@BenKuchera

Ben Kuchera

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Diversity topics in the industry have recently focused on just one aspect; gender. Do you feel that other aspects of the overall topic - diversity - are being "drowned out" by the gender discussion?

Yes. There are a ton of problems when it comes to the characters in our games and the fact that mostly being made by young straight white men in their 20s and 30s. It's an incredibly homogenous industry, and I'd love to see that reality improve.
But I think we're seeing real movement in representation when it comes to gender, and today we just ran a story about how D&D actively encourages you to think about gender and sexuality, and that's something that's great to see. There are a ton of issues to tackle, but every win proves that progress can and will be made.

Do you finish the games you start? If not, when do you decide to stop?

I probably finish about 20 percent of the games I play. I decide to stop when I've gotten something to write out of them and I feel like I've explored at least a bit about the game, or I stop when I'm not having fun.

Do you tend to enjoy more Storytelling or Gameplay ?

It really depends on the game. I know that's kind of a bullshit answer, but I play some games for the story, and others for the play. It really depends on what I'm in the mood for.

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Xander C

What do you miss most about PAR, if anything?

This is a really weird question, and hard to answer. When you move from one outlet to another it's like breaking up with someone and then getting married. Do I miss parts of PAR? Absolutely, I had a great two years running that outlet.
But I'm really happy where I am, so looking back on a past relationship like that almost feels destructive in a way? I learned a ton from the experience, I still adore the people I worked with at Penny Arcade, and I'm glad I did it. It made me a different, better person, and meeting so many readers was the best.
So I don't know if I can pick just one thing, but all in all it was a very positive experience.

Do you play fighting games? You should play more fighting games.

I think any game that you can study for long periods of time is really attractive. In the gaming press we spend so much time bouncing from game to game to stay up on what's going around that really digging into a single game in a long-term, deep way can be rare. I'd love to pick a single fighting game and really learn it inside and out, the players who excel at fighting games are really fascinating to me.

How much Hearthstone do you get to play on a normal night? I'm lucky if I get three daily quests done in a week right now.

I haven't played in a week due to family stuff and being busy in general. My gaming for fun time is pretty limited right now, but I'd love to get back to it.
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Liked by: Emily

Why are you having a good day?

I am in some ways and in other ways today has been cruddy. I was mostly referring to the fact that my two youngest kids went to sleep pretty quickly and easily, which helps put me in a good mood at the end of the day.

Have you ever played on a Sega Game Gear? If so, what's your favorite game for it?

I have, but I only remember the Sonic games? It was a cool system, but I was a Game Boy man.

What strategies do you have for staying positive and productive amid stress/haters/etc?

I'm married to a wonderful woman, I have five kids who all have their health and who I love deeply, I enjoy my work, I'm well-respected in my field, I own my home, our van is paid off, and I have a big TV on which to play video games.
I gotta be honest, stress can be hard, and the Internet can be really negative at times, but staying positive isn't that hard. My life is pretty optimal.

What kind of music are you listening to these days?

mroahrig’s Profile PhotoMaxwell Roahrig
I like the new Lana Del Rey album, and the new Mastodon. I've been all over Sigur Ros lately, and and I've also been oddly hook on classed Warren Zevon. I try to be omnivorous with the music I listen to.

Opinions on Rick and Morty?

It's right up there with Bob's Burgers. I love it. Great writing, excellent visual gags, and it doesn't talk down to the viewer. It's one of my favorite shows right now.

Go watch the International. It's awesome.

So many people in the office are talking about it, I need to check out the stream for beginners.

I'm going to be traveling for work a lot soon. What's the best for gaming on the go? PS Vita, 3DS, or stick to my iPad?

If you have an iPad, there is no way you've played all the best games for that system. No one has that much free time. I'm not saying the 3DS and Vita aren't great, I have both of them, but I don't know if you need to buy another portable gaming device on top of your tablet.

I'm tempted to buy a WiiU, but I was wondering, could I operate that system with just a Pro controller? Gamepad felt like a cheap tablet with wiimotes taped to it.

Some games require the Gamepad.

Touching on the personal stories in games, have you played "To The Moon" and what were your thoughts if you did?

I thought it was lovely.

nintendo feels lost to me as a company. They are behind the times with pretty much everything. I know everyone is nut hugging them after E3.. But do you think they need to change their strategy when it comes to home consoles?

I think they need to show exactly what's unique about the Wii U through their software, get units sold, and do whatever it takes to bring third parties back on board. I'm not sure it's possible, but I don't like the idea of a games industry without Nintendo consoles.

Why are people not talking about how amazing Bobs Burgers is. Seriously that show is just amazing. I love it. Its like Roesanne and The Simpsons mushed together with some Home Movies in there.

I agree, it's probably my favorite show right now.

When it comes to freelance pitching I often hear it's important to be writing about timely topics. In your opinion, what's the window after a game's release when it's still relevant and worth an outlet's time and money to publish content about it? Weeks? Months? Even years?

It really depends on the angle. If it's years though... better be a damned good angle.

What was the last game that make you step back and go, "Holy shit, this is insanely fun and better than I ever expected?" Likewise, what game made you ridiculously disappointed?

Wolfenstein was much, much better than I was expecting. Watch Dogs was really disappointing.

Where do you see the video game news industry in 5 years. Seems like a really hard place to make a buck for a company or an individual. Thoughts on people using ad blockers?

I dislike people using ad blockers for the obvious reasons, and I hope people who do use them white list their favorite sites to support them.
Online news of ANY kind is a really hard place to make a buck, but I'm pretty optimistic that companies will find ways to make it work. There will always be a market for high-quality content, it's just a matter of finding out how to monetize it so the writers and editors and copyeditors and photographers can actually make a living making things people care about.
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Liked by: Lauren

What story or perspective do you most want to see as a game?

Anything where I don't have to pick up a gun. I really enjoy personal stories in games, and I'm getting kind of tired of saving the world. Smaller scale stuff is really attractive to me right now.

What do you think about the potential of streaming-game console hybrid boxes (á la the hypothetical A8 Apple TV) disrupting proper consoles? Sure, they won't burn, but will a massive market remain, enough to make $100 million games viable?

I'll believe it when I see it. The microconsole idea has crashed and burned every time it's been tried.

Pretend I know nothing: "Patreons"?

It's a website that allows people to monetarily support writers directly.

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