Articles
Every report, in full. Filter by category or walk the shadows in order.
Souls: the saga that taught games to respect the player
Before 2009, difficulty was punishment without purpose. After Demon's Souls, it became a language of respect. I was there. I remember.
Survival horror: the history of the genre that taught games fear
Fixed cameras, counted bullets and creaking doors: the chronicle of the genre that proved the player's weakness is design's most powerful tool.
Multiplayer: from split screen to global crossplay
From your friend's elbow on the couch to a squad spread across three continents: how games learned to connect us — and what got left on the couch.
Portables: the lineage that led to the handheld era
From the AA-battery brick to the pocket PC: forty years of one stubborn idea — that games should fit in a backpack and in a life.
The indie renaissance: how small studios saved creativity
While giant budgets fled from risk, two-person teams reinvented what a game can be. The story of the renaissance nobody financed.
Fighting games: from the arcade to the global competitive stage
Born on a coin resting on a cabinet, it survived the arcades' death and became arena spectacle. No genre carries more honor per round.
MMOs: when worlds became second lives
Millions of people lived, loved, worked and said goodbye inside worlds that don't exist. The history of MMOs is the social history of the internet.
RTS: the rise, fall and rebirth of real-time strategy
Once the PC's absolute king and the foundation of esports. Then, near extinction. The story of gaming's most demanding genre is an epic in three acts.
The evolution of open worlds: from empty maps to ecosystems
From the pixel grid to the breathing continent: the story of gaming's most expensive dream — and the lesson the industry took decades to learn.
Metroidvanias: the genre that refuses to die
Two franchises gave it the name, the indies gave it eternal life. The story of the genre where the map is the true final boss.
The history of battle royale: from mod to global phenomenon
A hundred drop in, one walks out: the formula that redrew the industry in five years was born from a cult film, a survival mod and one stubborn designer.