Childhood Gaming Traumas: The ReDeads from “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time”

By Marshall Garvey Being born in 1989, I wasn’t introduced to the Zelda franchise until the blockbuster release of Ocarina of Time in 1998. Even when it came out, I had no personal interest in playing it, and only did so upon the insistence of my uncle Tim. With an N64 for Christmas that year […]

The Culprit Effect: When Video Games and Violence Collide Part 2

By Terry Randolph Part 1 of the article can be found here. Feature image graphic courtesy of the New York Times. Games containing violence tend to get bad reps in the wake of tragedies; they become the focal point of blame, discussion and contention for both the government and people. They are used to simplify the […]

The Culprit Effect: When Video Games and Violence Collide, Part 1

Violence has been hotly debated when it comes to video games. Is there really a correlation? Could it be something else? Or do we have enough data to prove anything? By Terry Randolph Ah, the beautiful, beautiful marriage of sensationalism and news, something so common that is also a travesty. It is always interesting to […]

Living in a Sandbox World

by Terry Randolph When does linear-storytelling become too constricting? Or an open-world game become too ambitious? A few months ago, I got into a debate with a friend whether or not the Mass Effect trilogy was a success or failure. My friend argued that the trilogy ultimately failed because it did not deliver the promises […]

The Illusion of the Triple-A Title

by Terry Randolph Business practices take over what used to be a title of creative innovation and exploration. Before jumpstarting the article, I understand that the concept of a “Triple-A” title game continues to morph and change and we advance in gaming hardware. However, for the current trend in gaming, three major factors determine how […]