Blog
I’m not supposed to be here, but I am
A few years ago, I won a research award for junior faculty at my university. I was very excited. I got a thousand dollars and a crystal trophy plaque thing. But then I looked closely at the engraving: “presented to Carly Kocurek in recognition of his Outstanding Accomplishments in Research and Scholarship.”… Read the rest
Something has happened
This blog post is an expansion of some thoughts I wrote up for a journalist covering the invocation and position of video games in the horrific shooting in New Zealand. The journalist ultimately didn’t use them.… Read the rest
Modes that are more realistic than Girlfriend Mode
There has been a lot of discussion about John Hemingway’s flippant use of the phrase “Girlfriend Mode” to describe a beginner-type mode available in Borderlands 2. In particular, David Wildgoose’s piece “‘Girlfriend Mode’ and the Definition of Sexism” is worth a read, and I’m very fond of “Girlfriend Mode vs.… Read the rest
Going Cardboard: Documentary
I was fortunate enough to get to see Going Cardboard, a board game documentary by first-time director Lorien Green. The documentary features interviews with board gamers, including collectors and critics, as well as both well established and aspiring game designers.… Read the rest
Alan Alda for Atari
I recently stumbled across a series of Atari advertisements featuring actor Alan Alda. I have a soft spot for Alan Alda, partially because of his feminist politics, and partially because of a deep love for the series MASH — which Alda agreed to star in only after gaining assurance that surgery scenes would feature in every episode.… Read the rest
I Said Diamonds: the Aubrey Plaza WoW Spot
The first time I saw the TV ad above, which features Aubrey Plaza (best known for playing April Ludgate on “Parks and Recreation”) explaining in her trademark deadpan how she became a World of Warcraft player, I was rather charmed.… Read the rest
Pole Position to Family Game Night: Fun for the Whole Family
This television spot for Atari’s Pole Position (1982, Namco) has one of my favorite exchanges of all time. As the camera physically invades the space of the family car, focusing on the bespectacled, bow-tied father driving the vehicle, an aggressive voice shouts at him:
… Read the restHey!
From The Memes of Babes
At some point while I was taking a break from some edits, I came across the “Cool Chick Carol” meme. Cool Chick Carol is a spinoff of the Good Guy Greg meme.… Read the rest
Lana Del Rey, “Video Games”
Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” is a sweet little love song, even if it’s so drenched in melancholy it sounds like longing for something that’s already passed. In the song, video games are woven in as an activity among other daily minutia, like putting on perfume and drinking beer.… Read the rest
Arcade Machine as Object
I was digging around the ever excellent Arcade Flyer Archive earlier this week looking for some images of men and women playing video games together. While I found quite a few of what I was actually looking for, I’m most fascinated by an image I wasn’t looking for.… Read the rest
Social Media
