Categories
Video Games

Malfunctioning Ethics: Art Theft, Bungie, and Marathon

By Public Service Associate Paul

Left: Marathon (1994 art) | Right: Marathon (2025 art)

Buckle in, there’s a history lesson coming, but I promise it’s going somewhere…
It’s May 1991, thousands of American troops are preparing to return from deployment in the Gulf War, the Queen of England visits Congress for the first time, and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System is readying to hit shelves. Meanwhile, following his graduation from the University of Chicago, Alex Seropian founded his own gaming company named Bungie Software.

Categories
Video Games

Terms and Conditions May Apply

Gaming and the Illusion of “Ownership”

By Public Service Associate Paul

Picture yourself as a child in the 5th generation of home video game consoles–a time when the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Sega Saturn stood like titans, engaged in a fiery battle for your imagination. You are buckled into the backseat of the family car, clutching your new GameStop gift card like it’s a golden ticket, your mind already drifting to the aisles that await. You can already see them in your head: rows of game cases lined like soldiers with their glossy covers bursting with heroes, villains, and far off lands calling to you. You push past your parents and feel the cool air as the automatic doors whoosh open. Your eyes adjust to the fluorescent lights, and you see the shelves stretching endlessly, glowing like a treasure trove of pixelated promises. You wander, starry eyed through the electric wonderland, your hands dragging along the spines of cases, each one whispering a new adventure to your imagination.