Author: Darach

The land is blanketed in snow foot-thick In the hearth, a fire does roar And gamers dream of gaming dreams Of brave new worlds to explore  For on Christmas Eve, this time of year New games, new gifts, new toys Are gathered for all the special kids For all good girls and boys  A list…

“Well, first things first: the TV has got to move. You can’t have it at an angle like that, it’s gonna have to be in-line with the walls.” “Okay. Sure. Uhh… how will we watch TV?” “Hmm… well, where can we comfortably see it from the sofa that would still have it facing directly down…

Last night, as I was going to bed, I found myself thinking about the days that were left until the release of Microsoft’s Kinect device (six, at time of writing). Not, in itself, an odd thought. But it came with a thrill of excitement, and a sense of anticipation. It made me think of children…

Maybe it was because I had been travelling and it had been nearly two weeks since I had seen my beloved Xbox. Perhaps it was just the type of day – it had been an early Spring day that, weather-wise, owed more to late winter and carried a slight air of melancholy. But I have to…

Artificial stages filled with artificial minds, and virtual worlds with only virtual consequences; is it any wonder that videogames are an attractive destination for sinners like me? Honestly, all the great sins are readily available. Feel like over-eating, but don’t want the calories? Load up The Maw and eat a planet or two. Feel like…

I hate Plato. I really do. Not Pluto, you understand? Everyone hates Pluto; he’s like Goofy with fewer brains. But no; Plato. You know, 5th Century BC, head-full-of-brains, wrote a lot of stuff about some things he kinda thought of, Plato. I hate him. I really hate him. Now, it’s not the first time I’ve…

“Why do we play games?” is a question bandied around in circles both grand and common. I know that I play for many reasons; but perhaps some of them are tied-up in the misty past of misspent youth, and time and talent wasted. I was introduced to games early on. I remember ancient Space Invader…

As I begin, a young girl is counting, randomly it seems, in Welsh. “Naw, Saith, Deg, Pedwar…”, she says. I press the Start button. The young girl’s counting is replaced with techno beats and I find myself staring at the eyes of J Allard. As Microsoft’s bald-pated overseer of the original Xbox looks at me,…

Warning; the following may contain spoilers for a level in Grand Theft Auto IV – “In Mourning”. You gotta hand it to the guys at Rockstar Games. I mean really, I love you guys. You build an entire city, fill it full of crazies and moments of incredible beauty; then you hand me the keys…