Sean Thomas Milligan
@stmilligan.bsky.social
Academic Success Advisor & Adjunct Instructor of English at SUNY Oswego. Enjoys and studies pop culture, especially comics, horror films, and gaming.
https://ctrlaltdecay.substack.com/
I write about pop culture on my substack!
https://ctrlaltdecay.substack.com/
I write about pop culture on my substack!
2025 is the Year of the Ninja in video games! Loved playing Shinobi, Ninja Gaiden, etc. (Close second: Year of the Superhero thanks to MARVEL Cosmic Invasion and Dispatch).
#videogames #videogamesky #gaming
#videogames #videogamesky #gaming
December 12, 2025 at 2:48 PM
2025 is the Year of the Ninja in video games! Loved playing Shinobi, Ninja Gaiden, etc. (Close second: Year of the Superhero thanks to MARVEL Cosmic Invasion and Dispatch).
#videogames #videogamesky #gaming
#videogames #videogamesky #gaming
My favorite gameplay element with the best implementation in 2025 was level select screens. Several newer games like Shinobi or Cosmic Invasion let you pick your own path which gives a greater sense of adventure. Happy to see these come back in a few games!
#gaming #videogames #videogamesky
#gaming #videogames #videogamesky
December 11, 2025 at 1:58 PM
My favorite gameplay element with the best implementation in 2025 was level select screens. Several newer games like Shinobi or Cosmic Invasion let you pick your own path which gives a greater sense of adventure. Happy to see these come back in a few games!
#gaming #videogames #videogamesky
#gaming #videogames #videogamesky
My pick for the best free content update in 2025 is Crime Scene Cleaner! This is a game where I always look forward to new maps, perhaps more than any other game out there, so 2 new maps (with the promise of more to come) is great!
#games #videogames #gaming #horror #goty #crimescenecleaner
#games #videogames #gaming #horror #goty #crimescenecleaner
December 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
My pick for the best free content update in 2025 is Crime Scene Cleaner! This is a game where I always look forward to new maps, perhaps more than any other game out there, so 2 new maps (with the promise of more to come) is great!
#games #videogames #gaming #horror #goty #crimescenecleaner
#games #videogames #gaming #horror #goty #crimescenecleaner
Write-up about a few potential readings of the "blue magic" mechanic in many JRPGs and other video game genres (Mega Man and Kirby, too, can be seen as a sort of blue mage).
#games #videogames #writing #gaming #jrpg #academia
#games #videogames #writing #gaming #jrpg #academia
The Philosophy of Blue Magic
An analysis of JRPG "blue magic" skills from several angles
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:31 PM
CULTIC: Chapter 2 wins my personal award for “spookiest scares,” even in a year with some other horror bangers. Despite being a fast-paced “boomer shooter,” CULTIC often slows down the pace for a straight-up horror segment.
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com
#horror #games #videogames #gaming #goty #cultic
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com
#horror #games #videogames #gaming #goty #cultic
December 6, 2025 at 2:30 PM
CULTIC: Chapter 2 wins my personal award for “spookiest scares,” even in a year with some other horror bangers. Despite being a fast-paced “boomer shooter,” CULTIC often slows down the pace for a straight-up horror segment.
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com
#horror #games #videogames #gaming #goty #cultic
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com
#horror #games #videogames #gaming #goty #cultic
NPR always puts out the best end-year games list that I can rely on for interesting write-ups of games that are both households names as well as unknowns.
The best games of 2025, picked by NPR's staff
From indies like Blue Prince to big console exclusives like Donkey Kong Bananza, NPR staff members and contributors round up their favorite games of 2025.
www.npr.org
December 5, 2025 at 7:51 PM
NPR always puts out the best end-year games list that I can rely on for interesting write-ups of games that are both households names as well as unknowns.
On behalf of my Substack ctrlaltdecay.substack.com, my “Endless Content” award for the game with the most bang for your buck, or the most content, goes to Monster Train 2!
#gaming #videogames #goty
#gaming #videogames #goty
December 5, 2025 at 5:34 PM
On behalf of my Substack ctrlaltdecay.substack.com, my “Endless Content” award for the game with the most bang for your buck, or the most content, goes to Monster Train 2!
#gaming #videogames #goty
#gaming #videogames #goty
My second-ever print book chapter, out now! Great work by the other authors and the editor, @librarianchef.bsky.social
#academia #edusky #academicsky #writing #conspiracy
#academia #edusky #academicsky #writing #conspiracy
October 8, 2025 at 8:20 PM
My second-ever print book chapter, out now! Great work by the other authors and the editor, @librarianchef.bsky.social
#academia #edusky #academicsky #writing #conspiracy
#academia #edusky #academicsky #writing #conspiracy
Excited to be presenting tonight at @popcrn.bsky.social's conference on food in pop culture, "Delicious, Nutritious and Fictitious!"
#academia #highered #academicsky #research #popculture #dnd #dungeonsanddragons
#academia #highered #academicsky #research #popculture #dnd #dungeonsanddragons
September 25, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Excited to be presenting tonight at @popcrn.bsky.social's conference on food in pop culture, "Delicious, Nutritious and Fictitious!"
#academia #highered #academicsky #research #popculture #dnd #dungeonsanddragons
#academia #highered #academicsky #research #popculture #dnd #dungeonsanddragons
Yet again, couldn't help but write about some of @duskdev.bsky.social's work in the form of 2025's Butcher's Creek.
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com/p/the-voyeur...
#horror #gaming #videogames #horrorgaming
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com/p/the-voyeur...
#horror #gaming #videogames #horrorgaming
The Voyeur Horror of Butcher's Creek
How watching (and being watched) drive this Condemned-inspired horror game
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com
September 23, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Yet again, couldn't help but write about some of @duskdev.bsky.social's work in the form of 2025's Butcher's Creek.
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com/p/the-voyeur...
#horror #gaming #videogames #horrorgaming
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com/p/the-voyeur...
#horror #gaming #videogames #horrorgaming
Took a closer look at the flora and fauna of one dungeon in @just2d.bsky.social's incredible Drova: Forsaken Kin!
#gaming #rpg #crpg #videogames
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com/p/dungeon-ec...
#gaming #rpg #crpg #videogames
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com/p/dungeon-ec...
Dungeon Ecology: The Pit (Drova: Forsaken Kin)
A subterranean environment where man and nature clash
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com
September 16, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Took a closer look at the flora and fauna of one dungeon in @just2d.bsky.social's incredible Drova: Forsaken Kin!
#gaming #rpg #crpg #videogames
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com/p/dungeon-ec...
#gaming #rpg #crpg #videogames
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com/p/dungeon-ec...
As it turns out, it is possible in the Lovecraftian universe of @duskdev.bsky.social's Iron Lung for life to exist and indeed thrive in an ocean of blood on an alien moon.
#gaming #horror #horrorgames
#gaming #horror #horrorgames
Dungeon Ecology: Moon AT-5 (Iron Lung)
What kind of wildlife can be found in an ocean of blood?
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com
August 19, 2025 at 2:24 PM
As it turns out, it is possible in the Lovecraftian universe of @duskdev.bsky.social's Iron Lung for life to exist and indeed thrive in an ocean of blood on an alien moon.
#gaming #horror #horrorgames
#gaming #horror #horrorgames
This week I wrote about how @chrislamartina.bsky.social's wonderful WNUF Halloween Special showcases the dangers of commodifying joy.
#horror
#horror
WNUF Halloween Special & the Theft of Joy
How 2013's WNUF Halloween Special critiques commercialism and the media
open.substack.com
August 7, 2025 at 12:55 PM
This week I wrote about how @chrislamartina.bsky.social's wonderful WNUF Halloween Special showcases the dangers of commodifying joy.
#horror
#horror
The Flying Waters dungeon warns us of the real-world consequences of failing to take seriously the stewardship of Earth.
#gaming #videogames #videogamesky #expedition33 #nature
#gaming #videogames #videogamesky #expedition33 #nature
Dungeon Ecology: Flying Waters (Expedition 33)
What does it mean for ecosystems when people go to war?
ctrlaltdecay.substack.com
July 29, 2025 at 5:48 PM
The Flying Waters dungeon warns us of the real-world consequences of failing to take seriously the stewardship of Earth.
#gaming #videogames #videogamesky #expedition33 #nature
#gaming #videogames #videogamesky #expedition33 #nature
Reposted by Sean Thomas Milligan
Here are my picks for the best, most satisfying and rewarding loot in video games. What would you pick?
1. Baldur's Gate (1 or 2)
2. Wizardry 7
3. Diablo 2
4. Legend of Grimrock (1 or 2)
5. Resident Evil 4
#games #videogames #gaming
1. Baldur's Gate (1 or 2)
2. Wizardry 7
3. Diablo 2
4. Legend of Grimrock (1 or 2)
5. Resident Evil 4
#games #videogames #gaming
July 24, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Here are my picks for the best, most satisfying and rewarding loot in video games. What would you pick?
1. Baldur's Gate (1 or 2)
2. Wizardry 7
3. Diablo 2
4. Legend of Grimrock (1 or 2)
5. Resident Evil 4
#games #videogames #gaming
1. Baldur's Gate (1 or 2)
2. Wizardry 7
3. Diablo 2
4. Legend of Grimrock (1 or 2)
5. Resident Evil 4
#games #videogames #gaming
Casting "Heroes' Feast" once, due to its material requirements, is equivalent to purchasing 50,000 loaves of bread or 1,000 goats. What does this say about food magic and the people who cast it in the world of Dungeons & Dragons?
#dnd #dungeonsanddragons #dnd5e #gaming #academicsky
#dnd #dungeonsanddragons #dnd5e #gaming #academicsky
Food Magic and Class Dynamics in Dungeons & Dragons
How food-conjuring magic reveals class disparities in D&D
open.substack.com
July 22, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Casting "Heroes' Feast" once, due to its material requirements, is equivalent to purchasing 50,000 loaves of bread or 1,000 goats. What does this say about food magic and the people who cast it in the world of Dungeons & Dragons?
#dnd #dungeonsanddragons #dnd5e #gaming #academicsky
#dnd #dungeonsanddragons #dnd5e #gaming #academicsky
I'm writing a recurring series on the roles of animals in games. Moths represent darkness, the moon, and transformation. How do the real-world scientific characteristics and behaviors of moths translate to video game mechanics?
#videogames #games #academia #ecocriticism #nature #substack
#videogames #games #academia #ecocriticism #nature #substack
Ludofauna: Moths in Games
The role of moths as gaming's lunar emissaries
open.substack.com
July 15, 2025 at 1:23 PM
I'm writing a recurring series on the roles of animals in games. Moths represent darkness, the moon, and transformation. How do the real-world scientific characteristics and behaviors of moths translate to video game mechanics?
#videogames #games #academia #ecocriticism #nature #substack
#videogames #games #academia #ecocriticism #nature #substack
Gotham is the greatest comic book city. It's a character in its own right, and always dripping with atmosphere --if it's not raining in Gotham, it better be snowing--otherwise I feel the creative team has made a misstep.
July 13, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Gotham is the greatest comic book city. It's a character in its own right, and always dripping with atmosphere --if it's not raining in Gotham, it better be snowing--otherwise I feel the creative team has made a misstep.
Aw man, I can't remember which one but there was one of these games I loved!
#games #videogames #gaming
#games #videogames #gaming
Nightdive Studios took “a stab” at bringing back Soldier of Fortune, but video game rights are a very tricky business
Nightdive Studios vice president Larry Kuperman explains the issues of remastering video games after taking a stab at Soldier of Fortune.
www.videogamer.com
July 11, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Aw man, I can't remember which one but there was one of these games I loved!
#games #videogames #gaming
#games #videogames #gaming
Mega Man X2 has always been my favorite—I think in part because I find the bosses neat! 5 of the 8 mavericks you fight are based on invertebrates:
-Morph Moth
-Magna Centipede
-Wire Sponge
-Bubble Crab
-Crystal Snail
How cool is that!?
#megaman #games #videogames #videogamesky
-Morph Moth
-Magna Centipede
-Wire Sponge
-Bubble Crab
-Crystal Snail
How cool is that!?
#megaman #games #videogames #videogamesky
July 10, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Mega Man X2 has always been my favorite—I think in part because I find the bosses neat! 5 of the 8 mavericks you fight are based on invertebrates:
-Morph Moth
-Magna Centipede
-Wire Sponge
-Bubble Crab
-Crystal Snail
How cool is that!?
#megaman #games #videogames #videogamesky
-Morph Moth
-Magna Centipede
-Wire Sponge
-Bubble Crab
-Crystal Snail
How cool is that!?
#megaman #games #videogames #videogamesky
This week I posted a closer look at the I Spy books from the 90s and what makes their pictures so surreal, liminal, and nostalgic.
#90s #nostalgia #popculture #substack #academicsky
#90s #nostalgia #popculture #substack #academicsky
I Spy Surrealism
On the nostalgia and maximalist magic of Walter Wick's I Spy books
open.substack.com
July 10, 2025 at 4:54 PM
This week I posted a closer look at the I Spy books from the 90s and what makes their pictures so surreal, liminal, and nostalgic.
#90s #nostalgia #popculture #substack #academicsky
#90s #nostalgia #popculture #substack #academicsky
Been binging 80s movies I either missed out on, or saw once as a kid but have mostly forgotten. Recently watched Karate Kid I-III (I know, I know—how could I have missed them?!), Robocop 1 + 2, and The Wraith.
Watching Cobra Kai now which is amazing in its cheesiness :)
#movies #80s #80smovies
Watching Cobra Kai now which is amazing in its cheesiness :)
#movies #80s #80smovies
July 7, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Been binging 80s movies I either missed out on, or saw once as a kid but have mostly forgotten. Recently watched Karate Kid I-III (I know, I know—how could I have missed them?!), Robocop 1 + 2, and The Wraith.
Watching Cobra Kai now which is amazing in its cheesiness :)
#movies #80s #80smovies
Watching Cobra Kai now which is amazing in its cheesiness :)
#movies #80s #80smovies