The Search for Whales
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Who’s spending a fortune on mobile games? The free-to-play games industry calls them ‘whales’ and often relies on their high-rolling spending for its profitability. But who are the humans involved and why do they do it?
The economic dread of Little Red Lie and Design Home
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Games can be fantasies to help us escape from our dreary lives, but they can also push us to confront hard truths. An essay about the weird parallels to be found between an indie narrative game and some free-to-play mobile property porn slop.
FIFA’s Story Mode Can’t Touch a Homemade Team in PES
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Written as FIFA moved into scripted story content with ‘The Journey’, we make a case for the superiority of the humble, homespun charm of a self-created team on Pro Evolution Soccer. Featuring an ode to the mighty Loughborough FC.
Missing Puts You in the Shoes of a Trafficked Girl
FROM THE ARCHIVES: An interview with Leena Kejriwal and Satyajit Chakrabarty, co-creators of Missing: a videogame project seeking to raise awareness of people trafficking.
The Quiet Adventurers Behind Burly Men at Sea
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Founded by an ex-Pixar animator and a graphic designer, Brain&Brain has stories to tell. We chat to them about the development of Burly Men at Sea and being “allergic to things that are too gamey”.
Abzû is the Best Walking Simulator
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Abzû is a game about swimming, but it achieves something extremely rare in videogames – it makes the simple act of walking feel special. Let’s explore how and why!