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Tag Archives: Sandbox
What I’m Playing Now: Elite Dangerous
I’ve made no secret in the past that I love space sims and that I’m on the lookout for the next Starflight. I’ve tried many games, but none really filled in that particular gap in my heart. Until recently. I’ve … Continue reading
Posted in Criticism, Erik Bigras
Tagged 400 Billion Stars, Elite, Elite: Dangerous, Milky Way, Open World, Sandbox, Space Sim, Space Trader. Simulation, Starflight, Wing Commander
Comments Off on What I’m Playing Now: Elite Dangerous
DayZ of Indifference: Fighting Against the Injustice Engine
I hadn’t meant to be talking about DayZ this week, but after reading Jason’s post, I just couldn’t resist. As with many of us, I’ve been familiar with the ArmA II mod for a while now. I found it interesting … Continue reading
Posted in Criticism, Erik Bigras
Tagged 7 Days to Die, ArmA 2, ArmA II, Biopolitics, Bohemia Interactive, Dayz, DayZ Standalone, Doom, Indifference, Injustice engine, Minecraft, Mods, Player interaction, Rust, Sandbox, Steam, Survival, Video games
2 Comments
Minecraft and the Castle of Uncomfortable Contraptions
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 1: Pirates
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
The Knowable and Unknowable Futures of Open World and Sandbox Games
Nowadays, an open world is almost a must, or what Michel Callon (1986) has called an obligatory point of passage, when it comes to designing an RPG. For example, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Assassin’s Creed, and Fallout all possess a … Continue reading
Posted in Criticism, Erik Bigras
Tagged Darklands, Game Mechanics, Jacques Derrida, Michel Callon, Michel Foucault, Open World, Pirates!, Sandbox, Starflight, Story, Temporality, Video Game History, Video games
6 Comments