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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.
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Critical Review: Final Fantasy VII Remake is Completely Incomplete
How Final Fantasy VII Remake turned a cliffhanger ending into an unexpected path to "boundless, terrifying freedom" for Cloud—and Sephiroth.
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Does Chrono Trigger Belong in the Video Game Canon?
Chrono Trigger's time-travel storytelling set the standard for JRPG storytelling. How has its impact been felt through the years?
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“What Is It Like to Be a Gamer?” A speech on the value of video games.
Watch a speech I delivered at Harvard this January on the social value of video games.
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Critical Review: Xenoblade and Leibniz.
With Xenoblade X releasing tomorrow, I revisit and update my work on Xenoblade Chronicles.
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“Listen to My Story”: The Problem of Storytelling in Virtual Reality.
A defense of why video games might be better at telling stories than VR ever could be.
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Bloodborne, Lovecraft, and the Dangerous Idea.
Bloodborne wasn't just influenced by H.P. Lovecraft: it represents an entirely new level of Lovecraftian horror.
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Self-Guided Evolution: What “Deus Ex” and “Flowers for Algernon” teach about personal development.
Deus Ex and Flowers for Algernon may have more practical life advice for you than you imagine.
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Video Games versus Cinema: Comparing “Xenoblade Chronicles” to “Stranger than Fiction.”
Are there some stories that can ONLY be coherently told through the medium of video games? Read on to find out.
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When are Dunwall and Scotland like your School? Throwback Analysis of “Dishonored,” Part III.
The one chance you might get to read a critique of education based on video games and theater.