The Unintended Consequence of Helldivers 2 Written by Benjamin Wiebe Every year, around reading week, a video game that is seemingly determined to eat up all my free time comes out. In 2022, that game was Elden Ring. Three years ago, it was Hollow Knight (I was a little late to the party, I admit). And this year, Helldivers 2, developed by Arrowhead Game Studios, became my obsession – seemingly, everyone else’s. Helldivers 2 has a lot of components that make it a time-consuming hobby. Firstly, Helldivers 2 is a Co-operative game. You are encouraged to play with friends, but you can just as quickly join other players’ missions if…
The Weight of ZIllenialism and The Green Knight Written by Benjamin Wiebe Introduction This is the first part of a series of articles introducing the concept of Zillenialism and how we perceive art and film through the lens of lost identity. The challenge with covering this topic, for me, has been the dread I feel in interrogating my own ways of processing loss. In August, I wanted to write a version of this article that was a tribute to my five friends who passed away in July. By October, I wanted to do an entire study of art about loss and grief and talk about the seven stages of grief.…
What the ULeth Choir is Doing this Spring Written by Benjamin Wiebe This month, I reached out to the directors of the University of Lethbridge Singers Choir to get a sneak peek into the events they have planned for the new year. Director Dr. Janet Youngdahl and assistant Jaimee Jarvie have been working with the auditioned choir for as long as I have been a student at the UofL, and I have had the pleasure of working with them previously as a member of the choir. In this interview, they spoke about the impact the choir has on the community, the various events occurring throughout the spring semester, and how…
The February 2024 issue is now available for viewing and download. Check out the digital issue. Some articles in this issue include: The Melioristthemeliorist.ca/
The Agility Zone Written by Benjamin Wiebe This month, I had the privilege of going to the Agility Zone and interviewing Kevin to see what is going on. The Agility Zone has been open since 2019, when the Science Building opened at the University of Lethbridge. Since its opening, Agility has seen continued growth in student attendance – even with a pandemic shutting down the university for a year. Entering the Agility Zone is fascinating. The moment you walk in, there are a plethora of creative objects looking at you. Whether it’s D&D miniatures that have been printed and painted or a shirt with a custom logo on a manikin,…
You Can Get Good at Dark Souls Written by Benjamin Wiebe Dark Souls is a game series that most people have heard of. In 2021, it was titled the “Ultimate Game of All Time ” according to the Golden Joystick Awards. It’s a game that is seemingly of extreme cultural importance. Dark Souls has spawned numerous YouTube channels and videos, from Let’s Plays to character-building guides to lore videos to game design videos and video essays. Its spiritual successor, Elden Ring, sold 12.5 million copies two weeks after its release in 2022. It’s a game that all of my friends have heard of… and it’s a game that many of…
2023’s Best Movies Written by Benjamin Wiebe As we say goodbye to 2023, I want to reflect on one of the good things about this year: the quality of released films. 2023 was an interesting year at the cinemas — western blockbusters failed to capture the audience far more than ever before. Whether it was The Flash (2023), Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023), The Marvels (2023), or even Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 (2023), most audiences seemed to leave these franchises behind in favour of Barbie (2023), Oppenheimer (2023), The Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) or Napoleon (2023). Marvel seems to be taking in far less of…
Secret Places Written by Benjamin Wiebe When was the last time you went outside and listened? I don’t mean going outside and listening to your Spotify Daylist. When was the last time you actually actively listened to the outdoors? The sound of the wind moving the leaves, the sound of cars zooming along Mayor Magrath, the sound of the crunch of morning frost beneath your feet, to the pitter-patter of rain on cracked pavement. Nature is a place of ambiance, and I am all too aware of how little I pay attention to it. If I am walking outdoors, it is often to get from one place to another in…
Rock Band Made Me a Better Musician Written by Benjamin Wiebe Rock Band is one of many plastic instrument rhythm games. In the late 2000s, you couldn’t enter a Gamestop, Best Buy, Future Shop, or Walmart without seeing those cheap peripherals waiting to be sold. Over the course of five years, the giants of the genre, Guitar Hero and Rock Band, would release 25 separate games for the XBOX 360, Playstation 2 & 3, and the Nintendo Wii. Each game would be released alongside new plastic instruments, with new setlists for players to conquer. And for as fast as the genre came into existence, it would disappear even faster. Rock…
Written by: Benjamin Wiebe As the days get shorter, the television will light up the living rooms of most houses as soon as the moon makes the sky it’s home at night. For university students, midterms have become the most pressing matter. It’s a challenging time that can threaten to isolate young adults, especially when most have become tired of their roommates after months of living together. It’s in these trying times that we must find ways to connect with one another. Film, television, and video games are perhaps the most underutilized ways of connecting with one another. The age of streaming has made each of these more individual than…
