I got my first death threats over writing about video games back in April 2010. I was 23, and I had been working at the Boston Phoenix since I was 19.
Read MoreGrowing up Riot Grrl: The Nostalgia Lie of Gone Home
I don't even know how to begin to write about Gone Home. I guess I'll start by linking Anna Anthropy's piece, since it made me feel relieved. Oh, spoilers, by the way.
Read MoreAshes of the Phoenix.
I didn't always like the Phoenix. But I did always love it.
Like any long-term relationship, there weren't good days and bad days. There were good years and bad years.
Read MoreMiddle Schooler Maddy and Tomb Raider
Back in seventh grade, I thought at first that Tomb Raider was just a porn that all my guy friends liked. Oh, I knew that it was a game -- I just thought it was a porn game. My male friends talked in front of me without shame about their masturbation habits, their pornography preferences, and their wish for a Lara Croft "nude" mode. Middle schoolers, am I right? The guys did get their hands on the Nude Raider patch; I didn't understand until a couple years later that this patch wasn't included with the game, that it had been created independently.
Read MoreFor the love of the game.
If you've ever seen me speak on a panel about games writing, you've heard me joke around about sleep deprivation. "All the game reviews you read have been written by someone who hasn't slept for a week," I say to anyone who raises their hand to say they envy the life of a video game critic. "You think reviewing games is easy? You try it."
I say this in a joking tone so that I don't scare people, but it's not really a joke. I think reviewing video games is fun. I do not think it is easy. And I do think you should try it.
Read More