Jennifer Knapp was never exactly “edgy,” even for Christian music, but she was among the most brutally honest artists of the late 90s, never hiding her doubts, and managing to write about faith, God, and even theological concepts without the crutches of emotional sap or cliche. She wrote songs about “skin-art junkies,” covered Shawn Colvin, and all the while expressed hesitance about become a Christian “star.” Apparently the hesitance won out: after making an expensive, contractually-obligated third record (her least... Read more

This weekend I finished Bioshock, an Xbox 360 game that is certainly not for everyone but is nonetheless a haunting, thoughtful, and beautifully constructed game that causes you to rethink not only the nature of games, but the nature of choice, innocence, government, and religion as well. If you’ve played it or are interested in the least, there is an incredibly well put-together Critical Thinking Compilation of Bioshock available. Read more

For those of you who own and Xbox 360 and Halo 3, get ready for a night of fun! Starting this Monday, we will be playing Halo 3 every week at 9:3o pm eastern time (8:30 central… mountain time and all that can do the math yourself). This will hopefully be a great chance to get to know our readers a little better and have some good conversation in between games. All you have to do to join in is... Read more

The 5 Major Trends Of the 2009 Game Developers Conference: The Importance of Player Expression Increasing Focus on Download The Blurring of Indie and Mainstream Games as a Social Force The iPhone Transcends Mobile Read more

Why does Star Wars still take over the minds of small boys? Read more

This is such a brutal headline: “Virtual Leagues Fold, Forcing Gamers to Find Actual Jobs” I’m not heartbroken, though. I’ve always been uncomfortable with the idea of video games as a sport or as mere competition. I’m sure it’s just taste, but I prefer my favorite medium to be primarily artistic rather than athletic in nature. I have doubts about gaming’s ability to progress artistically if it doesn’t first shun it’s skill-oriented goals. Then again, maybe this really is just... Read more

Bob Kauflin shares “ten reasons why musical forbearance might be good for our souls.” The whole article is good, but here’s the reasons, condensed: 1. Being a self-appointed music critic is often just a sign of pride. 2. Music doesn’t define us. 3. Great songs don’t always sound great the first time through. 4. Listening to music the masses have never heard of doesn’t make us better. 5. Listening to music that is massively popular doesn’t make us better. 6.... Read more

Two memoirs about turning to God, from two members of Korn. Read more