I’m spending a month working from London; since I’ve arrived it’s snowed uncommonly, my host caught a cold and I’m already inciting trouble.

Quintin Smith and I are continuing to do letter series together; following our Dyad Letters at Gamasutra, we migrate to Polygon to discuss Far Cry 3 – in particular with a lens toward the conversation on violence and game narratives.

Earlier this week I published another editorial on a similar subject: At Gamasutra, here’s five situations when violence in games feels meaningful or serves the experience. Discomfort with game violence doesn’t automatically mean a delicate disposition or a blanket aversion: Many, if not most of us who want to examine violent games simply want to be able to have good answers for what it’s for, if for no other reason than to make better, smarter games.

I think Far Cry 3 wants to be a smart game. Much of my published conversation with Quinns focuses on whether we think it succeeds.

I’ve long been a fan of the letter format, ever since Kirk Hamilton and I did an extensive collaboration on FFVII and one on the original Deus Ex. But I like it even more now, especially alongside the trend that favors increasingly “I-centric,” incredibly personal writing.

It wasn’t long ago I tried my hand at arguing on behalf of this trend at Thought Catalog in a piece called “Welcome to the Age of Feelings.” Don’t know if I would write that piece today. While I love hearing interesting stories, especially from people who wouldn’t have been outspoken in another generation of game conversation, I do occasionally feel uncomfortable with it. I like the community and social support it fosters — but I’m also skeptical, if not of the motivation necessarily, at least of the contribution it makes to the critical landscape and our understanding of games.

Nonetheless, I’ve ended up thinking a lot about how personal perspectives are relevant to the context in which we discuss and interpret games. The reason I do letter series with other critics I like and trust is because nobody plays in a vacuum; doing letters allows me to write about games in a way that resembles the way I like to share, talk and argue about them — it’s personal and intimate, yes, but it’s also the conversation that shapes and informs my opinions, and I hope others enjoy participating.