C.S. Voll

A historian, writer, and gamer. Join him on his quest through the world of electronic entertainment.

Several knights and casters stand facing rolling fields, snowy mountains, and fires.

The Unusual Rise of Fantasy RPGs in Japan

Unlike in the West, developers in Japan had to unearth a new love for a niche genre

A dark-haired man in a suit stands with hands on a government official desk in a presidential office.

Suzerain Does the Most Terrifying Thing: Elects You the Leader

Get ready to give this political simulation game your vote.

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 31

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 31

What are you playing?

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 30

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 30

What are you playing?

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Captures a Different Creature

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Captures a Different Creature

An experience full of surprises

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 29

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 29

What are you playing?

Once Upon a Time, Grocery Barcodes Unlocked an RPG World

Once Upon a Time, Grocery Barcodes Unlocked an RPG World

When a barcode-scanning handheld made waves in gaming

Freedom Fighters Lives on in the Memories of Gamers

Freedom Fighters Lives on in the Memories of Gamers

IO Interactive's non-Hitman projects from its early days

This is the Choice of Steins;Gate

This is the Choice of Steins;Gate

Since 2009, one visual novel has changed many lives

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 27

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 27

Metaphor, Dragon Age, and so much more!

Tetris at 40: The Twisting Tale of Its Journey to Handhelds

Tetris at 40: The Twisting Tale of Its Journey to Handhelds

The most-ported game ever found its way to some very unusual places

Choices Have Consequences in 428: Shibuya Scramble

Choices Have Consequences in 428: Shibuya Scramble

Branching paths take you to interesting destinations

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 25

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 25

What are you playing?

Promises of a Phantom: Dreams of a Lost Console From 2002

Promises of a Phantom: Dreams of a Lost Console From 2002

An ill-fated vision for an online games library

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 24

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 24

What are you playing?

Stories That Shine Like Stained Glass

Stories That Shine Like Stained Glass

The Pillars of the Earth pulls us into a violent medieval world

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 22

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 22

What are you playing?

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 21

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 21

More genres than you can shake a stick at

Firewatch Burns a New Path to Understanding

Firewatch Burns a New Path to Understanding

Answers appear on an auburn horizon

Nintendo's DS Delivered the Visual Novel to the West

Nintendo's DS Delivered the Visual Novel to the West

No other platform did as much to popularize the genre

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 20

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 20

RPGs abound, with a side of monkey business

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Defends the Reputation of Truth

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles Defends the Reputation of Truth

Reaching back into history in order to look forward

Sid Meier's Pirates! Allowed Gamers to Become Swashbucklers

Sid Meier's Pirates! Allowed Gamers to Become Swashbucklers

Hoisting the anchor

Worlds Changed at the Computer Game Developers Conferences of 1988

Worlds Changed at the Computer Game Developers Conferences of 1988

Explorers in uncharted lands

A Mortician's Tale Asks Us to Think About Death

A Mortician's Tale Asks Us to Think About Death

Laundry Bear Games shines a light on the funeral industry