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Category Archives: Opinion
Subverting Tropes in Video Games
Tropes and subversion are nothing new. Tropes range from Chekhov’s Gun to the oft-maligned “110%”. It is hard to define exactly what a trope is, but sites like tvtropes.org exist solely to track and explain tropes that exist in all forms of media. And where there are tropes, there are creators and creative minds trying … Continue reading “Subverting Tropes in Video Games” Continue reading
Same Old, Same Old?
Throughout this course we have gone over the influential nature of literature movements on newer forms of media and how varied—but sometimes similar—themes are evoked through different mediums. Specifically, we have studied the effect of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work on the evolving media landscape. To credit Tolkien and his legendarium, it’s easy to say that his … Continue reading “Same Old, Same Old?” Continue reading
Posted in Fantasy, literature, Lovecraft, mythology, narrative, Opinion, speculative fiction, Tolkien, videogame
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Player Interaction in MOBAs
Hello! I’m Kevis Tsao. I’ve been an avid moba gamer all my life, from the earliest flash games like Minions and VORP! to the largest franchises today like League and Dota 2. I love all kinds of games, especially roguelikes, deck-builders, and strategy turn-based games, but the genre that holds my heart and my mind … Continue reading “Player Interaction in MOBAs” Continue reading
Posted in competitive gaming, Gaming, Mentality, MOBAs, obstacles to competitive gaming, Opinion, Play, player interaction
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Learning the Ropes about Tropes
Spoiler alert for Gone Home — Don’t read further if you want to avoid spoilers. Just say the word “western,” and I can immediately visualize a high noon showdown, as if I were hiding behind a barrel on the porch of a saloon. Say “sci-fi,” and now we’re zipping by the stars at light speed … Continue reading “Learning the Ropes about Tropes” Continue reading
Timelessness of personal liberty
The display demonstrated that most people would settle for a balance of privacy and safety, which is understandable as I feel most people lie somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. However, the Ben Franklin quote really caught my eye because he would not have lived in a time of data-mining, internet surveillance, etc. so […] Continue reading
Posted in benfranklin, Opinion, securityspectrum, Student Posts
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Tell me a story
What do you value over everything else when it comes to video games? For me it’s story, every time. I don’t care if it’s an old game or if the graphics are just bad, or if the gameplay is a little clunky, or if it’s too long or short of a game. If it has … Continue reading “Tell me a story”
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Going, Going, Gone Home
Playing Gone Home this week I was struck by the notion that it seemed like large chunks of the story were either missing or obscured by a false sense of horror. As you explored the house it was easy to follow the story of Sam and Lonnie because it was read out loud in the … Continue reading “Going, Going, Gone Home”
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The Place of Video Games During Finals Season
Yes, it’s that time of the year again. What should be a wonderful and beautiful time of Christmas music and holiday cheer is spoiled by the crushing realization that we all have a lot of work to do before we can enjoy the seasonal cheer. I find the behavior of many people very interesting during … Continue reading “The Place of Video Games During Finals Season”
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Posted in Christmas, Class Related, finals, fun, Games, Gaming, life, Opinion, Video Games, work
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What Makes a Good Boss Battle?
While preparing for the upcoming presentation, I’ve been asking myself what makes a game good or, at the very least, what makes people enjoy them. Since I mostly play RPGS, I mostly pulled from my knowledge of those games and thought about what I did and did not enjoy about some of my favorite games. … Continue reading “What Makes a Good Boss Battle?”
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Posted in boss battles, Dragon Age, Dragon Age: Inquisition, game design, Games, Gaming, Opinion
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