Games Should Let Me Hurt Myself More: Grim Dawn and Hardcore Modes

You can watch this piece here. Games are extraordinarily forgiving. You might rail at a punishing encounter or an unfair boss fight but, for most games, failure is just a prelude to trying again. Death doesn't have much sting if it's closely followed by a refilled health bar, a pat on the back, and a 'better …

Hollow Knight, Place, and Telling a Rich Story

This has pretty big spoilers for Hollow Knight. Last time, I made a fairly inoffensive assertion: that fiction and fantasy are great for exploring sensitive topics and uncomfortable truths. Arguably, it's what they're there for; gleaning some truth about ourselves through the stories we tell about ourselves. To this end, they'll lather themselves in theme, reference, and allegory. …