What is The Pixels?

You’ve stumbled upon a novelty. This is a video game website that writes about the games themselves.

The Pixels is named after those beloved pinpoints of light that represent the smallest, rawest elements that video games can be reduced to, visually speaking. As such, on this site, you can expect critiques that aim to deconstruct a video game in order to examine its many moving parts to see if they serve the greater experience or not. Besides longer critiques, we also feature shorter reviews, editorials and opinion pieces, and the odd collab. We’ll cover any game, from any era, on any system, no matter how big or how small, modern or retro. The mighty pixel is ubiquitous.

Here are our promises to you:

-No clickbait.

We want you to click on an article because you’re interested in its content, not because the title of a post fooled you into clicking that link. We aren’t going to lead you to expect something that isn’t there and so we respectfully request that you read beyond the headlines.

-No politicization.

When you read a post about a video game, you can expect to read about that video game, not a tirade or soapbox about the author’s random political views. “No politicization” doesn’t mean treating everything as apolitical or that politics has no place in games. It means we won’t make something more political than it already is or needs to be, especially by imposing our own political views onto the subject.

-No demonization. 

It’s easy to dismiss opposing opinions by associating them with despicable groups that themselves are easily dismissed, but an argument should be weighed and evaluated on its own basis. Anyone could be a mere stan or hater, but the soundness of a line of reasoning is chief among critics. Therefore, our writing focuses less on lumping groups and opinions together and more on the qualities and traits of the games themselves.

-No nontroversy. 

While we can’t refuse to comment on a controversy or scandal, we won’t let our feed become dominated by chasing the latest gossip or taking sides in the latest nontroversy. Gaming discussion today is seemingly overwhelmed with sectarian battles, fandom fights, culture wars, hyperbole, and death threats, but we cover the games themselves. We’re not a news website. Better equipped and more interested teams can handle that.

-No game is sacred. 

While we at The Pixels love games very much, we’re not in love with them. In other words, “they’re just games”. Not creeds, nations, ethnicities, etc. Criticizing a game does not equal criticizing a person or persons who enjoy that game, and we reserve the right to be critical without being deliberately offensive. Yes, games have helped people through difficult times but so has a little bit of humor. Games are our subjects and nothing can escape our critical sight. No game is safe. But you are.

-No gatekeeping. 

Games are for everyone. So is The Pixels. There’s no idealogical quiz required to write for us and neither do you have to share every view with a writer in order to enjoy their reviews and critiques. This website isn’t for real gamers (there’s no such thing) or for any particular fandom. It’s for anyone interested in developing the craft of video game criticism, seeing the future of gaming discussion flourish, and celebrating the artistry of this interactive form of entertainment.

The Pixels is the future. But it’s also the past.

We hope you enjoy our elemental video game critiques, reviews, and articles.

Thank you for reading.

-Red

CONTACT: thewellredmage@the-pixels.com