Tag: gaming

Should AAA Studios Revisit Retro Style Games?

The AAA video game industry stands at a turning point. Facing runaway development costs, dwindling consumer trust, and rising market instability, big studios must adapt to a rapidly changing market. Could the answer lie in the unlikeliest of places: reviving retro-style games? That idea may not be as far-fetched as…

December 9, 202418 Comments

Could Elon Musk Revolutionize Wizards of the Coast?

Back-to-back seismic shifts rocked the tabletop gaming world in 2024: the resignation of Wizards of the Coast president Cynthia Williams and speculation that Elon Musk might be eyeing Hasbro, WotC’s parent company. While Williams’ departure marks the end of a tumultuous era for Wizards, Musk’s potential interest hints at a…

December 5, 202416 Comments

How JRPGs Made Anime Mainstream in the West

Japanese roleplaying games and anime share a symbiotic relationship. And that symbiosis transformed global entertainment. While anime gave Japanese media the potential to capture international audiences, JRPGs provided the crucial delivery system for popularizing anime aesthetics and storytelling conventions in the West. Together, they established a cross-cultural phenomenon that continues…

November 15, 20249 Comments

How the Fourth Turning Explains the Mainstream Entertainment Collapse

In the past few years, the mainstream entertainment industry has been gripped by an epidemic of costly flops. These failures have spread across video games, movies, comic books, and more. Titles expected to be blockbuster hits—like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Skull and Bones, and Suicide Squad: Kill…

November 13, 202411 Comments

How Nintendo Changed Retail Shopping Forever

Everybody credits Nintendo with reviving–and reshaping–the video game industry. But the Big N's impact extends far beyond games. Over the years, Nintendo has transformed the retail sector, influencing how businesses manage inventory and how consumers interact with the marketplace. And the revolution has been so thorough, you probably never stop…

October 23, 20244 Comments

Why Major Tabletop RPG Publishers Are Losing Longtime Fans

The tabletop roleplaying game industry has grown significantly over the past decade, fueled by blockbuster franchises, mainstream exposure, and the popularity of series like Critical Role. But this explosive growth has come with a price, particularly the loss of longtime fans who feel alienated by the companies they once supported.…

October 18, 202410 Comments

Why Millennial Devs Can’t Make Authentic Retro Games

For many gamers who grew up with the classics of the 1980s and 1990s, 8 and 16-bit video games hold a special nostalgic charm. Yet despite the recent surge in retro style indie games, it’s apparent that even talented Millennial developers struggle to recreate the authentic look and feel of…

October 15, 202412 Comments

The Rule of 3 in Pop Culture: Why the 3rd Try Wins the Crowd

Whether we're talking about a tabletop roleplaying game, a video game, or a movie franchise, when a new IP launches, success isn’t always immediate. In fact, it often takes more than one attempt to win mass appeal. History shows that pop culture products frequently achieve breakout success not with the…

September 27, 20249 Comments

Alexander Macris on Model Collapse

It's the final 2 days for our Lord of Fate campaign. Don't miss your last chance to claim exclsusive rewards and unlock the Burned Book in audio. Back it on Kickstarter now. A concept that's proven illuminating for those just learning about it is the idea of model collapse. The…

September 24, 202415 Comments

Ground Zero: Sega – The Fall of the Blue Giant

To my valued readers: Help reconquer dark fantasy by backing my epic adventure novel Lord of Fate, now funding on Kickstarter. Last week's post on Sony's downfall from the height of the video game industry drew multiple mentions of Sega's similar collapse 30 years ago. Related: Sony - The Fall of…

September 16, 20249 Comments