May Roundtable: Labor in Games

May Roundtable: Labor in Games

May Day may have come and gone, but it’s always a good time to talk about labor and worker’s rights. Both in and out of games (and the games industry), we’re seeing a growing consciousness of how exploitative labor practices shape our society. From increased pushes for unionization to games explicitly about striking or exploitation in the workplace, these ideas are also part of ongoing conversations within the gaming industry. That’s what we’re discussing this month—labor and work within the games industry, both representationally and behind the screen. (more…)

January Roundtable: Positive Body Diversity in Games

January Roundtable: Positive Body Diversity in Games

Games are not really known for having the greatest body diversity. But you know what? Some games are doing all right. This month, we chatted about what body diversity in games means to us, how it can be meaningful, and what, if anything, we think is enough. (more…)

September Roundtable: Politics and Games

September Roundtable: Politics and Games

We talk a lot about politics in games. We’re not of the opinion that anything can be truly apolitical; people create games, and people have beliefs and ideologies that inform what they create. This often causes friction, as sometimes a game we enjoy may rub up uncomfortably against our own beliefs, or a game may attempt itself to brand itself as apolitical when it’s clearly anything but.

But some games embrace politics, leaning hard into exploring a tricky idea, a creator’s identity, or other elements that encourage the player to think more deeply about whatever issue the game is tackling. The Sidequest crew sat down to talk about what these games are doing well, and how games that play with politics can be both interesting and fun. (more…)

Tacoma, Surveillance, and Confronting My Fear of Corporate Culture

Tacoma, Surveillance, and Confronting My Fear of Corporate Culture

Tacoma is a walking sim from Fullbright—the creators of Gone Home—that expands upon the use of audio logs and non-linear narratives the studio set up in their previous title. This article contains spoilers for the game, so go play it if you haven’t yet!

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