David R. HowardStar Fox 64 and Cinematic-nessIn 2014 Chris Priestman asked “What does it mean when we call games cinematic?” A decade later I’m not sure we’re much closer to any…5 min read·Feb 19, 2024----
David R. HowardThe Lost Level: Retro-Terminology in Early Arcade GamesThe formal structure of segmentation exists across media objects. Books have chapters, films have scenes and videogames have levels…19 min read·Jan 22, 2024----
David R. HowardChoose Your WeaponGamer Merchandise, Mosaic and Meritocracy8 min read·Aug 16, 2023----
David R. HowardAn Ode to Gliding in GamesEverybody hates fall damage in games, so much so that in Super Mario Odyssey the developers removed it entirely…2 min read·Apr 14, 2023----
David R. HowardThe Existential Terror of 2000’s Game Maker GamesThe year is 2007. For eight years Dutch computer scientist Mark Overmars has been working on the entry-level game development toolset…7 min read·Mar 21, 2023----
David R. HowardCourting the Player in Super Mario 64Princess Peach’s Castle is an anchor without a ship. It has appeared in myriad Mario games since Super Mario 64, yet its architecture and…2 min read·Feb 18, 2023----
David R. HowardVideogames as CollageI think a lot about the wateriness of videogames; the way they pool into recognizably repeated forms…16 min read·Jan 26, 2023----
David R. HowardLudicidal Tendencies: Dying on Purpose in VideogamesWhile videogame violence has been endlessly debated in the media, online and within academia, writing on how death actually operates in…8 min read·Dec 22, 2022--1--1
David R. HowardAn Ode to Radial MenusMenuing in videogames is an inevitability, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyable in its own right…2 min read·Nov 21, 2022----
David R. HowardMasked in PlayDepictions of Indigeneity from Burgkmair to Rareware10 min read·Jul 14, 2022----
