Author Archives: Erik Bigras

About Erik Bigras

Erik Bigras is an independent scholar. He studied as a PhD Candidate in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He graduated with a BA in Anthropology (2009) from the University of Prince Edward Island (Canada) where he focused on the creation of subjectivities through digital media. He's been playing video games since the mid-1980s, but expanded his gaming interest to table-top RPGs in the early 2010s.

What I’m Playing Now: Heroes & Generals, and Verdun 1914-1918

Posted on January 7, 2015

Contrary to Gaines, I’m not a big competitive online FPS player. In fact, I’m quite frankly horrible at them. However, there’s a few games in the genre that I’ve lately enjoyed; the first one was Heroes & Generals, but lately … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Erik Bigras | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In Search of Transformative Encounters

Posted on January 1, 2015

Over the course of the last couple of years, I’ve slowly drifted away from video games in favour of table-top RPGs. That trend probably started a few years ago when Gaines and I played TTRPGs weekly with a group of … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Erik Bigras | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What I’m Playing Now: This War of Mine

Posted on December 14, 2014

I’ve been guilty of not posting enough on the site. In the hopes of changing that, I’ll be starting a new feature called “What I’m Playing Now,” which will be exactly what it sounds to be. Rather than long, elaborate … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Erik Bigras | Tagged , , , , ,

Playing with Heavy Rain: The Gamepad and Personal Knowledge

Posted on December 14, 2014

Immersion has long been held in popular thought as one of the defining characteristics of video games (Keogh, 2013). A good game, to many, is one where they can lose themselves within the game and its narrative. Such escapist understandings … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Erik Bigras | Tagged , , , , , , ,

A Decked Out Retrospective: Cyberpunk Games

Posted on August 24, 2014

Welcome to a Higher Level Gamer Critical Retrospective! Retrospectives can take many forms: some focus on a single franchise while others are more expansive. For these retrospectives, I’ll be taking the latter approach. These retrospectives aren’t meant to be best-of … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Retrospectives, Erik Bigras | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Coopted Access: The Rise of the Shooter in Video Game Design

Posted on July 25, 2014

This post revolves around a series of paradoxes. Within the realm of information technology, access often is understood as something that should be promoted. However, within the realms of information technologies, increased access often has led to increased centralization. For … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Erik Bigras | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Vulnerable Retrospective: Desolation Games

Posted on April 9, 2014

Welcome to a Higher Level Gamer Critical Retrospective! Retrospectives can take many forms: some focus on a single franchise while others are more expansive. For these retrospectives, I’ll be taking the latter approach. These retrospectives aren’t meant to be best-of … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Retrospectives, Erik Bigras | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments