Best of Unwinnable – Archive

His Face Placid, His Mouth Full of Fangs

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The worst wolves are hairy on the inside.

John Langan reflects on the passing of Christopher Lee.

Actually, it’s about Ethics in Shilling Videogames

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We are all in marketing.

Games journalism? No, we’re all in marketing.

The First Step

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Combine game conventions with Iñupiaq themes of change starting with one person, and Never Alone forces us to confront our ability to affect change for the better.

Brian Crimmins explores the cultural importance of Never Alone.

Summer Fun Games

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Who's up for a rousing game of "Don't Drown?"

It’s summer and that means trips to the beach, lounging by the pool and vacations in the woods. We’ve got a list of amazing games for all your summer adventures.

Queen Without a Throne

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Do we really expect the show to make a meaningful statement about the tenuous grip Westerosi women have on power?

Yes, Cersei’s decisions are usually ill-conceived and ineffective. Yes, she is selfish and prideful and vindictive. Yes, she is consistently depicted as one of the show’s main antagonists. That doesn’t change the realities of the political landscape Cersei occupies, or the misogyny that consistently tries to disempower her.

This is Not Your World: An Essay in Two Parts

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Without a controller in our lap or a television screen before us or, perhaps, an Oculus Rift strapped to our face, we could not pretend we are immersed (and make no mistake, to be immersed is to pretend, to make believe).

Some thoughts on immersion and virtual worlds.

Second Banana

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"They didn’t identify with Robin, they wanted to be Batman."

Ethan Sacks looks at the role of the sidekick – from the problematic to the progressive.

Episode IV: A New Hope – With a Twist

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When Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side, Leia was taken to Alderaan and Luke to Tatooine. But what if it was the other way around?

Jill Scharr does a little Episode IV character swapping.

Relational Quantum Mechanics and Game of Thrones

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As a defender of criticism and a writer, one is perpetually thinking about story ideas. This affliction gets especially dangerous when it is paired with an idealist outlook.

Jordan Young shows you how problematic it is to be an overconfident writer who thinks entirely too much.

bioshock infinite

We Stared Into Infinity and Saw Only Madness

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An analysis and judgment of the merits and faults of the Bioshock franchise.

For Dennis Scimeca, Bioshock Infinite is exactly the game it is supposed to be.