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The web's best videogame poetry

Exploring emoto versatronic expressionist pieces. And dirty limericks

Words: Ben Richardson, GamesRadar UK

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Jan 28, 2008

You have to admire Seth "Fingers" Flynn Barkan. You might not like his poetry, but he at least deserves attention for having the stones to invent a phrase as utterly preposterous as 'emoto-versatronic expressionist pieces'. 'Videogame poetry' does the job just as well, we thought.

Barkan's writings in his self-published book, Blue Wizard Is About To Die!: Prose, Poems, and Emoto-Versatronic Expressionist Pieces About Video Games, can't match the balls-out wordsmithery he illustrates in that mind-blowing subtitle, but it raised our interest enough to explore the world of game-focused poems.

And, while we discovered a rich vein of pre-school quality dirge, the breadth of poetry that's out there on the interweb surprised us. So, come with us on a journey into the culture-referencing world of Pac-Man, beat poets waxing lyrical about ostrich action, and the crushing pressure of extreme Tetris addicition...

The Joust Beat Poem

Hey, so this is effectively an advert for website GameTap. But if all adverts were made this way, we'd happily refrain from flicking channels whenever the commercials kick in. Subject wise, you don't need to have played the classic game Joust to appreciate the mirthsome poetry skills on show.

This bleach-haired bard's mock-Shakespearian delivery appeals at a fundamental level, and his wordplay spits out some great highlights. Our favourite line has to be the bellowed "Mount your bravest ostrich!", which is a phrase you simply can't hear enough. And you thought all these poems would be rubbish, didn't you?