Zoya Street, curator of Critical Distance, offers slow reflections on the fast-paced world of digital play…

What is a game if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?

"There’s a satisfaction to be derived in comparing our own motionlessness to the busyness of the world around us—to be the silence among the noise. This dichotomy can help us meditate on the glory of that singular moment."

For those who enjoy awe and wonder at the majesty of concrete, Hamish Grace offered a detailed, games-oriented overview of Brutalism, an architectural style that has been increasingly significant in games of late.

It's often said that games allow us to walk in somebody else's shoes, but what if the shoes don't quite fit? It's enlightening to hear from somebody who has directly experienced the situation a title purports to simulate. Reflecting on his past work as a journalist in a communist regime, Zach Hines argued that newspaper simulator the Westport Independent portrays a naive view of self-censorship.

Avant-garde art blog "We make money not art" covered a French festival featuring games as well as some remarkable digital art installations (part one | part two)

Finally, Darius Kazemi's interactive review of The Witness is affectionate and illuminating; a lovely thing to observe and ponder.

If you're not quite done quietly contemplating videogames, you'll find lots more material in the full roundup post on our website. For regular updates, follow Critical Distance on Twitter and consider pledging your support on Patreon.

The Offworld Collection available to order

The Offworld Collection, presenting the very best features and essays from Offworld, is finally available to buy directly from Campo Santo for $40. I had the pleasure of designing and illustrating this splendid 250-page hardcover volume, but it’s the excellent writing, edited by Leigh Alexander and Laura Hudson, that makes it an essential buy. You […]

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What was it like working a Nintendo hotline in the 80s?

This week, our partnership with Critical Distance brings us reading on parenting via Tomb Raider, the utility of the word ‘gameplay’, and experiences from Nintendo ‘play counselors’ from the 1980s and 90s.

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Black women are already superheroes

What can game developers do to better represent black women in games?

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Win a Samsung Galaxy S9+ in this giveaway

Another year, another iteration of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone—except this time around Samsung sought to redefine what a smartphone can do completely. Boasting a 6.2″ Quad HD+ Super AMOLED (2960×1440) infinity display, and an elite 10nm 64-bit Octa-Core Processor with 6GB RAM, the S9+ is an absolute powerhouse with a price tag to match. However, you […]

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Validate your Salesforce skills with these 8 courses

Competition in the job market is getting stiff, and while experience and a four-year degree can put you on the map, most employers prefer applicants versed in the tools that power their industry. To this end, certifying your skills with Salesforce is a smart move. The world’s #1 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, Salesforce is […]

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The HyperChiller makes iced coffee in less than a minute

Warmer weather is coming, and so too is the hankering for iced coffee. But, since most of us don’t have the time—or foresight—to make a batch of cold brew the night before, we’ll be chilling our cups of Joe with ice cubes and watering them down in the process. The HyperChiller Coffee Chiller offers a different […]

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