We started this blog because we couldn’t find another like it– one where a couple of people who loved playing video games talked about them in a serious and critical manner. A handful of academic game studies websites, a near-infinite number of amateur game reviewers, but not what we wanted this to be: a conversational, casual look at games through a serious critical lens. Why they work, why they don’t, things we’ve loved and hated through the history of the medium, ideas and moments that have prompted serious thought and discussion.
We’ve been doing this, between the two of us, for about four years now. We’ll get together, hang out, and eventual the conversation will turn to us discussing our formative experiences with role-playing games, what makes a good video game antagonist, why Duke Nukem Forever was a disaster, the unique way that Valve guides the player through its world and narrative, or other such topics. We thought these conversations and ideas might be of interest to other people, and that they might help form a good critical perspective on a medium still trying to find its place.
Cardinal Virtual 