In a large ballroom in Houston Texas, two men sit across from each other on a large stage. There is a large monitor between them and a crowd of jeering people behind them, they both are playing the game Street Fighter 6 on the largest stage Texas has to offer. The game comes down to the very last round but a Dallas native under the the gamer name of Coosco clutches out a close set to move on in the tournament. They are both at a tournament called Texas Showdown, held in Houston, Texas every year. This is the biggest tournament in Texas and it means a lot to Coosco who has been working to win it all. He has been a pillar of the fighting game community and looks to become more than that during each tournament he travels to. From the beginning Micheal “Coosco” Henderson is a Player and community figure for the fighting game community from Dallas, Texas. He originally started playing fighting games as a kid but was inspired when he watched the largest Fighting game in the world...
No spoilers When Hades 2 was originally announced at the Game Awards in 2022, I was only tangentially interested in playing it. Its version of isometric rogue-like action was not my cup of tea back in 2022 but its versions of Greek gods and mythology interested me. I grew up reading the Percy Jackson books and during that time learned to love the mythology and conflicts made by having younger heroes clash with mythical gods and monsters. I was heavily reminded of this when I first booted up the original Hades this year to play one of 2020’s best games. Most people I had spoken to loved the game and my experience echoed many of those I had heard. Hades is a great mash of well-designed systems, that interweave interesting replayable combat design and great storytelling. Hades was the first roguelike that I had spent a lot of time playing and it remains the favorite game I have beaten this year for sure. The week after I had beaten Hades, Hades 2 appeared like a miracle. ...
This is a short personal story that I wrote for a writing class in spring 2024. Photo obtained Via Vector Stock Photos I never really thought about death. My life had gone through many stages but no one I ever knew well really died or went through a harrowing experience as far as I knew. Death was something we would talk about, but only in conversations about the future. I never thought about what it would be like to experience a loved one almost dying. The drive to the hospital was one of the most harrowing of my life. It did not occur to me the ironic nature of me driving at high speeds to get to the hospital but it did not matter. The police were not specific about the nature of the crash but if I went to the hospital I knew I would be able to see the result. It was late and the ER was quiet except for an older couple sitting in the corner. I walked past them and made my way past a secure door where I found the person I was looking for. My sister was on...