Critical Play: Like a Feminist May 29, 2026 For players interested in puzzle games, artful visuals, and feminist approaches to digital media, Monument Valley 2 offers a compelling example of Shira Chess’s…
Redefining the Sublime May 28, 2026 For centuries, humans located the sublime in experiences that overwhelmed the limits of ordinary life. Romantic artists and writers turned toward vast mountains, storms,…
Critical Play: Games of Chance & Addiction May 22, 2026 247 Free Poker is a browser-based platform created by 24/7 Games LLC. This site likely attracts a different crowd than real-money online poker rooms,…
Minecraft as a Story of “Progress” May 21, 2026 Despite having no authored protagonist, dialogue tree, or fixed plot, I believe that Minecraft still tells a story. Through playing the game and transforming…
Papers, Please: The Weaponization of Boredom May 15, 2026 As I played Papers, Please, I found the most startling part of the game wasn’t the terrorist attacks or the shootings, it was the…
Critical Play: A Dark Room May 14, 2026 A Dark Room is a browser-based minimalist narrative game created by Michael Townsend and later adapted to mobile by Amir Rajan. Originally released on…
Sketchnote: Loops & Arcs May 11, 2026 One game I enjoy playing is Pacman, which closely follows the loop architecture presented in the reading. The game mainly consists of a tight…
A Short Hike: The Fantasy of Existing Outside Productivity May 8, 2026 When I began playing A Short Hike, I found myself surprised by the lack of urgency in the game. Technically, the game has a…
Critical Play: Puzzles May 7, 2026 Developed by ustwo games for iOS and Android, Monument Valley is designed for a broad audience including casual players, design enthusiasts, and anyone looking…
Individual Concept Doc: P2 May 3, 2026 Moodboard: Playlist: Direction Ideas: Point-and-click We are hoping to design an adventure/puzzle game that combines analog and digital components. It could be interesting to…
Nostalgia Isn’t Neutral: What Bastion Gets Us to Believe May 1, 2026 At first glance, Bastion feels like a game about rebuilding. You play as the Kid, moving through a shattered world, piecing it back together…
Critical Play: The Heist Escape Room May 1, 2026 The Heist is a physical escape room created by The Escape Game for casual to intermediate group players of ages 12+. Designed for an…
Bokura Planet: Where Does Trust Really Come From? April 24, 2026 There is a small crossed-out microphone icon that appears on your screen at certain moments in BOKURA: planet. It means: don’t tell your partner…
Critical Play: Walking Simulators April 23, 2026 For players ages 12+, Journey, developed by Thatgamecompany and available on iOS, PlayStation, and PC, offers a more unconventional answer to what a game…
The Illusion of Choice: How Constraint Gives Meaning to Evil in Slay the Princess April 18, 2026 Playing Slay the Princess this week was my first introduction to the genre of interactive fiction. It was my first time experiencing a game…