by Emma Kostopolus | Dec 2, 2020 | News, Video Games
So, now that we’re (thankfully) in the home stretch of 2020, publications and media conglomerates have started putting forward their votes for that age-old tradition, Game of the Year (GOTY). While yet another delay that I talked about in my last GYGO pushed Cyberpunk 2077 officially out of contention for this year’s awards slate, and the new slate of PS5 launch titles are also largely not in the running, there’s still a lot of buzz surrounding the titles that places like the Golden Joysticks and of course Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards have put up for nominations. Here’s the Game Awards slate for GOTY 2020: (more…)
Emma is a PhD candidate in Rhetoric and Composition who studies how play impacts learning. Her words have also appeared in Critical Distance and Unwinnable. When not writing, she enjoys passing the controller between friends for runs of Silent Hill. She can be found @kostopolus on Twitter.
by Emma Kostopolus | Nov 16, 2020 | Essays, Video Games
If you’ve been involved with any sort of political conversation surrounding video games for the last twenty years, you’ve probably heard a lot of people harping on about violence: specifically, that violent video games lead to violent behavior in real life. While that claim has largely been debunked by research, there’s no denying that violence is an integral part of most high-profile titles. A tight and fluid combat system is a major selling point for a major release from an AAA studio, and a game with poor combat is lambasted with bad reviews. For better or worse, combat can be how players define a game: it determines how we view its quality (sometimes privileged over other concerns like graphics and narrative), and how fun the process of violence is in a game is the point by which we decide whether or not to play. (more…)
Emma is a PhD candidate in Rhetoric and Composition who studies how play impacts learning. Her words have also appeared in Critical Distance and Unwinnable. When not writing, she enjoys passing the controller between friends for runs of Silent Hill. She can be found @kostopolus on Twitter.
by Madison Butler | Nov 10, 2020 | Opinion, Video Games
Joel’s outlook on life in The Last of Us is simple: kill them before they kill you. Let the people you love motivate you to survive. Even after his death in Part II, this is a philosophy the player confronts over and over again, and one that gives the game a distinctly conservative cast. (more…)
Madison Butler is Sidequest’s self-proclaimed jock editor. She co-founded the blog Critsumption and once got really into powerlifting via Fitness Boxing for the Nintendo Switch. She tweets at @_maddilo.
by Madison Butler | Sep 8, 2020 | Opinion, Video Games
Joel Miller is so inextricable from The Last of Us that it’s easy to forget we don’t begin the original game controlling him. (more…)
Madison Butler is Sidequest’s self-proclaimed jock editor. She co-founded the blog Critsumption and once got really into powerlifting via Fitness Boxing for the Nintendo Switch. She tweets at @_maddilo.
by Draven Katayama | Jun 24, 2020 | Comics, News, Tabletop Games, Video Games
Happy Wednesday! What games are you playing lately? I’m completely absorbed in the world of The Last of Us Part II. I’m over 11 hours in and it feels like I’m barely at the halfway point; the game is much, much more expansive in the sheer number of places to explore than the first game. If you’re a fan of the first game, I can (so far) recommend it. Ellie and Joel’s banter and adventures together are fun and emotional as ever, and Ellie and Dina’s interactions are sweet and organic. Let us know on Twitter what games you’re playing and looking forward to, and check back every Wednesday for more news! (more…)
Writer at Sidequest and WWAC; past: Newsarama, Comicosity, executive editor of Kollaboration. I’ve watched over 200 hours of Life is Strange playthroughs. Talk to me about LiS, The Last of Us, and the games and fandoms you love! Twitter: @loudlysilent
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