Tag Archives: Final Fantasy Tactics

Tighten up the Narrative in Level 3: The grammar of videogames

In the great sandwich of videogames, game mechanics are the baguette and game stories are the stuffing. Whether a game is simply a thin spread of butter on an oven fresh bun or a triple-decker steak’n’cheese with pan fried vegetables … Continue reading →

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Gamer Profiles: The Split-screener

I don’t have a lot in common with Francis Underwood. He is the majority whip for the Democrats; I am an English major. He is known for aggressive politics and cunning stratagems; in Tic-Tac-Toe, I am known for giving up … Continue reading →

Posted in Gamer Profiles | Tagged 999: Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors , Angry Birds , , Being Erica , Crashed Warped , , Draw Something , Elder Scrolls: Oblivion , Etrian Odyssey , , Gamer profiles , Grandia , House of Cards , Mario Kart , Michael Hancock , Nier , No Doubt , Persona 3 , Quiver , , splitscreen gaming , Storage Wars , The Plague , turn-based RPG , Valkyrie Profile: Plume of the Covenenant , Vertical Horizon , Words With Friends | 8 Comments

Postcards from PAX East: The Press Room

There are some people – you, most likely, if you’re reading Medium Difficulty – who have taken up the work of analyzing, criticizing, and thinking about videogames. Doing it seriously, with intentions from academic to idealistic, and doing it in many cases for no compensation at all. These people, myself included, care deeply about games.

Other people really love games, too. For them, games are their identity, their social group – not their muse. Like someone wearing a band t-shirt, they wear a Lord of the Rings Online hoodie or dress up as Final Fantasy characters. They don’t care any less than us. Just in different ways.

These two groups aren’t quite the same, but not so different, too. Largely, they get along without a hitch, often overlapping – but I’ve heard my colleagues say things like, “Fucking nerds,” while here. It’s said ironically and warmly, sure, but the implication of superiority is still there. On the other hand, the fucking nerds seem to not really care about our presence here. The yellow media badges don’t attract the same attention that cosplay does. Continue reading →

Posted in Features | Tagged , , , , En Masse Entertainment , , , , , , , Red 5 Studios , , , | 3 Comments