Adam

I'm Adam, founder, writer, and editor of The Ludic Mind. I write essays that look past reviews and patch notes to ask what games actually mean, drawing on philosophy, psychology, and storytelling to explore why certain moments in games stay with us long after the credits roll. Every piece here is researched, written, and edited by hand, with no shortcuts and no AI-generated filler.
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72 Articles

The Latest from Adam

Harry Potter and the Decade We Spent Playing Him Instead of Reading About Him
Characters

Harry Potter and the Decade We Spent Playing Him Instead of Reading About Him

By Adam

For ten years, an entire generation didn't just read about Harry Potter or watch him on screen. They walked him…

Papers, Please and the Quiet Horror of Becoming Complicit
Game Reflections

Papers, Please and the Quiet Horror of Becoming Complicit

By Adam

There is a particular kind of dread that Papers, Please manufactures out of almost nothing: a desk, a stamp, a…

The Psychology of New Game Plus: Why We Replay Games We've Already Beaten
Essays

The Psychology of New Game Plus: Why We Replay Games We’ve Already Beaten

By Adam

You already know how the story ends. You know which door hides an ambush and which chest is a trap.…

Remakes, Remasters, and the Industry's Memory Problem
#GamingAnalysis#GamingNews

Remakes, Remasters, and the Industry’s Memory Problem

What Firewatch Taught Me About Running Away (Not Actually Escaping)
#GamingAnalysis

What Firewatch Taught Me About Running Away (Not Actually Escaping)

Why Is Gaming Suddenly Obsessed With Its Own Past? The 2026 Remake Boom, Explained
#VideoGamePsychology

Why Is Gaming Suddenly Obsessed With Its Own Past? The 2026 Remake Boom, Explained

Joel Miller and the Lie He Told Himself to Keep Loving Someone
#Moral Choices in Games

Joel Miller and the Lie He Told Himself to Keep Loving Someone

Arthur Morgan and the Weight of a Life Spent Following Orders
#GamingAnalysis#VideoGamePsychology

Arthur Morgan and the Weight of a Life Spent Following Orders

What Outer Wilds Taught Me About Living With a Deadline (Not Racing It)
#Moral Choices in Games#VideoGamePsychology

What Outer Wilds Taught Me About Living With a Deadline (Not Racing It)

Alan Wake and the Danger of Writing Your Way Out
#GamingAnalysis

Alan Wake and the Danger of Writing Your Way Out

Senua and the Difference Between a Curse and a Diagnosis
#VideoGamePsychology

Senua and the Difference Between a Curse and a Diagnosis

What Hades Taught Me About Failing Forward (Not Failing Better)
#GamingAnalysis

What Hades Taught Me About Failing Forward (Not Failing Better)

What Video Games Teach Us About Sacrifice (And Why the Right Choice Rarely Feels Like One)
#Moral Choices in Games

What Video Games Teach Us About Sacrifice (And Why the Right Choice Rarely Feels Like One)

Why Games Are Getting Shorter Again (And What That Says About How We Actually Want to Play)
#GamingNews

Why Games Are Getting Shorter Again (And What That Says About How We Actually Want to Play)

The $80 Question: What GTA 6's Price Tag Actually Reveals About the Industry
#Video Game Industry Analysis

The $80 Question: What GTA 6’s Price Tag Actually Reveals About the Industry