On the Politics of Pikmin

You know what's awful and tedious about being a journalist? Transcribing hours of interviews. You know what's a great distraction from transcribing interviews? Having a wonderfully thoughtful conversation on the nature and ideology of Nintendo's Pikmin series with my good friend and fellow recent Medill graduate Anna "Anne" Frank. So here it is, mildly edited.

So I Graduated College...

Today, I graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. So I'm now just a journalist, not a journalism student. When I tweeted that out, game developer Gut Shot Games tweeted me this picture back.

So I'm not just a journalist, but, now more than ever, a games journalist.


I don't even like dogs.

Hands On With Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

I got to play the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and wrote about it for Paste Magazine. It's gonna be really fun. Check it out!

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/06/hands-on-with-super-smash-bros-for-wii-u-new-faces.html

"Halt and Catch Fire" Pilot Review

“Halt and Catch Fire” is proof that no matter how many things a TV show has going against it, all I need to give it a chance is a premise that speaks to my niche interests. Sure it’s another desperate attempt by AMC to finally have another show that’s actually good once “Mad Men” joins “Breaking Bad” in the great channel in the sky. Sure the main character is just another hyper competent, amoral, successful, white male anti-hero. And sure the title is basically for no one. But how can I not watch a series about the early 1980s PC boom? I was willing to tolerate the TV movie cheesiness of Pirates of Silicon Valley so of course I’m going to watch this.

Stubborn Gorilla: The Wonderfully Weird Ballad of Donkey Kong

     Did you think I had forgotten about this blog? Hot, original content coming  at you! Check out this thing I wrote about the strange history of my favorite Nintendo franchise: Donkey Kong.

     And if you aren't already, please follow me on Twitter @JordanWMinor. It's my main e-hangout space these days.

Considering the game named after him is what first put Nintendo on the map, Donkey Kong should be a pretty big deal. And yet, over 30 years after his arcade debut, he remains a B-level franchise at best. He's certainly no Legend of Zelda, and although he continues to appear in various Mario spinoffs, Super Mario 3D World got the big holiday release spot while Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was pushed to last February. However, existing in this strange space between "important enough to keep around" and "not important enough to hang our hopes onto" has made Donkey Kong's history one of the most enjoyably bizarre among Nintendo's more prominent mascots.

Watch "Who Wore it Best?"

Remember when I said video was the future? Well the future is now! Check out my new video show for 148Apps where similar iPhone and iPad games go head to head and I pick a winner.

http://www.148apps.com/news/wore-gnarbike-trials-bike-mayhem-mountain-racing-motoheroz/

Coding Clementines: Black Girls Make Games, Too

Here's my new, big video game feature story! This time for The Escapist. Just in time for Black History Month, I wrote about what it was like teaching game design to minority children at The Generation Station summer camp last year as well as the world of educational games in general.

Enjoy!