From Assassin’s Creed and Zelda to Red Dead and Grand Theft Auto, here are our picks for the best open-world games of all time.
Amanda Tien
Amanda Tien
Amanda Tien (she/her or they) loves video games where she can pet dogs, solve mysteries, punch bad guys, play as a cool female character, and/or have a good cry. She began writing with The Punished Backlog in 2020 and became an Editor in Fall 2021. Amanda also does a lot of the site's graphic designs and podcast editing. Amanda's work has been published in Mothership, Unwinnable Monthly, Poets.org, Salt Hill Journal, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA in Fiction from the University of Pittsburgh and a BA in Creative Writing from Columbia University. Learn more about her writing, visual art, teaching, graphic design, and marketing consulting at www.amandatien.com.
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In this podcast episode, we discuss video game protagonists. We debate create-a-character versus heroes and share our favorites.
The Mermaid Mask features a charming original soundtrack by Raphael Benjamin Meyer and the Budapest Art Orchestra. Here’s why it’s brilliant.