How I got obsessed (for a short time) with looking for the perfect writing tool (for me) and found the perfect way to procrastinate writing (not recommended) I have a very specific way of doing stuff if I want to see them through, writing included. While most people usually fight against the distractions of modern life, I feel like I’m …
Rambling about exploration in games
I’ve been playing Dragon’s Dogma recently and rediscovering the feeling of slow-and-steady exploration in a fantasy world. It’s been awesome. It’s hard to find games that feed you that sense of discovering things in an organic way, so to speak, since most will railroad you into a main quest (that’s not always that interesting) or some other content, and the …
Translating a game while keeping the dubbing in mind
Or, to be more specific, “translating a game while keeping the mouth movement of the original voice acting in mind” Unsurprisingly, this is a topic that’s not very well-known. Bear in mind that TV shows and movies also do something similar, but since I’ve never worked in these industries, I’ll keep the focus on video games. So, here’s the thing: …
I miss handheld consoles
Smartphones as gaming devices will never have the longevity, or reliability, that handheld consoles have I never really had a “proper” smartphone until last year. My last “good smartphone” was a Nokia E95 (I miss that design and clicky keys) more than 10 years ago, and since then I only bought low-to-mid-range smartphones because I never used them for anything …
Sacred 2 was a diamond in the rough
Sacred 2 is a not-so-hidden gem that showed what ARPGs could be, given the chance, time, and money Note: this was originally published on Medium. It was edited to be published here. Revisiting this old gem is like meeting an old friend: weird at first, but surprisingly nice. There are some games you just can’t play enough, they always make …
The “games as a service” philosophy is not that great
The concept of “games as a service” might be detrimental to the game industry as a whole in the long run Note: this was originally published in 2019 on Medium. It has been now reviewed and edited to be posted here. Many things changed in the industry, but I think the point that drove me to write this article still …
Open world in video games
In open-world games, traveling should be a core part of the design, instead of treating the map just as a background setpiece Note: this was originally posted on cohost in a thread about open-world games and in-game traveling, and edited before being posted here. Like many people, I consider Morrowind to be Bethesda’s pinnacle, and it’s all due to its …
I’m obsessed with the band Jinjer
Before I say anything, if you never heard Jinjer, watch this music clip first. The video was so tastefully shot it’s almost a crime. But ok, anyway, now we can talk. People not used to listening to metal – and to be honest, a lot that do listen to metal – always get shocked when the singer starts to growl, …
A short, personal, and wordy essay about gachas
Most gachas have predatory practices, but there are a few that can be played as normal games I’m over 30, and as I get older(TM) and real life(R) start to creep up on my free time, I’m starting to value mobile games more and more. I always liked handhelds (I’m salty to this day about how Sony treated the PS …
Gendered languages and translation
One of the things I sometimes see being ignored in video game translation is the existence of gendered languages. This matters a lot because, depending on the language, it can make or break what would’ve been an easy job. These issues are now less common than they were a few years ago, but they still happen from time to time, …