ARC Read: The Age of Video Games: A Graphic History of Gaming from Pong to VR and Beyond

I got my hands on an advance copy of 'The Age of Video Games: A Graphic History of Gaming from Pong to VR and Beyond', written by journalist Jean Zeid and illustrated by Émilie Rouge, a graphic novel that sets out to cover the long history of video games as a medium. As someone who has been fascinated by games since the age of 5, I found the concept extremely interesting, and having read the entire thing I can say that the book certainly did not disappoint.

'The Age of Video Games' has its two protagonists, Jean and Émilie themselves, travel through time, and sometimes into the worlds of each specific game they are referencing, telling the story of how video games started as a concept, how they interconnect with the history of programming and the personal computer, and how they evolved into the global industry that is now an inseparable part of modern pop culture. There are also many mentions of the people who helped shape the gaming medium, from the early days of the Atari and on. It was good seeing some lesser known names appear, and also seeing the many, many women who have been a part of gaming history since the beginning, being mentioned and credited for their contributions too.

The book wins major points for using comic book format to tell its story. Having the reader being flooded with facts could have become boring very soon, but the beautiful, colourful illustrations accompanying the banter really kept things interesting. I loved the art, and I loved all the video game references and how it changed and adapted accordingly when it depicted different worlds and characters. It kept a solid balance between remaining consistent and making each homage immediately recognisable.

Of course it was impossible to reference every single game, but the book really does an impressive job in covering a lot of ground in that regard. Apart from the big players that one cannot omit when talking about the history of gaming, it was nice seeing indie titles also referenced. On a personal level, it was also good seeing games like 'Full Throttle', 'Maniac Mansion, and 'Grim Fandango' pop up as well. If I had a nitpick, it was that the modern slang sometimes felt a bit inorganic, but admittedly the jokes between the two characters did land for me.

It's a read I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in the history of gaming, as it's a love letter to the medium written with a lot of knowledge and a lot of love for the subject matter.

A big thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with a copy.

The book is expected to be published on July 22, 2025.

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Artificially Generated Colourful Empty Husk

(Stock photo by Aleksandar Pasaric)

 

This is hardly an unpopular opinion, nor an attempt to make any groundbreaking statement beyond putting some personal thoughts out there, but I honestly never got the appeal of AI generated so-called "art". 

With the most recent online trend of having AI generated images sort of resembling the art style of Studio Ghibli, beyond the words of Hayao Miyazaki himself, who had previously called similar technology "disgusting" in the past, with "I can't watch this stuff and find [it] interesting. Whoever creates this stuff has no idea what pain is whatsoever. I am utterly disgusted. If you really want to make creepy stuff, you can go ahead and do it. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all" being his exact quote, and the disrespect towards him this practice implies, I was also reminded of this quote by Guillermo del Toro, said during a conversation with the British Film Institute (during which he also interestingly enough mentions the work and influence of Miyazaki as well, full video here):

“I saw a demo of AI and I thought oh that's what people think animation is, giving prompts and the computer does it. You know, but AI has demonstrated that it can do semi-compelling screensavers. That's essentially that. The value of art is not how much it costs and how little effort it requires, it’s how much would you risk to be in its presence. How much would people pay for those screensavers? Are they going to make them cry because they lost a son? A mother? Because they misspent their youth? Fuck no!”

And OK, on a very shallow level, I maybe understand the idea of it. It's pretty (to the beholder), and the text is usually coherent, and the pictures show what you asked for on demand, and heck, sometimes they even have the right amount of fingers. But on the other hand, creating art takes some real work, and this is how people pay their bills, and even if you manage to totally ignore that, or the legal and ethical issues that arise, or the mere fact that this is not some revolutionary digital parthenogenesis that magically creates things out of thin air, but relies on taking thousands of hours of hard work, skill, pain, emotion, inspiration, practice and personal experiences, in the vast majority of cases without the creator's consent, putting them in a blender, and spitting out something that somewhat resembles the original, or the fact that it has contributed so heavily to the spread of disinformation, the way it has been used as a tool for online abuse and harassment in the form of revenge pornography, and the negative impact that it has been proven to have on the environment, my sentimental little brain still cannot fully get why would anyone be fascinated by something that nobody made.

During such discussions, though not specifically about AI, I'm also reminded of this quote by Ethan Hawke on TED, highlighting the importance of human creativity:

“Do you think human creativity matters? Well, most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about poetry, right? They have a life to live and they’re really not that concerned with Allen Ginsberg’s poems or anyone’s poems—until, their father dies; they go to a funeral; you lose a child; someone breaks your heart. And all of a sudden you’re desperate for making sense out of this life. ‘Has anybody felt this bad before? How did they come out of this cloud?’ Or the inverse—something great. You meet somebody and your heart explodes—you love them so much you can’t even see straight. You’re dizzy. ‘Did anybody feel like this before? What is happening to me?’ And that’s when art’s not a luxury—it’s actually sustenance. We need it.”

 I don't think it's a coincidence that both del Toro and Hawke talk about sadness, loss, and grief in connection to how important art is. I think the question "Did anybody feel like this before?" pretty much sums up my entire point. Because one of the biggest ways in which we find value in art, whether it's a song, a paragraph of text, a quote even, a photograph or a painting, it's in how it communicates that someone, somewhere, at some point in their life felt a certain way and sat down and expressed it in a manner that speaks to you, lets you process your own feelings, inspires you, and tells you that you are not alone in your joy or your sadness. That some stranger out there has felt that distinct kind of loneliness or thrill, and oddly understands that specific part of you, even if nobody else does.

Sure art comes in many forms, not all of them so serious. It's silly and funny, and sometimes flawed and nonsensical, but essentially it's a very human way to connect with another person who had something inside them to say, and to receive something out of it. And that's not something that can be replicated or mass produced. Whatever it is that AI creates, if you take the human factor out of the equation, it simply ceases to be art.

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Recent Read: Severance - The Lexington Letter

 

 

After the finale of Season 2, I decided to give 'Severance - The Lexington Letter' another read to fill this Friday's Severance void, and it's really a great companion to the show, with an interesting twist/reveal in the end.

It obviously doesn't provide any huge answers that the show hasn't offered yet, but it offers several little titbits and information on how Lumon operates from the perspective of a newly-introduced severed character who grows more and more suspicious of the company, and has discovered a way to cheat the system and communicate with her outie self, in a way that fits with the "some things transcend severance" themes of the series.

I wouldn't read it before watching the show, because it still contains plenty of spoilers for the earlier episodes, but it's a good tie-in to dig into after the first half of Season 1 and onward. It's not a long read, but the attention to detail, and the dystopically hilarious 'Macrodata Refiner's Orientation Booklet' that is included, are very much in the spirit of the show and make this a must-read, especially since it's available for free. Going back to it after 'Cold Harbor' really makes some things connect more.

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Recent Read: Elektra by Greg Rucka Ultimate Collection

 

I have really enjoyed a lot of Greg Rucka's work, and I find Elektra very interesting as a flawed character, but I couldn't really get into this book. There's an extreme tonal whiplash between the attempt to tackle serious issues like sexual assault, trauma, severe depression, and dealing with consequences, and the oversexualization of the main character in every other page.

Nothing wrong with characters like Emma Frost, for example, expressing their sexuality on their own terms, and nothing wrong with skimpy outfits or ridiculous costumes and unrealistic situations, but this works better in books that don't take themselves so seriously. There is something really off, seeing a woman who is clearly depicted to be suffering, mentally straggling, and going through a breakdown, also having her costume constantly and conveniently torn to reveal even more skin, and posed and exposed in a way that is clearly meant to titillate the reader. It's not the first comic to have women drawn as if someone forgot how gravity, human breasts, and fabric work, but it just feels extra out of place here, considering the mature themes of the plot.

The story also doesn't seem to go anywhere, or know what it's trying to say. Reading this in 2025, it definitely feels like a product of a different era of comic books.

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20 Years Since the 2005 Doctor Who Revival

 

Today marks 20 years since 'Rose', the first episode of the 2005 'Doctor Who' revival aired, featuring Christopher Eccleston as the leather-jacket-wearing, witty and dorky 9th Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, ending a 16 year hiatus.

Hard to believe that it's already been 2 decades. Ever since I stumbled upon reruns of Tom Baker’s Doctor, I've had a special place in my heart for this show. I'd say despite its weirdness, but it's more likely because of it. It had a limited budget, plenty of campiness, extra cheese, and lots of heart (two hearts, to be precise), and it made this combo work.

It's not for everyone, and that's OK, and it had its hits and misses since it first aired back in 1963, but at a time where so much of the current entertainment confuses cynicism and bleakness with realism, and edgy and misanthropic is presented as cool, I'm glad that shows that remain unapologetically silly, and hopeful, and sometimes sentimental, and at the same time always relevant and political still have their place. So I'm happy this peculiar little show is still around doing its thing.

"You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying. Like you're gonna get killed by eggs or beef, or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible - that maybe you survive." - S1E02 The End of the World

 

 

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Recent Watch: Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997)

 

Last night's "it's 2:00 am and I can't sleep" watch was 'Snow White: A Tale of Terror' from 1997, starring Sigourney Weaver as the evil Queen (not really a Queen), Sam Neill in a very Sam Neill performance, and Monica Keena. It's a film I knew the existence of for quite some time, but I had never watched and didn't expect much of. But you know what? It was, all things considered, perfectly all right.

Was it a masterpiece? Not really. Did it have certain elements that make it an unmistakable product of the 90s? For sure. But it was also a solid attempt at creating a gritty, horror-themed twist to the Snow White tale that gave the Evil Queen (again, not really a Queen) more depth, multiple layers, and a (still condemnable) motive that went beyond merely being jealous of her stepdaughter's youth and beauty.

Having the mirror supernaturally possess and manipulate her, using a personal tragedy of hers to push her over the edge and drive her actions, was certainly an interesting choice that adds more substance to the character and the story, and Sigourney Weaver really sells it with her intense performance, that even earned her an Emmy nomination.

Making Snow White start as a less-than-perfect, slightly spoiled character, that experiences some growth as the movie progresses, admittedly also added more complexity to the plot. The main romance is also both fleshed-out and handle refreshingly well with the turn it takes.

Overall, it was a fun 90s attempt at retelling a classic fairy tale through a grown up, horror lens. The Poohniverse should be taking notes. Extra points because despite the film's multiple casualties, the dog does *not* die.

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‘Babygirl’ Makes Some Baby Steps Before It Stumbles

 

I stayed up until way past 2am trying to finish 'Babygirl', waiting for it to become the film I had hoped it'd be. Because it's not a secret that films, and stories in general, that don't abide by the myth that humans have an expiration date when it comes to romance, and specifically explore the lives, perspectives, dating habits, and sexual agency of women over the age of 40 are an extreme rarity. The same goes for stories that explore niche relationship dynamics without a deliberately edgy or sensationalistic aspect to them. Sadly, the film didn't live up to the expectations I had of it in that regard, at least on the first part.

As someone whose ideal relationship would be something resembling the one she already had with Antonio Banderas' character, and who would be so appalled by Harris Dickinson's Samuel that I'd be determined to avoid meeting the guy again for the rest of my life by the second time he would obnoxiously and overconfidently cross the line, I can't claim any expertise in regards to the themes that the movie tried to explore, but still I found the premise extremely interesting.

Nevertheless, sadly, all I can say is that the entire affair felt sterile, odd, with the lines between consent and coercion getting a bit too blurry for my taste. At the same time, it felt like the film was too scared to do anything too daring or groundbreaking, and chose to remain frustratingly tame and surface-level in the way it touched upon the two protagonists' psyches, desires, and actions.

On the plus side, the erotic scenes felt authentic, realistically awkward, and existed as part of the story with their main focus not being to titillate the audience but to serve the narrative. Romy's story is not an uncommon one. It's a frequent occurrence for women, of all ages, to go through entire relationships suppressing their desires and needs, sexual or otherwise, or to at least avoid discussing them, with frustrations and feelings piling up over the years. I just felt that the message would have been communicated way better if Romy wasn't also shown to have a loving, affectionate husband, who appeared perfectly willing to listen and communicate. Or if whatever barrier was keeping her stuck was made clearer.

To the film's credit, it's also a plus that it does hint that both Romy and Samuel are inexperienced, confused, and not exactly sure of what it is that they are doing. Their situationship is not presented as entirely healthy, or ideal, they both act sloppily and irresponsibly. That said, there's also a lack of accountability or consequence, for everyone involved, that leaves the story lacking.

Frankly, I really appreciate what the film tried to do, and the story it tried to tell. I hope we keep seeing more films exploring the perspectives of women in that light. I'd love to see more movies revolve around women in their 40s, 50s, or 60s, being flawed, being messy, falling in love, falling apart, and being imperfect. I just wish that 'Babygirl' had done it in a better way.

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