Charleston City Paper | Aaron R. Conklin

Gaming Needs Good Journalismnew

That a major magazine is willing to devote any ink to gaming represents another chance to show the Wii-loving casual masses that our passion is as beautiful, complex, and vital as the new disc by Television on the Radio. But sans perspective, what we end up with is hosannah-laden stories like Vanity Fair's "review" of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

Charleston City Paper | Aaron R. Conklin | 09-24-2008 | Video Games

Tags: journalism, media, video games, gaming, magazines, Entertainment Weekly

Power Trip: The Science -- and Force -- of Ass-Kickingnew

Playing with power is the most basic reason most of us park our asses in front of our consoles in the first place -- the opportunity to end a day, a day in which the most powerful thing you may have done is to text an underling, with virtual superpowers and superweapons in order to shred the bejesus out of a big-ass mythical beast.

Charleston City Paper | Aaron R. Conklin | 09-10-2008 | Video Games

Madden Match: Brett the Jet is the New Curse of the Gamenew

Electronic Arts surely thought they had finally found a can't-miss dodge to the legendary Madden Curse — you know, the maybe-it's-really-true phenomenon that holds that any athlete who appears on the cover of videogaming's most-hyped annual franchise is sure to suffer a career-altering injury (Daunte Culpepper, Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb) criminal ignominy (Ray Lewis, Michael Vick again), or a stinkbomb season (Vince Young).

Charleston City Paper | Aaron R. Conklin | 08-20-2008 | Video Games

Tags: video games

In the Wake of E3, Gaming's Big Three Move Towards Indistinguishabilitynew

Even as little as two years ago, the Big Three had distinct identities, market niches, and competitive advantages that set them apart: Sony had the mass appeal and the vast library of exclusive titles, Nintendo had the family gamers, and Microsoft catered to the hardcore online crowd. Funny how a little cutthroat competition over a few billion dollars changes the equation.

Charleston City Paper | Aaron R. Conklin | 08-06-2008 | Video Games

Tags: Nintendo, video games, Microsoft, E3, Sony

TV Ads Signal a Widening Divide in Video Game Marketingnew

Ads for Battlefield 2: Bad Company imply that games aren't just for geeks anymore.

Charleston City Paper | Aaron R. Conklin | 07-09-2008 | Video Games

Tags: advertising, video games, marketing, Electronic Arts, Battlefield: Bad Company

The Easy Button: What's the Point of Dumbing Down Gaming?new

Games, like Ninja Gaiden II, are getting easier. What's the reward?

Charleston City Paper | Aaron R. Conklin | 06-19-2008 | Video Games

Tags: video games, Ninja Gaiden II

Spielberg Goes 'Boom,' but Will Gaming Follow?new

It's both intriguing and a big deal that the man who owns one-third of one of Hollywood's largest film studios recognizes the power of gaming and wants to get involved. It's the sort of thing that can potentially lead to "respect" and "credibility" for gaming, concepts that the industry and gamers still struggle to own.

Charleston City Paper | Aaron R. Conklin | 05-28-2008 | Video Games

Tags: video games, Steven Spielberg, Boom Blox, Electronic Arts

PS3 Games Finally Take Advantage of Controllernew

In last year's lead-up to the release of the PlayStation 3, Sony unexpectedly announced that their new console's SixAxis controller would feature motion-sensor capability, just like Nintendo's wacky Wiimote. Some programmers get it, and some just don;t.

Charleston City Paper | Aaron R. Conklin | 09-27-2007 | Video Games

Tags: video games