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Column
20.03.14

Games and the People Who Make Them

Working as a translator in a game company, Abebe Tinari is a game fan with insight into how games are made. While the term “creator” puts emphasis on the person doing the creating, ultimately the type of games that get made are dictated by sales. It's up to us as players to make sure great games succeed. This is the final part of Abebe's unique series on video games.

Column
20.02.14

The Language of Games

Abebe Tinari spends almost as much time reading about games as he does playing them. Sadly, video game criticism is lacking compared to other media. Language is an essential tool for criticism, but its effectiveness is often hindered by our inability to utilize it properly. This essay focuses on the neglected link between words and video games.

16.01.14

The Many Forms of Fun

As a passionate game enthusiast, Abebe Tinari knows how to have fun. But he has come to the realization that fun can come in many forms, and one of them happens to resemble a temper tantrum. In this essay, he discusses the complex emotions that often take refuge under the umbrella term of "fun." It turns out that there is an entire philosophy behind what it means to have fun.

19.12.13

Choice

While mainstream media often fixate on how video game allow us to embody virtual avatars and live out fantasies, in reality many games present more guided stories starring characters with their own baggage and complex motivations. As we make our way through a game, overcoming obstacles along the way, we gradually are exposed to, and empathize with, a perspective that may be entirely different from our own.

21.11.13

Creativity, Not Computation

Abebe Tinari is back to challenge common conceptions about video games, and give readers some food for thought that goes beyond the commonly-heard topics about games. In his previous piece, Abebe examined the role of violence in games, not as a sick indulgence of maladjusted creators, but as a tool for symbolic expedience. This month, he addresses another long-standing fascination of the game industry: realism.

24.10.13

Games Beyond Violence

Caught up in the debate about video game violence, we take as given that games must contain violence in the first place. As a devoted gamer himself, Abebe Tinari attempts to shine light on that common misconception.

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