By Ronald Gordon

Hello and welcome back to the roundup, the column created to highlight the glorious work from Members and Interns alike! We at the Circle hope that everyone is staying safe and staying cool in these trying times! This time around, we’ve got a story about Parvati from The Outer Wilds, Katamari Damacy on Apple Arcade, the zany vibe of Detective Dotson, An Unwinnable article from the Circle’s newest Member, and so much more! 

I’d like to take a moment to highlight some of the moments during the Circle’s time at the Laboratory School of Finance & Technology in the Bronx. This was the second time we’ve done our Playing With Purpose program at the Lab School and I was overjoyed to see such talented minds in the school’s Newspaper group flexing their skills in different ways. One story was the interview of renowned Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole and his wife Amy, done by Saniah Entienne, where she and several other Newspaper journalists asked about his life, the nonprofit foundation he and his wife founded, and much more! At the end of the 10 weeks, the Circle planned a very special morning for the students, bringing the ever-humble Reggie Fils-Aime in to talk about how his level of success is something they could attain themselves. It was an amazing time at the Lab School once again, and I hope to see plenty of articles from those hard-working students who took part in our program! 

To start us off, Sarah Doherty Granoff can’t let go of The Outer Wilds, especially since Parvati Holcomb changed her perspective on Asexuality. Pride Month is a month of appreciation and celebration for those in the LGBTQIA+ community, and Sarah wants to highlight representation for those like her who align to the Asexual spectrum with the help of one particular character. Sarah expresses her alignment with Parvati Holcomb when she writes, “At the time that The Outer Worlds was released, Parvati Holcomb was perhaps the only canonically asexual character in mainstream gaming. While many games both then and now have characters who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and some games even have romance options where compulsory sexuality is explored and discussed, asexuality as an orientation hasn’t been similarly represented. Romantic plots that involve a lack of sex generally frame that abstinence as a result of some pathology or trauma.”

Saniah Etienne, our intern from the Lab School, writes about the shockingly Human story of Copycat. As a long time lover of all things feline, Saniah first chose Copycat to review thanks to its adorable main character Dawn the tuxedo cat, unaware that its story would be steeped in very real issues of longing for acceptance and searching for a home. At first tricking her with classic cat game shenanigans, Saniah relates her experience in the first half when she writes “You begin by playing as an elderly woman named Olive as she picks out a new cat to bring home – because  her first cat has run away. Olive brings a tuxedo cat named Dawn home and the rest of the game evolves from Dawn’s point of view. Dawn is very recalcitrant at first, hating the idea of being a housecat. During some interactions, the only options the player has is to back away or bite Olive. Dawn’s days consist of tracking paint through the house, knocking over furniture, and eating Olive’s steak dinner when she isn’t looking.” After witnessing Dawn’s sudden eviction at the hands of Olive’s daughter, Saniah comes to a realization as she writes, “But at this point in the game begins to get really dark. In one scene, Olive’s daughter Mae is crying, looking at papers that I assumed to be medical bills. Afterwards she goes into Olive’s room while Olive is asleep on a pillow. It’s never explicitly said but it seems as if she is trying to smother her but doesn’t go through with it. At this point I was quite confused as to why I was playing as a cat yet dealing with topics like animal/elder abuse, and murder. And this question would linger for the rest of the gameplay. I eventually began to be overwhelmed by how hard Dawn’s life was.”

Katamari Damacy is a great game series, and thanks to Apple Arcade, Mary-Ellis Ryan got to experience the strangeness of a classic Katamari game firsthand! Katamari Damacy Rolling Live made its appearance on Apple Arcade, spreading the joy of rolling Katamari to any with an iPhone. After being pulled in by the outrageous fun present in Katamari, Mary-Ellis writes, “I must say again, this game is very unique and quirky. Not to exaggerate, but I’ve honestly never seen a game like this one. Usually, a game will have some new concept in the description, and then the actual gameplay feels completely different. I’ve fallen victim to this many times, but no, this game is direct. You just roll around with a Katamari and live stream your progress to your fans which are NPCs.” Games have fooled her before, but Katamari is true to its nature no matter the rendition. The name of the game is rolling up everything you can, and there’s tons of fun to be had doing it as mentioned by Mary Ellis, stating “I find Katamari Damacy Rolling Live unique and fresh with its simple and colorful but satisfying gameplay. It’s a game that’s easy to pick up and enjoy, and its vibe all blends in perfectly. But personally, I feel like it lacks a bit of depth. However don’t knock it till you try it, because you might just find yourself hooked on rolling that silly Katamari around – just like me!”

Tina Lam, one of the Circle’s newest interns, had an enjoyable experience in the bizarre Detective Dotson, solving mysteries in unorthodox ways. She begins her thoughts with a statement, hinting at the strangeness of the game as she writes, “Have you ever wanted to solve a mystery while wearing a fake mustache at the morning vegetable market? No?  Yeah, me neither. But here I am, reviewing a game that somehow makes solving mysteries while dressed up like my grandpa … weirdly satisfying.” Detective Dotson isn’t your average mystery game; it threads the needle between drama and comedy with notes of classic Bollywood absurdity mixed in for the extra splash of cultural representation. These aspects drew Tina in wholeheartedly, as she finishes her article stating, “Among the wacky characters, bright world, and puzzles that make you sweat, Detective Dotson is a roller coaster ride of suspense. Yes, there are a few bumps: Some of the mini-games don’t quite cut it and the case log would have been better with a larger layout. But if you’re in the mood to play a game where you have to solve crimes, bargain with street vendors over prices, and slip into disguises, then Detective Dotson is your game. Just remember to have your fake mustache on straight because this adventure’s got more twists than any other generic Bollywood movie plot!”

Autumn Wright, writer for Unwinnable and the Critic Circle’s newest Member, spoke with video essayist and recently published Author Jacob Geller, speaking on many topics both inside and outside of gaming. Geller is more than just a critic to some, he covers topics in podcasts and video essays with true intrigue and excitement around the topic at hand. Autumn mentions this in her intro, speaking on Jacob Geller’s recent works as she writes, “Jacob Geller is a writer, video essayist, podcast host, and – newly – author. It would be impossible to talk about the state of games criticism in this decade without talking about Jacob’s hugely popular video essays, which are now being published in print by Lost in Cult. How a Game Lives will be shipping this month, giving me the excuse I was waiting for to talk to Jacob for this series. The anthology features new essays from a collection of writers within and without games that are each fantastic playful, personal, and critical writing on games. Jacob likes games in a way I have not sustained as a critic and freelancer, and his enthusiasm shows – I had to include two exclamation points in my transcription! We talk about finding an audience, creating tone, and maintaining concision.”

Giovanni Colantonio starts his review of Marvel Cosmic Invasion with an intriguing question, “How do you make a retro beat-em-up feel new?” As one of the newer games in a genre made to replicate something old, there isn’t a lot of room for pixelated side scroller Beat-Em Ups to maneuver with. This, however, doesn’t stop certain games from innovating in ways that feel refreshing, such as River City Girls with its hilarious characters or TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge with its totally tubular energy & design. Giovanni finds yet another fantastic spin on the genre from Dotemu with Cosmic Invasion, sharing his firsthand experience as he writes, “And yet, Marvel Cosmic Invasion still finds a way. At this year’s Summer Game Fest, I tried the latest project from Streets of Rage 4 developer Tribute Games. While it’s another classic brawler filled with nostalgic pixel art and a wide roster of superheroes, it infuses that tried and true formula with just enough fighting game DNA to keep it distinct. The most important moment of my demo came when I was asked to choose not just one, but two characters. I had access to a handful of Cosmic Invasion’s final roster, but I decided to go with Venom and Wolverine. That choice was the first sign that the project is doing things a little differently as I initially didn’t know why I had to pick a duo rather than one hero.”

For Rolling Stone, Alyssa Mercante discovered something abnormal, even kids in Roblox are protesting against ICE. Tensions within the US have only been increasing, most of which being around the wrongful imprisonment and persecution of immigrants by ICE, which has become more aggressive as of recently. Most news bulletins share something about these issues; protests are happening in almost every city, and now it seems even players within the many virtual worlds of Roblox are choosing to stand against the unjust cruelty they see. Alyssa gives context to the scenario, writing, “Most, if not all, of the recent anti-ICE protests have taken place in Brookhaven, a role-playing server set in an idyllic suburb where players can become cops, nail technicians, firefighters, and more, that usually has around 600,00 concurrent players. As first reported by Taylor Lorenz at User Mag, the protests came in response to some players pretending to be ICE agents and harassing others in-game.” As is a sad tradition with large scale online multiplayer platforms like Roblox, cruel jokes spread and soon boiled over into hostility. In a strange mirror of real life, Brookhaven has become a powder keg of protests and conflicts. Alyssa herself even joins in on one of these many protests, relating her experience as she writes, “On June 18, I joined a random Brookhaven server to see what I could find. Quickly, I saw a small anti-ICE protest start to build organically. A half dozen players wearing Mexican flags on their backs and green, white, and red outfits stood near a barricade and held signs that read ;STOP SEPARATING FAMILIES,’ ‘My dad works harder than the president,; and ‘F ICE’ (there are strict vulgarity filters in Roblox). I asked in the text chat how to get a sign, and someone immediately handed me a blank one. I typed ‘F ICE’ and held it over my avatar’s head.”

Beyond the Circle 

Games for Change Circle Founder and president Harold Goldberg will hold a fireside chat with Blizzard Entertainment’s accessibility director Drew McCrary tomorrow, Thursday, at 3:30 pm during the Games for Change festival. Then on Friday on the main stage at 3:30 pm, Harold joins our Executive Director Ryan O’Callaghan and Marvel Games’ executive Eric Monacelli to talk about the power of mentorship in gaming. Don’t miss it – or the many important talks at the two-day event.