Mind Control Division

Media intelligence through investigation and experimentation

The Mind Control Division is the intelligence arm of Blaine Kyllo's Solo Corps. This department conducts investigations and experiments into media culture, which includes, but is not limited to, writing on television, video games, and books.

I’m currently writing on video games ("Trigger Happy" in the Georgia Straight and "Joystuck" in FFWD Weekly), consumer technology ("Techno Logic" in the Georgia Straight), and television ("Remote View" appears at CinemaSpy.ca).

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Valve's success comes from listening to gamers · 21 November 2009, 12:26

My “Trigger Happy” column In this week’s Georgia Straight is a look at Bellevue, Washington developer Valve, the publisher of such games franchises as Half-Life, Counter-Strike, and Left 4 Dead.

Doug Lombardi was informing and interesting as he explained how he thinks the company has been so successful in the business. I mean, if you look at the games they’ve released, Valve hasn’t ever shipped a stinker.

The developer and publisher Valve has made itself one of the video-game industry’s success stories by doing the opposite of what might have been expected of it.

Also this week is my review of Left 4 Dead 2, which expands on what I revealed after spending the day playing the game with the likes of designer Kim Swift.

Filed in Trigger-Happy, video-games

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