Discussion
How quickly does it take you to become obsessed with a game?
I have been playing a lot of Diablo 4 in the time since the early access for pre-orders went live.
On a scale from 1 to “This Is Fine,” how overwhelmed are you with gaming?
I don't exactly want to complain about the embarrassment of riches we currently face.
Halfway through the year, how are your most anticipated games of 2023 looking?
Game development and release is fluid and change is frequent -- some games release on time, some are delayed for various reasons, and others are cancelled (or at least parts of them) outright.
How has your experience been during the Diablo 4-World of Warcraft crossover event?
Diablo 4 finally arrives this weekend and World of Warcraft is celebrating with the return of the Treasure Goblin from the 20th Anniversary event (the Cow King is missing in action, perhaps a hint of the Cow Level possibly missing in D4).
What preparations are you making for the Diablo 4 launch?
It’s like Christmas is coming.
How do you feel about frivolity in your serious games?
I'm a huge proponent of immersion when it comes to my gaming, sometimes to my own detriment.
What else do you nerd out about?
The idea for this discussion stemmed from the very careful, excellent research by Christian Thoma and Phil Ulrich in our Diablo 4 characters series.
How do you respond to toxic behavior in gaming and fandom?
Blizzard is getting ready to launch the newest chapter in the Diablo franchise, lots of people are talking about whether the game will be ready and stable for launch, and all I can think about is whether the authentication servers will be DDOSd again like seemingly every major gaming release in the last decade.
How do reviews affect your interest in upcoming games?
With Diablo 4 on the horizon, I find myself gripped by the certainty that if I read a negative review, or even a hundred negative reviews, my own experience playing the game in the Early Access, Open Beta, and Server Slam periods means that I know that those reviews would not convince me.
Escape, power, or robot dinosaurs — how do you decide which game you’re going to play on any given day?
For me, the games I play -- be they video games or tabletop games or even the extremely rare incidents of me going out to throw a ball with my dog -- are chosen through a lens of escapism.
