I Carved A Bobcat For My Mom

My mother has always been a pet person. She has on more than one occasion bought a dog or cat without the consent of my father. I remember one day in school, I was at recess (probably in 1st or 2nd grade at the time), and my mom showed up holding a puppy. I asked […]

Tear Down the Statues

Guest Post by my brother, Dave Bongiorno Many people are waking up to the fact that our “heroes of old” weren’t perfect. There is outrage and demand to tear down statues of confederate generals, the founding fathers of the United States, Christopher Columbus, and pretty much any other historical figure with a marked past. Anyone […]

Half-Life 2 and the Problem with Fun

Completion Date: December 2020 Platform: PC Completed: Main Story (57% Achievements Unlocked) Score: 7 out of 10 I remember one year when I was in college – in-between semesters, more accurately. It was summer, and I was enjoying a very long and idle summer break. I mostly stayed at my friend Kris’ house. We ate […]

The Real Cost of Forgetfulness

Humanity has done a lot, haven’t we? We’ve discovered fire, the wheel, soap, created the combustible engine, put a man into space, created the computer, then found a way to communicate with other computers (which involves dropping a very large cable across the entire ocean floor, which still baffles me to this day), built structures […]

What Lies in the Heart: A Darkest Dungeon Short Story

On all sides, only cold stone was found. Some crumbled, some crumbling, but all in a state of ruin. All was silent except for the crackle of flame. All was motionless except for the fire, dancing just above the wooden planks that fed it. The light illuminated the dark passages – just barely. Four figures […]

Darkest Dungeon and The Flaws Within

Completion Date: December 2020 Platform: PC Completed: Main Story Score: 8 out of 10 For one year of my life, my one and only goal was to speak as little as possible. I was in high school, and a confused kid. I think most of us have been there, except for maybe some of us […]

A Wrinkle In Time and the Everlasting Conflict

If you have (or had) young children, you will understand the horror and mini panic attacks that pursue a parent every night right around 7:30 pm. The children have had a full day of eating, drinking, watching television, playing far too many video games, and hopefully learning something, and now it’s time to begin the […]

I Made a Giraffe for My Mother-In-Law!

The first time I met my mother-in-law, I had no idea who she was. I was walking into church and she waved and gave me a smile, and I thought, “Who is this stranger smiling at me?”. Of course, I waved and smiled back. I had already met wife (then just a cute girl I […]

Middle Earth: Shadow of War and the Problem with Hype

Completion Date: November 2020 Platform: PC Completed: Main Story Score: 5 out of 10 The day was Friday, January 31, 1997. It was a day I will remember for the rest of my life. I was the drummer in an up-and-coming band (not really) and we had a show at my Youth Pastor’s house. I […]

The Porter: A Death Stranding Short Story

The Porter The grass shifted as the wind whipped against it. The mountaintops reached out towards the sky. Perhaps to petition for a delay in the pending downfall that would inevitably come, or perhaps raising their hands high in acceptance of the inevitable. The streams poured out in their own rhythmic time, having mixed with […]