Games
Why a good tutorial is harder to design than a boss fight
The opening minutes of a game teach you how to play it, and most players never notice the enormous design effort hiding…
Industry
Industry Stories
Press start
Esports
Why esports careers burn so bright and end so early
The average professional gamer retires younger than most athletes. The reasons say a lot about what competitive play act…
Industry
Why games get delayed, and why that is usually good news
A delay feels like a broken promise, but it is often a studio choosing a better game over a worse deadline. Understandin…
Reviews
How to judge an early-access game without getting burned
Buying a game that is still being built is a different decision from buying a finished one. The trick is to review the f…
Reviews
How to read a game review when it is not written for you
A score is a blunt tool. The real value of a review is hidden in the details that tell you whether the game is for you s…
Esports
What the meta really is, and why it never stops changing
Players talk about the meta as if it were a rulebook. It is really a living consensus about what works best right now, a…
Hardware
High refresh rates, explained: when more frames actually help
A 240Hz monitor is not automatically better than a 60Hz one. Whether the upgrade matters depends on what you play and wh…
Culture
The communities that outlive the games that made them
Servers shut down and sequels arrive, but the friendships and rituals a game creates can last far longer than the game i…