If you haven’t picked up on a trend in my gaming coverage at Sketching Details, I’ll clue you in on some constants. The games I enjoy are horror games, rhythm games, and rpg/adventure games. I like Rogue-like mechanics and the ability to play a game over and over with new experiences each time. I am fiercely loyal to franchises I’ve enjoyed in the past and will always give a series the benefit of a doubt if something goes wrong.
All in Views
What I’m not loving is reliving the problematic horror tropes of my formative years with the genre. I’ve been doing content warnings here for a good while now. I think it’s responsible media criticism. I’ve made videos about it. I’m alarmed by how often I have to repeat certain warnings. It feels like excusing some insidious issues with the genre.
I’m going to take a step back today. Do you know why I write about media? I like discussing media. I like having deep, meaningful discussions about film and television, games and theatre, and everything in between. I specifically like talking about horror, fantasy, and sci-fi. But when I tried to have those discussions with people who taught me media and people I knew who wrote about media, I was brushed off. I was told it was a waste of time. I was told there were things you don’t discuss seriously because they’re not worth the energy or the time.
The Silence, A Quiet Place, and the Subtle Art of Coincidence
My focus today is on shared inspiration in creative fields. The biggest story when A Quiet Place came out was its similarities to Tim Lebbon’s novel The Silence. People who read Lebbon’s book (or even the dust-cover summary) could see a lot of unlikely coincidences in the narrative.
About that RuPaul's Drag Race Disqualification
World of Wonder (the producers of RuPaul’s Drag Race) and VH1 (the network airing the series) have disqualified a contestant after the majority of the season already filmed. Sherry Pie is no longer eligible to win the competition (if she made it to the finale) and will not even be allowed to attend the finale that is anticipated to be filmed this May.