Project page: https://dedled.itch.io/dedled
DED LED is an independently organized collection of articles, essays, and reviews originally posted to the videogame website Kill Screen between 2013 and 2016. Websites come and go, and great work dies with them. DED LED preserves a body of videogame writing created by a slate of 49 talented contributors, acting as a vertical slice of a critical scene over a 4-year period. Kill Screen’s lifeline can be broken out into distinct phases, and this compilation focuses on work produced during its final editorial iteration. Publishing DED LED gives this ephemeral moment a tangible footprint that can act as a historical resource as well as a celebration of the featured authors.
Contained within this volume you'll find a tremendous breadth of topics centered in and around the cultural sphere of videogames, including a deep dive into the world of competitive Pokémon, an investigation into the disturbing body politics of the Metal Gear Solid series, an analysis of Dark Souls' color theory, and so much more. Each piece was submitted by its original author for inclusion in this compilation, many choosing to write supplemental commentary to offer additional context.
Note that as of this writing, all of the works featured in DED LED are still available to view on Kill Screen (links included with each piece), but almost all the works in this compilation are modified in some way from their original versions. DED LED is not officially affiliated with Kill Screen, and all work on this document was conducted on a volunteer basis.
