by Sara Davis | Jan 18, 2022 | Lists, Video Games
Oh, Mass Effect, my problematic love.
As an entirely new audience discovers the joy of the original trilogy via the Legendary Edition, I’ve been thinking about what drew me back to the series again and again. Sometimes when we talk about this series, it’s easier to focus on what we don’t love about it. As Kael’s Diary of a Hardline Shep points out, Commander Shepherd’s “extrajudicial space cop” status sure hits different in this decade. It’s worth thinking critically about why even Shepherd’s diplomatic duties typically involve guns. It’s certainly worth thinking critically about how (and why??) sexual dimorphism in aliens is represented—not to mention human and alien sexuality, and the mysteriously limited romantic options for a gay male Shepherd. And as Zainabb said in last August’s roundtable, the pleasure of exploring the discoverable universe is interwound with the pleasure of controlling and/or colonizing it: the space cantinas are Shepherd’s to raid, the space crates are Shepherd’s to loot, and the Krogan coming-of-age ceremony is simply waiting for Shepherd to crash. (more…)
Sara Davis is a recovering academic and marketing writer who lives in Philadelphia. Her PhD in American literature is from Temple University. She blogs about books, games, climate change, and other obsessions at literarysara.net.
by Zainabb Hull | Jan 17, 2022 | Lists, Mobile Games, Video Games
2021 was A Lot. Everyone I know struggled more than usual last year—unsurprisingly, given the ongoing global pandemic, general resurgence of fascism, bleak headlines, and the more mundane but no less heartbreaking personal crises we’ve all been dealing with. For me, 2021 gave me several very long and particularly rough chronic illness flares that have continued into the new year, many caused or exacerbated by difficult life events, with the latest leaving me stuck in bed with no energy, a lot of pain, and an uncomfortable level of brain fog. When flaring up, I don’t have the capacity for much so I’ll usually watch films (the trashier, the better), spend hours on YouTube, and hopefully, play some games. (more…)
Zainabb Hull is an editor at Sidequest, a freelance writer and videographer, and sort-of artist. They’re also a trans, queer, and disabled brown femme. They tweet into the void at @ZainabbHull.
by Tia Kalla | Jan 11, 2022 | Lists, Mobile Games, Video Games
Earlier this year, having played through the new update for Stardew Valley on my Switch and wanting a bit more, I decided to check into Stardew‘s modding community. I’ve done modding in a couple of other games over the years, tinkering directly with game code, so I was surprised to find that modding Stardew Valley is as easy as dragging and dropping folders. I was also surprised to find a vibrant, diverse, and friendly modding community, still going very strong five years after the game’s initial release. But perhaps the most surprising thing: all of the mod recommendation lists hadn’t been updated in three years or more, offering mods that are broken or outdated for the current 1.5.5 version. So, in the interest of being the change I want to see in the world, I’ve put together a sampling of my favorites that have been released or updated in the last year, all compatible with the 1.5.5 release. (more…)
Longtime writer, temporary office minion, and nerd of all trades, tiakall is a fan of lengthy subordinate clauses and the Oxford comma. She enjoys plants, cats, puns of varying quality, and making cannibal jokes before it was cool.
by Cress | Dec 2, 2021 | Lists, Opinion, Video Games
The leaves are changing, the air is crisp, and sweet scents waft through the air. It’s that time of year for the night to stretch long and for ourselves to prepare for the chill of Winter. Though Halloween has passed, I would argue the darker months have their own spooky charms and haunted visions. Hollywood doesn’t stop putting out horrors (or Marvel movies), so let’s imagine our own show we’d like to curl up with by the fire!
That’s right, time for us to dream of a video game movie/series we’d love to make! With the success of The Witcher, I feel more hopeful about such things. For myself, I’m gonna choose my well-tread fave, Bloodborne, and give my top picks for casting.
So come, let us sit about and speak feverishly, chatting into the wee hours OF MY WONDERFUL NIGHTMARE!!
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When I’m not co-oping in a FromSoft game or trying to convince someone how good the Venom movie was; I usually enjoy crafting, drawing and hanging out with my two cats.
Find my silly takes and NSFW art @justthecress
by Sara Davis | Nov 8, 2021 | Lists, Video Games
Imagine you are exploring the sun-bleached halls of a ruin—well, ruin might be a strong word, because these halls have a classical beauty that captivates your imagination—but to the best of your knowledge, you are the only living person who roams them. You amble through high-ceilinged galleries and collect seaweed from the flooded lower chambers. You catch a fish. You find a skeleton that has been laid out in a ceremonial tableau, and you contemplate who she was and what kind of culture lay her to rest.
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Sara Davis is a recovering academic and marketing writer who lives in Philadelphia. Her PhD in American literature is from Temple University. She blogs about books, games, climate change, and other obsessions at literarysara.net.
by Zora Gilbert | Oct 7, 2021 | Lists, Tabletop Games
The ongoing pandemic has me, like everyone else, watching a lot of anime, and while it’s always fun to be taken along on the ride, sometimes a person wants to help direct the story. While I don’t have the hookup to any studios (or the skill, or the time), I do have a big ol’ mental rolodex of tabletop roleplaying games, and I’m here to share the wealth so you too can triumph through the power of friendship. (more…)
Zora Gilbert cares a whole lot about words, kids, and comics. Find them at @zhgilbert on twitter, and find the comics they edit at datesanthology.com.
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