Kirk McKeand

1 week ago | dbltap.com | Kirk McKeand

Until the late 19th century, Japan didn’t have a word for “love” – that feeling when your chest aches and they’re all you can think about. Japanese people had the feeling, but the word for it was closer to a description of madness. It is a type of madness when you think about it, love. And we are all mad. Early Japan’s interpretation of love comes from a different cultural perspective, and it’s a perfect example of how feelings are just impulses we attach labels to.

1 week ago | dbltap.com | Kirk McKeand

Inside the mind of a radio DJ turned creative forceBy Kirk McKeand | 6:51 AM EDTJeffrey "Lazlow" Jones was as much a star of Grand Theft Auto as he was an architect in its making. Over two decades, he established himself as a pivotal senior member of a global development team creating some of the most successful entertainment ever made, as a writer, actor, and producer both on and within the games. But in 2020, he left “the demented ad agency” of a video game studio behind.

1 week ago | dbltap.com | Kirk McKeand

Elusive as a fleeting shadow, the best ninja games throw you into the role of a sword-swinging and kunai-flinging assassin, who sneaks over rooftops and stalks their prey in silence before striking precisely and quickly. The whole pop culture ninja stereotype is not really reflective of the historical definition, but that shouldn't stop you from getting your fill of entertainment as you satisfy your katana's thirst for blood.

1 week ago | dbltap.com | Kirk McKeand

By Kirk McKeand | 4:57 AM EDTOriginally published on October 31, 2024. “We're a cocked gun. As soon as we get that funding, man, we've got it.” Abubakar Salim made his game development debut earlier this year with Tales of Kenzera: ZAU, a critically acclaimed metroidvania inspired by Bantu tales and Salim’s own journey with grief after losing his father. Three months later, his company Surgent Studios announced a wave of layoffs.

2 weeks ago | espn.com | Kirk McKeand

Virtual reality has one advantage over traditional flat-screen video games: it allows you to become someone else. And if there's one character everyone's fantasized about being at one point or another, it's Batman. The Batman: Arkham games took an incredible swing at the fantasy, to the point where developer Rocksteady created the template for superhero games with the series.