Podcast
Podcast: Can Normative Inquiry Become Gaming’s Next “Lore Analysis”?
Could storytellers like Miyazaki push players' motivations beyond crafting timelines—all the way to crafting theories of value?
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Why You Must Play Tales of Hearts R 389 Times
Tales of Hearts R's fairy tale is an activity that bonds all real and fictional entities of the Tales of Series with one source of value.
Podcast
How to Get to Know a Video-Game Character
How can a closer look at the storytelling mechanics of video games empower us to better know and relate to characters good and evil?
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Time’s Arrow: Chester Burklight in Tales of Phantasia
In Tales of Phantasia almost 30 years ago, Chester Burklight taught us why the most important character in a story is the one shut out of it.
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Tales of Symphonia: What Regal Bryant Taught Me
A case study of Regal Bryant casts Kratos Aurion in a new light and shows how Tales of Symphonia's relationship system informs its story.
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Tales of Symphonia: “Tell Us About Your Homeland”
A case study of how the storytelling of a linear game can open its world.
Podcast
With a Terrible Fate Podcast Episode 16: Scarlet Nexus
This week on the podcast: analysis and discussion of Bandai Namco's "brain punk" JRPG, Scarlet Nexus.
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Why Final Fantasy VII Remake’s Church is so Memorable (and How to Analyze It)
The Sector 5 Church isn't just the most incongruous building in Midgar: it also plays a quietly pivotal role in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
A Comprehensive Theory of EarthBound
“If You Change Your Mind”: Shapeshifters of EarthBound
Only EarthBound could marry the mechanics of dungeon-crawling with the themes of epic poetry.
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Birth of a Hero: The Problem of Custom Characters in Sonic Forces
Behind all the ire towards Sonic Forces is a lesson in the costs and benefits of character creation.