Fringe Busters

The IT guys in my office are named Randy and Andy. They’re friendly and conversational, as IT guys go. But when they’re moving around the building, passing between workstations and laying hands on problem devices, they have a set of blinders on that put Secretariat to shame.

Political skill is occasionally referred to as “gamesmanship.” With such a clearly game-like environment, why are there not more actual video games about politics? Other than The Political Machine series, I can’t think of any notable video games in the genre.

Adventure games have long relied on, shall we say, creative applications of logic. Veterans of the genre will recall the days when gluing a cat-hair mustache to your face with syrup was an acceptable way to disguise yourself.

The air vents and backalleys of Deus Ex: Human Revolution have given me a new appreciation for stealth games. Very few stealth games get it right, and DX:HR manages this with aplomb. One of the essential ingredients is atmosphere — that tension where a guard could spot you at any minute is essential to bringing the feeling of stealth to a player.