As part of the NYPLarcade's game series, the Mid-Manhattan Library will host a "critical, chapter-by-chapter" play session of Spec Ops: The Line beginning on March 25.
The inaugural event will cover "The Evacuation," "The Dune" and "Underneath," with five events total examining the game's 15 chapters. During each event, participants can play or watch before engaging in a guided discussion. The full schedule is as follows:
March 25: "The Evacuation," "The Dune," "Underneath"
April 1: "The Refugees," "The Edge," "The Pit"
April 8: "The Battle," "The Gate," "The Road"
April 15: "Riggs," "Alone," "The Rooftops"
April 22: "Adams," "The Bridge," "Welcome"
The NYPL event isn't the first time Spec Ops: The Line has been critically analyzed. In November 2012, academic Brendan Keogh published Killing is Harmless: A Critical Reading of Spec Ops: The Line as an investigation of violence in video games, Western intervensionism and war.
The NYPLarcade Game Club kicked off in May with a discussion of thatgamecompany's Journey. Read our interview with senior librarian Thomas Knowlton, who usually leads the discussions, here.