If you’ve followed the story of independent media outlet Second Wind even a little, then the prospect of this organization reaching a point of security and confidence enough to even host a games showcase likely comes as an impressive feat, if not necessarily a surprise. After all, we’re talking about a talented assortment of folks known for their thoughtful, even-handed coverage and love of games as an artistic and entertainment medium, called upon to help restore the reputation of once-esteemed games media site The Escapist. Had the corporate owners holding The Escapist’s purse strings not overstepped by firing editor-in-chief Nick Calandra, driving much of the staff to resign in protest, who knows what the future of The Escapist might have been? That the ex-Escapist crew are now in a place, a few years down the line, where they can comfortably offer the stage to other creatives within the industry is a magnificent sight to behold. It doesn't hurt that the resulting showcase, publ...
Today I’m debuting our first of several on-going segments - A Look Back, where I… well, take a look back, duh. Specifically, we’re gonna be discussing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. For starters let’s get into what kind of world we were living in when Modern Warfare exploded onto the scene. We were four years into the War on Terror, and six years out from 9/11. Two world changing events whose ramifications and influence crept their way into every aspect of culture - film, television, literature, comic books, and yes, VIDEO GAMES. War and its particular brand of brutal violence became a sort of norm, rather than a niche interest, in the world of gaming. You couldn’t throw a stone five inches without hitting a game about MASCULINE, OLD FASHIONED AMERICAN MEN FIGHTIN’ THE GOOD FIGHT AGAINST THE FOREIGN AGENDA. Even if the games weren’t necessarily set on Earth or fixated on stereotypical images of terrorists, the imagery and themes on display - ranging from widesprea...