Sunday 5 August 2012

Writing in my own voice: July 2012

I went from 2 articles in June to 33 in July. My first month with MWEB GameZone was a thrill. A heartfelt thanks to the team, you guys are awesome. Every day brings with it the challenge of writing in your own voice and delivering articles that are worth reading in an industry flooded with better journalists than yourself. Challenge was accepted ;)

For this blog post I will focus mainly on my opinion pieces.

"All the world's a digital stage"

This article explores ubiquitous computing in depth. 

The Web is essentially a digital mirror of individuals, created by the interactions of each person on it. A sensor based digital world has replaced a senses dependent world. Just how much information related to you is available on the Web?  We interact on a real time, highly information based world with software that interprets all the data we feed it almost on a daily basis. You might think, but how accurate can these interpretations be? Let’s take a look at just how deep this rabbit-hole goes.

The language of music in games

I attempt to articulate the beauty that music adds to the gaming experience.

There are few things in life that can compare to the passion we feel towards music. It is the chameleon of the soul; because as a chameleon reflects the colour it touches, so music reflects the ever changing landscape of our emotions. Music conveys a clearer message than words, because it surpasses the barriers of prejudice and reason. It elicits deep response because it knows the path to our hearts. Its melody can serve as a teacher by clearing our minds and directing our thoughts along the message of its lyrics. It is the higher language because it surpasses race, intellect and outward beauty. It makes us all equals on the planes of feeling. 

About the male gaze and other holy cows

I take a look at the controversial subjects of the male gaze, and the inclusion of religious and sexual content in video games.

We are just scratching the surface of what games as a medium are capable to deliver to an over saturated, preached up, fed up, over educated and intellectualized humanity. I don’t know where we should draw the lines, we are discovering that together. What I do know is that I am listening, and what I hear, is that games have become a catalyst for mass critical thinking. What are you hearing?

Indie Games – A digital self portrait

I take a look at how the medium of video games didn’t grow with its audience, and Indie games as the new genre of inspiration.

AAA titles are audience driven, whereas Indie titles are essentially a digital self portrait of the developer, or at least a window into the mind and soul of the developer. In Indie Game: The Movie, Jonathan Blow says this about creating the Indie hit Braid, one of the highest-rated games of all time. “Making it was about me taking my deepest flaws and vulnerabilities and putting that into a game.” Just think about that a minute. How would playing a game that is at its core a deeply personal and intimate story of another individual, impact the player?

News, interviews and reviews
I did a fascinating series on role-playing games: An entirely personal matter, role-playing games and escapism, explore the magic that is role-playing games, and role-playing games, where to from here? I also did an interview with "The legend that is Ashkan Namousi."

Noteworthy news included: Apps that eavesdrop, Digital is changing the landscape, and Living the game.

Many thanks to everyone that played a part in making July a spectacular month of video games journalism for me.