Essays

The Backlog Is Not a Failure: Rethinking How We "Owe" Our Games
Essays

The Backlog Is Not a Failure: Rethinking How We “Owe” Our Games

By Adam

An essay on the gaming backlog: why we buy games we never finish, the guilt of the Steam backlog, completionism,…

Choice in Games

Why Choice in Games Often Feels More Real Than in Movies

An essay on player agency: how interactive storytelling and branching narrative make choice in games…

When a Soundtrack Becomes the Story

When a Soundtrack Becomes the Story

An essay on video game music and emotion: how adaptive scores, leitmotifs, and memorable soundtracks…

online games

The Loneliness Cure Nobody Talks About: Online Games as Third Places

An essay on online games as third places: how virtual worlds create community, ease loneliness,…

disappear

Flow State Gaming: Why Games Make Time Disappear

An essay on flow state in gaming: how games create immersion, why we lose track…

Difficulty Isn't Cruelty: What "Hard" Games Actually Ask of Us
hard games

Difficulty Isn’t Cruelty: What “Hard” Games Actually Ask of Us

What Video Games Teach Us About Failure (And Why We Keep Choosing to Try Again)
#Moral Choices in Games

What Video Games Teach Us About Failure (And Why We Keep Choosing to Try Again)

What Video Games Teach Us About Death (And Why We Keep Coming Back)
#Moral Choices in Games

What Video Games Teach Us About Death (And Why We Keep Coming Back)

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)

Show More