Tag Archives: Game Mechanics

What I’m Playing Now: Combat Mission Red Thunder

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Erik Bigras

In my ongoing effort to find a hybrid game uniting the best principles of table-top RPGs, wargames, and video games, I’ve been exploring the world of wargames a lot. Specifically, I’ve been following two table-top wargames: Bolt Action and Infinity. … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Erik Bigras | Tagged Bolt Action, Close Combat, Combat Mission, Game Mechanics, Infinity, Real-Time Tactical, Red Thunder, RTT, Turn-Based, Video game, Video games, Wego | Comments Off

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

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Erik Bigras

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 Battle of Verdun, Cooperation, First World War, Game Mechanics, Heroes & Generals, Online FPS, Roles, Squad-Based, time, Verdun 1914-1918, World War 1 | 1 Comment

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

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Erik Bigras

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 Abandonware, Access, Ethics, FPS, Free Software Foundation, Game design, Game Mechanics, Home of the Underdogs, HOTU, id Software, John Carmack, Militarization, Morality, Open Access, Shooter, Video Game History, Wolfenstein | Comments Off

A Severed Prosthetic Memory by NBA 2K14

Posted on April 25, 2014 by LCooke

The discourse of representation, stereotypes, and racism surrounding video games is fraught, and quite frankly not at all progressive. During “black history month,” I took notice to the number of my Facebook feeds that posted the obligatory Black History Month topics, … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Laquana Cooke | Tagged Alison Landsberg, and racism, Bill Russell, black history, black history month, Celtics, Chuck Cooper, Civil Rights Movement, Doris Burke, game criticism, Game design, Game Mechanics, Gender, Hall of Fame, Harlan, inequalities, Jerry West, Kellogg, Lakers, MLK, NBA, nba 2k, nba 2k14, NBA Playoffs, prejudices, prosthetic memory, ps3, Representation, stereotypes, Steve Kerr, Video Game History, Video games, Wilt Chamberlain, Xbox One | 1 Comment

A Vulnerable Retrospective: Desolation Games

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Erik Bigras

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 7 Days to Die, Affect, Choice, D&D, Dark Sun, Dayz, Despair, Dune, Emotions, Emptiness, Fallout, Game design, Game Mechanics, Guilt, Kenshi, Loneliness, MechWarrior, New Vegas, Open World, Remorse, Rust, SEAL Team, Story, Twilight: 2000, Video Game History, Video games | 3 Comments

Fate of the World: An Epistemological Review

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Erik Bigras

My work leads me to discover some very strange games. After Bronkie the Bronchiasaurus, I’d like to offer you another epistemological review of one such games. By epistemological, I mean that I won’t necessarily be following the traditional formalisms of … Continue reading →

Posted in Erik Bigras, Reviews | Tagged Arjun Appadurai, Arturo Escobar, Biopolitics, Card Game, Climate change, Computational modeling, Corporatism, Educational game, Environmental projections, Environmental science, Fate of the World, Foucault, Game Mechanics, Global politics, Global warming, Michel Foucault, Neolibralism, Scientism, Starflight, Transnational corporation, Video games | 9 Comments

Minecraft and the Castle of Uncomfortable Contraptions

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Erik Bigras

Efficiency is a word that’s often hailed as that special thing everyone should try to achieve. When I teach technology-related classes, efficiency is a word tossed around by most undergrads when we ask them about the characteristics of technological systems. … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism, Erik Bigras | Tagged Dungeons and Dragons, Efficiency, Game design, Game Mechanics, Melon farm, Minecraft, Monster spawner, Multiplayer, Railroad, Sandbox, Taylorism, Video games, Voxel | 6 Comments

A Simulated Retrospective, Part 4: Space

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Erik Bigras

Welcome to the fourth and final part of this Higher Level Gamer Critical Retrospective! For these Retrospectives, I’ll take a broad approach to examine some of the tropes of particular game genres, their historical contexts, provide some examples, as well … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Retrospectives, Erik Bigras | Tagged Doom, Flight Simulation, Freelancer, FreeSpace 2, Game Mechanics, Games and cultural change, Historicity, Nature of games criticism, Open World, Rogue Squadron II, Space Simulation, Story, Video Game History, Video games, Wing Commander | 3 Comments

A Simulated Retrospective, Part 2: The Old West

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Erik Bigras

Welcome to Part 2 of this Higher Level Gamer Critical Retrospective! For these Retrospectives, I’ll take a broad approach to examine some of the tropes of particular game genres, their historical contexts, provide some examples, as well as explore why … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Retrospectives, Erik Bigras | Tagged American Indians, Bound in Blood, Call of Juarez, Duel, Feminism, First Nations, Foucault, Game Mechanics, Gun, Gunslinger, Indians, Mad Dog McCree, Man with No Name, Michel Foucault, Native Americans, Old West, Open World, pistolero, Red Dead Redemption, Revisionism, Revisionist Western, Sergio Leone, Six-shooter, Spaghetti Western, Story, Video Game History, Video games, Western | 3 Comments

A Simulated Retrospective, Part 1: Pirates

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Erik Bigras

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

Posted in Critical Retrospectives, Erik Bigras | Tagged Assassin's Creed 4, Black Flag, Bruno Latour, Edward Saïd, Errol Flynn, Feminism, Game Mechanics, Gender, Higher Level Gamer Critical Retrospective, Hollywood pirates, Open World, Pirate simulation, Pirates!, Sandbox, Sea Dogs, Sid Meier's Pirates!, Simulations, Thomas Hobbes, Uncharted Waters, Video Game History, Video games | 4 Comments

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Tag Archives: Game Mechanics

What I’m Playing Now: Combat Mission Red Thunder

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

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

A Severed Prosthetic Memory by NBA 2K14

A Vulnerable Retrospective: Desolation Games

Fate of the World: An Epistemological Review

Minecraft and the Castle of Uncomfortable Contraptions

A Simulated Retrospective, Part 4: Space

A Simulated Retrospective, Part 2: The Old West

A Simulated Retrospective, Part 1: Pirates

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