It’s time for the next level in this series on Novel-Writing Lessons from Video Games: plots. Many of my favorite games tell compelling and engaging stories: Xenoblade Chronicles, The Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, etc. Even games that don’t have a storyline, like Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros., have a sense of progression to …
Continue reading Novel-Writing Lessons From Video Games: Plot
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been in crisis mode since Avengers: Endgame. Why is that? I went on a quest to answer that very question. Recently, I watched through (most of) the MCU, adding in the movies and most of the shows I skipped in recent years. And honestly, a lot of the newer …
Continue reading Storytelling and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
As a Christian, I’m wired to view things through the lens of the Gospel. Every book I read, every movie I watch, whatever content I engage with, I’m looking for the redemptive qualities—the Gospel Truths I believe—reflected in media. So it’s only natural that I do the same with video games, including one of my …
I love video games, though I’m not a particularly skilled player. My brother and I grew up in the Nintendo DS and Wii era and shared many moments playing together—duking it out in Super Smash Bros. Brawl or Mario Kart.I still feel nostalgic about particular games I played growing up, and during college started to …
Careful! A web of major spiders–er, spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home lies ahead! Despite my neutral feelings about Spider-Man, Spider-Man: No Way Home managed to land in my Top 5 Favorite MCU Movies, sitting just behind Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame, Thor: Ragnarok, and Thor. Putting aside my nostalgic bias for Thor (the superhero …
Continue reading Audience Expectations, Longing for Redemption, and Spider-Man: No Way Home
By Madelynn Orion 