The quiet genius of games that trust you
Modern releases are rediscovering an old idea: that the most respectful thing a game can do is get out of the way. There is a particular pleasure in watching a game reveal its…
Features
How speedrunners rewrote a game's DNA
A decade after release, a community turned a linear adventure into a physics playground nobody designed. There is a particular pleasure in watching a game reveal its intentions…
The comeback of the mid-size studio
Between indie and blockbuster, a middle class of developers is quietly making the year's most interesting work. There is a particular pleasure in watching a game reveal its…
The interface is the game
Menus, maps, and inventories are not chrome around the experience — increasingly, they are the experience. There is a particular pleasure in watching a game reveal its intentions…
Field notes: a weekend inside a fan convention
Away from launch trailers and review scores, this is where games actually live. There is a particular pleasure in watching a game reveal its intentions slowly. The best releases…