Welcome, new readers!
A little primer on Backlog
Hi there, people who subscribed recently! (Thanks, Chris.) Welcome to Backlog, a videogame newsletter for people who are behind on videogames.
I thought, for subscribers new and old (stalwart?), it might be nice to do a little Backlog primer. For those who’ve been reading all along, think of this like a greatest hits album, albeit one put out by a band that’s still, I guess, touring? This metaphor didn’t go well.
Here are some of the more popular posts from the last year, and some I just like:
What Remains of Edith Finch and the novel-in-stories
Classic Backlog! Using genre terminology from fiction to discuss indie games! That’s my whole thing!
Before Your Eyes and crying through the endgame
“I have cried at car commercials” may as well be the subhead of everything I write, Backlog included.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale and the new sincerity
I adored this game and how genuine it was.
Universal Paperclips and the endgame of the escalation story
Wow, I really like to use fiction workshop terms to describe games, don’t I? Making this list has been eye-opening for me.
I’ve also had the privilege of featuring some excellent guest writers on Backlog, a roster that is (spoiler) going to grow again soon. Here are two guest posts to round out my own contributions above:
Diablo II: Resurrected and fallen worldbuilding
An examination of D2, a criticism of D3, and a sense of hope (perhaps) for D4.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and confronting yourself
Therapy and FromSoft: a combination for the ages. Jokes aside, anyone with anxiety or depression will recognize themselves in this essay on rampant difficulty and putting in the work.
So, that’s that! Thanks to all my subscribers, new and old/stalwart, with promises for more on the horizon, including some imminent Destiny 2 and Stray thoughts.
