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Eric Swain External Sources

Critical Distance Confab – Minisode 12 – Not Dark Souls

Another minisode is up, this time with freelance critic Nick Capozzoli. As is the way, when I recorded this minisode, I hadn’t heard a peep about 1979 Revolution: Black Friday. So, of course, two days later about half a dozen articles dropped. Ah well, still a game worth discussing. As for the title, I’ve been trying to come up with titles whose description encompass at least half of the games talked about. It’s why some of them seem really strained when there is little to no overlap. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Looks at the Scenic Vistas and Human Drama of ‘Firewatch’

This week on the Moving Pixels Podcast we talk about the out in nature First Person Walker, Firewatch. Despite Firewatch essentially being a mystery game, we spend most of our time discussing how the game divorces itself from that genre, or fails to do so, depending on which one of … (This post is lost beyond this point.) The Moving Pixels Podcast Looks at the Scenic Vistas and Human Drama of 'Firewatch' » PopMatters "You came out to put your memories behind you and they're still right there, in front of you. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Critical Distance Confab – Camp’s Signal

With this interview we are entering the more modern conception of video based criticism. The video essayist. First on the docket is Chris Franklin aka Campster. It’s a good interview and not surprisingly, in many ways, sets up future discussions of video as evolving form of criticism. Thanks to Chris … (This post is lost beyond this point.) Episode 35 – Camp’s Signal – Critical Distance | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Takes a Trip to ‘Pony Island’

This time on the Moving Pixels Podcast we discuss Daniel Mullins’s game Pony Island. This is a weird little game that I think I kind of love almost solely for its weirdness. It’s always throwing something new at the player and never allows itself to become complacent or stale. And it ends in the most pitch perfect way possible of an uber triumph of bombastic proportion within its own stylistic confines. I also like that there may be more underneath the surface that we just weren’t able to tease out. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Storytelling Engines: The Story Arc Has Ended and Yet the Game Keeps Going

I wrote this piece trying to examine my own response to “storytelling engine games” and why they don’t grab me for long. Every time we do one of these games for the podcast I end up on the “ehh” side of lukewarm. Darkest Dungeon being the most recent, but you … (This post is lost beyond this point.) Storytelling Engines: The Story Arc Has Ended and Yet the Game Keeps Going » PopMatters | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Plumbs The Depths of the ‘Darkest Dungeon’

On this episode we delve into the Darkest Dungeon, the horror RPG that hates you. I find whenever we do one of these roguelike games that’s light on authored content, you have to hope the description of how it plays leads to some sort of metaphor. Thankfully, Darkest Dungeon is one of those that does. The game hammers hard on the “grind up those cogs in the corporate machine” message. But beyond that base message and a few shades of specifics in the behavior that is rewarded by the system, there doesn’t seem much. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Mind of the Machine: AlphaGo and Artificial Intelligence

I finally wrote a new column for PopMatters. I stayed up all night several days in a row to watch the AlphaGo vs. Lee Sedol match play out. It was being held during the day in Korea so that meant it started around midnight here on the East Coast. I feel it was worth it. I really like the game of Go and try to talk about it when I can, but unless you are ingrained in the game, a lot of the specifics are utterly meaningless. I suppose that’s a lesson that could be applied to most games. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Hinduism and Buddhism Meet Science Fiction in ‘Cradle’

This week’s episode of the Moving Pixels Podcast is on the indie game Cradle. I was on this podcast, but it was quickly apparent to me that I had nothing to say on this game. I was near catatonic I was so bored with this game. So, I’m introduced, make some comments at the beginning and then am pretty much silent for the rest of the running time. Which is a pity given all the fascinating things Chris and Nick were able to get out of this game. | more