Take a Break With These 3 Short Games

Take a Break With These 3 Short Games

I am a very picky gamer. Last summer, when I purchased that giant, amazing game bundle for racial justice and equality on itch.io, I figured it’d be easy to take some time, scroll through and pick out a few things that worked with my interests. I’m usually only interested in dating sims and visual novels, the weirder and queerer the better. However, perusing through the 1,741 items in the bundle quickly became intimidating. Several months later I’ve only played a handful of games, and I get a bit tuckered out just scrolling through the giant list. (more…)

Digital Spaces for Digital Games: How BostonFIG Fest Virtual 2020 Brought a Show Online

Digital Spaces for Digital Games: How BostonFIG Fest Virtual 2020 Brought a Show Online

Like the Game Devs of Color Expo, the BostonFIG Fest was one of many events that had to adapt and change their show in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In typical circumstances, the annual games event is hosted around the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus, as noted in my recap of a previous year’s Fest. But because a pandemic simply does not magically disappear into the transition of a new year, the BostonFIG Fest went virtual in 2021, hosting its festivities on Gather. (more…)

Review: Necrobarista is a Cool Concept with a Lukewarm Execution

Review: Necrobarista is a Cool Concept with a Lukewarm Execution

As someone with both a deep love for the misunderstood art of necromancy and a couple unfortunate years of barista experience, Necrobarista was a title I couldn’t ignore. The description from the game’s Steam page promised everything I could want: “In a back-alley cafe, the dead are granted one last night to mingle with the living. Necrobarista follows a dynamic and diverse cast of characters as they navigate Melbourne’s hipstery coffee culture, the questionable ethics of necromancy, and the process of letting go.” Awesome, I’m here for it, let’s go. (more…)

July Roundtable: Games Imagining Better Futures

July Roundtable: Games Imagining Better Futures

Who doesn’t want a better world? Games have the power to let us see, build, and imagine something different than we currently inhabit; in other words, how can games imagine better futures? In this month’s roundtable, the Sidequest team asks what games are doing that, what games are failing, and the pitfalls to consider. (more…)

Socialism Isn’t a Dirty Word: An Interview with The Glory Society

Socialism Isn’t a Dirty Word: An Interview with The Glory Society

On March 4, 2019, three creatorstwo of the creators of independent video game Night in the Woods, Scott Benson and Bethany Hockenberry, along with prolific artist/musician Wren Farrenannounced rather suddenly that they’d established The Glory Society, a new worker cooperative video game studio. They announced, among other things, that they’re working on “A cool game. Or two.” As a midwest/rust belt socialist and queer gamer, I was ecstatic about the news. So I asked them a bunch of questions, and they graciously answered. (more…)