Maria Mison (she/they) makes games exploring identity, trauma, self-expression, and doing difficult things, as well as the form games can take and our relationship to cultural symbols. They join me to talk about their prolific first year as a game designer, the way games help inform their theater and dance practice, and the importance of taking care of your players, before enthusiastically closing out on our shared love of shōnen manga boys.
Read MoreEpisode 2 of Kritiqal Care features tabletop rpg designer Jamila "Jammi" R. Nedjadi of Sword Queen Games. Jammi's games focus on queerness, filipino culture, and accessibility. They join me to discuss their creative process, what life looks like in the Philippines during the Covid-19 pandemic, and why Bioware won't let us look at Garrus' butt.
Read MoreWandersong may not reference tarot cards directly, but its thematic questions are such that they map almost too well to be purely circumstantial. Whether you believe tarot cards hold any spiritual power or are merely a useful tool for introspection, I hope this analysis helps you appreciate how cleverly Wandersong employs and subverts archetypes that have existed for generations, and, more broadly, how tarot cards can be used to explore narrative and the act of interpretation.
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