Thoughts

Thoughts, guides, ideas and reviews from the Melledorks.

Why Secure Boot Won’t Save Online Gaming (And How It Hurts Gamers Instead)

Secure Boot isn’t the cheat-stopping miracle developers think it is — it’s already been bypassed, and it’s locking out more honest gamers than hackers. If we wa...

My PC, My Rules? Not According to Modern Anti-Cheats

The fight against cheating has led to invasive, kernel-level anti-cheats that treat our powerful, customizable PCs like locked-down consoles, fundamentally viol...

Why We Love to Suffer: The Rise of 'Hostile' Games

The growing popularity of intentionally difficult "hostile" games is driven by players seeking the profound catharsis and satisfaction that comes from overcomin...

More Lore Isn't Better

Sometimes, a game with a thousand planets and a library of lore feels totally hollow. Then you play something else, maybe with simpler graphics or a smaller map...

The Optimizer's Dilemma

Our natural instinct to find the most efficient path can paradoxically lead us to "optimize the fun out" of our favorite games...

The Thrill of the Hunt: Unpacking the Enduring Appeal of Monster Hunter

Ever since Monster Hunte World I've loved this serious. It's unique, it's grindy and it's fun. A lot of things I like about games....