Don’t pin blame on violent games
By Thomas Wick | Columnist
February 28, 2018
Imagine being able to punch a ninja through the chest, rip out their heart and then squeeze it to drink the remaining blood left for nourishment. All it takes is two fatal words — “finish him” — to violently kill an opponent this way while playing “Mortal Kombat.” In fact, the violence in t...
Microtransactions mar gaming experience
By Thomas Wick | Columnist
December 4, 2017
A short time ago in an industry not so far away, the gaming empire Electronic Arts released a video game called “Star Wars Battlefront II” — but gamers should keep their wallets handy if they want the full game experience. This sequel to the 2015 “Star Wars Battlefront” promised to add improve...
Good gaming journalism needs know-how
By Thomas Wick | Columnist
September 25, 2017
As I watched the video game character move back and forth on the screen, struggling and failing to make a simple jump, I couldn’t help but cringe. I was shocked to discover the identity of the player grappling with a game tutorial with so much difficulty was an “experienced” gaming journalist. Video gam...
Hold out on video game hype culture, wait for results
By Thomas Wick | Columnist
March 24, 2017
When two gamers took their players on a virtual journey to a far-off video game planet, they expected to be able to see and interact with each other’s player in the game. To their surprise, they saw only empty planet, despite what the makers of the game previously promised. Sean Murray — head of the...
“The Last of Us” continues with a compelling origin story
By Stephanie Roman / For The Pitt News
March 17, 2014
Filed under Archives
"The Last of Us: Left Behind"Naughty DogGrade: ASnow lightly covers piles of dead leaves as the season shifts from fall to winter, and Joel’s just been hurled from a second-story window by a rival human survivor. He lands on a piece of wreckage, a metal beam that impales him straight through the gut. ...