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For most people, computer controllers aren’t something to think about. It’s just sort of taken for granted until a problem occurs. Many of these controllers though are simply more advanced versions of other, more subtle machines. A good example that many people may jump to is the airplane’s yoke or even a knob on a marble maze to turn the playing field. In the past, a controller has been a series of gears and strings or wire that pulled on an airplane’s control surfaces or a steering wheel of a naval ship to control the rudder. So how did these simple tools, often wooden-yokes withRead More →

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Editor’s Note: See Bordenave’s first article “An uncommon video game: Dwarf Fortress” published in Volumn 43 issue 10, or online here for a history of the video game with an interview from its lead designer, Tarn Adams as well as information on how to download the game. To help readers that haven’t read the previous article. Dwarf Fortress is a city-building game set in a fantasy simulation of a world that players randomly generate every time. To add to the fun, the game can be played with “mods” or modifications. One common and highly recommended mod or rather “Mod Pack” (which is a bunch ofRead More →

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DISCLAIMER: This article is no way constitutes neither legal advice, nor agreement or disagree with emulation, devices, and subjects therein. Retro-computing is the hobby of using older hardware and software for productivity and entertainment. Retro-computing often overlaps with retro-gaming, which specifically is the hobby of playing older games on native hardware and software. In some retro-computing circles, purists debate that physical media is king and that retro-computing should be done on its native hardware. On the other end of the spectrum, users show devotion to emulators. For those who want to get into retro-computing cheaply emulation is the answer. Emulation uses modern software to mimicRead More →

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   Nintendo re-released a miniature plug and play console with 21 built in games of their best hits from their library called the SNES Classic Edition, a remake of the older gaming console this year.    When people think of computers, generally they think now a ’days of a big box and slim monitor. Some think of Steven Job’s sleek designs for Apple, and some think of a laptop. When we think of old computers, though, generally it’s the older TV-like monitors from the 1990s: a big CRT (cathode ray tube) monitor and a big beige box.    The SNES (the Super Nintendo Entertainment System)Read More →

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This week on campus I surveyed a small number of students about games they would be playing non-stop or binge playing this summer. In this survey I focused on video games primarily but included answers given about other types of games. Some of these games many not appeal to everyone, but others may offer interesting options, and some may bring a sense of nostaliga  or fond memories. Players of all types and ages who were surveyed had video or board games they wanted to revisit, beat, or simply get into again. D&D or Dungeon and Dragons was one of the most cited games, and duringRead More →

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If people want to make enemies of friends, one sure fire way to do it is thrashing them in a fighting game. Whether by slamming a friend’s head into pixelated asphalt or through the ring in a WWE sponsored video game title, players of fighting games have made, lost and finished friends on the couch and all over the world. One of the most popular games that spawned from the ‘80s and continues to this day is the “Mortal Kombat” Series. This series is often praised as one of the best fighting games, as well as one of the more historic games due to theRead More →

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The video game Dwarf Fortress in its full title is known as “Slaves to Armok: God of Blood, Chapter 2: Dwarf Fortress.” While having a title almost as big as its player base, the game lives up to the hematic name. Dwarf Fortress is a life’s work produced by two brothers, Tarn and Zach Adams. It is collectively called “the most complex game ever made,” according to the New York Times, the Seattle Weekly and PC Gamer Magazine. Dwarf Fortress was chosen for this column’s premiere because of the impact it has made on popular games and for being one of the first games placedRead More →