Franchise
It’s been 25 years since a small studio in Dallas recast the ancient world through the prism of a real-time strategy game. Age of Empires has echoed Monk wololos about…
In My Loneliest Hours, ‘Persona 5’ Reminded Me of Friendship
It’s been six years since Persona 5 burst onto PlayStation consoles in a riot of red, white, and black. It’s a date fixed firmly in my mind, as Persona 5…
How Therapists Are Using Tabletop Games to Help People
“Our mortality is actually what gives things meaning and motivates us to do anything at all,” Levitt said. “For a long time I was more of a destination person than…
‘The Last of Us’ Makes Players Feel Really Bad—And That’s Great
An enemy combatant pokes their head over the barrier they’re hiding behind. With one shot they crumple to the ground, dead. As their companions scramble to attack or flee, they’re…
Desis & Dragons Puts South Asians Front and Center in TTRPGs
When people of color, specifically South Asians, pointed out the orientalism in tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), and in actual play sessions like Critical Role, the backlash was palpable. Some fans…
The Wild History of the Beloved ‘Addams Family’ Pinball Machine
The Addams Family also came packed with a Byzantine-yet-accessible set of rules and storyline objectives that appealed to both average and skilled players. That’s huge in arcades, where people often…
Super Mario Sounds Exactly Like Chris Pratt—and That’s Fine
When Chris Pratt teased his upcoming role as gaming’s most iconic character, Mario, he called it “unlike anything you’ve heard in the Mario world before.” Charles Martinet, who has voiced…
How ‘God of War’ Made Accessibility a Core Part of Its Game Design
Accessibility is quickly becoming synonymous with PlayStation studios and their varying titles. The recent release of The Last of Us Part 1 Remake included every accessibility feature from Part II,…
Digimon Fans Still Exist—and They’re the Keepers of Its Future
In an era when everyone wants to peek behind the scenes at the development of their favorite games, it’s harder than ever to separate the final product from the news…
The Duality of Being Black in Gaming Spaces
Evan Narcisse, Black Panther author and narrative design consultant with a resume that boasts hits like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and the War for Wakanda DLC for Marvel’s Avengers, continues to…
One of Gaming’s Greatest Writers Is Busy Crafting Romance Novels
Do you still play games on your own for fun? I haven’t, the last few years. That side of my brain—I’ve always been a person who had to have something…
The Future of ‘Fortnite’ Is in the Hands of Its Players
“We ended up playing pretty much every night. Never had more than 4 versus 4 for the first month or so, and slowly the word kind of spread and I…
A Bouncer’s Take on the Best Street Brawler Games
As a licensed bouncer and lifelong gamer, I can tell you that none of the fights you see onscreen in video games match the ones you may encounter in real…