Original Storytelling

When it comes to writing news, I always look for an interesting, unique angle that will make my stories stand by themselves, even when other writers are covering the same topic. I try to make my writing as accessible as possible, so that anyone can understand my stories, from experienced gamers to those who have never touched a video game.

A ‘surreal’ PAX West lacked triple-A fanfare, but some attendees were happier for it

“After going online-only in 2020, PAX West returned to Seattle this weekend, mandating that attendees be vaccinated against Covid-19 or arrive with a recent negative test. It's the first big gaming event of the Covid era, and images posted on social media over the weekend highlighted empty show floors that would have been packed in a typical year.
Some PAX-goers found the event disappointing, a step down from years past. Normally the show floor would be full to the brim with booths and people, the crowds accompanied by loud music, enthusiastic announcers, and the sound of thousands buzzing over the future of videogames.”

How Resident Evil 4 led to Visceral making Dead Space—instead of System Shock 3

"Resident Evil 4's influence has become immeasurable since its release in 2005. Games like Gears of War and Uncharted owe much to the game that revolutionized third-person action controls. However, one popular sci-fi horror game would look a lot like an entirely different sci-fi horror game if not for Capcom's reinvention of its seminal series. I got the opportunity to sit down with Dead Space designers Ben Wanat and Wright Bagwell to talk about the early days of development and how Resident Evil 4 helped them shape their own horror series out of another."

The life and times of Skyrim's best dragon: Macho Man Randy Savage

"I'm just about to place my head on the chopping block when, all of a sudden, I hear a noise. 'You say you don't know where the Macho Man is coming from,' it sounds like. My captors ignore it, ordering me to place myself mere inches from the severed heads of those who went before me. That's when I see it. Introduced by a 'Macho madness, sky's the limit,' the cowboy-hat-and-sunglasses-wearing dragon lands on a nearby tower, sending everyone into a frenzy with a triumphant, 'Yeah!' before wreaking havoc on the village of Helgen.
If this sounds familiar, then you've likely seen or used the Macho Dragon mod, which turns all of Skyrim's dragons into a monstrous recreation of late WWE wrestler 'Macho Man' Randy Savage. The YouTube video has accrued over four million views, and it's often one of the first things brought up whenever a conversation about video game mods strikes. Its creator, who goes by the alias FancyPants, got his start with mods by turning Will Smith's character from Men in Black: The Game into Ronald McDonald, and he says that he built the Macho Dragon mod simply because it made himself laugh."

Meet the Rocket League player who rewards goals with waffle facts

"I rev my engine, just seconds before the countdown ends and the screen says 'Go!' I remember the handful of matches I've played today, many of them against frustrating opponents armed with a barrage of insults. Rocket League offers an endlessly fun experience, but it still has its problem with internet trolls. I noticed my new opponent was named 'Waffle Facts,' but I didn't think much of it. The game starts and I wait for him to send the ball careening towards my net, so I can return it as if I was playing pinball and my car was the flipper.
The ball explodes on impact with my opponent's goal. I send him a message: "one waffle fact per goal plz." I let all those infuriating players get the better of me, to where I was now being what I had hated most about the game: a troll. Feeling particularly proud of myself, I expected Waffle Facts to retort with something equally as shitty, but I got something else.
'Thank you for subscribing to waffle facts. Waffle Fact: The word waffle is from the Dutch, meaning wafer,' he said, almost immediately."