-
Me
My name is Kris Ligman. I curate This Week in Videogame Blogging for Critical Distance and write for Gamasutra. Check out my About page for more. -
Donations Welcomed
-
SELECT ONE
-
Latest Twitter Activity
- RT @PeterMolydeux: Game marketing text book error 'Don't get over excited about dogs' 57 minutes ago
- RT @YourInternetDad: a decade later the shattered remnants of the US army are wearing top of the line standard issue gear which is well kep… 58 minutes ago
- RT @PHIL_FISH: OH MY GOD WHO GIVES A FUCK 1 hour ago
- RT @dualhammers: @KrisLigman Girls did not survive the fall of freedom. 1 hour ago
- You can customize your manshooter avatar, as long as he's a dude, I guess? 1 hour ago
- RT @Kamiwoo: Cat of Duty: day one purchase. 1 hour ago
- RT @jeffgerstmann: Call of Duty: Fable 1 hour ago
- QUIT ACTIVATING MY KINECT, XBOX REVEAL. 1 hour ago
- A WOMAN INTRODUCING ANOTHER WOMAN!!! #XboxReveal 1 hour ago
- RT @JessicaMerizan: A lady!!! #XboxReveal 1 hour ago
-
Recent Posts
-
Categories
- Gaming (90)
- Consumer Reviews (10)
- Critical Distance (5)
- Critique and Analysis (47)
- Fandom and Misc (37)
- Let's Play (1)
- Moderation (3)
- Podcasts (7)
- Miscellaneous (206)
- Other Media (16)
- Film and Television (8)
- Music (2)
- Print Media (3)
- Web Video (3)
- TOTAL DISASTER (11)
- Gaming (90)
-
Tags
anders astronomy beautiful escape dungeoneer bioware carl sagan cat child of eden christine love critical distance don't take it personally babe it just ain't your story dragon age dragon age ii e3 fandom final fantasy vii flOw game review indiecade indie game katawa shoujo limbo littlebigplanet littlebigplanet 2 ludodecahedron mass effect mass effect 2 mass effect 3 media molecule minecraft my little pony nicolau chaud press x to jason rpg science fiction skyrim spec ops: the line star trek tetsuya mizuguchi thatgamecompany this is a disaster twivgb usc videogame videogame industry visual novels -
Currently
Category Archives: Photos
Return of Jason: Jason Harder
After the rather traumatic near miss with an SUV the night before, Jason came back the afternoon of the 14th and she has been living comfortably with me since. I’ve posted signs and a Craigslist ad, neither of which having turned up much of anything except prospective muggers and rapists because this is Los Angeles, so the next step will be taking her to the vet on my next day off.
If the vet finds a tracking chip on Jason, she’ll be reunited with a loving owner very soon. Otherwise, she’s got one right here. Yes; probably not the wisest decision to keep a pet despite the terms of a lease, but adoption and rehoming rates for black cats being as abysmal as they are, and those eyes being so criminally huge and needy, my hands are tied here. Quite tied. See how tied they are?
Again, a great deal of thanks is due to her devoted fanbase on Twitter for all the advice and feedback as I fell into the role of newfound single kitten-parenthood. Her very own hashtag is also doing quite well.
Initiating gratuitous kitten overload: Read More
Press X to Jason
I had a little visitor show up today. Quite appropriately dressed for the “holiday.”
I’ve taken to calling her Jason, because there is no more appropriate name for a black cat which shows up on Friday the 13th, even if she is a girl. I would place her at maybe 3-5 months old. She is loud, tiny, dirty, needy, and very clearly a recent adoptee who has lost her owner. She also has a tendency to hiss at the slightest thing that startles her– and then goes right back to mewling, purring, and rolling on the (even dirtier) ground asking for belly rubs like a puppy.
In short, I’m in love. Confound these kitties!
If she decides to stick around (she’s sleeping on my slippers right now; below) then I’ll get to posting up some signs. Sadly, even if no one comes forward to claim her, she can’t stay: landlord’s been very adamant about no pets. But keeping her around till she gets fixed and inoculated seems a far sight better than dropping her off at the nearest shelter.
In the event I can’t track down her owner, any takers? Must love horror films and absurd levels of adorable.
ETA: Sad times. I went out to grab Jason some more tuna and milk, and she followed me to the grocery store. (That’s not the sad part. That’s the cute part. The sad part is coming.) However, she’s still very skittish, and a loud car sent her bolting across the street. Luckily it avoided her, but she then hid under a neighbor’s truck and even after we coaxed her out with a bit of food she fled again.
I’ve left out a plate of food and a bowl of water in case she comes back. If not, thanks for brightening up my Friday the 13th, Jason.
Introducing Jennifer Roy
I’m pleased to announce that Critical Distance will have not one but two representatives on the floor of E3 this year. Joining me next Tues-Thurs is friend and colleague Jennifer Roy, Southern California resident and photographer of awesome things. Three guesses what her job will be and the first two don’t count.
Below the cut, some more examples of Jenny’s work. See you all at the expo!
Chocorooms 2: The Mutation
So, you may remember this post from last year where I discovered a bit of an… awkward candy in the Meiji production line.
Well, Meiji (makers of Pocky, YamYam, etc) seem to have discontinued Chocorooms, but apparently they still had plenty of the product backlogged, because now another distributor seems to be hocking them in dollar stores.
I’m not sure what’s weirder. The encouragement that we should have fun eating our fun little Chocoboy friend, or that said friend still looks like someone who can help get you high.
Let Michael Lee Rhodes Go (whoever that is)!
So, no roundup again tonight, because after spending 10 hours polishing off a paper for Henry Jenkins’s Transmedia class, I’m still faced with drawing up the bulk of a tabletop campaign for William Huber’s Game Studies course. Can’t let the little undergrads down (even if they’re showing me about as much enthusiasm as an actor in the Star Wars prequels right now).
Anyway, I was in Santa Clarita on Sunday and at a stoplight I spotted this:

Text reads: "Please let Michael Lee Rhodes free from being held hostage in the mountain." Or "mountains." Not sure.
Maybe it’s just the result of being in Henry’s class all semester, but my brain keeps going “ARG ARG ARG ARG ARG ARG.” Googling doesn’t turn up much material (just blog posts like this). On the other hand, this was spotted along Magic Mountain Parkway. Hmmm.
Anyway, to whatever horrible human beings/ancient alien conspirators/Six Flags executives behind Michael Lee Rhodes’s kidnapping, let him go already! The suspense is killing me.
ETA: Oh, Susan Fujiki has more! I’d love to keep digging into this tonight, but those encounter charts aren’t going to write themselves.
Don’t be jealous of my new hair
Yeah, I’m still on vacation here. Probably until the first week of classes is done with, and possibly longer than that. However, I had my hair done today, and Eric Swain demanded photos. And, well, once you get me in front of my crappy webcam, bad things happen. Luna Lovegood and really random-ass Naked Snake omnomming Pikachu cosplay happens. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
(I tried to do the eyepatch thing and failed. Maybe closer to Halloween when all the costume shops open up.)
Art in the Streets Exhibit at MOCA
Someone still hasn’t found Pharod so will have to put the new Play-Along post up after work tonight. In the meantime, here’s a selection of photos I took yesterday at the Art in the Streets graffiti exhibit.
(Warnings for large images and NSFW artistic nudity.)














