Emergent Gameplay: Narrative vs. Mechanics in 2014

I’m in the middle of playing three wildly different games at the moment. Dark Souls, Advance Wars, and 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors (now shortened to 999 for brevity’s sake) have been the titles I’ve gravitated towards during this summer. I find that all of them offer interesting variations on the potential of video games to provide narratological satisfaction.

Favorite Films of 2013

The first one should be obvious. The rest may surprise you...

BioShock Infinite: Burial At Sea Episode One Review

The story’s cool, but the game needed extra cooking.

The Last American Virgin - When Teen Movies Go Wrong

What’s the worst thing that happened to you as a teenager?

If you answer this question by saying “I watched The Last American Virgin,” then you are a frontrunner for the most worthy answer.

Blockbuster Memories - Final Thoughts and Further Analysis

I share more final thoughts about the shuttering of Ol' Blue & Yellow, why I'm so passionate about something I left so long ago, and send you to further online writings about the end of a business and an era. 

Angus Retro Review - An Atypical Teen Movie for the Quiet Normal Teen

Angus couldn’t be made as a wide release today, and it might have slipped away without the fanfare that it receives in this post. But that’s its true strength. Angus is something special in every sense of the word. While it’s a small story, the tale being told touches on universal concerns and strikes a powerful note for all that are traveling on its wavelength. The film is a small story about a minor triumph for a minor character. It’s quiet and shy, not a film that jumps out at you at your local Redbox, and that's the point of what makes it great. 

Goodbye Blockbuster

With the ultimate shutdown of Blockbuster Video, we lose another vanguard in our group consumer culture. This is a truly sad day for media junkies everywhere, and one more reminder that our culture is changing in ways that go beyond sets of doors closing and overhead lights fading for the last time.