The Grace by Which We Stand: The Redemption of Anakin Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker’s story arc contains one of the most stunning and painful falls from grace in cinematic history… from a noble and heroic Jedi Knight who performed countless acts of […]
Deconstructing the Duck Hunt Dog
The gaming villain who had the greatest impact on me at a young age wasn’t Ganon, Ridley, or even Bowser… it was the Duck Hunt Dog. It wasn’t because he […]
Loving Those “Hard to Love” Enemies
Video game villains have evolved a LOT over the years… while our original antagonists like Ganon and Bowser had fairly basic motivations (making our lives difficult simply because they could), […]
The Impossible Becomes the Inevitable
In most of my gaming experiences, the primary antagonist reveals themselves in a grandiose display of overwhelming power at a time when my inexperienced protagonist is no match for them. And […]
Choosing the High Ground: A Means to an End
Almost every major gaming or movie villain feels the pressing need to explain themselves through massive one-sided monologues… they preach about their glorious purpose as they attempt to rationalize and […]
Donkey Kong: From Villain to Hero
Donkey Kong might be best known for his most recent actions as the hero of the Donkey Kong Country series of games, but that’s not how his story began… he […]
“Villains Gonna Villain”: Cracking the “Action/Reaction” Code
Choosing a “favorite” game villain can be a bit of a challenge… while almost every gaming experience is driven by an antagonist who propels our character forward on their journey, […]
Finding God in Video Games 