@BenKuchera

Ben Kuchera

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I like Destiny but I laugh at how just mystical and bland the story is. "The Darkness!!" "Guardians" Its so silly. What do you think/feel?

I think we should wait until we play the final game, but the world is way more interesting than the story, if that makes sense. The design of the environments is really interesting to me, and I'd rather fill in the blanks with my stories and history than the overt story that we're given. It's a neat setting.

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Xander C

From one father to another, what's your views on homeschooling?

I've never done it but I've known others who do, with varying degrees of success. It seems like it would take a ton of discipline for both the parents and the children.

Last time I asked you how to meet like minded people and now I met someone cool after going to a weird book store/geeky store place. She seems to really like me and were going on a date this weekend. So thank you! I feel dumb having 2ask 4 help on how to be a normal social person..but thanks. :)

This is great! There is nothing wrong with asking for help on this stuff, it doesn't come easily to everyone. The important thing is you're taking positive action, and it sounds like it's making you happier, so that's cool as hell.

Not a question, but thanks again for all that you do. Started reading you at PAR and been hooked since. I think the world needs more journalists like you. Way too many "message board media journalists" in the world right now getting too much press.

Hey, thanks for reading! It's crazy to have the sort of career where people follow you from outlet to outlet, and it makes me feel really good. I appreciate the message!

Kudos for having the ability to turn the chrome extension from something meant as an insult into something hilarious without being insulting or condescending. Between that and your kickstarter piece, you've really got me thinking. Keep up the good work!

I definitely don't want to counter-attack when people do things like that, and it's actually ultra-flattering when people MAKE things that interact with your work, even if it's meant as a slight. That sort of thing can be a fun part of this job, even if it's meant as a slight. I'd rather laugh at myself than get upset about it.
I'm glad you're enjoying the work and the Twitter feed!

After hearing you talk about Valiant Hearts, I looked up the trailer and immediately bought it. Good God, it's an amazing medium of gameplay and storytelling. I never would have known nor wanted to read up so much on what happened around WWI past what was thrown at us in grade school.

I'm glad!

You write about feminism and representation in games a lot. Can you remember the "oh god I've got it so easy and other games don't" moment for you? Mine was discussing an annoying character in Dragon Age II.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by this. Games or gamers?

As someone who's always interested in the history of things, I believe we are currently going through a golden age of the Video Games medium. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this.

I'm not sure about a golden age, but it's a pretty great time to be gaming.

Ever play Legend of Mana? Any hope for that series ?

Way back in the day, but I have no clue what's gone with it since the SNES days.

Do you make you kids play old games you loved? Jumping Flash? Neverhood?

Nah, most of them are old enough to choose what they want to play. Skylanders are big in my house, as is Mario Kart.

1. Are you playing any games now that you would never have dared to a few years back? 2. What's your take on how other studios not being able to crank out the level of depth and quality Rocksteady has on the Batman Arkham series for other established icons e.g Spider-man?

1) Yep, League of Legends. It's a great game and it took me a long time to build up the courage to try it.
2) That's a really broad question. Studios can be hindered by the property, by budget, but a lack of time, by any number of things. So it's hard to say why some games fail and others don't, but it may not always be the fault of the people working on it.

Why do some people seem to have such vitriolic hate for your? Serious question, I just haven't seen you do anything so controversial to warrant the level of occasional backlash. Do you have any idea what you've written/said that's flared up such anger?

I've been doing this for over ten years, for many big publications, and I'm very successful at it. A lot of people disagree with the things I write, they get frustrated and fall into the "why does he get to do this and I don't" trap, and it makes them bitter. Anyone who says that much negative stuff about someone online is at war with themselves, not the target of their anger.

Following up the retro design question, I asked because I started playing Shovel Knight today and it feels completely different than all of the other retro indie games, mainly in how completely un-ironic it is in its presentation and style. Before that, I thought were just indulging in nostalgia.

I can see that! It's a very sincere game.

Do you think the current hot trend of retro styled games is a legitimate re-evaluation and unearthing of a lost sense of game design, or just an indulgence in nostalgia that says more about an aging gamer culture than anything.

Go play Shovel Knight. That's a game directly informed by the design of NES games, while ignoring certain aspects of that time period. It's an example of how to do retro while still making a modern game. Plus it's hella fun.

Do you watch Zero Punctuation? What do you think of Yahtzee as a reviewer?

I think he's incredibly astute and packs really strong insights into a package that's really fun to watch and listen to. People think he's just being cynical, but they don't see the level of craft that goes into what he does. It's not easy, and I have a ton of respect for him. I'm glad he's around, I'm a fan.
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Having been so heavily involved in the industry for so long, have you ever felt the desire to design or make a videogame yourself?

Nope. I'd rather play them and talk about them. If I wanted to do something creative I'd want to write a novel or maybe a comic book.

Do you think Morpheus will be a serious challenger to Oculus or is Sony just trying to cash in on the "VR fad"?

I would love to see Morpheus launch with a good selection of games at a really attractive price. I've used the hardware a few times now, and I really dig it. I have some nits to pick but it's still in the early days of development, and considering it still has a ways to go I'm impressed by how much it does right.
So I think it could certainly be a big benefit to VR. I hope it is.

Why is it so difficult to find people on youtube doing thoughtful, "adult" content on gaming? Also, do you have some favourites you can share?

I don't really watch a ton of Youtube, sorry.

How great was that "Geez Ben I just want some potato salad" @ reply the other day?

I laughed so hard. Which is why conversations about this stuff is so interesting. There's so much to unpack and discuss, but other people just see food. You can either dig into what Mountain is trying to say, or you think a game with almost no interaction is stupid. Both responses are valid.

You're a VR fan. You ever own a Virtual Boy?

Yes, and I loved it. There's even a Virtual Boy emulator for the Rift that I still play on occasion.

Polygon hasn't been around as long as some other publications, but are there plans for internships in the near/far future? How do you feel an excursion like that would best be organized for such a niche, yet multifaceted style of journalism like Polygon's?

That's not really my decision to make, and I'm still the new guy at the site. I'd ask someone who has been around since the launch. :-)

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