Five Sci-fi Video Game Soundtracks for the End of the World
PopMatters looks to the sonic canvas of five sci-fi video game soundtracks, because every dystopia, no matter how bleak, deserves good music.
Luis Aguasvivas
Luis Aguasvivas (aguaspoints.bsky.social) is a writer, researcher, and member of the New York Videogame Critics Circle. He covers game studies for PopMatters. Other writings at aguaspoints.com.
‘Bahnsen Knights’ Game Revels in ’80s Pulp Fiction
Bahnsen Knights‘ story is an intersection between violent fanaticism and German expressionist philosophy. The clue is in the game’s title.
‘Pedro Páramo’ Is a Masterpiece that Resurrects and Welcomes the Dead
In our world, we irrevocably control the dead and their narrative. In Juan Rulfo’s masterpiece Pedro Páramo, however, the dead control their narrative.
The Best Video Games of 2023
PopMatters’ best video games of 2023 are important cultural artifacts. These games also stand out for their artistry, innovation, and accessibility.
The End Is Only the Beginning in Literary Game ‘Saltsea Chronicles’
Die Gute Fabrik’s Saltsea Chronicles is a poetic journey through emotional waters that the literary cognoscenti mustn’t ignore.
Nostalgia in Lieu of Substance: ‘A Handheld History’ Plays It Safe
Good looks can’t save the book A Handheld History: A Celebration of Portable Gaming from being a trivial account of video game history.
Prepare to Get Slayed and Played by ‘Vampire Survivors’
Vampire Survivors‘ time-sucking qualities reveal the insidious aspects of the best video games and what players want from them.
‘Sundial’ Is Noname’s Contribution to the Current Golden Era of Rap
On Sundial, Noname raps like her voice is holding the sky from falling. Love of oneself and one’s community is a struggle front and center on the album.
The “Roll” of Life in ‘We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie.’
We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie is as accessible as it is attractive. Its bright art style and jubilant music make the gameplay deliriously uplifting.
The Fun of “No-Fun” in ‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’
The creators of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom have created a video game worthy of Kant’s maxim, “have the courage to use your own intelligence.”
‘Sink: A Memoir’ Shuns Respectability Politics
Sink is more than an ethnographic memoir. It’s a harrowing glimpse into an omnipresent but often unseen Americana.
How Pokémon and Japanese Media Created a Generation of ‘Monster Kids’
In Daniel Dockery’s Monster Kids Pikachus usher the pandemonium of Pokémania into the US, but his account of the phenomenon leaves readers wanting more.