video games

1000xResist’s Magnificent Operatic Heterotopia

1000xResist’s Magnificent Operatic Heterotopia

Set in the politically significant year of 2046, sci-fi game 1000xResist evokes Michel van der Aa’s operatic music and Hou Hsiao-hsien’s heterotopia-like films.

‘Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’ Represents

‘Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’ Represents

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, depicts its setting and characters with care and arguably more seriously than any commercial game produced outside of Iran.

Video Game History Preservation: It’s Not All Fun and Games

Video Game History Preservation: It’s Not All Fun and Games

It’s Not All Fun and Games is straightforward in manner and unconcerned with critical introspection. It’s a practical affair about how games are produced.

The Best Video Games of 2023

The Best Video Games of 2023

PopMatters’ best video games of 2023 are important cultural artifacts. These games also stand out for their artistry, innovation, and accessibility.

Nostalgia in Lieu of Substance: ‘A Handheld History’ Plays It Safe

Nostalgia in Lieu of Substance: ‘A Handheld History’ Plays It Safe

Good looks can’t save the book A Handheld History: A Celebration of Portable Gaming from being a trivial account of video game history.

Prepare to Get Slayed and Played by ‘Vampire Survivors’

Prepare to Get Slayed and Played by ‘Vampire Survivors’

Vampire Survivors‘ time-sucking qualities reveal the insidious aspects of the best video games and what players want from them.

The Fun of “No-Fun” in ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’

The Fun of “No-Fun” in ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’

The creators of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom have created a video game worthy of Kant’s maxim, “have the courage to use your own intelligence.”

Horror Video Game ‘Silent Hill’ Explores Dark Paradoxes in Normalcy

Horror Video Game ‘Silent Hill’ Explores Dark Paradoxes in Normalcy

Inspired by Japanese Buddhism and American pop culture, the grotesque is a metaphor for normalcy in the horror video game Silent Hill.

Indie Game ‘Best Month Ever!’ Navigates Single Motherhood

Indie Game ‘Best Month Ever!’ Navigates Single Motherhood

Indie game Best Month Ever! challenges players to navigate single motherhood – including illness and low wages – in a ruthless capitalistic and patriarchal society.

How Moebius’ Psychedelic Fantasy / Surrealist Art Influenced Video Games

How Moebius’ Psychedelic Fantasy / Surrealist Art Influenced Video Games

French artist Jean Giraud, aka Moebius, inspired his peers and mass media. In video games especially, his psychedelic fantasy/surrealist art may live on forever.

On Point and Click Adventure Games with Creator Joel Staaf Hästö

Through the Looking-Glass of Black Mirror’s ‘Bandersnatch’

Through the Looking-Glass of Black Mirror’s ‘Bandersnatch’

Netflix's interactive movie, Bandersnatch, doesn't really offer choices, but it does offer something else: a warning.