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stories by Leigh Harrison

Nathan Drake makes all the games so I don’t need to play any more for a while

Nathan Drake makes all the videogames you play. I’ve played too many of them now and need to stop. You should consider doing that as well.

Second glance: Investigating the creation and failure of Damnation with lead designer Jacob Minkoff

Not many people liked Damnation, a game that showed promise but failed on many counts. Lead designer Jacob Minkoff delves into its development.

Ghettoisation in video game communities: A response to Sean Bassinger’s ‘Video games and relationships: It’s complicated’

This began as a simple comment and quickly grew into something larger, apologies for my inability to self-edit. Thank you, Sean for your passionate words and eliciting some from within me. 

I think blaming the aggressive and offensive minority within …

Silent Hill: Revelation highlights the ongoing problems of the series

Silent Hill: Revelation appears to have little understanding of what made its source material compelling enough to warrant a cinematic adaptation in the first place.

While the first film was far from perfect, it at least captured the forlorn isolation …

Public Investment in Video Games is Dangerously Similar to Lending Money to a Friend

With friends like these…

Early November saw the unlikely continuation of a long running saga as another, less surprising one, entered its dark middle chapter. Earlier this year 38 Studios, founded by baseball player Curt Schilling, folded only a few …

Xbox Live for Windows Phone is great. Unless you like playing compelling games

“Batman has the Lumia 900” said Shauna the sales assistant “its Batman’s phone”. “What will he do if I buy it then?” I asked churlishly “surely I’d get in the way of, nay hinder, his important work?” “It has …

I don’t think I have the time anymore to enjoy Borderlands 2

           

Borderlands had a shiny slipcase; that is why I bought it. I never intended on doing so but the insignificant yet alluring cardboard had me. It also perfectly encapsulates my now far removed opinion …

The Walking Dead presents a compelling story, but is the gameplay still too complex?

I was having a leisurely pint of ale with my girlfriend when my mind began to wander away from our conversation. What ever we were talking about evidently paled in comparison to my thoughts on the Walking Dead game, the …

Forgetting about older, classic titles could undermine the future of gaming

Against our best intentions, video games that get left by the wayside often stay unplayed and are ultimately forgotten. Games are a temporal art form. They can only be fully enjoyed within a short period of time after their release. …

Monetizing gameplay: How SimCity Social swallows your soul

I was in a weakened state after a period of self-indulgence when a stranger offered his assistance. I initially rebuffed his kindness, feeling somewhat foolish about myself at that moment. It quickly became apparent to both of us, though, that …

The Agony of Victory: Drinking Heavily and Playing Games

                 

There are occasions where I find myself in need of cleansing. Complex thought processes are sometimes unnecessary after all. Simple things are good; a beer, for instance. A beer and a video game combined can prove to be a …

Achievement Unlocked – How Modern Gaming Devalues Spec Ops: The Line

       

Much has already been said of the affecting nature of Spec Ops: The Line's plot and its attempt to subvert the conventions of the ever-popular shooter. I however, feel the modern console ecosystem undermines the weight of the game's …

Learning to walk again: Understanding the difficulties of game concepts through Minecraft

I take my motor skills for granted. I am lucky enough, generally speaking, to be able to travel in any direction I desire and arrive at my destination quite easily. Sometimes the odd road or fence conspires to slow my …