“Alice” starts off with quite a dramatic cutscene explaining the basic plot to the story. It is definitely not Lewis Carroll’s canon material. Yet it does give the player a chance to explore a much darker Wonderland. This is not the Disney version of the famous realm; it’s more akin to a nightmare world. You’ll see all the familiar  characters, such as the Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, and the Caterpillar, but darkly modified. The plot is pretty unique, so I won’t spoil anything here. The dialogues, between Alice and the Cat especially, are pretty entertaining, and rely on sarcasm and quick wit, plus the occasional serious plot-related theme. It’s actually quite creative, taking the same overarching theme from the books and turning it around, looking at it in a different light.

You’ll traverse areas such as the Caterpillar’s forest and the Red Queen’s castle, and you will also fight your way through a clockwork factory and school. The environments in the game are, for the most part, seriously creepy, and look as if they belong in a survival horror game. The insane asylum and school look very similar. Both have strangely-proportioned rooms, platforms that lead to nowhere, and long guarded corridors with strange statues or random flying objects. Both feature diminutive nutcases who run around with goofy smiles on their faces and huge metal contraptions on their heads, presumably from a lobotomy. Some are making funny noises, others are crying, and still others are punching themselves in the faces. In one area, you’ll face what I think are cousins to Half Life’s headcrabs with neurotoxins, or maybe Sid’s baby doll/spider thing from Toy Story. These not-quite-right creatures, in addition to the broken and bent scenery (literally), help lend these areas a twisted feel.

Combat is one of the game’s weaker elements. Alice is always strafing, so maneuvering around enemies and platforming can be tricky. Most of the enemies in the game are somewhat lackluster in their variety, and the bosses can be a bit of a bore. The main enemy is the generic playing card in its many incarnations, but more creative enemies including the Boojum, a kind of flying banshee, chess pieces, and giant robots. Some enemies are downright easy to defeat, and for others, you’ll have to use a bit more strategy. For example, ranged weapons work best on the Boojum, and the best strategy I found for fighting robots was calculated retreat. The boss battles are somewhat challenging, but once you’ve found each boss’s weakness, it’s usually just a matter of waiting until your magic regenerates so you can continue to use your good weapons. Then it’s just rinse and repeat, usually with the use of only one or two weapons.

Despite the lack of variety in enemies, there are quite a few fun toys and weapons to play with in this game. My go-to weapon is the crochet mallet, with its ranged attack and close quarters melee capabilities. For many enemies in tight spaces, the Jack in the Box flame thrower is quite effective. If you like fire, there’s the Jabberwock Eye staff that acts like a laser, and there’s the Ice Wand for you ice types. Fun!

There are a few other problems with the game as well. Do not rely on the game’s auto-save function. I found myself saving at least every 30 seconds during difficult sections. Otherwise, I’d have to replay entire levels. It is a very linear game that does not encourage a lot of extra exploration, so don’t expect to be able to wander about in the madness. You’ll have to solve puzzles that are often almost too easy and perform platforming moves that aren’t so easy with Alice’s constant strafing. For example, to collect the parts of a growth potion, you need to visit various parts of the school, then maybe fight a Cardguard or two.

Gameplay issues aside, you should play this game for three reasons. The weapons are pretty cool and fun to use, whether you’re using it against the same old enemies or in a lengthy boss fight. The environments and characters are close enough to the originals that it feels familiar, yet they’re done with such a different interpretation that it feels almost like an opposite world. But it’s the story that really gets you through this game. Every twisted character, every creepy location, every plot turn tells you a lot about what’s happened to Alice, and also what she’ll have to go through to change it all back. Don’t let my little criticisms turn you off from playing
this game; it’s still an entertaining game, especially on the first playthrough. Let’s see what the sequel has in store for us too in my next review!

One of my favorite games of all time is Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2. When I heard they were making a new one, I was super excited, but also somewhat skeptical. So a few months ago, I picked up a copy of Donkey Kong Country Returns to try out the new game. My fiancee also joined me for 2 player mode. I was looking forward to new levels, new music, and a new challenge. No sooner had I picked up the controls than I realized DKC had been >dun dun dun< Nintendized.

Nintendized games are very tragic. Symptoms include kiddy elements like cartoon pigs and goofily smiling giraffes, retarded bosses, and worst of all an abuse of under-sensitive motion sensor controls to the point of frustration and contempt. There is no known cure for the condition at this time. The most common cause is the Wii software, which causes a meltdown of all things hardcore or fun in the game.

Though I wanted to prevent the spread of this terrible disease, I decided to suffer through the first area. I wiggled and slapped my Wiimote through several uninspired jungle levels featuring maybe 4 different enemies. I blew on the stupid dandelions in hopes of uncovering secrets (seriously, you blow on dandelions). To my delight, Rambi was a hidden pet in one level. Unfortunately, my jungle rampage was short lived and not repeated during the first world. Based on my research, he seems to be the only pet available. Even worse, the first boss, a spiky slug-like affair, looked like he belonged in Pikmin, not Donkey Kong. At least the music was fine or taken right from the old games.

the porcu-slug is very intimidating

My main complaint was the controls. In the old DKC, run/roll was Y and jump was B. If you hit the button, it did what you wanted. With the Wii-mote, you have to hold a direction and shake it to roll. The problem is you can’t predict when he’ll start to roll; it might register it after one shake, or two, or never. If I want to do something, I want to hit a button and have it happen, not frantically wave at Donkey Kong and watch him run into enemies. Also, they’ve changed the jump mechanic, which threw my muscle memory for a loop. I could maybe have forgiven the radically wrong environment if the controls had actually been responsive.

Elton John could sing a song about these guys

Aside from the mechanics, the game felt like a Mario game which just imported Diddy and Donkey Kong. There were big bouncy flowers and little tiki guys to jump on. The barrels were sometimes in 3-D, which was strange for someone expecting the barrel mechanics from the 2-D SNES. The Kremlings are no longer the enemies; instead our Baddies are weird little psychic/hypnotist tiki guys– incredibly lame and kiddy. I’d much rather see a monkey fight a crocodile; a monkey beating up Miss Cleo is just ridiculous.

After putting away the awful travesty of the Kong name, I traded in my copy at GameStop in an attempt to salvage something. Both me and my fiancee agreed that this is not something you want to subject yourself to. Game Informer should be ashamed for giving it the high rating it did. I’ve lost some faith in this magazine now. If Donkey Kong Country Returns is the future for platformers, I’ll be sticking to the PC and Xbox 360 for games like Castle Crashers, Super Meatboy, and Portal 2.

Back in the Old Days

 (Warning: some spoilers) When they decided to turn this Canadian comic into a movie, I’m not sure they were aware of what a cult smash hit this would be. Topping the charts for Blu-rays on the first day it was released on home video, it’s also been on several top ten lists. It appeals to a younger generation and nerds everywhere with its pop culture references and video game atmosphere. Even the basic premise sounds like it was pulled from a classic arcade game: Scott Pilgrim must defeat love interest Ramona’s Seven Evil Exes to win her heart.

Awkward Scott Pilgrim’s (Michael Cera) love life is anything but ordinary. Ramona Flowers is Scott’s dream girl (literally), and he has to choose between her and his new high school girlfriend Knives Chau (Ellen Wong). Ramona is a pink-haired, too-cool badass with a mysterious past, and Knives is a sweet girl who all his friends say is too young for him. After Scott and Ramona get involved, Scott’s band Sex Bob-omb enters into a Battle of the Bands, which turns out to be a real battle after Ramona’s first evil ex shows up. The rest of the movie involves Scott’s battles of all 7 evil exes using all sorts of cool methods, from a bass guitar to some sweet ninja moves. When the past comes back to bite you, the characters in this movie bite back.

The musical qualities of the movie were equally as important as the plot and visuals. The soundtrack to the movie is epic, including a song about a garbage truck. Some of the featured artists with originals and covers from the movie include Beck and Metric (bands also featured on Rock Band 3). There’s also plenty of 8-bit inspired music as well, such as the Zelda fairy fountain theme. What’s more impressive is the actors actually learned how to play their instruments and are featured on the soundtrack.

Some of the original comic style has been preserved in the movie: an introduction to Scott’s apartment includes labels on the items in it, straight from a comic panel, and some of Ramona’s flashbacks are cartoon/comic style. Video game references abound in this movie as well; enemies explode into coins and give Scott points when defeated, for example. Scott and Knives play a rhythm/martial arts arcade game called Ninja Ninja Revolution, and Scott’s pickup line for Ramona is a story about the origins of Pac-Man. The band is named for the Mario Bros. enemy. There are tons more; for a list of every video game reference in the movie click here: http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2010/08/every_video_game_reference_in.php

The movie is a quirky blend of fantasy, drama, comedy, and romance with great characters. Scott has a lot of great one-liners, and the other characters in the movie are all funny in their own way, from Scott’s gay roommate and rock star ex-girlfriend to his pushy sister and angry drummer. These characters are definitely not cookie cutter Hollywood cutouts.

I’ve seen this movie three times and everyone I’ve recommended it to has really enjoyed it. So if you feel nostalgic for the arcade days or you’re in the mood for a unique comedy, pick up a copy today and prepare for a fun action-adventure game on your TV screen. Game Start!

***Note: this information is from before Cataclysm. There have been major changes to the class. See my sources below for more updated information.***

When I rolled Druid on the first character I legitimately got to level 80, I didn’t know what I was getting into. I leveled Feral Cat, and when I hit 80, I realized Druids have lots of options. They’re the only class that can go ranged DPS, melee DPS, raid healer, tank healer, or tank. I enjoyed leveling with my kitty, so I decided to raid and continue all the end-game content as Feral DPS. Little did I know that the Feral Cat has arguably the hardest rotation for effective DPS.

Most people don’t know how to play their characters when they first hit 80, especially not for end game content. The best place for help is from the internet, and I’ve included some of the best links below. Once you’ve read up on your rotation, practice it in 5-mans or Heroic dummies. (Heroic training dummies are near the Rogue trainer in Stormwind and near the bank in Ironforge). Talk to Guildies and friends who have respectable Feral DPS too.

Even with all this information, it was still hard for me to develop the perfect rotation, so I’m just going to post my rotation and strategy. The number one thing is to hit the Armor Penetration cap. The soft cap is fairly easy to hit, but the hard cap is insanely hard to hit without counting procs. Trinkets, gems, and gear with Arp are going to be your new best friends (Needle-Encrusted Scorpion and Deathbringer’s Will are quite good, and Jewelcrafters can make Dragon’s Eye gems with extra Arp for their own gear). Definitely get your 4-tier bonus on your Tier 10 gear.

The entire purpose of kitty DPS is to keep everything up at once. You have to juggle all your buffs and debuffs for maximum DPS. My rotation: Pounce up to the target, Feral Faerie Fire, Mangle and Rake. Savage Roar when you have 2-3 combos, then use Shred (and Rake when it’s down) to get 5 combos, then Rip. Use Tiger’s Fury when you have less than 50 Energy, and use Berserk when you’ll have the whole time for pure DPS. You can use it right away, or once you’ve gotten into your rotation a bit. I like to use it right after SR is up.

Now is the time to consider your timers; do you have time for a Ferocious Bite? Savage Roar may be down soon, so get some combo points up for that. You may have to switch targets or do something related to the boss, so keep that in mind (Is Sindragosa about to go into Air Phase? Then make sure Mangle, Rip, and Rake are all up, and let SR drop). Two very important things: don’t clip your timers too much, and Shred, Shred, Shred. Shred will refresh Rip (if you have the Glyph) up to 3 times, which is insanely necessary, and it’s your bread and butter for getting combo points. With clipping, if there’s 3 seconds left til Rip is down and you have 5 combos, hit it the second it goes down, and not before (unless there’s an upcoming boss mechanic). It’s very tempting to hit Rake before it’s up, with only a 6 second debuff, but resist!

One thing you might be thinking is, why spec feral kitty? Why not just faceroll Boomkin and only worry about 4 spells and your procs? This is partially related to the whole ranged vs. melee debate. Take ICC as an example. On the trash pulls, the Feral Swipe can pull some serious DPS from a well-geared Cat, and a Boomkin also excels at big AoE pulls. On Marrowgar, a less geared Boomkin will probably beat a Cat, because they can DPS during Bonestorm and easily switch to Bonespikes without moving around so much. The Gunship Battle can be a pain as melee, whether you’re stuck on the cannons watching your overall DPS tank or having to jump over every time the caster comes out. But on single target uninterrupted fights like Saurfang, the chart-toppers are usually going to be melee, even if they have to switch to the Blood Beasts sometimes. A rogue and a cat are always among the top three in my Guild runs on that pull.

There are always benefits to being ranged or melee on any given fight, but you have to go with the play style that suits you. You can pull mad DPS as a cat; it’s a challenge, but you’ll often find this is why not many people spec Cat, so you’ll be respected as one of the few good kitties on your server. Plus, who wants to be a big furry Boomchicken, when you can Pounce and Swipe as a cute and ferocious Kitty? I started out being out-DPSed by most of the people in our Guild ICC runs, even when my gear said I shouldn’t be. But now, I have a 6k gear score and have been the top or in the top in AoE pulls and single target pulls, even against mages, boomkins, and rogues. It was a frustrating process, but overall very rewarding as I measured how far I came, from pulling 6k on Saurfang ICC10 then to doing 10-11k on ICC25 Heroic now. If you have any questions or comments, post your thoughts below!

Resources:

www.Elitistjerks.com is the best resource for specific details on Feral DPS. You can find links to other pages on gear, gems, hit cap, enchants, etc: http://www.wow.com/tag/feral-cat-dps/ The Fluid Druid’s endgame gearing guide: http://fluiddruid.net/2010/01/the-33-cat-gearing-guide-part-1/ Get the Curse Client to manage your WoW addons, and then get BadKitty, which monitors your debuffs and cooldowns. If you want to see my spec and gear, look up Nyssae on Kirin Tor at http://wow-heroes.com/ and http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Kirin+Tor&cn=Nyssae And of course, thanks to my Guildies in Sovereign for all their help! Here’s our website (still under construction) if you want to learn more about our Guild: http://wow-sovereign.com/

1)      Assess yourself.

The first thing you should do when looking for a job is decide what you want from a job and what you have to offer. What skills do you have? What have you learned and gained from previous jobs/experiences? What do you want to learn? Where do you want to go from here? Identify a few possible career paths that sound interesting to you, and come up with first steps to getting on that path or determining if these paths may work for you.

2)      Develop your resume.

Take your self assessment and apply it to your resume. Include relevant details like professional development, related coursework, outside interests to diversify your resume, nonprofit work, international experience, etc. Look for job templates online, and make sure your formatting is logical and not distracting. Don’t forget about making custom cover letters too!

3)      Broaden your job search.

Include newspapers, classifieds, online searches, and databases. Sign up for online searches to send you job updates right to your email. Ask friends and family to let you know if they hear of anything, and go back to your college’s career center if available. Social media is a great new way to make contacts, and while networking sounds like a dirty word, there are ways to do it that are less pushy and more about keeping your options open.

4)      Practice the interview.

Get some sample interview questions online, or draw from past experience. Practice your answers to some common questions so you sound confident, but don’t memorize them or you’ll sound too rehearsed. You can also make yourself some notes and practice on the way to the interview.

5)      Stay positive and keep trying.

Don’t use the economy as an excuse, keep looking for jobs and just keep perspective. You will find a job eventually, but it may not be exactly what you imagined. Keep looking, and if you get discouraged or feel like you’re in a rut, make a list of what you’ve been doing and brainstorm some new avenues or consider new approaches. Good luck!

Story: Oblivion

No spoilers here, but Oblivion’s many quest lines are much more involving and lead to much nicer perks than Fallout, especially compared to its somewhat disappointing final cutscene. Fallout’s story is not without intrigue though; quests often involve more options based on your character’s ethics, such as the quest chain involving Megaton and its unexploded atomic bomb.

Character: Fallout

The ethical system in Oblivion, based on Fame and Infamy points, has been improved with Fallout’s  spectrum of Good vs. Evil. With dialogue, rather than having to play a simple Speech mini-game, Fallout’s options are based on a character’s morality and also stats, and, and there are often many hilarious exchanges possible with the survivors, which include children and zombies.

Environment: Tie

A detailed landscape filled with creepy zombies, abandoned ruins, and strange creatures: this could describe either game, and both pull it off in different ways. Walking into a Necromancer’s lair in an Ayleid ruin can be as breathtaking as standing at the top of a mountain and watching the sunrise in Oblivion. Fallout’s post-apocalyptic ruins of the Washington, D.C. area are highly realistic, and at the same time the retro-futuristic 1950′s-inspired style gives us an interesting and highly detailed take on life after nuclear war.

Combat: Oblivion

As an FPS, Fallout’s combat options revolve around gunplay and, to a lesser extent, melee fighting. The V.A.T.S. (Vault Assisted Targeting System) is a nice way to make every shot count, with the option of turning battles into somewhat more turn based affairs, kind of like bullet-time. Oblivion’s options are based on stealth, magic, and melee combat. Though the V.A.T.S. system makes battle a bit easier, combat in Oblivion offers more options to combine specialties without forcing any choices.

Overall: Oblivion

Although Bethesda has definitely tweaked some of the engaging elements that made their games great, there are still some features of Oblivion that have yet to be topped. But whether or not you prefer fantasy and fireballs to zombies and Vault Boy, you’re still going to get sucked into a highly realized world where you have all the power.

Movie poster

 I was skeptical when I saw this movie poster in theaters. It couldn’t be as good as the game; the unique music, combat, environment, and storyline would never be translated well. But despite my initial negativity and reluctance to get my hopes up about yet another video game remake, I was pleasantly surprised by the end product.

To prepare for the movie release, I replayed the The Sands of Time for Gamecube. The 2003 3rd-person adventure game by Ubisoft was created to “breathe new life” into the series and the action/adventure genre. It won IGN’s PS2 game of the Year award, and in general was highly praised for its beautiful graphics, unique acrobatic platforming, intuitive combat controls, storyline and characters, and the fun time powers of the Dagger of Time. You can also see its influence in more recent games like Assassin’s Creed. (Source: Wikipedia)

Video game cover

So that’s what Disney and Director Mike Newell of the 2010 movie had to work with. And in my opinion what they did with it was a complete success. They changed the plot a bit; they gave the Prince a name (Dastan) and turned him into an orphan who is adopted into the royal family. They also added more characters and eliminated the opening of the Hourglass in favor of better dialogue and deeper development of characters and thematic elements. Lack of sand zombies was my major complaint, but I think it was a bold move that paid off in better dialogue and more engaging characters that were still familiar from the game.

Gorgeous environments.

Despite the lack of the traditional monsters, there is still plenty of combat. The Prince’s acrobatics are gravity-defying, and look like they were pulled straight from the newer Prince of Persia games, including the classic wall runs and jumps. The environments are very impressive and bring you back to the game as well. The music fit the movie but was nothing special compared to the game’s unique soundtrack.

Prince Dastan and Princess Tamina.

Overall it’s a great movie in its own right, with an interesting plot, engaging characters, and plenty of action. The secret to this movie’s success was that its creators remained true to the game and genre, taking the good elements and revamping some of the other stuff. They kept the same kind of music, were surprisingly accurate in recreating the Prince’s stunts, and actually improved the dynamic between the two main characters. Replaying the game reminded me how terrible the dialogue could be sometimes, but the movie upgraded the snarky, biting comments between the Prince and Princess.

Finally, it seems the curse of video game-based movies has been lifted! Silent Hill was the first video game-based movie that didn’t absolutely bomb (though this is a debatable point); one that many fans actually seemed to like, and now Prince of Persia has come along as the second. Only time will tell if other directors will follow this promising start to elevate this previously horrifying genre. So go check out this awesome retelling of Sands of Time and prepare to be amazed!

Movie posters featuring our main characters.

For more information:

Synopsis on IMDB

Video Games Blogger Post: Sequels?

1)      Go watch Zombieland.

2)      Create a plan.

Now that some of the common zombie myths have been dispelled and you’ve acquired a basic knowledge of what will happen after Z-Day, you need to figure out a plan of survival. Keep a stockpile of basic things like nonperishable food, water, first aid, and essentials at all times, and make a kit for quick evacuation. You should also communicate with friends and family and designate a meeting place. Don’t forget to include your pets in your escape plan too!

3)      Assess your environment.

Does your house have large windows? Or a fire escape? Do you live on a hill? Plan your defenses accordingly. Be prepared with some planks of wood and other fortifications, or prepare to relocate to a more appropriate fortress. Keep in mind your work place too, or other places you frequent.

4)      Equip yourself.

Buy a baseball bat or a shotgun and keep it in an easily accessible location. Get something easy to use for decapitation or push-back. You’ll also need appropriate clothing; no baggy or loose clothes with things to grab.

5)      Prepare for life among the undead.

Do some more research so you’ll be able to identify signs that the initial outbreak is imminent, symptoms of zombification, and the first signs of widespread panic. You should also consider life after Z-Day. No more traffic, no more fast food, no new tv shows… life is going to be very different, so you’ll have to adjust to being a minority in the new zombie culture. Luckily, you still have some time to prepare for your new life!

Looking for even more info on the zombie apocalypse? Check out this awesome link: http://zombieresearch.net/ Thanks for the contribution, JT!

When people play games in movies or on tv, it’s usually a teenaged or young boy with a handheld device that makes the same sounds as old arcade games. Yes, the same stereotype that men are the only ones who game prevails quite often, though sometimes young girls play games too (Gaz from Invader Zim kicks way more gaming ass than her brother). Perhaps the reasoning behind the beeps and pews is because the earliest games for the masses were games like Space Invaders and Mario, and that’s the only exposure many people have had to games. The GameBoy is certainly one of the most recognized symbols for games even after the switch to the PSP and DS, though now it’s more common to see a PSP-like handheld in the media.

Haven’t games moved beyond 8-bit graphics and music? For that matter, most people mute games when playing in public, and to always assign annoying beeps and pews to every game not only assumes games lack finesse in musical qualities, it also assumes that gamers are thoughtless, selfish, and undiscerning. This is not to denigrate Mario, with some of the most often played video game music of all time; this is simply to say that not all games look and sound like Mario. Games now run the gamut from racing and puzzle to FPS and RPG, all with a variety of music, and tv and movies have not changed to reflect this.

Popular media sometimes features people talking about or playing Xbox, or maybe Wii. But the 360 is usually a symbol for the hardcore gamer, or someone who has no life (see Grandma’s Boy). The computer is a more commonly seen console now, although many interface elements are eliminated for the sake of the uninitiated viewer (World of Warcraft is featured in Zombieland and a recent episode in South Park). It’s rare to see people playing racing or shooting games, and when people play DDR in movies they look like “retards trying to hump a doorknob” without regard for actually hitting the buttons (–Dodgeball).

The way people play games on tv is often mindless. It is the same attitude people take when playing Mario Kart; concentrating and competitive. They never seem happy or smile; their eyes are glued to the screen as, emotionless, they go about some noisy task.

Games in commercials are completely different. Players are usually only featured in Wii games, because the focus is on the player and less on the game. Nintendo wants people to see people having fun doing traditional activities in new ways, like cooking or bowling. They have people of all ages, races, and genders enjoying playing trivial games together, or fit women exercising. This is partially because many Wii games are for casual gamers, and it doesn’t really matter to these people if they’re playing Wii Lacrosse or Wii Luge, as long as they perceive that they are “having fun.” Most other game commercials simply feature the game, because they are targeting people who actually know something about games.

Gamefly ran a funny game commercial with people freaking out, screaming, crying, throwing tvs and controllers, and generally carrying on. Their tag was ‘never buy another bad game again.’ This is a pretty accurate depiction of how frustrated gamers can get if they lose their save, die and have to redo everything, or generally are playing a bad game. I think this commercial also reflects how engaged gamers get in the virtual worlds they temporarily inhabit.

Stereotypes are powerful things. The more people are aware of these stereotypes, the more they’ll use them. Sure it’s funny to watch people leaping furiously at a game of DDR, but it may offend the true gamer in its complete inaccuracy. All of these depictions reflect a different kind of genre/gamer. Playing Mario Party with casual gamers can bring the kind of laughter so common in Wii commercials, and playing Bejeweled or Peggle may turn you into a zombie, but I believe it’s more common to see people getting engaged in games for their own sake. Maybe years from now, when the current gamer generation grows up, we will see middle-aged moms on tv  playing Final Fantasy, or old men reminiscing about the Wii’s great retro games. The landscape of gaming is changing, and media has a lot of work to do to catch up.

Academia is beginning to develop a sizable body of opinions on video games, moving far beyond simply addressing the violence associated with playing games. The big scholarly issue many people are addressing is whether or not games can tell stories, and if they do then what kind of narrative it is, or in what way is it told, a complex discussion situated amongst conflicting sources and academics.

So why study video games? Are they even worthy of academic thought? Do they produce anything meaningful? These are questions that have been debated since the birth of video games as an innovative mode of entertainment. Yet when watching someone play a game, it is obvious that the player is not simply seeing units in a program.

Games are not simply a form of entertainment either. Games are a mode of interaction, of expressing something about ourselves, both for the player, designer, and onlooker. They shape how we see the world by looking at how others see it.

Reading a book can make you laugh, cry, and forget it’s only a story. Watching a movie and playing a game can produce the same reactions, a game arguably even more so because of the high level of audience participation. Playing a game can make you think ‘Oh, I never thought of it that way.’ Playing a game lets people literally get into a story and even help tell it. Finally, digital technologies represent a growing medium for storytelling, and they may be the future of narratives.