May 23, 2021
The Inspiration Behind Mattel’s Handheld D&D Game
Mattel Electronic’s blood-red Dungeons & Dragons handheld was inspired by a nascent 1970s adventure text game and designed by a…
Author: Brian Crecente
May 20, 2021
Chivalry 2 is designed to make you feel like you’re in a medieval war
It’s been nearly 15 years since a group of friends got together to create a free Half-Life 2 mod that turned the…
May 13, 2021
How Little Nightmares II plumbs the depths of adolescent angst
Released earlier this year, Little Nightmares II provides an eerie stage-setter for the horrors of the original 2017 Little Nightmares and its exploration of…
May 7, 2021
The Queen’s Gambit and Mattel’s Chess
Before The Queen’s Gambit, before the more than 30 published books about chess, there was a chance phone call and…
May 4, 2021
Smithsonian American Art Museum Beyond Play symposium
In 2012, I was asked to moderate a panel at the Smithsonian about video games at work, an in-depth look…
May 4, 2021
Death, Star Wars, and the LEGO Pooper Trooper
Before LEGO® Star Wars™: The Video Game crashed onto the scene, raking in millions and redefining what it meant to be a…
April 21, 2021
Deciphering the narrative-driven procedural horror of Returnal
Returnal blends the death and design of a roguelike with otherworldly visuals and a storyline that unravels with each new attempt…
April 14, 2021
LEGO Video Game Podcast Renewed for New Seasons
The popular LEGO® Bits N’ Bricks podcast was renewed for another season that will run through the rest of the year as it continues to explore the rich 25-year history…
April 8, 2021
Next-gen gaming: tech’s take on gaming’s future
While software and engine innovations drive the latest video games, hardware and its advancing technology also define next-gen. The most significant…
April 7, 2021
A Fabled LEGO Brick History
The LEGO Group’s decision to hand off the development of LEGO® Star Wars™: The Video Game to an outside group in…