The games critic to be wrong with
Features and articles by game critic Erik Twice. Discover the secrets of games, the people who make them and the community around them.
I’ve been collecting games my whole life. You can tell, not by the size of my library, but my regrets. Over the years I’ve bought countless titles only to never enjoy them. I’ve wasted money, filled my shelves with junk and, worse of all, fooled myself into thinking I was enjoying it. It’s time to disclose all the mistakes I made while collecting games so you don’t make them as well.
“Games are for children”. No matter how wrong, or misguided we might find this claim, this single idea has shaped the past, present and future of games. In fact, I would argue it’s the most influential belief in their whole history. From the composition of the audience to the way violence is portrayed, it can all be drawn back to this bit of prejudice.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a builder. No matter the game, I’ve always preferred to focus on getting resources, expanding slowly and lashing out only as a last resort. But, as I’ve gotten older, my play has gotten more aggressive. I started defending my territory, often beforehand. I did little raids. Before I noticed it, I was attacking first. And I started having more fun than ever.
