Active Time Event

Inventio Per Fabula

Game design

  • Quick Posit: Defining Revolutionary Standard

    One of the reasons ‘DON’T PANIC‘ is a personal mantra of mine, is due to the fact that panicking never helps, and that it is important to remember to keep a level head in stressful moments. Mostly so one can avoid moments as seen above, for example Been awhile since I’ve had such a crunchy… Read more

  • My Friendly Neighborhood: Swallowing Crow Puppet Style

    Everyone is always looking to pass the buck, when all they really need to do to find the source for all their frustrations involves staring into a mirror. You are your own worst enemy. For the love of sanity, get out of your own way…. Though October flashed before our eyes like a bolt of… Read more

  • My Friendly Neighborhood: Sucking Felt In A back Alley

    Slow and steady wins the race, and tripping right out of the gate isn’t necessarily a death knell. (Picture suprisingly related) Reflecting back on my post yesterday, while I know in my heart of hearts, there are definitely some pearls of wisdom to be harvested from the watery depths of my submerged vessel of thoughts,… Read more

  • My Friendly Neighborhood: The White Whale Standard

    Communicating a message clearly and concisely is a far more difficult concept to get across in theory as opposed to execution…astonishingly so, I find. Often times leaving me feeling like an out of context scientist by days end Yesterday’s post involved a game named My Friendly Neighborhood (MFN), which I surmised in an elevator pitch… Read more

  • My Friendly Neighborhood: Technical Difficulties

    Just because Halloween is over, does not mean we are yet free of the truly terrifying. Existential dread often comes packaged in the yuletide persuasion as well With Spoopy season behind us, I tip my hat to all of the ghouls and ghosts that made our time together a truly frightful endeavor. As I look… Read more

  • The Blood Curdling Reality Of Your Bank Account Balance

    Halloween has a lot to compete with these days in the fear factor department, when the every day is already filled to the brim with horrendously terrifying elements to contend with. The Nope Factor is strong no matter where one looks Kind of following on the heels of my post from yesterday, which unintentionally ended… Read more

  • Returnal: Et Tu, Deja Vu?

    While video games provide a lot of different options in terms of what one can play, part of the difficulty is in fact just honing in on one single thing to focus on. So many things to focus on, so little time to do it in… As much as I would love to continue on… Read more

  • The Existential Joy Of Self-Negation Through Mastery

    The irony of the ‘Spoopy season is that it is always over compensating with fear and dread, as the average person deals with something much scarier than whatever Halloween can throw at us. I.E. the scariest thing that can be thrown at us is…us, point in fact Gonna have to be a quick one today,… Read more

  • Words Of Wisdom: Ratifying Radiance

    Even the most confident of us need help at times, and it’s important to know who to turn to in providing the guiding light of clarity, to help us find our way out of the darkness. A Dayman, if you will… Which is why today’s words of wisdom are ratifying radiance, a surprisingly meaningful and… Read more

  • Theory Vs Execution: Agonizing Intent

    There’s something to be said about the satisfaction that comes with “flipping the script”, and turning a situation on its head. What the monsters in Silent Hill look like when they realize I’m not going home until I pay every single one of them back in full for my first visit Most of the time,… Read more

  • A Chainsaw By Any Other Name

    Always important to keep in mind we do the best with what we have… …even if the battle is ultimately futile I was about to remark “now with Silent Hill in my rear view mirror”, in an effort of a more poetic, flourishing segwaying moment of punctuation and finality after my completion of the Silent… Read more

  • Silent Hill 2 Remake: Occult Opulence

    Let it not be said that life has a cruel sense of humor… Even the act of charity can act as a grim omen of the turning of tides in ones immediate future Yesterday was a rare moment in the style of mania, not a mode of experience I am necessarily alien to, but one… Read more

  • Silent Hill: Where Nightmares Bleed Into Reality

    We are constantly at odds with ourselves, only thinking we know what we really desire. We are often times betrayed by our own desires Not sure if my current predicament is just an extraordinary coincidence or not, but I seem to be in a rare moment of conceptual malaise. I don’t want to say writers… Read more

  • Like Squeezing Blood From A Rock

    Sometimes, the sweet treat we thought we had, reveals itself to contain horror beyond imagination. This is most certainly not what mamma told me life was going to be like *clap, clap, clap, clap* In my obsession to breakdown and analyze just about every aspect of reality, I resist airing on the side of coincidence.… Read more

  • Uniquely Familiar Feelings Knowing the Fear Of The Unknown

    The paradoxical nature of apathetically drenched fear is thusly: it is impossible to be scared shitless when one doesn’t have a single shit left to give. More like “rough month” for me, but same vibes I remain genuinely shocked at my output for Spooptober, not just due to the fact that I’ve been moving at… Read more

  • Words of Wisdom: Quantifying Dimensionality

    It can be difficult to get a good grasp of oneself, and the circumstance we are in at any given moment. Depending on how one defines context may seem like some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, but one has to start somewhere, even though “self” and context are all quite relative based on perspective Which is… Read more

  • The Subtle Romance Of A Knife’s Edge

    Rolling with the punches is a lot more difficult when the boxing match never seemingly ends. Gotta utilize that big brain energy to make it through those more trying times of need This mood that haunts me will not abate, and as a result, I am in more ways paralyzed than I care to admit.… Read more

  • The Enriching Value Of Emotional Bankruptcy

    Sometimes, things don’t go according to plan. “Don’t Panic” becomes an essential turn of phrase in these moments A sneaking suspicion remained within me, that breaking up a playthrough of a survival horror game into an extraordinarily segmented episodic fashion may have the unfortunate side-effect of watering down what already is an experience that takes… Read more

  • Silent Hill: The Reflection Of The Darkness They Desired to Capture

    Having recently enjoyed exposure to the notion “embarrassment is an under explored emotion”, I pass the consideration along to you with the desire it may prompt some well needed self-reflection on the matter. Cringe in this instance represents the cruel and the cowardly My days of the week have grown to be characteristically repetitious in… Read more

  • Silent Hill: Analyzing Metaphysically Encoded Identity Issues

    Among the many horrors I continue to confront during ‘spoopy season, one of the greatest of the bunch is low key just how fast the passage of time seems to be moving to me now a days. Is this somehow Covid’s fault on some level? Let’s just blame Covid and call it a day One… Read more

  • The Visceral Fear Of Crowd Sourcing Critical Thinking Capabilities

    People’s ability to deal with problems these days does not inspire any confidence, if I’m being honest. Bedrotting trending in a massive way makes a lot more sense when you understand how people respond to these kinds of issues As I continue to make my way through the Silent Hill 2 Remake (SH2R), there exists… Read more

  • Thy Flesh Consumed

    Nothing like a little R&R during the spoopy season to put one at ease. R&R standing for Rancid & Revolting in this example Just some quick thoughts today, as it is one of those moments where I do not have many to spare. I think one of the hurt/heals of having lived within the realm… Read more

  • Words of Wisdom: Magnifying Modality

    Just continuing to merely exist from day to day is quite the effort….to put it lightly. To awaken is to cease entirely, I’m afraid I feel like it’s worth mentioning that whenever I put forth a Words of Wisdom, it’s always with not only the intent to provide some genuine insight or encouragement, but through… Read more

  • Trauma Informed Self-Loathing

    It’s crazy how much our perceptions help to shape the reality that surrounds us. One couple’s would be date night is another persons unfortunate demise Following on the theme of my article from yesterday, I seem to be having a bit of trouble finding my footing this ‘spoopy season, in that both my ongoing playthrough… Read more

  • The Fingerfeeling Texture Of Fear

    Spoopy season has a lot of proper competition this year in having to up its game to be recognized as a legitimate threat in a crowded field of contenders. The United States of Absolutely Horrifying I’ve now become accustomed to what has come to be deemed the “Saturday Sorrows”, as every passing week has the… Read more

  • Speedrunning Nostalgia: Silent Hill 4 Zigged When Resident Evil 4 Zagged

    It almost seems redundant to be excited for October and Halloween to arrive in bringing the seasonal scaries with them, considering how positively horrifying the everyday happens to be as of late. R.I.P anxiety sufferers Yesterday’s post was an attempt at being more reminiscent about a subject that I’m similar parts excited to discuss as… Read more

  • Resident Evil 4: The Game That Failed Its Own Genre

    Strolling back into Silent Hill has me feeling as if the town is a microcosmic distillation of this year’s everyday. Yesterday’s post was one of a meandering sort, not to say it didn’t turn out okay, more so just a self-aware aside I felt like sharing. I keep oscillating back and forth between wanting to… Read more

  • The Thing That Is Not There: Survival Horror’s Je Ne Sais Quoi

    When the everyday is downright horrifying, it can really take the wind out of the sails of what October is suppose to have on offer. I want to be able to have the option to turn on and enjoy a horror movie, not feel like I’m perpetually stuck in one While I attempt to frame… Read more

  • Compare The Scares: Resident Evil vs Silent Hill

    I hate those days when you just can’t decide on what seems like the better choice. Decisions, decisions…. Today is that kind of day for, and quite honestly, a day that has no shortage of bad energy, truth be told. As a result, I’m not feeling terribly inspired to write. though I’ve mentioned in the… Read more

  • Words of Wisdom: Vibe Time

    I’m a simple man, and while I think it’s important to be mindful, I also think one shouldn’t complicate their day too heavily with the need to be super serious all the time. Try to chase that Sheriff Snorlax energy where ever you go. Which is why the Words of Wisdom today are Vibe Time,… Read more

  • Silent Hill: The Methodology Of Fear

    Fear means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For some, the anxiety that comes with interacting with anyone else is fear incarnate My long awaited return to Silent Hill has unfortunately not been quite as grand of an occurence as I would hope that it would be, for a multitude… Read more

  • Silent Hill: The Kojima Factor

    I advocate it’s important not to beat yourself up when you find yourself struggling, and to accept that sometimes, doing our best does not look all that great, but it is the best we’ve got at the moment. Quality is all very relative, you see I really gotta just start penning into my schedule: Saturday… Read more

  • Silent Hill: The Grim Reality of Blood Soaked Shades

    One person’s fond memory is another person’s trauma response. Like a first date at a Waffle House, for example I was struck with quite a queer feeling when deciding how to begin opening up my address of the Silent Hill 2 Remake (SH2R), as even though this is my first time playing through the remake… Read more

  • The Road map To Hell

    Even when things get tough, I am a big advocate for a staunch sense of stoicism to keep one sturdy. Even if the masking process can feel herculean at times I’ve mentioned before about how hard I’m hit with the post-game completion blues, where one is feeling low energy and depleted after finishing a game.… Read more

  • Welcome To Nope City

    When the witching hour approaches, it is appropriate to slip into something a little more…horrifyingly gruesome for the occasion. October always gets me all kinds of hot and bothered… Yesterday was more of a pop-in, just a little hi hello in a moment of respite, after a tremendous amount of energy expended on what ended… Read more

  • ‘Tis The Season To Be Spoopy…

    While I am a big proponent of critical thinking and engaging in the abstract, I’m also a strong advocate of partaking in intense amounts of silliness from time to time. Chase that big Scully energy, y’all September is just about over, and not a moment too soon, as like many, Spooptober is always a delight… Read more

  • Words of Wisdom: Refining Your Range Game

    Patience being a virtue is always a worthwhile idiom to keep in mind. All good things to those who wait… With all that in mind, and acknowledging not everything can be accomplished in a single night, we finally arrive at today’s official words of wisdom, which are “refining your range game“, which is of the… Read more

  • Silksong: The Cost of Faith

    I will always advocate in the name of honesty, no matter how painful the truth may be. The truth shall set you free I’ve often discussed that my approach to the everyday, at least, in my estimations of what it takes for one to be successful at surviving, depart drastically from common wisdom. I am… Read more

  • Silksong: Color Me With Expectation

    I usually advocate for Occam’s Razor, in shaving away all of the excess of complicated theories and leaving the simplest explanation left as the correct deduction. Always trust in the simplest reasoning As I detailed in my last post, I was finally able to reach the first “not true” ending of Silksong, after weeks of… Read more

  • Silksong: Nothing Beyond The Rainbow

    One person’s ending is another person’s beginning, true both in the fight of the every day, and the absurdity of what constitutes the reality of virtual battlefields. What I imagine most Silksong bosses eat for breakfast every morning And…credit roll… Fully aware I still have yet another full act of content to see before the… Read more

  • Silksong: The Homunculus of Hobbyism Theory

    I think that the quote: “Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes the bar eats you” definitely applies to Silksong in radically wonderful degrees of resounding relatability How I imagine a lot of self-performed pep talks go with Silksong players about to give the boss who just killed them for the twentieth time just one… Read more

  • Silksong: Lauding A Leading Lady Fathomed Fervently From Fantastical Faithfuls

    It pays to know what ones specialty is, as trying to overextend yourself in an attempt to be everything all at once on account of appealing to everyone can come off as being an uninspired, belligerent mess. Something tells me Combo Man wouldn’t be considered for a Fortnite cameo…which is ridiculous, cause they’ll take fucking… Read more

  • Silksong: Do Good Games Take A Longer Time To Develop? Or Do Longer Development Times Produce Good Games?

    Self care is important, and looks like a lot of things to a lot of different people. Whatever it looks like to you, just make sure you keep doing it in times of need With that said, this is going to be a short one today I think, as the mood is quite drab, and… Read more

  • Words of Wisdom: Idealizing Idleness

    Sometimes, you’ve got to slow down, consider your options, and know when to let go. Some realizations are more painful than others Which is why the words of Wisdom for today are idealizing idleness, which might come as a shock to some of you, if you’re at all familiar with some of my own notions… Read more

  • Silksong: Marxist Alienation Inherent In Game Design

    You know it’s a “bad new bears” kind of vibe when people are actively routing for the collapse of the everyday, out of feelings of being totally over it. While there is something to be said about patience being a virtue, another notion in my mind springs forth, and that is “be the change you… Read more

  • Silksong: Clambering For The Climax That Never Comes

    We live in hypocrisy, and are often the makers of our own doom. I’m reminded of this sentiment these days, usually when I’m reading about others who lament the difficulty level in Silksong, as if they are tragically unfamiliar with the very nature of difficulty involving video game design since time immemorial. A lot of… Read more

  • Silksong: In The Land Of The Thoughtless, The Thinkers Rule As Kings

    As I always say: in a recession of shits to give, know how to budget accordingly. If time is money, then proper shit allocation is generational wealth. Yesterday’s post was a bit of an oddball attempt of mine at providing some wisdom in the realm of the strategically practical, with some D.I.Y tips on how… Read more

  • Silksong: Mastering Metaphysical Mahyem

    Life is hectic, and it’s easy to get caught up in the moment. That look you get when the boss goes into a surprise phase you weren’t expecting My time with Silksong has provided a lot of engaging sessions, and as many good write-ups to boot, with a surprising number of concepts that have sprung… Read more

  • Silksong: Socially Sustaining Such Scandalously Seductive Schadenfreude Sensibilities

    My heart goes out to all of the game developers who put in more hard work than the gaming masses will ever realize, all in the service of making something just for their enjoyment. How I imagine a lot of game developers feel right after launching a game with the crowded masses of fans doing… Read more

  • Silksong: Temple of Dooming Itself Into A New Context

    After being alerted to a theoretical reality of how horses function, I think my advice to Silksong players having trouble would be to start horsing around. Do as the horses do I think it’s fitting that while I write this article, I struggle a bit with mood and energy levels, which is generating a melancholy… Read more

  • Words of Wisdom: Doubting Your Doubts

    When in doubt…continue to doubt. No doubt Which is why today’s words of wisdom are doubting your doubts, a simple but radically useful movement within the realm of critical thinking, and the process of becoming. While it’s tempting to dismiss the kind of stereotypical sounding phrasing often associated with pointlessly esoteric sounding wisdom of sorts… Read more

  • Silksong: If Everything is Made Easy, Does Anything Remain Hard?

    Not all will summit Everest. I expounded upon the notion yesterday that many players are destined to bounce off of Silksong, if not before their arrival at the front steps of The Citadel, certainly in attempting to pass the gatekeeper known as “The Last Judge”, who acts as an all important skill check punctuating the… Read more

  • Silksong: The Gatekeeping Contingency

    Yesterday’s post dealt with the reality of game design, and the metaphysical idea of how some games do not necessarily predicate themselves on the notion of fun first and foremost. This might seem positively outlandish to some, or maybe even downright impossible to others, with the idea of video games firmly planted in their head… Read more

  • Silksong: It’s Practice Makes Perfect, Not Fun Makes Perfect

    Sometimes, I address harder truths that make people uncomfortable. Others, involving the observations of these same hard truths, just think I’m either telling some kind of queer, long winded joke, or am just straight up full of shit. The reaction I expect out of the majority of you who quit before articles end rolling their… Read more

  • Silksong: The Polyrhythmic Failings of Player Follies

    The silver lining about forced downtime one is confronted with in games, especially the moments of disappointment after losing to a boss, is that anyone who’s lucky enough to have an animal in their life just got an extra minute to enjoy some fluffy company. I’m imagining many Silksong players with cats have spent similar… Read more

  • Words of Wisdom: Mind the Gap

    Things do not always turn out exactly as we had hoped. It’s important to try to laugh in the face of adversity Which is why today’s Words of Wisdom are Mind the Gap, which helps to remind us that we are often times presented with flaws, problematic scenarios, or less than ideal circumstances, but have… Read more

  • Silksong: Nothing Gold Can Stay

    The Charles Bukowski quote: “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.” seems truer and truer every single day that passes. The saddest of ironies I’ve made the habit of trying to get multiple articles out of any one game I’m… Read more

  • Silksong: The Grace of Skill and the Virtue of Patience

    Some games like to act as little moments of escapism, to grant us some downtime amidst the chaos of reality. Others still just channel the struggles of the everyday into a super condensed format My journey to the Citadel continues, as I join so many others in their arduous pilgrimage through Silksong, every new death… Read more

  • Silksong: Out of Tune with the Choir of Praise

    In spite of my hunger for playing games, I find it far too easy to glaze over the good ones from time to time. Definitely me, but with games. Also: people. I had a notion people were really down with Hollow Knight, but it wasn’t until I had read reports that the follow up (Silksong)… Read more

  • Not All Remakes Are Created Equal

    In spite of historically valued declarations on the matter, and the founding notions that formed the nations relevant to their genesis, men are in fact, not created equal, when more seriously considered by the unfortunate circumstances that surround our society. In a far less serious but relevant matter, the same can be said about video… Read more

  • Words of Wisdom: Uncomfortable Doesn’t Mean Not Good

    Sometimes, we are not always given the best of options. When all else fails, “Chuck it in the fuck it bucket” is always an ideal last resort In the fairest of realities, we would always have at least one good option, and be able to sleep soundly with our decisions. Sadly, we do not live… Read more

  • Words of Wisdom: “Hinging” On Our Expectations Realistically

    Sometimes, our expectations are out of line with the reality of the situation, and how things are likely to turn out. Other times, we’re able to make some fair judgment calls based on reliable past experiencesWhich is why today’s words of wisdom, words that build off of my notion of Appreciating the Spectrum(s), involve managing… Read more

  • Does Katamari Damacy and Shadow of the Colossus help to provide The answer to the age old question: Do Great Games Need Great Mechanics?

    A jarringly simple question…one with as surprisingly complex an answer. A question that I recently posed to myself after reading an article discussing the newest game from Katamari creator Keita Takahashi, to a T, and an exchange that briefly occurred with another famous game designer Fumito Ueda, who helped lead the teams responsible for ICO,… Read more

  • System Shock: The Metaphysical Interpolation of “Fingerfeeling” Game Design

    Did you get through the title without going crossed eyed or nodding off briefly? Points for trying if you’re still reading this if either or neither case may be, the fact you remain invested in the notion of breaking down what “fingerfeeling” means is what counts. It’s not what you may initially think, I swear… Read more

  • To Do List: Save The Media Dimension While Deconstructing It Through The Lens Of Hegelian Philosophy- Check

    It’s Hegel Time The effort of creation is a difficult, messy process, and has a tendency to produce crazy results when things get out of hand…but hey, as long as you have an audience for it, anything truly bizarre, no matter how insane, can work, right? Has probably already topped the NYT best sellers list,… Read more

  • Words of Wisdom: Sharing in “The Lack”

    Sometimes, it can feel like we are losing control of our own mind, or similarly, that some terrifyingly vital part of reality that makes it all work is just…missing. Not seen here: a terrifyingly vital part of reality missing: I.E. safety Which is why today’s words of wisdom are Sharing in “The Lack”, which is… Read more

  • Gex, Hegel, and the Master/Slave Dichotomy

    In my “first ever” madly paradoxical non-literal preview/review of Gex 1, one of three titles included in the recently released Gex Trilogy Remastered, as always, I designated no score to the title, much like I didn’t go out of my way to comment or scrutinize about every little detail involving the game, as is my… Read more

  • Gex: A Trip Down Memory Lane

    Watching behind the scenes supplemental material of the voice of Gex, Dana Gould, discussing that the writing, jokes, tones, and general riffing of the international gecko of mystery is a good reminder that sometimes, the entire reason someone did something is because they thought it was funny. Mind boggling that with such a simple motivation,… Read more

  • Video Game Philosophy: Nostalgia Is A Mad Beast

    Memory can be a cruel mistress, leading us to believe we had something so beautiful, only to stare blankly into the cold face of reality upon a wayward return with the hopeful zest everything would be as we left it, and we are both amazingly correct and terrifyingly wrong at the same time. Not all… Read more

  • To Do List: Video Game Binge Activate

    Time keeps on slipping… …into itself? That’s why today’s post is more of a bite sized tidbit, as it were, best laid plans and all that sometimes leaves one up the creek and without a paddle in the temporal department. I thoroughly suggest to anyone reading this that if you wish to get a new… Read more

  • (Revisting) The Greasy Reality of Mario Kart

    These days, I feel quite off when I’m not framing my gaming articles through the lens of philosophy. Almost as if my mention of philosophy in tandem with gaming has become not unlike Marvel editors’ desire to inject doom where no doom previously existed To that point (somehow), here on ATE, self-identity is a big… Read more

  • Wisdom’s Genesis: The End of the Beginning

    Sic Parvis Magna…greatness from small beginnings. A phrase I became familiar with through my love of the Uncharted series, and one I regularly think about in my own absurdist quest of self-discovery, and one that’s taken me from my own humble origins that started all the way back in September 2012 on the original version… Read more

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