Feature
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Video Game Ladders Suck. Here’s Why that Matters
The jump from 2D to 3D put video game ladders in a weird place, and they’re only now getting better.
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Gaming’s Pleasure Principle: How Virtual Worlds Make Our Creative Brains Come Alive
This is your brain. This is your brain on games.
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Meet the Man Who Breaks Apart Your Favorite Games to Learn Their Secrets
Lance McDonald has found success on YouTube digging deep into P.T., Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and more.
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How a GameFAQs Board Became a Refuge for the Brokenhearted
There’s no ASCII walkthrough for love.
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Fear Paradox: How the Best Horror Games Scare Us
It all comes down to two things: participation and limitation.
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Horror Master Junji Ito Doesn’t Know Video Games—But Video Games Certainly Know Him
The manga artist has had an outsized influence, both direct and indirect, on spooky gaming.
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A Fan-Made Festival of Blood
Exploring the past, present, and future of Bloodborne’s Return to Yahrnam.
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Joystick Fantasia: Inside the Spectacle of Video Games Live
For 15 years, Tommy Tallarico has offered gaming fans a new way to appreciate the music of the medium.
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Blast from the Past: Behind the Rise of the Throwback Shooter
A wave of independent developers, not triple-A studios, have become the biggest driving force behind the rise of the throwback shooter.
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For the ESA, the E3 Data Breach Came at the Worst Possible Time
Months on, the accidental doxxing of E3 media attendees has lingering repercussions.
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VA-11 Hall-A, N1RV Ann-A, and the Struggle to Create in a Country on the Brink
For Sukeban Games, the crisis in Venezuela provided both unimaginable difficulty and inspiration.
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For the Smash Bros. Community, a New Challenger Approaches: Economic Inequality
When money is tight, should tournaments prioritize bonuses for top players or a better experience for everyone else?