Robert Rath Oct 13, 2016. 6 minute read
Remember when Call of Duty had you defend a border wall from Latinos?
Call of Duty: Ghosts seems much, much weirder now that a core part of its plot is part of America's actual national discourse.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Oct 6, 2016. 8 minute read
The Japanese horrors that inspire Yo-kai Watch
This popular series draws from Japanese monster myths much more directly than Pokemon ever did.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Sep 29, 2016. 10 minute read
A History of the Evil Corporation: from Abstergo to Umbrella
Evil corporations are a classic fixture of videogames and modern film-- but distrust of powerful, unfeeling companies actually dates back hundreds of years, to some of Europe's earliest big companies.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Sep 22, 2016. 8 minute read
Gambling dens and gamer monks: Asia’s offbeat videogame subcultures
How arcades, game stores, and game-playing culture differ in Hong Kong, Japan, Cambodia, India, and elsewhere
READ MORE >Robert Rath Sep 15, 2016. 11 minute read
The Imaginary Racism of Bioshock Infinite
How Bioshock Infinite misses the mark with its commentary on 19th-century racism in general -- but gets its commentary on religious racism right.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Sep 8, 2016. 11 minute read
6 historical details you might have missed in the Battlefield 1 beta
The Sinai Desert map draws heavily from the real conditions of battle that soldiers experienced there a hundred years ago.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Sep 1, 2016. 8 minute read
Godzilla Resurgence is actually a biting political satire
Japan's new-- extremely successful-- Godzilla film is actually commentary about the Japanese government-- and Fukushima.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Aug 25, 2016. 9 minute read
No Man’s Sky is a Captain Cook simulator
18th century explorer James Cook has had an unexpectedly long legacy in science fiction.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Aug 18, 2016. 7 minute read
The folly of calling Stranger Things ‘unoriginal’
Immature poets imitate, but mature poets steal.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Aug 11, 2016. 9 minute read
Telltale’s Batman: Mo Money, Mo Problems
Telltale's new Batman game is focusing on the rich-guy half of Bruce Wayne's two-part personality.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Aug 4, 2016. 10 minute read
The archaeologists who are using No Man’s Sky as a dry-run for exploring actual space
These scholars are trying to create a system of ethics for-- someday-- exploring real space ruins.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Jul 28, 2016. 6 minute read
We Happy Few built a dystopia with Mod culture, psychedelia, and Facebook
How this upcoming game got its inspiration from 1960s Britain.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Jul 21, 2016. 8 minute read
What an Ingress battle in Hong Kong tells us about the future of Pokemon Go
Pokemon Go shares many features with developer Niantic's previous game, Ingress -- so much so that we can use it as a roadmap for future updates.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Jul 14, 2016. 8 minute read
Pokemon Go hearkens back to the fun, and danger, of summers past
The same rules that applied to summertime adventures when you were a kid definitely apply to Pokemon Go.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Jul 7, 2016. 9 minute read
What historical games can learn from Hamilton
Hamilton tells a historical story-- and makes sure we care about it.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Jun 30, 2016. 9 minute read
Why Warcraft is a hit in China… even though it isn’t ‘good’
In China, Warcraft had a LOT of advantages-- and an audience with, perhaps, more favorable tastes.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Jun 23, 2016. 9 minute read
The ballistic politics of Hideo Kojima
How the history of Japan's post-war peace movements can help us understand Kojima's older games-- and maybe Death Stranding, too.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Jun 16, 2016. 8 minute read
Tragedy and E3: It’s Not Just the Guns, It’s the Stories We Tell
Tone, context and framing matter when it comes to violent games.
READ MORE >Robert Rath Jun 9, 2016. 8 minute read
The politics behind Hong Kong’s Pikachu protests
Why are some Hong Kongers protesting a planned Chinese Pokemon translation?
READ MORE >Robert Rath Jun 2, 2016. 9 minute read
Who needs No Man’s Sky? May was an incredible month for games
Last month saw a whole list of unusually high-quality AAA and indie releases. Let's count our blessings, folks.
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