After multiple delays – most notably due to the Colorado fires which burned down half of Tim’s town – we return to talk video games again. This season’s format will be less focussed on specific aspects of gaming and be more general. We found that playing several iterations of the same kind of game takes…
Read MoreFollowing our look at the Civilization games in the previous episode, Tim and Joel look at the Paradox strategy games and The Sims. In contrast to the Civilization games, Paradox has shown signs of greater engagement with some of the more troubling historical issues that games about colony-building have failed to adequately address. And despite…
Read MoreTim and Joel look at the Civilization games. We examine the way that, in every iteration, their systems have failed go beyond a view of the world rooted in capitalist realism. Games mentioned: Civilization series Red Dead Redemption
Read MoreTim and Joel look at different ways of experiencing games, how input and interface can shape an aesthetic experience. We look at simple tweaks like removing the mini-map in Red Dead Redemption 2, and examine a team of developers using old-style telephones as voice-activated input devices. Games mentioned: The Last of Us 2 Crusader Kings…
Read MoreTim and Joel catch up on some of the games they’ve sampled over the last few weeks. We go over some preliminary thoughts on UI and UX, and talk about the stunning graphical improvements of PCVR. Games played: The Ascent Shadowrun CyberPunk 2077 Deus Ex Elite Dangerous Half Life 1 Return to Castle Wolfenstein Doom…
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Tim and Joel continue last week’s conversation about systemic games. We look at the medieval sandbox game Crusader Kings 3, and Tim goes into his playthrough of Nantucket. We also look at games that come close to being systemic, employing complex systems, but end up relying on authored narratives. Games mentioned: Crusader Kings 3 Civilization…
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Tim and Joel return from a hiatus with a look at the emergent narrative dynamics of systemic strategy games, beginning with a look at Overhype Studios’ Battle Brothers. Games mentioned: Rimworld Crusader Kings 3 Dwarf Fortress Battle Brothers
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In Part One, Tim and Joel looked at how procedural generation can aid or detract from video game narrative. This week, we look at artificial intelligence – a nascent field with immense possibilities. We look at the fundamental difference between AI and traditional systems, and explore the fascinating, dreamlike storytelling experience of AI Dungeon. Games…
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Tim and Joel begin with a discussion of games we recently played. We highlight the problems of returning to grand narrative games like Mafia 3, and the possibilities of player-defined narratives, before looking at procedural generation and its role in game narrative construction, looking at Minecraft and our recent favorite, Valheim. Games mentioned: Mafia 3…
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The systems a game employs to create a narrative or experience are an expression of the way the developers see the world. After looking in depth at Dwarf Fortress last week, Tim and Joel note the different systems in Stardew Valley and Farming Simulator, both ostensibly games about farming. We then move on to discuss…
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