No Pause Screen Doesn’t Make Your Game Hardcore
I’ve been playing games for a little over 20 years now. Starting with PC games when I was a toddler,…
Development
The Case for Serious Games: a response to the JCSG2016 Keynote Panel
At the second Joint Conference on Serious Games, moderator Catherine Beavis asked a keynote panel of invited domestic and international…
All Fun And Games
As I ponder my completion of my Game Design studies the occasion seems to be more of a realisation rather…
Diversity
Being Nice Isn’t That Hard, Folks
I’m sure a lot of you have seen the whacky images coming out of Mass Effect: Andromeda. The goofy facial…
I Want To Like You, Krem, But…
As a trans man myself, I was super excited when I found out that there was a trans male character…
No Pause Screen Doesn’t Make Your Game Hardcore
I’ve been playing games for a little over 20 years now. Starting with PC games when I was a toddler,…
Health & Education
Making Meaning in Game Dev
Content Warning: suicide, mental illness Disclaimer: This is an opinion article, and not meant to constitute medical or health advice….
Degrees of Connection
“Dinner is ready honey, can you set the table?” “Just give me a minute, I’m just chatting to Taylor” “Who’s…
Sick Heroes at PAX Aus 2015
Have you thought about how chronic conditions, like pain and mental illness, are represented in games? Portrayals are often one-dimensional…
Industry
The Case for Serious Games: a response to the JCSG2016 Keynote Panel
At the second Joint Conference on Serious Games, moderator Catherine Beavis asked a keynote panel of invited domestic and international…
All Fun And Games
As I ponder my completion of my Game Design studies the occasion seems to be more of a realisation rather…
Failure, sustainability and Raw Fury Games
The amount of indie studio closures we see in the industry that most never hear about is heartbreaking. It’s utterly…
Reflections
Being Nice Isn’t That Hard, Folks
I’m sure a lot of you have seen the whacky images coming out of Mass Effect: Andromeda. The goofy facial…
Maintaining Radio Silence
Silent protagonists have been a fixture of gaming almost from the very beginning, with characters like Link, Gordon Freeman, and…
From Dusk Until Dawn: Anatomy of a True Horror Game
“I don’t understand why you’d do something that would frighten you.” They say. “Do you like feeling scared?” No, I…
Reviews
Horizon Zero Dawn – Preview at EB Expo 2016
Originally posted October 2016 on Clever Game Pun. Reposted on PlayWrite after the closure of Clever Game Pun in early…
Maintaining Radio Silence
Silent protagonists have been a fixture of gaming almost from the very beginning, with characters like Link, Gordon Freeman, and…
Dark Souls and Life: Lessons from Lordran and Beyond
Michael Jordan is the most oft-quoted athlete of modern times. Though he is known for his ultimate greatness on the…
Tabletop
The Way We Play: Rituals and Luck
Jack stood over the pile of cards, his hands outstretched to the sky, fingers clawing at some invisible wall. From…
World Building: The Very Basics of Being Vague
World building can seem daunting. Where do you start? What do you start with? How big should it be? How…
D&D 5.0 Character Creation, Part 3: The Outside Layers
This part will be devoted to the outer skin that overlays the meat from Part 2. Attacks and Spellcasting. This section is…