So, since I’ve not watched many things since returning from vacation (What? You were gone? When?!), I figure I can use this to talk about my online reading habits. Obviously, I read this darn website every so often (reading your own writing sometimes bores you, though), so here’s where I get the ideas! Maybe! Mostly sites that I don’t usually write articles for!
GameChurch – Duh, this one obviously needs to make the list. They write interesting articles about video games and Christianity, most times in a rather non-explicit way. Contrast this to Theology Gaming, which frequently quotes Scripture wholesale. Of course, both intend different audiences, so that accounts for it. It may come down to a different theological perspective as well if you look closely enough, although you need to look really hard to find it. Anyway, I usually start my day scouring GameChurch to see if (and when) they update.
USGamer – The “American” subsidiary of Eurogamer. Frankly, I like USGamer a bit better than Eurogamer (which, honestly, already writes some good material); much of it reminds me of the former EGM and 1UP (RIP), and that’s never a bad thing. Topics range from reviews to interviews to huge features surrounding Japanese and American games with none of the usual moralizing that infects the press as of recent months. I like drawing my own conclusions to that sort of thing, thank you very much! And Jeremy Parish works there, so there you go.
Tap Repeatedly – I found this one recently. Similar to USGamer, except it existed longer and without the benefit of editing (haha, I kid). Many of their articles, however, contain a great deal of insight about video games and the culture surrounding them. The Dragon’s Crown review especially piqued my interest, as did a number of other works on their. Suffice to say, the staff writers know their stuff and aren’t ashamed to confront bad games as bad games rather than experiences. I’m all for that!
Learn to Counter – Originally “The Ghetto”, Michael Lowell runs this “game commentary” site (to put it in the best terminology possible, I suppose). Frequently, it offers incisive work on a host of issues, from game balancing to Blizzard Entertainment to bad game design. The front page isn’t updated very frequently, but the forums retains a unique community of Insomnia.ac rejects and other random folks who, apparently, like talking about this. Expect a heavy dose of cynicism, but all very wonderful to read.
Sulla’s Website – Not so much a commentary site as a source for looking at variant runs of various games from Final Fantasy to Diablo to Civilization. Sulla became well-known as a League of Legends commentator, but I had discovered him prior to it due to the entertaining (and INCREDIBLY LONG, as befits an academic – sound familiar?) writeups. I think I learned more about the original Final Fantasy just by reading this than anything else; it’s surprisinly how much you learn about a game when you place arbitrary restrictions on yourself for the purpose of challenge. Highly recommended, of course; check out his Youtube channel too, if you like that sort of thing.
WoWInsider – I imagine this one gets a much less broad audience, but I read it consistently enough to mention it here. WoWInsider keeps me up to date on WoW news, WoW commentary from a bunch of people who play the game far more than I, and whatever else happens to occur in the world of Blizzard’s making. I especially like the Know Your Lore articles, which delve deep into the story elements of WarCraft – they’re much more exhaustive than you would imagine at first glance, given that WoW’s been around for nearly a decade at this point.
Quarter to Three – I like Tom Chick. I like the way Tom Chick reviews stuff on a five point scale and actually means it. His criticisms hit home most of the time, especially on the strategy game front, so Quarter to Three always finds time in my rotation. Plus, it’s notable that it tends to find itself in the lowest score slot on any given MetaCritic score (Rome: Total War 2’s whole average went down due to it). Any time someone accuses a person of being a troll, it’s obvious that you should read them to find out!
Those are my general reading habits. Check the Blogroll for more stuff, but you know what? I can write less than a thousand words, and there’s plenty of writing material if you MUST read something today. Cya tomorrow!
