internet

Early in my college education I, like most students, was required to take a basic writing composition class. At first I scoffed at the idea that anyone who managed to make it into an accredited university would need any extra training to write standard five-paragraph essays and do proper citation. After all, we'd all presumably been doing those things since middle school, and college applications themselves require some basic essay-writing. Oh, but I was wrong. When our rather disengaged grad student instructor paired us off to edit and critique each other's work, it became shockingly apparent that half of the students in the class had absolutely no clue how to string sentences together meaningfully. I had the good fortune to work with a non-traditional (re: middle-aged) student who composed an essay comprised of little more than an imaginary argument between two abstract concepts, a corporation and its customers. As in a literal argument. On that day I didn't learn how to better compose an essay, but I did learn that the core of stupidity is simple misconception. Take the following Flash games. They're awful because the people who made them just don't seem to understand what a "game" is.

Read more

Because of the productivity-deficient holiday season, December isn't usually a very prolific month for new browser games. This year was no exception, but a few good offerings found their way onto the usual sites anyway. Some were very clever, some were quick electronic toys, others were just nice additions to a full genre. Let's look at one from each category.

Read more

For the past few years, there's been a lot of discussion surrounding the capacity of video games to be art. Of course, this requires defining art itself, but in general when we attach the "art" label to media that are designed primarily to entertain we usually mean that the entertainment has taken a backseat to the style or some kind of commentary. When it comes to video games, though, being less entertaining makes the game in question inherently less interesting, if only because of the interactive element. A game has to be fun, first and foremost. If it has a particularly unique style or manages to be emotionally resonant, then it leans toward art. The following are three very creative, fun games that came out in September.

Read more

The web series is quickly becoming a viable entertainment medium. Like Youtube with a comparatively high budget, these scrappy independent shows connect with an entire generation who prefer quick shots over longer, more traditional styles. Undoubtedly one of the most successful web series ever created is The Guild, Felicia Day's on-the-pulse sitcom about a group of socially maladjusted World of Warcraft addicts. The Guild is set to premiere its third season on August 25th.

Read more