G Anderson Lake

G Anderson Lake

I'm currently a freelance video game journalist. I have a strong passion for the gaming industry and writing, and have strong opinions about both!

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Latest Articles

Latest Topics

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Weapons of Choice: Cultural and Generational Fascinations with Weapons

Double-Barrel shotgun, the bow and arrow, the ak-47 (for when you absolutely have to kill every last **** in the room). Weapons are commonplace in society, and always have been. What this article would examine the history of culture’s "weapon of choice." We seem to be exiting the bow and arrow phase (Katniss, Hawkeye, Last of Us, Tomb Raider) and its been a few years since the ak-47 era.
However, it is undeniable that at any given point in time, the entertainment industry, seems fascinated by one particular weapon, and that weapon finds itself in plenty of movies, TV shows, and video games.
This article should examine the history of popular weapons, and/or why these weapons become so pervasive throughout society.

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    Ant-man: a pint-sized addition to the MCU or its first huge flop

    This article (written once the author has seen the movie obviously) will examine how Ant-man effects the MCU. A major flop could, surprisingly, cause major harm financially to the studios involved. On the other hand, Ant-man could be an exciting and refreshing respite from the recent action epics.
    Focusing not on financial standings, but rather critical and fan reception, the article would determine the status of Ant-man.

    • While it would be important to talk about Edger Wright leaving the film, this article should turn into a Wright vs. Marvel rant. It is sad that he left the film, but the film should be judged on its own merits. Judge the film you got, not the one you want. – Aaron Hatch 9 years ago
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    • Based on a "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 79% (higher than many MCU films, including this year's "Avengers: Age of Ultron"), as well as many positive posts about the film from fans on social media, I think the movie has mostly been critically well-received. I've seen the movie (I personally loved it) and I can say that, so far, the connections to the MCU aren't HUGE. Marvel has confirmed that Scott Lang will be in Captain America: Civil War (along with almost every other major MCU superhero) and *POTENTIAL SPOILER FOR ANT-MAN* Kevin Feige has said that the Wasp will likely appear in a Phase 3 film in some capacity, we do know that Ant-Man will affect the I think it might be good to critique the EXTENT to which the movie connects to the MCU. Because there are some brilliant references and cameos/appearances (that I won't spoil, but anyone who's seen the movie will know) to the larger MCU which are great. But on the other hand, the movie's smaller scale and largely standalone nature works to the film's benefit. As much as I loved Age of Ultron, a common (and valid, I will concede) criticism is that the film suffered from TOO much MCU connection. Meaning, there were so many characters and plot threads and set-up for future films that the movie felt somewhat disjointed and/or overstuffed. Whereas Ant-Man has a pretty focused premise - it's a comedy heist flick - and I think that resonated more with a large part of the audience. And Aaron makes a valid point. Edgar Wright's departure shouldn't be treated like the elephant in the room, but it also shouldn't become the focus of the film. The reality is, having heard little to none of Edgar's side of things, I don't think we can properly comment as a whole on how his version of the film would have compared to the one we got. Like Aaron, I think the film should be judged on its own merits. However, are some good comments from Wright's replacement director, Peyton Reed, who talks about ideas they kept/worked upon from Wright's original script, vs. what he and the new writers changed or added. These might be good to mention. – BradShankar 9 years ago
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    • In 2022, it is still too early to know. – T. Palomino 2 years ago
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    Re-imagining Relationships: The Brave New Frontier of Televised Romance

    Recently there has been some great new relationships on TV. Television writers used to pair of a stoic white male lead and a brainy yet empowered female lead together, and no one else really mattered. This still happens, but there has certainly been a shift on how televised relationships are considered. Agents of Shield has a strong female lead who falls in love with the stereotypical stoic white male, but because of obviously spoilers, doesn’t work. More importantly, the "nerds" of the show are given significant air time to work out their own relationship.

    This article could explore some of the new ways TV is recognizing diverse and real relationships beyond its boring and overdone cookie cutter couples.

    • A few examples which come to mind is: Claire and Frank Underwood (House of Cards), Jaime and Cersei Lannister (Game of Thrones). While I personally have not watched any television shows which display the relationships of homosexual relationships, that may be another topic which this could discuss. – Matthew Sims 9 years ago
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    The Modern Classic

    What makes a film a classic? This article would examine what elements from "classic" films made them so, and if these elements exist in any modern movies. The purpose would be to determine if the idea of a classic movie is dead, or if we’re just not removed enough from modern films to tell.

    • What a great article idea. I suggest looking at films such as Casablanca or Breakfast at Tiffany's for instance. I would also build on the question and ask what the interpretation of classic is/should be. Does it mean old? old school? old-fashioned? Is an old movie automatically considered a classic? Is it the values portrayed in the film that make it a classic? If so, what values are viewed as classic? – MariaSK88 9 years ago
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    Looking at the Change of Character in Action Heros

    Bruce Willis, Robert DeNiro, Sylvester Stallone. These, and many others, used to be stoic and emotionless tough guys in their youths, but now that they’ve aged they all seem to be the lovable and grumpy grandfather figures. What happened? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

    This article would analyze the change in the tough guy, action hero tropes of these actors glory days, and how they’ve changed to fit their age.

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      Published

      Examining the Resurgence of Lovecraftian Themes in Video Games

      Recently, there has been strong Lovecraftian themes emerging in video games. Games like Bloodborne, and the new Iga-Vania Bloodstained, have shown interest in the topics and more supernatural aspects of Lovecraft’s works.
      Why are these themes seeing a reemergence in games? Why do games lend themselves to these themes? Why are these themes relevant today?

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        Published

        A Pre-Analysis of Frank Miller's return to the Dark Knight

        Frank Miller recently announced that he’s begun work on another Dark Knight Returns graphic novel. He’s already raised a few flags for readers and activists about the content of graphic novel, including racism, sexism, and class structure.

        Looking at some of his more recent work, what should readers expect in Frank Miller’s anticipated, yet cautiously wary, Dark Knight Returns sequel?

        • While Miller was great in his prime when he wrote The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year one, now-a-days, his work of writing is really bad. Not only is his writing boring and unstructured,but his female characters are just become sex objects for him. Plus, it seems like he has no respect for other countries that are not America. Just look at his book Holy Terror for example. – Aaron Hatch 9 years ago
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        • I find it strange that they'd attempt another sequel when the first sequel The Dark Knight Strikes Again was a bomb. I imagine it has something to do with the fact Dawn of Justice will be borrowing from The Dark Knight Returns. – Cagney 9 years ago
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        Latest Comments

        G Anderson Lake

        One of the most spectacular things about games is the unique way they provide escape for their players. Art always serves this purpose, but gaming has allowed us to do it on a whole new level. What Fallout does is wonderful because it shows us that players are willing to escape to a life that, for all intents and purposes, is significantly worse than their own. What Bethesda is hitting on is a core concept about escapism: escaping to a life worse than one’s own is just as satisfying as escaping to one’s that is better. Both are equally gratifying because we get to feel like gods in one world, and realize that our lives are not so bad in another.
        I love fallout and am very excited for 4. Great read!

        Loneliness in Fallout
        G Anderson Lake

        I’m glad I could be that proverbial nail! Thank you for the suggestion.

        Dark Souls: What Makes Gamers Endure the Pain?
        G Anderson Lake

        It’s interesting that you believe it is a step backwards. Certainly Demon Souls, Dark Souls, and now Bloodborne are their own series, and will lend themselves to be different in some regards, while retaining that From Soft feel. I believe that the variety in content and items is unique to the Souls games, yes, but with Bloodborne it was very clear that From Soft had a very clear vision of what that world was supposed to be.
        I think gamers too often criticize what they consider to be a lack of content. What I saw in Bloodborne was a consistent and extremely well thought-out world design. The addition of more, specifically varied, content would only serve to distract from that world design, and may even feel unnatural to the player. So while Souls lends itself really well to that variety, I think Bloodborne was smart not to include it.

        Dark Souls: What Makes Gamers Endure the Pain?
        G Anderson Lake

        Thank you! I love your name, I’m not sure it’s meant as a Kingdom Hearts reference, but I love it anyway!

        Dark Souls: What Makes Gamers Endure the Pain?
        G Anderson Lake

        You raise a great point. I’ve found more and more movies and games that lend themselves to people who are “tuned in” to a franchise or medium, and they are definitely great, but may suffer from distancing themselves from a larger audience. Games do this more often than not I think; gaming has been around long enough that every game has a certain level of assumption.
        I recently played a Call of Duty game with a non-gaming friend who wanted to try it out. He was having a very hard time not staring at the ground and spinning in circles. That made me realize that even the most simple games carry a lot of assumptions on part of the developers.But Dark Souls definitely takes it to an extreme. Even Scholar of the First Sin is a game for people who have been playing Souls for a very long time, and would be a terrible place for a new-comer to start.

        Dark Souls: What Makes Gamers Endure the Pain?
        G Anderson Lake

        They are definitely great games to play, and even if you don’t think you’re good I think Souls has the perfect structure to help you learn along the way!

        Dark Souls: What Makes Gamers Endure the Pain?
        G Anderson Lake

        I appreciate the kind feedback. I definitely agree with you. I’ve been trying to convince everyone I know that video games are a new and unique art form, and it’s certainly an uphill battle. I think games like Dark Souls, Journey, and Last of Us really help the discussion.

        Dark Souls: What Makes Gamers Endure the Pain?
        G Anderson Lake

        It’s definitely addicting.

        Dark Souls: What Makes Gamers Endure the Pain?