Code Vein
The Horror of Code Vein is You
The hidden achievement of Code Vein's fusion of Dark Souls with JRPGs is that it quietly turned you, its player, into a monster.
Final Fantasy
The Language of Trophies in Final Fantasy VII Remake
Getting the platinum trophy in Final Fantasy VII Remake doesn't just add playtime to the game: it also changes how we understand the story.
Featured
The Importance of Context in Gaming: A Case Study of The Witness
The Witness is an icon of minimalist video-game storytelling. But when—and how—can minimalism go too far?
General Video Game Theory
Come Out to Play: The Warriors And Adaptation into Video Games
In an industry that still doesn't seem to have fully cracked the code on story adaptation, one 2005 game has lessons worth learning.
Podcast: The Drawing Board
The Drawing Board: Gameplay Difficulty as a Storytelling Tool
On Episode 8 of our podcast, we ask: how can difficulty tell a story?
Podcast: The Drawing Board
The Drawing Board: Authors and Auteurs in Video Games
What do NieR: Automata and Rear Window have in common? Find out in our latest podcast episode.
A Comprehensive Theory of EarthBound
How EarthBound Brought Fatherhood to Gaming
In a decade that gave us a library of games about orphans, EarthBound reminded us how important fathers are to their sons.
Now Loading... The Video Game Canon!
Does Portal Belong in the Video Game Canon? (Featuring: PAX South!)
We asked PAX South: does Portal deserve a place among the "Great Books" of gaming?
General Video Game Theory
Beyond Main Quests: How Horizon Zero Dawn’s Gameplay Killed its Story
Horizon: Zero Dawn offers a new take on an old problem of open-world storytelling.
General Video Game Theory
Arcade Games Can Tell Meaningful Stories, Too
A case study in how Tokyo Jungle elevated the storytelling of arcade games.