The world of video games is one of extremes. The public may hear glamorous stories of indie studios making it big with nothing but heart and hard work or depressing ones full of layoffs and crunch.
The truth, for most developers, is somewhere in the middle.
Working together to combat loneliness Read More »
When it comes to independently developed simulation games, a name that comes up often is SomaSim. The Chicago-based studio has been at it for over 10 years, and in the wake of a less-than-satisfying launch, they’re looking for a new direction.
The Legacy of SomaSim Read More »
I designed the original Princess with a Cursed Sword in 2020 to solve a critical problem: I have too many tarot decks. Over the next five years, Princess with a Cursed Sword expanded to encompass four self-contained games using the same system and a System Resource Document that walks creators through making their own games.
Retrospective: Princess with a Cursed Sword Read More »
Gamers, we have a sitchuation on our hands.
On July 24, Itch.io unlisted all NSFW and adult content on their site in response to “scrutiny from [their] payment processors.” To say the response was overwhelming would be an understatement.
Deconstructing the Deindexing Read More »
Horror and eroticism often share a fairly blurry line. Body horror, cannibalism, rape revenge, and the incest themes common in Gothic horror are only a few of the many examples of how sex, sensuality, and the disturbing intersect in horror media.
The recent payment processor bullshit that has been circling the internet for years has now hit indie game storefront Itch.io, and horror games are being caught in the crossfire.
To be blunt about it, indie games are pretty fucking gay. However gay you think they are, make it gayer. Trust me.
Queer art has a tendency of finding its way into subculture and mediums off the beaten path, a side effect of creators often being pushed out of mainstream spaces and seeking both community and expression through less traditional means. It’s why queerness is so pronounced within punk and goth subcultures, zines, and comics.
The State of Gaymes in 2025 Read More »
Fiction has always been humanity’s most honest mirror, reflecting back the wars we wage within ourselves long before we have the capacity to understand them.
Following in this ancient tradition, Kuro Games’ latest character release, Cartethyia, the wandering knight of Wuthering Waves (2024), emerges as an avatar of our most fundamental conflict: the courage required to be ourselves and remain whole.
The weight of carrying both Read More »
Guerrilla journalist Warren Hernandez tracked down the enigmatic developer behind the SICK’s pack-in title, Down with the Sickness. Driving to Toronto to interview him, Hernandez provides a rare look into the mind of an elusive ’90s video game pioneer.
Getting down with Gerbert Croski Read More »
The team at Kohococoa Design Works is proud to restore a critical piece of the history of the Chicago-built SICK. This was made possible thanks to a friend and SICK fan based out of Odawara, Japan.
GOMIBAKO NO DENSETSU is still lost media despite team’s best efforts Read More »
One day when I was a kid, my dad heard about this game called Geneforge. He set my brother and me up with the free demo of Geneforge 3 (Spiderweb Software, 2005) on the Mac Mini we shared. My brother got the first turn playing it and I watched.
It blew my f@#$ing fourth grader mind.
Brushing Cobwebs off blades of Exile Read More »
