Author Archive

What would cause a large group of gamers to call a perfectly ordinary and inoffensive videogame story writer a cunt, a whore, a Jew, and a cancer, among many other things? Apart from the fact that they are users of the Internet? The impending end of their world, that’s what.

I spend a lot of my time trying, in print and in person, to work against a lot of the negative stereotypes that abound about videogames and gamers. Every so often, however, I’m reminded how powerfully the gaming industry is not an ally in this effort.

When it comes to playing The Game of the Year taking a “glass half empty” approach is the saner course.

Occasionally you come across something on the Web that forces you to stare unflinchingly into the dark heart of humanity. Well, OK, on the Web that happens more than occasionally and not simply when you are frequenting 4Chan. Sometimes, however, the experience isn’t simply repellent and/or tedious but actually illustrates something profound about the evolution of human nature and its vexed relationship with digital technologies.

An open letter to all my FaceBook friends. Is this really the best we can do?

There are many occasions in an ongoing discussion or debate where you know that the better thing would be to take the high road. Unfortunately, this often involves having to switch off your brain and wear a blindfold. Therefore, low road it is.

A storied MMORPG finally gets the finger.