Videogameologists

A blog dedicated to discussing video games in terms of design, art, stories, and culture. We take all kinds of ideas about games and discuss them in a serious manner. We also celebrate the culture of games by show-casing the works of amazing fans.

[videogameologists]

Sorry Folks, VideoGameOlogists Is Shutting Down

Sorry Folks, VideoGameOlogists Is Shutting Down

Bad news everyone…this will be Videogameologists last post.   It has simply become too expensive and time consuming to keep this site running and so I’m afraid that I will be ending it here. When I started this website years ago, it was with a goal to share and spread new ideas about game design and culture. It was also a place where I would share all the fantastic ideas, history, and culture…

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[videogameologists]

Gex: Enter the Gecko’s “Rez/Final Boss” Experimental/Metal Guitar Cover perf. by gabocarina96 I never played Gex, but it's cool that it's fondly remembered by people like gabocarina96 because this cover is awesome.

[videogameologists]

Cracked: "4 Things Gamers Think Are Important (But Aren't)" by J.F. Sargent

Cracked: “4 Things Gamers Think Are Important (But Aren’t)” by J.F. Sargent

Cracked’s by J.F. Sargent has a really great and humorous article on things gamers constantly say they want, but really don’t. His list includes such things as ultimate freedom, movie quality stories, and cutting edge graphics, but time and time again we see games that deliver on these conditions flop while games that openly defy them succeed.   His ultimate point is about hype and how we can…

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Ten MMOs that Tried and Failed – WatchMojo WatchMojo has an interesting Top 10 video showcasing MMO's that didn't quite workout. A lot of these I never actually heard of, so it's interesting to see how the genre has tried to stretch out against and beyond the World of Warcraft foundation.

[videogameologists]

"Your Pokemon Team Is Waiting For You" - Fan Art by xfreischutz

“Your Pokemon Team Is Waiting For You” – Fan Art by xfreischutz

I think some of the best fan art is the kind that make super cool posters (mainly cause I would love to frame them and hang them around my place.) So naturally, I really love the work of Tumblr user xfreischutz. Take a look at some my favorites and then check out the rest of the gallery.    

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Persona 4 Golden’s “Snowflakes” Jazz Cover perf. by The Consouls Here's another soothing piece from the jazz group The Consouls. Today they're performing Snowflakes from Persona 4 Golden. Definitely a good piece to just relax to as the seasons get colder.

[videogameologists]

Creating Your Very Own Pokemon Egg Incubator Inspired by Pokemon GO – DIY Prop Shop AWE me DIY Prop Shop makes something that would be the perfect gift for the Pokemon fan in your life. I know I might try my hand at this at some point.

[videogameologists]

"Support Your Friends and They'll Support You" - Fan Art by Tinysnails

“Support Your Friends and They’ll Support You” – Fan Art by Tinysnails

Tumblr user tinysnails has some of the cutest fan art around. She has works from games like Mario, Pokemon, and Overwatch (just take a look at some of my favorite examples below) but also work from other mediums as too. Be sure to take a look at her full gallery.  

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Medarot 4's "Do or Die" Metal Cover perf. by Dinnick the 3rd

Medarot 4’s “Do or Die” Metal Cover perf. by Dinnick the 3rd

Oh my gosh, this has to be a first. Something from the Medabots series (known as Medarot in Japan).   I never played the games, but I’ve kind of wanted to. The anime was one of my favorites growing up and watching it again a few years ago did not diminish my fondness for it. I hope Dinnick the 3rd does more covers from lesser known…

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All the Cut Content from Super Mario World – Beta64 Beta64 has a long video detailing a lot of cut or reworked content from the classic video game Super Mario World.

[videogameologists]

Eurogamer: "Putting the magic back into magic in fantasy games" by Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Eurogamer: “Putting the magic back into magic in fantasy games” by Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Here is an interesting article by Edwin Evans-Thirlwell over at Eurogamer that is a brief analysis of magic in video games and what inspirations they could use to improve it.   The gist of the article is that magic in video games tends to be too conventional and detached from the world the player is in. I agree whole-heatedly in this sentiment, especially as we are not getting to the point where…

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[videogameologists]

Street Fighter II’s “Vega Theme” Violin Cover perf by The String Player Gamer String Player Gamer brings us another great and one of kind cover video game cover, this time of Vega's Them from Street Fighter II.

[videogameologists]

Nintendo's First Console...Is a Pong Clone - Rerez

Nintendo’s First Console…Is a Pong Clone – Rerez

Rerez talks about one of the Nintendo’s least talked about game consoles, their first game console: the Color TV-Game 6. Though I believe console is represented in Super Smash Bros. 4 as an assist trophy.   By the sound of it though, this console is kind of a let down. It’s definitely a precursor to the Nintendo we all know today.…

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[videogameologists]

"Spooky Ghosts and Others" - Fan Art by koolaid-girl

“Spooky Ghosts and Others” – Fan Art by koolaid-girl

The summer is ending, which means Halloween is just around the corner and you know what that means!   GHOSTS! And Werewolves. And other spooky things. There are lots of spooky Halloween things in video games, take the works of Deviantart user koolaid-girl’s for example. Below are some of my favorites from her gallery but her gallery has a lot more awesome things to look at it.      

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Super Metroid’s “Upper Brinstar” Metal Cover perf. by ToxicxEternity ToxicxEternity performs an epic metal cover of Upper Brinstar from Super Metroid. It's a brilliant cover to an already brilliant song.

[videogameologists]

Unraveling the Mystery of Shadow the Hedgehog - Did You Know Gaming?

Unraveling the Mystery of Shadow the Hedgehog – Did You Know Gaming?

  DidYouKnowGaming? dishes out facts and trivia about another underrated Sonic game, Shadow the Hedgehog.   It’s actually a little hilarious how often this game was touted as being Sonic Team’s last effort to remain relevant when it was the fans themselves saying they would like to see a game exactly like this (a game starring…

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Killscreen: "Overwatch and the problem of caring labor" by Ryan Khosravi

Killscreen: “Overwatch and the problem of caring labor” by Ryan Khosravi

Here is an article of how Overwatch treats the healer class by Ryan Khosravi, basically comparing the lack of appreciation from players to the real undervaluing of of the care labor force in the real world. I think some of it is a bit of  stretch, but I think the points about the healing class being seen as a chore is spot on.   I’m someone who plays a healer a lot and I’ve noticed this problem.…

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