Virginia Paine

Virginia Paine Oct 1, 2020. 3 minute read

7 Video Game Villains That Would Make Great Roommates

Since we’ve all been spending a lot of time stuck inside with whomever we live with lately, I’ve been contemplating what makes a good housemate. Neat, responsible, able to give others space, fun — these are good qualities for sharing a living space with other humans. I’ve also been replaying…

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Virginia Paine May 11, 2020. 6 minute read

Gaps and Pauses: The Role of Negative Space in Games

At the end of Act 1 in Diablo 3, you’ve descended through the Highlands and the Halls of Agony, battling Khazra, Dark Cultists and the fearsome Warden to meet the Butcher. After a pitched battle across a fire-ridden arena, your character defeats the Butcher and continues into the Cells of…

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Virginia Paine Dec 31, 2019. 2 minute read

7 Games to Play When You’re Completely Shattered on New Year’s Day

As the last hurrah of a busy, exhausting couple months, it’s understandable that many of us choose to let loose on New Year’s Eve. We have high expectations for this holiday; a fun, wild party and a kiss at midnight to usher in a new year. This, we tell ourselves,…

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Virginia Paine Oct 29, 2019. 4 minute read

7 Surprising Emotional Lessons Learned From Video Games

Learning to love yourself is hard. It can be a lifetime of intense self work, expensive therapy and tears. We all build toolkits to help us on this voyage; I know I’m not the only person who finds games like Animal Crossing or Bubble Pop very soothing. There are even…

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Virginia Paine Aug 20, 2019. 3 minute read

The Top 7 Columnar Basalt Formations in Games

Columnar basalt formations! Who among us isn’t familiar with these typically hexagonal volcanic arrangements? These fascinating geologic creations are formed by evenly spaced contractions as lava cools. Sure, the Giant’s Causeway and Toketee Falls are among the most famous examples, but columnar basalt formations are easy to find in our…

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Virginia Paine Jul 11, 2019. 4 minute read

An Ode to Foraging in Games (and Real Life)

I’m not afraid of garbage. I’ll dig through the trash outside the Stardrop Saloon as long as no one’s around. I’ll crawl through every gross bandit’s tent in Skyrim. But I draw the line at stealing from burial urns. I’m a forager, not a grave robber. Foraging isn’t just an in-game…

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