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Gamers Are from Mars, Players Are from Venus

You know, I fancy myself a pretty nice guy most of the time. I call my mom to tell her I love her all the time, and usually it�s not even before I ask for another loan. I donate to local charities regularly. And I always make sure I smile a...

 
 
 

It's Uncanny.

A simple wooden door. I've lost count of how many times my gaming adventures have been halted by one of them. In my possession I hold an axe, a crowbar, and my trusty bazooka on my back. But none of these items that are super useful in r...

 
 
 

You Can Go Home Again. And Again and Again...

Press Start. Such a simple, innocuous command. A directive that lies at the beginning of any player�s journey into a game, that glorious moment when anticipation transforms into reality, and the analog rubber hits the digital road. So why d...

 
 
 

A History of Violence

Something about that Jennifer Helper interview and the misogynerd flamefest that ensued bothered me. Not because she asked for a combat skip button in games�it's been experimented with before, and even Bioware offers a �combat-lite� option...

 
 
 
 

Keep It Simple, Stupid.

On a particularly boring and nostalgic night this week I decided to pop in one of the greatest arcade games of all time: The Simpsons Arcade. In the midst of a litany of pithy catch-phrases and indiscriminate henchman whomping, something h...

 
 
 
 

Harder, Better, Faster: The Case for Shorter Games

Recently, I�ve been wrestling with a truth I dared not utter: I firmly believe that the industry would actually benefit from shorter games instead of longer ones. I�ve suspected it for quite some time, but whenever I got close to realizing...

 
 
 

Hustle and Flow: Why Games Need to Keep it Moving

Heat came on TV the other day which meant much like Goodfellas and the Godfather, I had to stop whatever I was doing and watch it. Eventually, I get to THAT scene. Yeah, you know the one. I�ve seen this one scene a stupid amount of times, a...

 
 
 
 

Love Thy Neighbor: The Need for Compassion in Games

They had us pinned down. There�s so many bullets flying overhead that mere seconds of exposure meant certain death. There was blood in the water, and those sons of bitches could smell it. And that�s when I hear him: �Shit! I�m down man!� I ...

 
 
 

Dude, You Got RPG in My Peanut Butter

(old man Kona sits in a rocking chair next to a fireplace) Ya see kids, back in my day, you knew what a game was when you blew into it a few times and plugged it in. Platformers were platformers, beat-em-ups were beat-em-ups, shooters wer...

 
 
 
 

Online Passes: Death and Taxes

I've never been sure how to feel about online passes over the years. I've vacillated between being either staunchly against, or pretty indifferent about them. Sort of like your grandma in the game isle on your birthday. ("Honey should I get...

 
 
 

Comfort Games: Chicken Soup for the Gamer's Soul

Comfort games, everyone has them. Regardless of how old they are, or how many times you've beat them, there's something about them that keeps bringing you back. Something that speaks to your identity as a gamer, and why you play in the fir...

 
 

About konaone of us since 10:16 PM on 10.21.2011

Ever since my dad held me up to a Pole Position cabinet to steer as he worked the pedals, I've been absolutely hooked on games. It just took me 25 years to figure out that I loved writing about them too. I don't have any particular genre biases, I'll play just about anything that involves pressing buttons (that's probably why I shouldn't visit hospitals...). This blog is just the thoughts of a guy who loves games, but is occasionally frustrated when they squander their potential.