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Ryan Smith

About Ryan Smith

Ryan Smith is a writer/journalist who recently moved back to Illinois after living in Missouri and Los Angeles for the past decade. A Land of Lincoln (Springfield, IL) native, Ryan won several local and state journalism awards in his five years as a news reporter in central Missouri. His freelance work has appeared in publications such as Relevant Magazine, Vox, and Escape. Ryan has penned multimedia reviews and features for PopMatters since 2005.

Features

Multimedia

First Person of Shooters: An Interview with Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel

[15.Nov.07] :. "I don't think Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan or any of those guys took it lightly when they became who they were. It was because they were obsessed about something, probably a little crazy and I think I do the same thing."

Recent features

 

Multimedia

E for Some But Not All

[31.Oct.07] :. I felt at times like a kid at an amusement park on a rainy, drizzly day where the weather scares most people off, so the lines for the roller coasters are practically nonexistent.

Recent features

 

Multimedia

"Technology for the Masses": An Interview with Nolan Bushnell

[27.Jul.07] :. "The games got too complex and violent. The complexity lost the casual gamer, and the violence lost the women."

Recent features

 

Multimedia

A Final Farewell to Arcades

[16.Jan.07] :. It was about a community of like-minded misfits. It was about sticking it to the Man.

Recent features

 

My Favorite Things

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior: "Here Comes a New Challenger!"

[12.Oct.06] :. In the twilight days of the old video arcades, a coin-op game emerged that changed everything about the way fighting games were played and created a minor renaissance. Ryan Smith reflects back on the heady youth of global warriors, quarter match challengers, and "shoryuken!" with the original Street Fighter II.

My Favorite Things

 

Politics   My Own Private Enron

Multimedia   The Royal Wii?

Columns

Out of Context

The Banality of a Wanna Be Robin Hood

[16.Apr.08] :. As I walked into the payday loan company's office I wondered, Did any of the union welders on the Death Star walk out once they realized what "Project DS" stood for?

Recent columns

 

Out of Context

The Real Surreal World

[28.Jan.08] :. Why are the most visceral, defining moments in our life often perceived as unreal or dream-like?

Recent columns

 

Out of Context

Just One of the "Schlubs"

[7.Jan.08] :. A walk on the down and out side, sans music soundtrack and poetic interpretation.

Recent columns

 

Out of Context

A Fistful of Quarters

[8.Oct.07] :. If only I could love Ms. Pacman the way I want to love Ms. Pacman.

Recent columns

 

Out of Context

With Malice Towards Fun

[15.Aug.07] :. In a battle to claim The Simpson's for its own, Fox network's favorite family teetered dangerously close to stealing the heart and soul of Springfield, Illinois, away from the man who saved the Union.

Recent columns

 

Out of Context   Z-Boys, Cool Losers

Out of Context   Slacker or Hero?: A Taste of the Life of a Video Game Tester

Out of Context   Las Vegas -- The Real Never Never Land

Reviews

Multimedia

Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom

[23.Apr.08] :. There are so many head-scratchingly puzzling things about this Xbox 360 game that it's hard to know where to start.

Recent Multimedia reviews

 

Multimedia

Condemned 2: Bloodshot

[18.Apr.08] :. Condemned 2: Bloodshot is entertaining enough, but it still feels like it's written by two socially awkward 15-year-old boys who dress in black and listen to a little too much Slipknot.

Recent Multimedia reviews

 

Multimedia

Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements

[19.Mar.08] :. Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements is the cheesy '80s flick of the modern role-playing scene.

Recent Multimedia reviews

 

Multimedia

Mass Effect

[4.Jan.08] :. One of the major themes of Mass Effect is xenophobia and the reasons that certain species hate or mistrust the others.

Recent Multimedia reviews

 

Multimedia

Beautiful Katamari

[19.Dec.07] :. The charm that once made the original fun and interesting has worn thin now that the second and third sequels have come around.

Recent Multimedia reviews

 

Multimedia   Shadowrun

Multimedia   Dance Dance Revolution Universe

Multimedia   Crackdown

Multimedia   Viva Piñata

Multimedia   Tony Hawks Project 8

Multimedia   Marvel Ultimate Alliance

Multimedia   Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

Multimedia   Age of Empires III

Multimedia   Dungeon Siege II

Multimedia   187 Ride or Die

Multimedia   Rumble Roses XX

Multimedia   Rise of the Kasai

Multimedia   Urban Reign

 
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