A Video Game Design Blog
Last week I tried to defend silent protagonists as a viable narrative option in video games, both for developers and for players. Today I tackle yet another controversial game mechanic: turn-based combat. This isn't a joke -- I genuinely enjoy turn-based combat, and I want to help explain why. I know, I know, it's silly … Continue reading Defending Turn-Based Combat
If you've played video games for a few years, particularly RPGs and Action/Adventure games, then you've probably experienced a game with a silent protagonist. Maybe it was Link from The Legend of Zelda, or maybe it was the Dragonborn from Skyrim, or maybe it was your main character from Pokemon or Persona. The prevailing attitude … Continue reading Defending Silent Protagonists
Persona 5 Royal is a Turn-Based RPG developed by Atlus and published by Sega. The original Persona 5 was released in April 2017 for the PlayStation 4. Persona 5 Royal, an enhanced version, was released in March 2020 for the PlayStation 4, and then on the Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series, and PC in October … Continue reading Persona 5 Royal: An Unexpectedly Queer Story
Final Fantasy X-2 is a Role-Playing Game developed and published by Square Enix. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2003, followed by an HD remaster for the PS3 and PS Vita in 2014, for the PS4 in 2015, for the PC in 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One in … Continue reading Final Fantasy X-2: How to Leave a Religion
Final Fantasy X is a Role-Playing Game developed and published by Square Enix. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, followed by an HD remaster for the PS3 and PS Vita in 2014, for the PS4 in 2015, for the PC in 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch and Xbox One in … Continue reading Final Fantasy X: The Problem with Nostalgia
I stand amid the roarOf a surf-tormented shore,And I hold within my handGrains of the golden sand—How few! yet how they creepThrough my fingers to the deep,While I weep—while I weep!O God! can I not graspThem with a tighter clasp?O God! can I not saveOne from the pitiless wave?Is all that we see or seemBut a dream within … Continue reading The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and the Art of Overanalyzing a Video Game
Two weeks ago I talked about Super Mario World, the first video game I ever played. Last week I talked about Crash Bandicoot 2, the first video game I ever owned. Let's backtrack to a time between those two major events. When I was about six years old, our family moved from Indianapolis to the … Continue reading Tetris and the Art of Making the World Make Sense
Christmas, 1998: my brother and I unwrapped a Sony PlayStation, and it became one of the best gifts of my childhood. My brother and I had spent months deliberating over what should become our first video game console: the Nintendo 64, or the Sony PlayStation. At the time, both consoles seemed equally matched. The Nintendo … Continue reading An Ode to the Sony PlayStation and Crash Bandicoot 2
Super Mario World: the most iconic video game on the Super Nintendo, and a staple of 16-bit nostalgia. It was a part of many gamers' childhoods, including my own. I was maybe 3 or 4 years old when I got my first passport to the Mushroom Kingdom. In fact, Super Mario World is the first … Continue reading Super Mario World and the Art of Play
Hookshot, Charge Beam, Revive 