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Self-Determination Theory, Part 1
Joe Hilgard Why do we play games? Recently, research has started to apply theories from motivation psychology to understand why people enjoy the games that they do. This is Self-Determination Theory...
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Mechanics and Mystery in The Last Express: Or, A Love Letter to the Manuals I...
I remember a glorious day in the formative years of my gaming life: my Dad called me over to the computer, and he laid out Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail on the desk. He said, “Son, I know you like...
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Bethesda and the Infinite Sadness: Playing Beyond The End
Desert island video game. Just one, but any system. Don’t worry about electricity or internet connection. This is a hypothetical,...
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Xbox Live DRM Does Not Understand the Modern Family
I’ve got two TVs in our living room. This isn’t for ramshackle picture in picture–I don’t even have cable–it’s because I am part of a modern family. My partner and I both play video games. We also...
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Where Art Belongs: The Interactivity and Politics of Video Games
A while ago, I read Where Art Belongs by Chris Kraus, in which he explores the position of art in our current society. Kraus discussed specific instances of contemporary art, such as installation...
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First-Person Perspective and the Untroubled Gaze
The other day I was playing Fallout 3, and in my zeal to kill as many guards as possible before escaping Vault 101, I switched to third person perspective. It was jarring, but I decided to give it a...
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Opening the Door: Exploring “The Closet” in Games
The first queer character I remember encountering in a videogame was Baron in the 1998 N64 platformer Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon. Baron wore blue lipstick and eye-shadow, a single bright red...
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