PopMatters: Moving PixelsThe PopMatters Multimedia Blog2009-11-22T14:07:56ZCopyright (c) 2009, PopMatters.comExpressionEnginetag:popmatters.com-moving-pixels,2009:11:20Modern War in Modern Warfare 2tag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1165612009-11-20T13:00:00Z2009-11-20T13:00:00ZNick DinicolaModern Warfare 2 isn’t just a game about war, it’s about modern war, and all the uncomfortable ugliness that comes with it. ]]>Uniforms Are Relics: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2tag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1164332009-11-18T13:00:00Z2009-11-18T13:00:00ZG. Christopher WilliamsDespite being a simulation about soldiers, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 calls into question our tendency to blindly follow rules in general. ]]>The Merits of Linear Narrativetag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1163332009-11-17T13:00:00Z2009-11-17T13:00:00ZL.B. JeffriesIt's A Mad Mad Mad MadWorldtag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1162052009-11-13T13:00:00Z2009-11-13T13:00:00ZNick DinicolaMadWorld succeeds in examining our attraction to violence, where so many others have failed. ]]>The Ballad of Gay Tony Is the Straightest Grand Theft Auto Evertag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1158902009-11-11T13:00:00Z2009-11-11T13:00:00ZG. Christopher WilliamsThe Oedipal drama that would normally ensue in father-son stories is inverted, though, perhaps as a result of Tony's homosexuality. ]]>Diablo 2: Still Grinding After All These Yearstag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1159252009-11-10T11:30:00Z2009-11-10T11:30:00ZL.B. JeffriesCut Scenes Can Work in Gamestag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1158332009-11-06T16:00:00Z2009-11-06T16:00:00ZNick DinicolaUncharted 2: Among Thieves is proof that, when done right, cut scenes can add to the depth and enjoyment of a game. ]]>Democratizing Dictatorship: Tropico 3tag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1156712009-11-04T19:00:00Z2009-11-04T19:00:00ZG. Christopher WilliamsDespite being a simulation of dictatorship, Tropico 3 is largely about questioning authority. ]]>The Modern FPStag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1155792009-11-03T12:00:00Z2009-11-03T12:00:00ZL.B. JeffriesThat Good Ol' Ultraviolencetag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1155122009-10-30T12:00:00Z2009-10-30T12:00:00ZNick DinicolaThe more blood there is in a game, the more unrealistic it becomes; it ceases to have any real meaning and becomes a joke. ]]>Hard Boiled Heroism For the Kids: MySims Agentstag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1152852009-10-28T16:00:00Z2009-10-28T16:00:00ZG. Christopher WilliamsThe game is less interested in presenting a building simulation (as the previous games in the series were) as it is in presenting a world of mystery where persistence, not problem solving, is key to resolving a mystery. ]]>Cybertexttag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1152232009-10-27T12:00:00Z2009-10-27T12:00:00ZL.B. JeffriesDoes This Hurt? A Look at Torture in Gamestag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1151272009-10-23T19:40:00Z2009-10-23T19:40:00ZNick DinicolaInclusive Criminality: Multiculturalism and Saint's Rowtag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1150112009-10-21T12:00:00Z2009-10-21T12:00:00ZG. Christopher WilliamsUnlike the radical individualism that marks and perhaps romanticizes the protagonists of Grand Theft Auto, Saint's Row succeeds in creating a positive response to the Saints through their representation of them as a gang of slightly more thoughtful, slightly more opened minded thugs. ]]>ZA Critrique: Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manortag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1148592009-10-20T17:00:00Z2009-10-20T17:00:00ZL.B. JeffriesThe Next Visual Leap in Gamingtag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1147372009-10-16T12:00:00Z2009-10-16T12:00:00ZNick DinicolaThe Gleam of Electric Sex: What Video Games Might (or Might Not) Teach Us About Sextag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1126582009-10-14T12:00:00Z2009-10-14T12:00:00ZG. Christopher WilliamsWe may have to reconsider who we are as we play out the sexual experiences of someone else. ]]>Two Books on Games & Violencetag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1130622009-10-13T11:00:00Z2009-10-13T11:00:00ZL.B. JeffriesMoving Pixels Plays Telephone Part 3: The Right to “Gank” the System in Video Gamestag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1126212009-10-09T12:00:00Z2009-10-09T12:00:00ZNick DinicolaSummary: Early this week, our Moving Pixels writers decided to play a game of telephone. Leading off with some observations about considering whether or not the idea of “ganking” can be applied to single player experiences, L.B. Jeffries began a discussion that has considered what rules mean to players. G. Christopher Williams continued this discussion that has focused on the differences between playing and gaming and what limits we may want to place on ourselves as players of games. Nick Dinicola concludes our series today with some final thoughts on whether or not we can earn the right to gank the system. ]]>Moving Pixels Plays Telephone Part 2: “Ganking” Broken Systems in Video Gamestag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1126202009-10-07T12:00:00Z2009-10-07T12:00:00ZG. Christopher WilliamsThis week our Moving Pixels writers decided to play a game of telephone. Leading off with some observations about considering whether or not the idea of “ganking” can be applied to single player experiences, L.B. Jeffries began a discussion that has considered what rules mean to players. G. Christopher Williams is now continuing this discussion by considering the differences between what we mean by playing and gaming and how those ideas relate to rules and the freedom of violating them. Nick Dinicola will conclude our series on Friday, so please do stop by for the discussion's conclusion. ]]>Moving Pixels Plays Telephone Part 1: Considering “Ganking” the System in Video Gamestag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1126192009-10-06T11:10:00Z2009-10-06T11:10:00ZL.B. JeffriesThroughout this week, our Moving Pixels writers decided to play a game of telephone. L.B. Jeffries will be leading off our discussions with some thoughts on “system gank”. G. Christopher Williams will be continuing this discussion on Tuesday, and Nick Dinicola will conclude our series on Friday. So, please do stop by throughout the week as our discussion evolves. ]]>Lost in the Pasttag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1125282009-10-02T12:00:00Z2009-10-02T12:00:00ZNick DinicolaThe Weirdly Sexed Up Evony Advertising Campaigntag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1121952009-09-30T12:00:00Z2009-09-30T12:00:00ZG. Christopher WilliamsThe advertising may be selling itself rather than the product. ]]>Jesper Juul's Classic Text 'half-real'tag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1122602009-09-29T20:00:00Z2009-09-29T20:00:00ZL.B. JeffriesWar is (Fun As) Helltag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1120892009-09-25T11:20:00Z2009-09-25T11:20:00ZNick DinicolaKillzone 2 proves that even a dirty depiction of war can be fun. ]]>Elegant Tramps: The Bodies of Lara Croft and Rubi Malonetag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1118232009-09-23T12:00:00Z2009-09-23T12:00:00ZG. Christopher WilliamsThe complicated reactions that gamers have to Lara and Rubi might suggest that their representations are, well, at least somewhat complicated. ]]>ZA Critique: Left 4 Deadtag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1118362009-09-22T12:00:00Z2009-09-22T12:00:00ZL.B. JeffriesLeft 4 Dead. ]]>Punishing in All the Right Waystag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1117492009-09-18T12:00:00Z2009-09-18T12:00:00ZNick DinicolaTrials HD is a brutally punishing game that does everything it can to remove the frustration from the punishment. ]]>Kickstarting the Iran Protest Gametag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1116482009-09-17T12:00:00Z2009-09-17T12:00:00ZL.B. JeffriesActive Learning: The Pedagogy of the Game Tutorialtag:popmatters.com,2009:pm/blogs/moving-pixels/35.1114852009-09-16T12:00:00Z2009-09-16T12:00:00ZG. Christopher WilliamsI launched a campaign, took one look at the board, and having no idea where to begin with the hieroglyphic of controls that I had just “learned about” promptly turned the game off and forgot about it. ]]>