63. mobile casual vs console – those birds may be angry but they don’t know everything

what is a “casual game?”  the term has been around for a while, so it does actively differentiate itself from what could be considered a “standard” game.  i guess.  to me it means games that aren’t as in-depth or involved…

56. buildings aren’t the only things that need accessible design

screenshot from video on overclockers uk forums in the number of issues with the gaming arena and the digital world at large, there are certain things many other players may face that may never cross your mind.  we generally take simple…

48. decade of the anti-hero

kratos in god of war III (godofwar.com) so 2010’s drawing to a close, and of course most sites are publishing their obligatory “best of” lists.  so i thought we’d do something a little more year-end themed here.  well in this…

46. when game ratings make sense

back in 1994, there was a lot of concern in the united states about the amount of violence in video games.  granted, this was the age of the super nintendo and sega genesis, where everything still looked like pixelated cartoons…

43. head in the clouds – directions in gaming?

hello there kids, today’s word of the day is going to be cloud.  can you say cloud?  thought you could.  now this doesn’t concern what you see when you look at the sky.  nor will it get into a certain…

41. remake, re-release, reboot – a go-to when all else fails

cover art, goldeneye 007 for the wii and by current evidence, all else has failed.  we’re getting to the point where the game industry is, for lack of a better phrase, enhancing their use of these three techniques in game development…

34. globalization and character identity crisis: devil my cry

the grown up dante we know from devil may cry 4 those of you that know me and my gaming style know that i’m a big fan of the devil may cry series – not counting devil may cry 2…

32. video games and the fall of japan

squaresoft’s final fantasy (1987) my apologies to the land of the rising sun. just off the heels of TGS ’10 (the tokyo game show for those not in the know), a few key people in japanese gaming have been saying that…

30. alleged game addiction, idiotry, and more ridiculous lawsuits

20,000 hours is an extremely long time to be doing anything – even the basic function of living.  20,000 hours translates into 833 days, which further calculates out to 2.28 years.  it’s enough time complete more than half of a…

28. gaming, society, and politics: medal of honor

super mario bros. (NES) do you remember video games from the 80’s?  that’s when i played my first games – the super mario brothers / duck hunt double cartridge on a nintendo my parents bought me as a birthday present…