In June 2013 Jonathon Blow, developer of The Witness and Braid, gave a thoughtful answer when asked about the role of a video game critic: “I still have this tendency to think about criticism, and care about it, and want it to be good just the way that I want games to be good.” When I […]
Read more "Sentiment, Embarrassment, and Learning: Wrangling with Games Criticism"NPR’s Steve Mullis is devoting a week to one indie game at a time. Most recently he analyzed Papers, Please which forces the player to make ethical decisions by placing them in the role of a border inspector. Games like this are designed so that their mechanics directly reflect the themes presented in their narratives. […]
Read more "Games progress as art form through unique storytelling"Not counting the Wii U, the eighth generation of gaming console hardware was released over the past two weeks, the PlayStation 4 on Nov. 15 and the Xbox One on Nov. 22. Ideally a new generation of consoles is viewed as a new and exciting environment where fresh ideas and experiences can be shared with […]
Read more "New gaming consoles are released, analyzed"Counter-Strike: Global Offensive reached over 50,000 concurrent players on Nov. 17, an all-time high for the game. Online multiplayer games usually encourage communication between players who form clans or teams that can stay together for years. Popular multiplayer games have given rise to large online communities that point out bugs, organize tournaments, moderate forums and […]
Read more "Gaming communities provide feedback, fundraising and escape"In the same way that children use their senses to learn about the world, players learn as they explore games. Eric Spray is from Lawrence and received a constructivist education at a Montessori school that centered on learning through discovery. He leverages this education to help create experiences as a senior concept artist and art […]
Read more "The Visual Communication of Concept Art"
Interactive Arts 