Features
Taylor Ramage explores the religious subtext of the musical Hamilton.
Theology and Revolution in Hamilton
Like the 1964 film Scorpio Rising, last year's Mafia III uses its soundtrack of licensed music to paint a sharp historical picture.
Mafia III and the Soundtrack of History
The battle between Link and Dark Link in Ocarina of Time invites us to look at games through a psychoanalytic lens.
Link Un-Linked: On the Water Temple and the Shadows of Psychoanalysis
By misrepresenting colonialism and the achievements of women in history, Civilization VI makes some questionable choices in how to create a historical backdrop for its strategy game core.
Civilization, colonialism, and the misunderstanding of history
Devil Daggers is FPS distilled to its essence. But what does that mean, and what is it like to play it?
What It’s Like To Play Devil Daggers
Symbolism of light and dark is a powerful tool in videogames, so it's time to leave the trope of 'light is right' behind.
Symbolism In Videogames: Finding The Balance Between Dark And Light
Anime show openings diverge from Western style openings by playing more with audience expectations, and allowing themselves to be more abstract.
First Impressions: Opening Sequences and Audience Expectations
While a soothing pursuit, the act of collecting games – and collecting things *in* games – offers little in the way of true growth.
Game Cultures of Collecting
How to do justice to the realities of World War I in a game? Adam Chapman and Chris Kempshall discuss in this extensive dialogue.
Battlefield 1: Can The Great War Be A Great Game?
How do users and developers navigate the representation of historical nation-building, and how do modern-day national identities play into this? Istvan Sudar explores by looking at forum discussions about Eastern European countries in Europa Universalis II.
When There Are Different Histories But Only One Game
1 Diplomacy in strategy games is often reducible to a few core mechanics, trivializing the complexities of real-world diplomacy. But why does no one seem to care?