Friday, April 29, 2016

Regarding the Cancellation of 'Legends of the Game Industry' Panel

Those of you who have been reading this blog from day 1 know that I am not just a writer, but I'm also a teacher. I'm also an unashamed supporter of the Left, and pretty damn liberal too. I'm all for women's representation in gaming, equality in the work force, and all that. But I don't support this cancellation.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

A Quick Thought Regarding Gamergate

We've won. There's no two ways about it, we've won. We set out to put ethics in games journalism, and we did. We got Leigh Alexander fired from Gamasutra, relegating her to some no-name site she eventually resigned from. Dunces like Patrick Klepek have made themselves known to outsiders as corrupt, unethical bloggers who don't deserve a second of your time. The old guard of games journalism is dead, and new sites, like TechRaptor and Based Gamer, have taken their place. Conservative gamers now have a voice; likewise, Liberal gamers no longer need to feel ashamed of opposing 'feminists' who do little more than demonize games. We've won.

But the battle is not over, nor will it ever be truly over until every developer can feel like they can make ANY game they want and not worry about being censored by hyper-sensitive feminists. Until games journalism earns its credibility with gamers. Until a game can win an award and no one will have to wonder if the award was truly earned or if it was a "favor" cashed in. Until independent games are made by people with a passion for gaming instead of a frustrated Liberal Arts major. Then, and ONLY then can we say "Gamergate's over."

Sunday, April 17, 2016

What Happened to Sonic?

Twenty four years ago, Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the biggest game franchises in the world. Comic books, cartoons, and of course the games, the Blue Blur was not as much a franchise as he was a phenomenon. Today, though there are still the comics and a cartoon, the Blue Blur is simply not the powerhouse he once was. What happened?

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Video Game Journalism: Good Idea, Bad Idea

If you've ever watched Animaniacs, you'll understand the title's reference. Anyway, the following is a list of five things you SHOULD do if you were a video game reviewer or journalist, followed by the direct opposite thing that you should avoid doing. Like the title says, it's a Good Idea versus a Bad Idea.