Aram Zucker-Scharff

A Quick Note About Politics, Video Game Reviews, and Grand Theft Auto V:

agameofme:

It doesn’t take nerve to side with the powerful and to punch down.

To call for an absence of “political agendas” in video game criticism is itself a deeply political agenda, one in defense of a very imbalanced status quo that many perceive as perfectly balanced. It is also to hope for the impossible, since most games are inherently political and therefore any review of such a game, whether by choosing to discuss the politics of the game or choosing not to, is assuming a political position of some kind. When people say “get politics out of my games and game reviews,” what they really mean is “Keep making games that reinforce my worldview, stop making games that challenge my worldview, and stop questioning the political values of the games that reinforce my worldview.” 

The Rise of the Professional Cyber Athlete:

Ben McGrath profiles Scarlett, StarCraft’s most compelling player.

This Canadian woman is one of professional gaming’s most accomplished players and riding the leading edge of e-sports’ rise. As the US joins other nations in officially recognizing competitive gamers as pro athletes what creates a pro gamer and what can we learn from those fast-clicking Dota and Starcraft masters?

The Rise of the Professional Cyber Athlete:

Ben McGrath profiles Scarlett, StarCraft’s most compelling player.

This Canadian woman is one of professional gaming’s most accomplished players and riding the leading edge of e-sports’ rise. As the US joins other nations in officially recognizing competitive gamers as pro athletes what creates a pro gamer and what can we learn from those fast-clicking Dota and Starcraft masters?

“

What are the obligations of men in the industry, in the wake of all this?

It’s so simple, but they need to be listening to women. That’s it.

”

– Standing in the Firing Squad: An Interview with Brianna Wu.