It’s hard not to form friendships after hours spent slaying orcs, grinding rep runs, or collecting gil. The friendships we forge in the storytelling and dungeon-crawling fires of gaming can be just as profound—if not more—as those from other sources, and some of the WWAC writers have come to share their stories of triumph, camaraderie,…
Blood of the Covenant: 3 of Gaming’s Best Found Families
The found or chosen family is among my favorite tropes. I’m a firm believer in family being what you make it, and I find a special resonance with stories about people who cobble together their own familial units regardless of blood relation. Sometimes our blood families aren’t as caring or supportive as we need them…
Love in the Age of Dragons: Unpacking the Romance Systems of Dragon Age
Gamers are an opinionated fan niche. Whether it’s your preferred system or whether you like a twist of romance in your stories, conversations about games can turn from mild disagreements to name-calling no matter the topic. Dreadfully serious folks sometimes find romance plots to be a distraction from “real gaming,” whatever that means, while other…
My First Game: Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt
I have always loved stories. That’s one of the things that keeps me playing video games—this unique medium can tell stories in ways no other medium can, with choices to be made, diverging paths, and deep personal investment thanks to immersion. It’s an evolution of the medium that continues to amaze me as more and…
Why I Game: Traits to Aspire To
For a long time, I didn’t play many games. I didn’t grow up with enough expendable income to afford a large game library, and spent much of my childhood playing and replaying the few NES and Super Nintendo games I had—Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Country, and movie tie-ins of Toy Story and The Lion…