July 23, 2012 Eric Swain Recent Posts, Thoughts

The RPG Lineage Chart

Way back at PAX East I got to talking with some people over dinner Saturday and one of the topics that came up was my Dragon Age II Lineage post I did the year before and the research that went into it. I described what I did and that I ended up making a chart. In looking through my collection of business cards from that weekend I believe it was Scott Macmillan that asked to see that chart if he could. Well, I found it recently after the recent home renovation in a pile of papers and roleplaying books. | more

August 15, 2011 Eric Swain Recent Posts, Thoughts

Dragon Age II’s Lineage

(This was originally written several months ago in the run up to Dragon Age II’s release for another site. The editor at the time was swamped with work and it got lost in the shuffle. As time went by I forgotten I had wrote it until a conversation on twitter reminded me about it. I asked the present feature’s editor if it would be ok to take it back for my site. He said it’s a bit late to use it, so it would be fine. | more

December 11, 2009 Eric Swain Critical Responses, Recent Posts

In Which I Respond to the Three False Contraints

When I first read Danc's post over at Lost Garden, Three False Constraints, I called it the stupidest thing I read from the critical community. I decided rather than write an immediate response I would wait a few days to calm down and think it over non-emotionally. I'm glad I did, not because I came to any agreement with him, but because I read this piece by Charles J Pratt over at Game Design Advance. It got me thinking more about the meat of the form of the medium. So I spent some more time thinking and went back to reread his post. Here's my response. | more

October 8, 2009 Eric Swain Critical Responses, Recent Posts

The Citizen Kane of Video Games

For those of you who maybe groaning at the title of this post let me assure you I am not going to declare anything the "Citizen Kane of video games" and am instead going to explain the pointlessness of the debate in the first place. And for those of you now disappointed, I implore you to please continue reading anyway. | more

February 13, 2009 Eric Swain Game Issues, Recent Posts

The Generations, Ages and Eras of Video Games

A few weeks ago I talked about games in their console generational context and received the internet equivalent of blank stares. After a little clarification I mentioned I had a post idea to define the generations and explain my own unique ways of dividing the history of video games. Someone said they liked the idea and so here we are. For anyone to really understand the evolving state of an art form or medium must understand where it came from. | more