Like the 1964 film Scorpio Rising, last year's Mafia III uses its soundtrack of licensed music to paint a sharp historical picture.
Guest Articles
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
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?
Nobody Cares About Negotiations
How do the three personas of Aveline de Grandpré influence the "(hi)story-play-space" of Assassin's Creed: Liberation?
Wandering between worlds – Disguise as an act of liberation in Assassin’s Creed: Liberation
2 Journeying through twenty years of games history, Abi Johnson argues that the concept of 'girl games' and its connotations enforce an unwelcome divide in gaming culture.
Between Barbie and Life is Strange: the History of the “Girl Games” Movement
2 Though a seemingly meaningless character, Earthbound wouldn't be the same without Fuzzy Pickles the photographer.
An Overflowing Lack of Purpose
In a gaming landscape dominated by adult male protagonists, The Last Of Us and The Walking Dead offer a rare and nuanced depiction of girls' autonomy in a hostile world.
Ellie and Clementine — Autonomy in the Apocalypse
Drawing upon the history of biology, science, and religion, Adam Kranz explores what lies behind Bloodborne’s weird horror.