News & Views

10/22/16-10/28/16

Happy (almost) Halloween everyone!

News & Views collects the week’s best writing about video games and puts it all into one convenient place. Check out the links below for stories about how voice actors aren’t told what games they are working on, a ten-year journey to release a pixel art indie game, and elaborate revenge scheme in EVE Online, and a nearly 350 hour long ‘speed run.’

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

The Biggest Video Games Don't Tell Voice Actors What Game They're Working On

Emanuel Maiberg, Motherboard

Worth Reading

Thoughts on Fighting Game Difficulty and Casual

Matthew DeLucas, Gamasutra

This Guy Spent 342 Hours Speedrunning a Card-Based JRPG

Patrick Klepek, Waypoint

EVE Online player fakes suicide attempt as part of an elaborate scheme for revenge and money

Steven Messner, PC Gamer

Dungeons of the mind: Tabletop RPGs as social therapy

Chris Berg, Kill Screen

Game Design Deep Dive: Creating an adaptive narrative in Reigns

Francois Alliot, Gamasutra

The Exhausting Ten-Year Journey to Release 'Owlboy'

Patrick Klepek, Waypoint

The Thing's video game sequel got everything right except the Thing

Anthony John Agnello, A.V. Club

News & Views

10/15/16-10/21/16

News & Views collects the week’s best writing about video games and compiles them into one convenient place. Check out the links below for stories about a level that took 300 hours to make, how consoles are compromising their ‘play now’ identity, a core failure of military shooter video games, and why is it is difficult to make a video game.

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

Why It's So Hard to Make a Video Game

Tina Amini, Waypoint

Worth Reading

The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker's dungeon design

Mark Brown, Boss Keys

Why 'Skyrim' Forever Remains in the Shadow of 'Morrowind'

Jim Trinca, Waypoint

Doom 2 modder spends 300 hours making a three-hour level

Jeffrey Matulef, Eurogamer

Why VR Is the Next Step for Walking Simulator Games

Matthew Walden, Rolling Stone

How Consoles Broke The 'Play Now' Promise

Jim Sterling, The Jimquisition

Skyrim modder creates mysterious potion and has no clue what it even does

Steven Messner, PC Gamer

Virtual war zones and the failure of the military shooter

Dan Hill, Kill Screen

The Art of Escape: What do we gain from giving inmates access to video games?

Ryan Bradley, Longreads

News & Views

10/8/16-10/14/16

This dark, rainy Friday is a perfect endnote for a spooky October week. I’ve been plugging away at my Scare Fest 2016 list, now with over 10 movies seen and reviewed. Snuggle & Scream podcast made its Season 2 debut this week, in which Justine and I got to discuss Hush. We’re ever slowly creeping towards Halloween and I couldn’t be more excited.

News & Views collects the week’s best gaming and gamedev writing and puts it all into one convenient place. Check out the links below for stories about the geography of a MOBA battleground, how Thumper is a unique blend of rhythm with horror, the tale of a self-destructing game from the 1980’s, and a chronological look at the origin of Japanese role-playing games.

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

Could PlayStation VR be what virtual reality was waiting for?

Brian Crecente, Polygon

Worth Reading

Darkest Dungeon Ruins Its Endgame

Ethan Gach, Kotaku

Proving Grounds: The Geography of the MOBA Map

Josh Calixto, The Meta

The self-destructing game of 1986

Ben Bertoli, Polygon

Teaching My Nonna to Read Through Games

Gino Grieco, Giantbomb

Surviving and thriving as a game developer with chronic illness

Alex Wawro, Gamasutra

The Intense 'Thumper' Is Equal Parts Horror and Music Game

Patrick Klepek, VICE

1982-1987: The Birth of Japanese RPGs, re-told in 15 games

Felipe Pepe, Gamasutra

News & Views

10/1/16-10/7/16

Welcome to another week of News & Views! News & Views collects the best writing about video games I can find and compiles it all into one convenient place. Do your part to support great writers and thinkers by checking our their pieces! Check out the links below for stories about the necessity to play a game as piecemeal, how a bad ending can ruin an otherwise good game, and why it’s ok to make a game that isn’t revolutionary.

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

Street Fighter Has Become the World's Smallest Premier eSport, and That's OK

Gareth Dutton, VICE

Worth Reading

Play Kentucky Route Zero Now, Before It's Too Late

Dan Solberg, Kill Screen

The day jobs of eSports' biggest stars

Imad Khan, VICE Sports

Breaking Down my Favorite Boss Fights of all Time

Josh Bycer, Gamasutra

The cycles of violence in Bioshock: The Collection

Brent Ables, Kill Screen

PlayStation VR and the Confused State of Virtual Reality

Garrett Martin, Paste

When Good Games Make Bad Decisions About How to End

Patrick Klepek, VICE

Your idea may not be new, and that's OK

Stanislav Costiuc, Gamasutra

Life after console generations has one big upside

Oli Welsh, Eurogamer

News & Views

9/24/16-9/30/16

It’s almost October, my favorite month of the year! Fall arrives in full force, pumpkin spice is everywhere, and Halloween horror fills the air. I’m excited to jump into horror movies I have been putting off all year and play games off my growing backlog.

News & Views collects the week’s best writing about video games into one convenient place. Check out the links below for stories about how Dead Space is one of the best horror games ever made, why Far Cry 2 is one of the best games ever made, and one gamer who has spent nearly 400 hours trying (and failing) to beat his own Super Mario Maker level.

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

Inside the Troubled Development of Star Citizen

Julia Benson, Kotaku.uk

Worth Reading

After One Year Away, I've Forgotten What Is Happening in 'Destiny'

Patrick Klepek, VICE

SOMA - One Year Later

Frictional Games, Blog

Dead Space is the best damn horror game Capcom never made

Dave Meikleham, Gamesradar

How Devolver Digital is redefining videogame publishing

Steven Messner, PC Gamer

Team 5 on the health of Hearthstone

Cam Shea, IGN

On Far Cry 2

Brendan Chung, Blendo

Game Genie declassified: That summer I played 230 Game Boy games

Keith Stuart, Eurogamer

After 385 Hours, One Player Still Hasn't Beaten Their Hardest 'Mario Maker' Creation

Patrick Klepek, VICE

News & Views

9/17/16-9/23/16

News & Views collects the week’s best writing about video games and puts them into one convenient place. Check the links below for stories about the limited scale

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

"No One Criticized Bioshock Infinite Before!"

Cameron Kunzelman, This Cage is Worms

Worth Reading

Look through a Nintendo Game Counselor's guide, and image helping someone on the phone

Owen S. Good, Polygon

Better Than Black and White: One Man's Decade-Long Quest to Remake 'Metroid II'

David L. Craddock, VICE

Breaking With the Consensus (and Being OK With That)

Jeremy Parish, US Gamer

GG EZ: Blizzard's Sisyphean struggle to subdue the darkness within us all

Justin Groot, The Meta

In Defense Of Playing Bad Video Games

Patrick Klepek, VICE

Rogue co-creator: permadeath was never supposed to be 'about pain'

Bryant Francis, Gamasutra

The makers of No Man's Sky need to start talking again

Chistopher Livingston, PC Gamer

News & Views

9/10/16-9/16/16

In honor of the BioShock Remastered collection releasing this week, would you kindly check out this News & Views?

News & Views collects the week’s best writing about video games and puts it all into convenient place. Check out the links below for stories about the quest to make new games run on very old computers, the crazy story how Microsoft sent out an Xbox One before it was even announced, and what UNDERTALE means one year later.

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

BioShock's Jordan Thomas Discusses the Acclaimed Trilogy

Ed Smith, VICE

Worth Reading

The past, present and future of League of Legends studio Riot Games

Phil Kollar, Polygon

Maybe This Is Why Dragon Quest Never Took Off In The West

Jason Schreier, Kotaku

One Man's Quest to Let People Play Games on Their Crappy Computers

Patrick Klepek, VICE

Microsoft Accidentally Sent An Xbox One To A Random Customer Two Months Before It Was Announced

Jason Schreier, Kotaku

A short history of food in videogames

Bhernardo Viana, Kill Screen

Retrospective on UNDERTALE's Popularity

Toby Fox, Undertale.tumblr

Undertale, One Year Later

Peter Lido, Kill Screen

Why A Million People Still Play Multiplayer Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Every Month

Richard Moss, RockPaperShotgun

News & Views

8/27/16-9/2/16

Hey you! Yeah you. I hope you’re having a good day. If not, why not try hanging out here for a bit? I think you will feel a bit better after that. We love everyone here on The Impact Factor.

News & Views collects the week’s best writing about video games and puts it into one convenient place. Check out the links below for stories about Pokémon’s relationship with moral crises, how joy is more ‘adult’ than violence, gamedev in a world in which Super Mario Bros. exists, and an awesome story about how a group of dedicated gamers found (and unlocked) a super hidden secret boss.

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

Perverted Sentimentality: An Analysis of UNDERTALE

Hbomberguy, YouTube

Worth Reading

The World's Most Dangerous Game: Pokemon's Strange History with Moral Panics

Lana Polansky, VICE

Balancing accessibility against depth in game design

Santana Mishra and Tim Dawson, GDC Vault

How Blind Players Made a Text-Only RPG More Accessible

Ian Williams, VICE

How World of Warcraft players solved a wild puzzle to unlock Legion's rarest world boss

Phillip Kollar, Polygon

Can joy be more 'adult' than violence?

Leigh Alexander, Gamasutra

In defence of Bethesda's notorious videogame glitches

Maddi Chilton, Kill Screen

For the Old Neighborhoods, Both Physical and Digital

Amr Al-Aaser, Paste

The long shadow of Super Mario Bros.

Nathan Altice, Gamasutra

News & Views

8/27/16-9/2/16

Happy Friday everyone! I hope all of you out there have plans for the holiday weekend. It’s hard to believe it’s September already. We’re less than a month away from Fall and I am more than ready for it. Let’s just hope I get some more experiments working to accompany my favorite time of the year.

News & Views collects the week’s best writing about video games and puts it all into one convenient place. Check out the links below for stories about how parents thought the Super Nintendo was a scam, how one analyst used a Sci-Fi MMO to predict the Great Recession, and how the scariest enemy in all of gaming is time.

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

Parents didn't just dislike Super Nintendo 25 years ago -- they thought it was a scam

Chris Kohler, Wired

Worth Reading

The Witcher 3 is one of the best war games there's ever been

Nathan Ditum, Eurogamer

The Death of Video Game Box Art

NakeyJakey, YouTube

The Scariest Video Game Monster Is Time

Heather Alexandra, Kotaku

The rise of VHS horror games

Staff, Kill Screen

How I Used EVE Online to Predict the Great Recession

Ramin Shokrizade, Gamasutra

Whoops, it's 2016 and I just got obsessed with Magic: The Gathering

Jake Muncy, Wired

Tropes vs. Women takes on game's diverse female bodies - or lack thereof

Anita Sarkeesian, Tropes Vs. Women YouTube

Allegra Frank, Polygon

Steam Spy and the specter of game sales transparency

Simon Parkin, Gamasutra

I'll Never Love Another Console Like I Loved the Nintendo DS

Chris Schilling, VICE

News & Views

8/20/16-8/26/16

It’s been a busy week for me so let’s get straight into it. News & Views is where I collect the best writing about video games I’ve seen each week and put it into one convenient place. Check out the links below for stories about the nasty backlash against No Man’s Sky, how Nioh brings a real samurai legend to games, a step-by-step breakdown of Undertale’s masterful opening, and an interview with the ballerina motion captured for Bound.

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

Dancing on a different stage: the balletic inspiration behind PS4's Bound

Jonathan Ore, CBC

Worth Reading

Inside the Nasty Backlash Against 'No Man's Sky'

Patrick Klepek, VICE

Heterotopias: The domestic disorder of Uncharted 4

Gareth Damian Martin, Kill Screen

Undertale (Opening) - Breaking Down a Masterpiece

Max Pears, Gamasutra

Kitty Horrorshow: Making Games and Breaking Minds

Kyle McKenney, Paste

Designing Game Content and Scrapping What Doesn't Work

Ben Silvestre, Gamasutra

A Video Discussing Whether Or Not Hello Games Lied About No Man's Sky

Jim Sterling, YouTube

Nioh brings a real-life samurai legend to videogames

Jason Johnson, Kill Screen

No Man Sky's Seamlessness is its Greatest Strength

Kat Bailey, US Gamer

Fallout is Dead and Nuka World Killed It

Holly Green, Paste

News & Views

8/13/16-8/19/16

So ends a damp, cool, and foggy week in San Francisco. I’ve been waiting since the first hour of Monday for this.

News & Views collects the week’s best writing about video games and puts it all into one convenience place. Check out the links below for stories about how a developer’s hypoglycemia is represented in his games, how Super Mario 64 introduced the camera as a new character, and a look into a growing mystery that links 19 seemingly unrelated games together.

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

Magic and gender in Final Fantasy VI

Kathryn Hemmann, Kill Screen

Worth Reading

Death and Consequences in Game Design

Chris Solarski, Gamasutra

How SWERY's Reactive Hypoglycemia Manifests Itself In His Video Games

Laura Kate Dale, VICE

On Monsters, Role Playing, and Blackness

Gita Jackson, Giantbomb

Against Representation

Aevee Bee, Zeal

Super Mario 64 introduced the camera as friend and foe in video games

A.A. Dowd, Matt Geradi, John Teti, and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, A.V. Club

With Comments

How -Not What- To Think About New cards

Popsychblog, Reddit/r/hearthstone

This poster on Reddit offers an interesting insight into how to view new cards. Pros and amateurs alike are routinely wrong about the power level of new cards. There are so many factors, it’s hard to really know. Poppsychblog suggests a common rubric on how to value a new card’s merit that’s irrespective of meta context. Interesting thoughts!

No Man's Sky and the Joy of Being Stranded

Alex Newhouse, Gamespot

No Man’s Sky is a polarizing game. Some love it, some hate it. Like many of the ‘big’ games of our time, it has certainly fueled interesting writing. Alex Newhouse discusses the joy of being stranded alone in an unthinkably vast universe. I’m not sure that’s what I am looking for in games, but that No Man’s Sky can provide that feeling is something truly special.

These Mysterious Symbols Have Been in 19 Video Games and No One Knows Why

Patrick Klepek, VICE

Well, Frog Fractions 2 here we come! Jokes aside, this is a crazy story. 19 seemingly unrelated games have these symbols appearing. Symbols that, once decoded, seem to assemble into some kind of map (or electrical circuit?). With the Overwatch Sombra ARG in full force, I’ve been really into following the hard work of others in deciphering these cryptic messages. Here’s to hoping it builds to something really cool.

News & Views

8/6/16-8/12/16

We’re living in plentiful times, folks. Everyone expects summer gaming to be slow and boring, but I’ve had an experience quite the opposite. Summer 2016 has been a fantastic time for indies & other smaller games. I recently finished I Am Setsuna, a nice throwback to the JRPGs of yesteryear. Early this week I finished and platinumed Double Fine’s Headlander. And now I’m deep into Hyper Light Drifter (which is freakin’ fantastic so far.) Once that’s done, I still have ABZU, Bound, and Batman: A Telltale Series to get to. It’s a good time to be playing video games.

News & Views collects the week’s best writing about video games. Check out the links below for stories about how food can evoke a particular brand of fantasy, why putting a score on your video game review is useless, and the galaxy-wide quest to find No Man’s Sky’s giant sand serpent.

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

Patch the Process

Rami Ismail, Ramiismail.com

Worth Reading

The More You Know: Making Decisions Interesting In Games

Jon Shafer, Gamasutra

Furi is Difficulty Done Right

Matt Sayer, Unwinnable

Food Is the Secret Ingredient in Vanillaware's Games

Todd Harper, VICE

Sonic boom: Ellie Gibson on nostalgia, novelty, and that 9/10

Ellie Gibson, Eurogamer

The Elder Scrolls: Legends is Too Similar to Hearthstone

Holly Green, Paste

Why Video Game Scores are Useless

Josh Bycer, Gamasutra

With Comments

The Game Germany Deemed 'Harmful to Minors'

Patrick Klepek, VICE

Klepek’s investigative reporting gives us insight into something we almost never see: the reasoning behind why a game gets its content rating. This article takes a look at the German video game review board and their decision to not rate the controversial Criminal Girls 2. If nothing else, this is worth reading for insights into the previously only speculated.

The Hunt For No Man's Sky's Mysterious Giant Snake

Patricia Hernandez, Kotaku

I love stories like this. No Man’s Sky had a lot of trailers, but even I remember the giant sand snake that slithered its way into the hearts & minds of fans around the world. The procedural generation in the game means that it is unlikely for a giant snake to spawn that perfectly resembles the one in the trailer, but that hasn’t stopped the hunt. Fans across the world are scouring No Man’s Sky’s billions of worlds in search for the elusive creature. I hope they find it!

News & Views

7/30/16-8/5/16

Summer Games are afoot. Rio’s opening ceremony airs tonight and Lucioball is talking folks by storm in Overwatch. While you wait, why not sit down to read a few pieces of great gaming writing?

News & Views collects the week’s best writing about video games and puts it into one convenient place. Check out the links below for stories about the relationship between goats and DOOM, the insane fan culture that’s arisen around No Man’s Sky, and the less than stellar race politics of the new Deus Ex game.

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

Should eSports be in the Olympics?

Patrick Stafford, Polygon

Worth Reading

'No Man's Sky' Isn't Out Until Next Week, But This Guy May Have Already Beaten It

Austin Walker, VICE

Farewell, Kotaku

Patrick Klepek, Kotaku

"Augs Lives Matter": The hollow race politics of the new Deus Ex

Maddi Chilton, Kill Screen

The Goat, the Devil, and DOOM

Reid McCarter, Kill Screen

The Relationship between Monetization and Gamer Behavior

Mantin Lu, Gamasutra

With Comments

Is 'Easy Mode' Possible In Dark Souls?

Matt Sayer, Unwinnable

As a long time Souls fan I’ve long wondered if there was a way to make the games more accessible without compromising their unrivaled design. The answer to my own question was typically a resounding no. Matt Sayer also investigates this question. He provides some possible avenues to consider: like directing the player to focus their attack on a specific part of the boss via glowing limbs, or warnings for players about to fall to their deaths. I like what he’s trying here, but disagree that these would work. More thought is needed.

Furi: some tough design decisions striving to make a memorable game

Emeric Thoa, Gamasutra

I quite enjoyed Furi. I really appreciated how dedicated that game was to its core principles, for better and worse. Emeric Thoa, one of the game’s designers, writes about their philosophy for the game. Of the most interesting aspects is The Game Bakers’ goal to make a ‘triple I’ game. It centers around the idea that you cannot compete with AAAs in terms of scope, so you must focus on one feature and make it exceptional. This will help your game stand out among indies. Thoa also writes about how, in doing so, you cannot worry about alienating a large audience—you can’t please everyone. 

News & Views

7/23/16-7/29/16

News & Views collects the week’s best video game writing into one convenient place. Check out the links below for stories about how Pokémon GO does a terrible job teaching players how to play, why annoyance is a key part of great game design, and how VR is more about control than immersion.

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

VR is a revolution in control more than immersion

Tom Francis, Eurogamer

Worth Reading

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Video Game Sequels

Josh Bycer, Gamasutra

The Importance of Overwatch's Newest Hero, Ana Amari

Nico Deyo, Paste

Bloodborne begone: a hardcore gamer lets go

Rich Stanton, The Guardian

The Motherhood in Pokémon

Bhernardo Viana, Mammon Machine

Pokémon GO isn't the solution to Nintendo's problems. It's a symptom of them

Chris Kohler, Wired

How Pokémon Go Fails to Capture Learnability

Sebastian Long, Gamasutra

Meet Bill Ciaramelli, the man behind LI Joe's Street Fighter success

Michael Martin, Yahoo eSports

The secret to Overwatch's success? Annoyance

Rowan Kaier, Polygon

The Solution to Our Political Problems Lies in 'Dungeons and Dragons'

Cameron Kunzelman, VICE