“Phew.” That was my feeling when I finished Naughty Dog’s successor to their acclaimed 2013 title. Not a “phew, I’m glad that’s over because it was awful”, more of a “phew, I’m glad that’s over because I’m not sure I could have managed much more of this tension”. It’s a hard game to review without…
Arts, Venue
Arts favourites of the year so far, from new releases to old loves
My choice of the year is The Lost Future of Pepperharrow, by UEA alumni Natasha Pulley: a delightful sequel to her debut novel The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, which could not have come at a better moment to whisk you away from the strange times we find ourselves in. Gentle, witty, and beautifully crafted as…
Gaming, Venue
The Cream of the Crop 2019-20
And there we have it, a whole year of Concrete and Venue has flown by, a whole year of fantastic articles, Post Pub-Pub, and office antics. It has been wonderful to end my university experience as part of this wonderful team and I hope many of you are encouraged to apply for editor positions when…
Gaming, Venue
Where are all the mothers?
During lockdown I, like many, have abandoned all summatives and turned my focus to pure procrastination, treating myself in the Spring Sales far too much and replaying some beloved golden oldies. It was starting ‘God of War (2018)’ from the beginning for the umpteenth time that made me realise the lack of motherhood (for better…
Gaming, Venue
What we’re playing in isolation
Hello everyone, hope you’re all keeping safe in these weird times. As you can see, Concrete and Venue have gone completely online for this year’s remaining issues so thank you for taking the time to keep on writing for and reading us! A lot of us have suddenly found ourselves with an increased amount of…
Arts, Venue
Special Gems
Hendrickje Stoffels by Rembrandt My special gem is the ‘Portrait of Hendrickje Stoffels’ by Rembrandt that hangs in the London National Gallery. While the painter tends to be well known for his dark and stoic portraits of wealthy men, this piece is a tender and intimate creation stemming from love and admiration. It’s a gem…
Creative Writing, Venue
When we reflect
When we reflect I see you but I can’t see me in you. I see those things that others see as me Height colour eyes face All those things I can’t replace But that still Aren’t Me. And then I bully them. I prod poke push Beat bind brush Until some semblance of you is…
Gaming, Venue
Let’s talk about sex
In light of the Concrete Sex and Drug Survey, I felt it was a good time to discuss sex in gaming (there’s not that many natural opportunities I will admit): what’s been done well, what has been done (really) bad, and what should we be looking for in the future? Let’s take a look at…
Gaming, Venue
We need to talk about gaming.
In the last three years the gaming industry has made an incredible amount of money. In fact, studies show that every year they make almost double the combined profit of music and film. With this rise in popularity we have seen an explosion in the number of games produced and a considerable increase in the…
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