#56: The Timeless Question: What is an RPG?
Most of you out there know that I love to talk about video games. I derive pleasure from discussing what makes certain games work, where they go wrong, whether or not their stories make sense, and so on. Out of all of the questions related...
#46: The Distressing Implications Behind “Hepler Mode”
A long time ago (at least 350 internet years, which translates to around one year ago on October 2011), a writer at Bioware named Jennifer Hepler was the object of immense controversy. At the time of this incident, one statement is particular was brought to...
#41: The RPG Cultural Divide: East Versus West
It is no secret that there is a huge cultural divide between Western and Eastern styles of video game development. Due to the way each region of the world developed on similar, yet fundamentally different, lines over the centuries, the games developed by each regions...
#38: The RPG Genre: Back to the Drawing Board
Most people who read this regularly are aware of how much I love Role Playing Games. I love them for their emphasis on story and player interaction with the story through their mechanic. It is fun to play through these games and be truly immersed...
#33: Character Analysis #2: Legion (Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3)
(Spoiler Alert for the Mass Effect franchise. If you are touchy about spoilers, avert your eyes and go back to watching porn.)Lately I have getting on my soapbox and writing about a fairly diverse set of topics and the list of said topics is far...
#30: The Reason for “Bad” Female Characters
(As always, when I do a subject like this on characters/plot, spoilers are abound. Be advised) Recently, a certain individualhas been cropping up a lot in discussions about video games. There has been a bit of controversy surrounding her...
#20: The Mass Effect Conundrum: Part 2: Small Fixes
(Warning: Mass Effect SeriesSpoilers, especially Mass Effect 3. You have been warned.) When I proofread the column from last week, I had realized something. While I did much to outline the problems in the Mass Effectseries and its choices, specifically how they did not significantly...
#19: The Mass Effect Conundrum: Linearity vs. Choice
(Warning: Mass Effect SeriesSpoilers, especially Mass Effect 3. You have been warned.) The other day, I had a conversation with a friend of mine about the Mass Effectseries. In it, the following point came up: Where exactly does the series fall on the Sliding Scale...
#13: Morality and Games
If there is one thing that my previous articles have made obvious, it is that I approve of games giving players choice with regards to how their own experience plays out. I love being able to impose my own morality on the world and its...
#5: Why Horror in RPGs Doesn’t Work
Horror is a unique beast amongst entertainment genres like movies and especially games. Everything has to be perfected in order for it to succeed. The visuals have to be compelling while simultaneously disturbing the viewer. The audio has to be suitably creepy. Any slight disturbances...