by Melanie Jayne Ashford Accessibility is a hot topic, and with all the technology involved, there’s nowhere better for accessibility than video games. Sadly, though, the world of video games lacks support for deaf and hard of hearing players. The gaming industry provides the most consistent captioning that I have seen, but there are still … Continue reading Deaf Accessibility in Video Games
The importance of next-gen speed
The embargo on Xbox Series X previews have lifted, where professional (US?) reviewers got their hands on next-gen consoles. What has most excited me, even during the early stages, for both next-gen consoles was not the potential graphics but the speed with which games are loading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elP0Eeu9BtE While naturally we want games to look beautiful, … Continue reading The importance of next-gen speed
Debunking writing game criticism: My experience as a freelancer
Recently, a throwaway Tweet by an aggressive gamer with 3 followers indicated scorn for my only owning a PS4, when I am a game critic. I dealt with this issue at the height of being targeted by gamergate 6000 years ago – but I’ve seen recent related discussions from colleagues, in light of the upcoming … Continue reading Debunking writing game criticism: My experience as a freelancer
The Pillars of Privilege
The world is on fire and that’s not OK. I’ve noticed a few people pen articles justifying why it’s OK to lose themselves in fiction, in games. This saddens me: The world is hard enough at the moment without people being made to feel guilty about their chosen coping mechanism. But let’s not lie to … Continue reading The Pillars of Privilege
A Plague Tale: Innocence’s resonance into today’s plague-filled world
“A hallmark of pandemic disease is its ability to destroy worlds, not just individuals” - John Kelly, The Great Mortality. This is the message I took away from Asobo Studio’s A Plague Tale: Innocence. The plague has taken everything. A sea of isolation rages across the landscape, bringing with it a toxic silence. Bodies buried, … Continue reading A Plague Tale: Innocence’s resonance into today’s plague-filled world
On isolation: a non-gaming post
Cw: domestic abuse, end of the world discussion. I must apologise for the tone and topic of this. But, of course, things are not normal. Right now, I am struggling to focus on writing about media even though now, more than ever, I should be consuming it – being a non-medical person, with no skill to … Continue reading On isolation: a non-gaming post
Old School Pick: Dying Light
Recently, the folks at Techland released a patch for their year 5 year old game, Dying Light. This is an open-world, action-RPG parkour zombie game. You play as a Kyle Crane, a very generic, entirely forgettable lead who sounds like but isn’t Troy Baker. In this city that is definitely not Turkey, a mysterious virus … Continue reading Old School Pick: Dying Light
Why the Witcher TV-series is a missed opportunity
The Witcher games, particularly Wild Hunt, have seen a recent resurgence in popularity thanks to the titular Netflix show. Though the books and games are divergent, they naturally have much in common – sharing a universe’s history, rather than strictly the present. The Witcher is set in a medieval fantasy world, created by Polish author … Continue reading Why the Witcher TV-series is a missed opportunity
Thoughts on Death Stranding pt 2
Please read the previous part to understand this... NOTE: SPOILERS FOR DEATH STRANDING AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE When the world is ending, there’s nothing like a warm pizza. Well, at least in the mind of characters in Death Stranding. Despite the recognition that every religion not only got it wrong, but dramatically wrong; … Continue reading Thoughts on Death Stranding pt 2
Thoughts on Death Stranding pt 1
The world is a dead, cold place. Isolation ebbs from the horizon, rather than the setting sun. People – or what remains of them – have dug themselves beneath the world, refusing to set foot on the poisoned planes of their species’ birth. That which ties them to the world, that which is meant to … Continue reading Thoughts on Death Stranding pt 1
I Need Diverse Games 