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jordanmcalhoun.com
Jordan Calhoun
@jordanmcalhoun.com
490 followers 82 following 340 posts
Editor in Chief, Lifehacker Author, "Piccolo Is Black: A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Pop Culture" I use storytelling to help make sense of the world
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jordanmcalhoun.com
Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · Jun 29
My world on this app is way too small! My skyline is like the same 5 people

If you like movies, TV, books, comics, anime, video games, writing, the NBA, the WNBA, or Broadway, I’d love to follow you!
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jordanmcalhoun.com
Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 16h
I was like 😬😬😬
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 1d
Dying at "the yellow website"
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 1d
It drives me insane. The way people talk about video games is so obviously affected by the bizarro-world culture around it, yet some would pretend to believe they’re separate or unaffected by it and that it has no place in their writing
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 1d
Context can help as a springboard to discuss how you engaged with art. That’s all. Not every reader is as internet-brained as we are
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 1d
Context from that culture can help, when appropriate. That’s all. We’re not brave warriors for pretending to be above it. Just like people who think they’re too smart to be manipulated, pretending to live in a vacuum can make us more susceptible to hiding our blind spots and perspectives
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jordanmcalhoun.com
Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 1d
What nonfiction is made better by pretending to be unaware and uninfluenced the culture in which it exists

“Well I want to know about the reviewer—“ the reviewer doesn’t live on the moon! They exist within gaming culture and is keenly aware of it
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 1d
And make no mistake—it influences us. We have an emotional reaction to it
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 1d
This is including arguments I’ve heard from writers who want conviction and bravery in writing. We seem to pretend to dismiss a culture of loud and aggressive opinions, and then call it bravery instead of acknowledging its role in how we engage with art
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 1d
Is there a way to avoid retreading the “video games as art” discourse while acknowledging how uniquely internet-brained we are when critiquing them? So much of how we talk about games are in reaction to gaming culture—reactions that would sound ridiculous applied to, say, a painting, book, or movie
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 1d
I have a defining childhood memory of my dad plunging the drain off a flooded basement, and when I asked him why he doesn’t stop he just said, “perseverance.” I still remember the moment the drain cleared

May my daughter remember the Ghost of Yotei boss fight she watched me play until midnight
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 1d
Gave this a listen, and I hope you do too. I could go on forever about how much I disagree with what they say, but not only is it an interesting topic, it comes from a place of wanting to make culture writing sharper, braver, and more effective at helping us understand and value art
jakesteinberg.substack.com
Jake Steinberg @jakesteinberg.substack.com · 1d
the latest CRITICAL ERROR podcast is about what video game reviews are/aren't

but tbh this week's episode is not for me: youtu.be/u8ysh5lKZOg?...
Critical Error Is Not For Me
YouTube video by Critical Error
youtu.be
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 3d
My goal is to express my disagreement. You're welcome to say that I'm dishonestly approaching your point, if that's how you feel, but I'm being as honest with you as possible. I think part of your point, as I've understood it so far, is wrong and makes assumptions of a useful approach to criticism
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 3d
If you want to say that “not for me” doesn’t add anything to the review, fair. Hard disagree, but fair. But to suggest it takes away from the review as false generosity is assuming intent, not to mention disregarding its value in setting context for knowing the writer better
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 3d
lol Come on. “To me the other perspectives are always imagined” isn’t intellectually honest
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 3d
What if other perspectives aren't imagined? Does it become fair game to address? Because there's value in, say, pointing out the popularity, history, and fandom of an IP when discussing my experience with it

What your saying now is a different tune than “'Not for me' is fake generosity"
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 3d
Exactly! That’s been my point, which I feel is in disagreement with some of what I read from you and @jakesteinberg.substack.com. The notion seemed to be that the absence of a claim of “good” or “bad” means appeasement or a dearth of conviction. And that’s just untrue.
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 3d
Taylor Swift's album isn't for me, but I still might have something valuable to say about it that has nothing to do with whether it's "good" or "bad." And that's okay.
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 3d
That makes 100% sense to me. The part I would push back against is the assumption that avoiding a firm "good" or "bad" claim is in opposition to those qualities. You can share your taste and moral core while also acknowledging that a certain piece of art isn't for you. They're not mutually exclusive
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 3d
But video games are different from most other art review cultures, I think. It's a lot rarer to find uniformity in opinion in, say, books, for example
jordanmcalhoun.com
Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 3d
See, so I agree with the sentiment here, but I think this might be a good example of why we're missing each other. This is speaking in response to a particular type of video game review culture—which is what you might be thinking about too, when you discuss reviews
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 3d
We might be on the same page then. I'm not *entirely* sure, but I think we're there.
jordanmcalhoun.com
Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 3d
Craven move if you include mine and not invite me to disagree, for the record. I fear a preemptive apology is softer than the arguments you volleyed

(Can you tell the most offensive part of yours and @carolynmichelle.bsky.social’s argument is the suggestion that disagreement means cowardice?)
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 4d
Taking off, unsure of wifi. Either way, dinner soon to discuss in person please, @carolynmichelle.bsky.social and @jakesteinberg.substack.com! Happy to prove that a writer who avoids binary judgement of art isn’t craven by disagreeing to your faces and hearing your thoughts!
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Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 4d
It “can,” sure, I can agree with that. The assertion that it needs to signal fear though is a false one.
jordanmcalhoun.com
Jordan Calhoun @jordanmcalhoun.com · 4d
Right, and that’s my disagreement with you and @carolynmichelle.bsky.social’s assertion. You seem to suggest that a failure to call something good or bad is a failure of bravery or conviction, but that’s not true. The interrogation doesn’t require it—and is often more effective without it
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