The Games That Made me
'We Know the Devil' Taught Me to Be Proud
Transphobic media made coming out a terrifying proposition. 'We Know the Devil' slyly points at a better way forward.
'Freelancer' Was the Original Open-World Space Opera
'Freelancer' is a key link between space sims and the broader open-world genre.
‘Cruis’n USA’ Took the Fast Lane Straight to My Heart
The arcade-turned-N64 racer gave me a need for speed, and a way to connect.
'Conker's Bad Fur Day' Is My Fluffy Valentine
The foul-mouthed little squirrel brought a lot of multiplayer joy to Waypoint's intrepid Publisher Joel.
'Brütal Legend' Can Ride With Me Any Day
I’m writing a love letter to Double Fine’s love letter to metal.
Nobody Played 'Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze,' but I Loved It Anyway
It wasn't Donkey Kong's fault that everyone wanted a new Metroid, but it doomed this absurdly good platformer.
How 'Doom 2' Helped Me Understand Technology
A trip to the computer store in search of financial software with my dad became a surprising way to learn about how computers work.
‘Eternal Champions’ Is the Game That Quenched a Teenage Thirst for Gore
It was more messily slapstick than outright offensive, but Sega's fighter took a look at Mortal Kombat's fatalities and said: we can do better.
‘Street Fighter V’ Has Its First World Champion
Infiltration wins the game's first-ever Evo tournament, and is naturally pretty happy about the whole thing.
On ‘Ōkami’ at Ten Years Old: the Quintessential Ageless Video Game
Graphics so commonly date video games, badly, but the sense of style that Clover Studio brought to its 2006 adventure is truly timeless.
‘Persona 4’ Was the Game That Showed Me a Childhood Beyond My Muslim Household
The JRPG helped me face my own "shadow" and overcome my social obstacles.
Admitting My Addiction to ‘Age of Empires III’ Saved Me from Depression
The story of how my gamer guilt transformed into a humbling lesson on being human.The story of how my gamer guilt transformed into a humbling lesson on being human.