The Impact Factor

News & Views

7/18/15-7/24/15

Hello and happy Friday everyone! I hope you’re staying cool and taking some time to relax. Lab is crazy today, so I’ll keep this brief! News & Views, as always, is about compiling some of the best video game writing from around the web each week. I found a bunch of great stuff to share with you all here. Check out below for stories about how a sex abuse survivor finds comfort in games, the paradox of indie game devs that don’t have time to play, a huge divide in the fighting game community, and reactions to a woman’s voice in first person shooters.

And, of course, please be sure to check out the brand new episode of The Impact Factor podcast that was posted today! You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or if you prefer other methods, check out our SoundCloud as well. We’re on YouTube too!

Spotlight

Sex Abuse Survivor Finds Comfort In Video Games

Patrick Klepek, Kotaku

Worth Reading

I play video games to run from my problems

Ben Kuchera, Polygon

The Untold Story of the Man Who Saved the Xbox from Oblivion. Twice.

Dina Bass, Bloomberg

Reactions to a woman's voice in an FPS game: The moderating role of status and skill

Wai Yen Tang, Gamasutra

Nintendo was right about the Wii U. We were wrong.

Jessica Conditt, engadget

War without tears

Maxwell Neely-Cohen, Offworld

With Comments

Superheroes, Cities, and Empty Streets

Austin Walker, Giantbomb

Walker has a great piece dissecting the core fault of the latter Batman Arkham games: it’s hard to care about a hero and a city when there are no civilians around. For as great as the games are mechanically, world building can fall apart when it’s filled with empty spaces. It doesn’t stop me from loving Batman Arkham Knight, but I certainly would have liked to see a more vibrant and alive Gotham.

Seth Killian discusses Rising Thunder's fighter heresy, online focus, and MOBA inspiration

Mike Minotti, Venture Beat

I could listen to Killian talk for hours and hours. The man knows what he’s talking about, with overflowing passion that seeps into his every word. As a huge fighting game fan, I’m excited for the promises Killian lays out for Rising Thunder. Utilizing the advantages of separate screen online play for mechanics is brilliant. The interview also highlights the Mobius strip-like nature of games, too. Fighting games clearly inspired the MOBA / hero brawler / hero shooter genre, and it’s neat to see how that genre is making it’s way back to influence future fighting games.

How should we talk about Final Fantasy VII's crossdressing scene?

Sarah Nyberg, Offworld

I can still remember Final Fantasy 7’s crossdressing scene vividly, even though I played the game nearly a decade and a half ago. Viewed in a contemporary context, it’s hard to know how to talk about the scene in question. Nyberg has a great piece on Offworld discussing this in detail.

This is exactly how not to run a women's esports tournament

Callum Leslie, The Daily Dot

Oh eSports. Even if I get what the tournament organizers were going for… really?! This is supposed to be a Hearthstone tournament, not a beauty pageant.

Inside EVO's Super Smash Bros. Divide

Vince Ingenito, IGN

I love Igenito’s writing and reporting. Even though Smash has been at EVO for three years, there still exists a significant divide between the FGC and Smashers. Ingenito explores this separation, and proposes some ideas for working towards a more unified future. I want fighting games to continue to grow as an eSport and bridging this gap can only help.

The Paradox of Indie Game Devs Who Can't Play Just a While

Rachel Presser, Gamasutra

Presser writes a fascinating piece about the importance of time time to play games as an indie developer, even in the face of an overwhelming mountain of work. Not that it’s at all the same, but even just writing this blog and doing my podcast can make it tough to fit gaming time in. Can’t imagine how tough it is for indie devs!