Avatars | With A Terrible Fate

Dymlos & Dein Nomos Teach You All You Need to Know About Free Will

Tales of Destiny and Tales of Vesperia tell two halves of one sword-themed lesson: how to act freely by empowering the stories of others.

By Aaron Suduiko, 1 year ago October 12, 2023

Only through the lens of a philosopher at war with himself can we understand a game at war with itself.

By Aaron Suduiko, 2 years ago January 16, 2023

Kafka's "Before the Law" offers a new lens for meditating on the relationships between avatars, bosses, developers, and players in gaming.

By Aaron Suduiko, 2 years ago October 31, 2022

In Karen Travers, Scarlet Nexus tells the tragic story of how a character can become a villain by being cut off from the player's agency.

By Aaron Suduiko, 3 years ago November 8, 2021

This week on the podcast: analysis and discussion of Bandai Namco's "brain punk" JRPG, Scarlet Nexus.

By Aaron Suduiko, 3 years ago August 22, 2021

We interview Anh-Thu Nguyen on Kingdom Hearts as a digital Disneyland and discuss Dan Hughes' latest article on the nature of Xemnas in KH2.

By Stefan Heinrich Simond, 4 years ago May 16, 2021

Analyzing one of Xemnas' most puzzling lines in Kingdom Hearts II opens the path to understanding his character and the nature of Nobodies.

By Dan Hughes, 4 years ago May 11, 2021

Ni No Kuni quietly tricks its adult player into curing both herself and the White Witch of cynicism.

By Aaron Suduiko, 4 years ago February 4, 2021

The Wind Waker's music shows us how a century-old literary phenomenon blends the lived experiences of player and avatar into something more.

By Lauren Spohn, 4 years ago September 8, 2020

The ending of Final Fantasy VII Remake has turned the storytelling formula of challenging fate on its head—and all it took was a Whisper.

By Aaron Suduiko, 5 years ago May 7, 2020