Deep Dives
Every game leaves a mark — a memory, a feeling, sometimes an obsession. Deep Dives is where academic research meets firsthand player experience. No jargon, no footnotes — just the questions that keep Laurie up at night, turned into essays for anyone who’s ever rage-quit, cried at a cutscene, or lost a weekend to a game they swore they’d only play for an hour.
Dungeons of Hinterberg sends a burned-out lawyer trainee on vacation to an Alpine village with dungeons and monsters. It doesn't just tell you that Luisa is on vacation — it makes you feel like you are, too.
Nivalis is a dying cyberpunk city and everybody knows it. So why does flying through the rain and delivering packages become one of the most comforting things a game has ever made me feel?
Road 96 never stops looking like a road trip. It simply stops feeling like one. Here's why that change mattered more than any plot twist or political message.