Games Columns
'A Short Hike' Takes a Nice Long Day to Reinvent the Walking Simulator
What happens when we focus on the joy of being rather than angst about meaning.
'Hotline Miami' Showed the Futility of Ultra-Violence as Critique
After a decade of games asking what kind of person commits video game violence, returning to Hotline shows that we need new questions.
Area 51 Nostalgia Yearns for a Time When Evil Had to Hide
Games, conspiracy culture, and what we glimpse beneath the veil of constructed realities.
'Project Winter' Is the Best Game About Betrayal This Year
All of the broken friendships of Mafia or Werewolf, with a dash of snowbound horror.
Underwater Video Games Ignore the Perilous State of Our Collapsing Oceans
In games, the ocean is often beautiful, sometimes terrifying, but rarely threatened by environmental catastrophe as our own is.
'Don't Wake the Night' Tackles Morality Better Than Any AAA Game
Inspired by Paraguayan folklore, it's a game about the intersection of community and consequences.
Years Later, the Ending of 'Dragon's Dogma' Remains Wonderfully Weird and Subversive
You know that fantasy epic about breaking the cycle of power you were looking for? Well...
After 'Avengers: Endgame,' the MCU Has a Chance to Get Riskier
The status quo has been completely upended. What now? Warning: Spoilers ahead.
'Dreams' Is A Powerful Tool to Create Anything and Own Nothing
The new game from the makers of LittleBigPlanet is a perfect fit for the social media era.
This City Builder Asks You to Rebuild the World After Climate Devastation
'Lichenia' is an alternative to SimCity that challenges you to experiment in the post-apocalyptic unknown.
Before the Labyrinthine Lore of 'Dark Souls,' There Was Gene Wolfe
The author of 'The Book of the New Sun' was a master of creating playful and ambiguous lore.