Games

Enter the Gungeon is a rogue-like video game (procedurally-generated dungeon crawl levels featuring unique gameplay and permanent death of the player) released more than four years ago. The game features four playable characters, with three additional characters that may be unlocked through completing in game objectives, each featuring their own unique weaponry and bonus items to help the player on their journey into the Gungeon: a bullet-hell dungeon where at the bottoms lies the gun that can kill the past.

The title alone must sound silly. The explanation, perhaps even more so, but let me tell you: Enter the Gungeon slaps so hard. It's unique gameplay, storyline, unlimited pop-culture references, and rewards for each Gungeon run(geon) that encourage players to come back again and again make this game endlessly replayable.

In this article, delve deep into the gameplay, why the game is so relevant, highlight its pop-culture references, why the gameplay is so much fun, why its structure makes it the perfect game for long-form gamers or those that only have an hour at a time to enjoy, and all around why it deserves as much attention today as it did upon its release.

With the growing number of independent game developers, it is becoming more challenging for smaller studios to get recognized. One of the major ways to get fans is to attend and exhibit at gaming shows. Cost is the elephant in the room regarding these shows, and the cost for E3 is insane considering it being the largest expo for gaming in the world. However, investing in a trade show proves very beneficial when done right.

Do you think indie developers should exhibit at E3?

The release of Bethesda Softworks’ DOOM Eternal this year marks another milestone in what has become almost three decades of video game history for the franchise. For 27 years, the franchise has been a pioneer in FPS multiplayer games, and their fan base has witnessed an ongoing evolution of characters, graphics, and narratives. But this begs the question, why has a game that began as shareware endured with such longevity, outliving other games from the '90s? So, analyze this evolution of the DOOM franchise, from the original DOOM (1993) to the recent 2020 release. Look specifically at the graphics, gameplay mechanics, lore, and storytelling. Question what exactly makes the franchise so popular, and what has maintained this popularity through the decades. Although the franchise includes films, comics, novels, and more, this article would seek to analyze the video games specifically.

Video games have increasingly become just as much of an art form as television and film and yet it is still stigmatized as unworthy of being considered art. Despite this many games have been able to take claim as being works of art. Discuss what differentiates the games that are considered art with those that are not and critique whether it's fair for only some of the medium to be considered art.

Visual novels (VN) are an interactive game genre that originate from Japan where text-based stories are presented in a narrative style of literature and allow for readers to interact as well as decide on the flow of a story. These mixed-media novels have, in recent years, gained more popularity outside of Japan especially through gaming platforms such as Steam. What sets these mixed-media novels apart from other genres such as film, animation, manga, and comics?

In the past many video games generally targeted at males, like fighting and racing games feature women characters "scantily clad" clothing. However, when Mortal Kombat 11 released last year, most of the female characters had stronger personalities and covered up a lot more of their skin than they had in previous games.

One example is Kitana the former princess of Outworld. In previous games, she often wore blue string-like clothing with high boots. As the new Empress of Outworld, however, Kitana not only has power, but is covered from collar bone to ankles.

Analyse what makes a silent protagonist work and what doesn't: when does a game benefit from having one? When does it not? What are some instances where a silent protagonist could have been better as a speaking one, or vice versa?

Or maybe, what warrants the use of a silent protagonist, particularly in plot-heavy, character-driven series' like Persona? How are they characterised, if at all, and why?

The idea of introducing educational games in early education exists and has even been implemented, but do more traditional games deserve a place in schools? Topics such as English and Media exist to teach students about famous literary texts and powerful films, deconstructing these pieces to derive meaning and improve understanding of certain ideas and issues. Should time be dedicated to providing worthy games with the same analysis? Why, or why not?