The unwritten rules that permeate our social lives are deadly serious, and often very stupid. Case in point: the 1922 Straw Hat Riot, when New York City youths spent eight mid-September days beating up men who were wearing straw hats, because it was no longer appropriate to wear straw hats, which were summer hats. Fashion!
Sports and games are lousy with unwritten rules, which can also be stupid and can also have violent consequences. In baseball, for example, a batter who flaunts etiquette by stealing a base when their team has a commanding lead is liable to be the target of the next pitch they face. I maybe don’t love that a player gets beaned, but I love these ludicrous codes and customs and rituals, with all their pettiness, superstition and mysticism. Why do boxers tap gloves before sparring? The answer isn’t just ‘respect’ – it’s more supernatural than that.
Unwritten rules carry the same power in videogames, and they’re endless. Saying ‘glhf’ before a game, saying ‘gg’ at the end. Some combatants in Elden Ring and other From Software RPGs exchange bows before striking. FPSes like CS:GO and Rainbow Six: Siege are bursting with taboos and mores. Some are shared, but each game has its own set of rules, and they often conflict with the goal of the game. In Chivalry 2, it can be rude to interrupt players who are duelling off to the side of a fight, even if it could help them and your team.
A New Dawn - The rise, fall and rise again of PC Gaming in Japan
The so-called 'Paso Kon' market (ie katakana's transliteration of 'Pasonaru Computa') in Japan was originally spearheaded in the 1980s by NEC's PC-8800 and, later, its PC-9800.
MARVEL: ULTIMATE ALLIANCE
Enter the multiverse of modness.
SLIDES RULE
Redeeming a hated puzzle mechanic with SLIDER
GODS AND MONSTERS
AGE OF MYTHOLOGY: RETOLD modernises a classic RTS with care
PHANTOM BLADE ZERO
Less Sekiro, more Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
STARR-MAKING ROLE
Final Fantasy XVI's BEN STARR talks becoming a meme and dating summons
THIEF GOLD
Learning to forgive myself for knocking out every single guard.
HANDHELD GAMING PCs
In lieu of more powerful processors, handhelds are getting weirder
FAR FAR AWAY
STAR WARS OUTLAWS succeeds at the little things, but not much else shines
FINDING IMMORTALITY
Twenty-five years on, PLANESCAPE: TORMENT is still one of the most talked-about RPGs of all time. This is the story of how it was created as a ‘stay-busy’ project by a small team at Black Isle Studios
