The Impact Factor

News & Views

4/16/16-4/22/16

Another week, another News & Views. As always I keep an eye out for the best gaming writing, stories and opinions! This week was a doozy. Check out the links below for stories about an interactive Twilight Zone movie coming from Bioshock’s creator, why defending crunch isn’t leadership, and how the mundane can be exceptional in Indigo Prophecy.

And of course please 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. We’re on YouTube too!

Spotlight

What A Video Game Producer Actually Does

Jason Schreier, Kotaku

Worth Reading

The Joys of Taking a Shower and Sipping Coffee in Indigo Prophecy

David Chandler, Kill Screen

The guns and dungeons of Enter the Gungeon

Tim W., Gamasutra

Defending Crunch Isn't Leadership

Ian Williams, Giantbomb

I am Alex St. John's Daughter, and He is Wrong About Women in Tech

Amilia St. John, Medium

The Mess That Came After Nintendo Fired An Employee

Patrick Klepek, Kotaku

With Comments

Bioshock director Ken Levine's next stop? An interactive Twilight Zone movie

Chris Kohler, Wired

Ken Levine is an amazing artistic talent and I have no doubts his next gaming project will be incredible. This Twilight Zone news took me by surprise. Levine is attempting some synthetic media experience that incorporates interactivity with film? I’m on board. Let’s just hope this project doesn’t get lost in the twilight zone along the way.

A landscape of memory; Returning to Shadow of the Colossus

Gareth Damian Martin, Kill Screen

Shadow of the Colossus is a game that has shaped me more profoundly than any other title I have played. It’s beautiful, it’s rich, it’s fantastic. Martin writes about returning to the hollow but stunning open world of this 2005 PS2 classic and the memories that came flooding back when he did. I play SoTC once every two or three years, and each time it’s a warm trip of remembrance. That game is incredible.

Learning Basic Fluency In Dark Souls 3's Cemetery of Ash

Anthony Panecasio, Gamasutra

The Souls games have always elegantly incorporated tutorial sections into the experience. Dark Souls 3 in particular does a fantastic job at teaching the basic mechanics, exploration, finding the path of least resistance, fighting human-like bosses, fighting monstrous bosses, checkpoints, and so much more all wrapped into one wordless but effortlessly descriptive package. Panecasio does a great job at laying out why exactly the tutorial is so great in his piece on Gamasutra.