Martin Scorsese really wants you to know what movies he isn't watching. The response to Scorsese's original comments about Marvel movies not being cinema focused on whether or not he could say such things rather than whatever merits the claim had. This is an odd response, since there is nothing more Hollywood than famous people … Continue reading Criticizing Marvel
Category: Rant
Response: Data science will not save you
This article is a critical response to the Gamasutra blog "Steam has a lack of data scientists." While it is an opinion piece, the article was widely shared and contains a number of contestable statements with regards to Steam's role, Valve's capabilities, and the ability of data science to solve structural issues for game developers. … Continue reading Response: Data science will not save you
Epic’s Tactics Are The System Working As Intended
The most perplexing feature of the commentary surrounding the Epic Games Store (EGS) is that the loudest voices assign criticism to Epic that is more appropriately targeted at Valve. The criticism that has gotten the most attention is the one that says Epic is using its timed exclusives in order to take over digital distribution, … Continue reading Epic’s Tactics Are The System Working As Intended
When Exclusives Are Consumer Friendly
There's an old business punchline where the owner of a firm says "I'll sell at a loss but make it up on volume." I've heard the punchline in three slightly different variations but have never heard the joke that was once attached to it. A business owner maximizing their losses is the kind of galaxy … Continue reading When Exclusives Are Consumer Friendly
Share and Share Dislike
The takes industry works overtime during earnings season and between EA reporting sales for Battlefield V and Activision Blizzard announcing layoffs, there was no shortage of material. Earnings should not generate the kind of hyperventilation they do, since they are a standard measure intended to provide everyone access to the same information at the same … Continue reading Share and Share Dislike
Diversity for the Amoral
The new year started off with a fresh set of outrages to scourge Real Gamers™: Kick McKeand wrote a good article about diversity in games, Emily Grace Buck (who's started a new program for story games) reminded us that old gaming quip about story and pornos isn't all that clever, and it turns out Soldier … Continue reading Diversity for the Amoral
Studio Closure
News of Telltale Games’ closure highlighted the fact that quite a few game studios have closed this year. There has been a lot of reflection on everything from the precarious nature of work in games, to the viability of certain types of games, as well as an outpouring of support for at least some of the … Continue reading Studio Closure
Your EA Takes Suck
EA is an awesome company that makes good games and you sound like a moron when you bash it. EA bashing is the gaming version of clapter. If you've ever watched Real Time With Bill Maher, you'll immediately know what I'm talking about. Clapter sounds a little something like this: "Hey, how about [politician] right? … Continue reading Your EA Takes Suck
L’Affaire le Laissez-Faire
A little over a month ago Valve issued warnings to the makers of adult visual novels and others which became publicized resulting in controversy and uncertainty regarding the status of games with sexual content on Steam. A few weeks later Valve reversed this implied decision and announced that they would open the store to anything … Continue reading L’Affaire le Laissez-Faire
Hot Sex Robot Takes
Ten people in Toronto lost their lives when a man drove a rental truck down a street with the intent of hitting as many people as he could. A screenshot of his Facebook post identifying himself as an incel was verified, Redditors cringed at the quality of mainstream coverage of that community, and commentators took … Continue reading Hot Sex Robot Takes