The sandbox is a risky move for developers, mostly because you’re relying on your game being flexible enough for players to make their own fun. Minecraft was obviously not the first cab at the rank, with early titles like Sim City providing you with nothing but an empty space and a world of opportunity.

But what has changed is the defining principles of what constitutes a sandbox: Is it something that provides almost complete avenue for whatever your mind can muster, or can it be encased in arbitrary borders and attempt to tell a story?

The recent controversy around the Mass Effect 3 endings, and the furore over beta-exclusive banner sigils in Diablo III, all highlight a worrying trend in gamer entitlement, says James Pinnell.

We all like to have a bit of fun with the romance options in our games, but sometimes they can come across as artificial and shallow. Patrick Vuleta examines whether games really tell good romance stories, or if they’re as shallow and formulaic as some people claim.

The recent controversy around Mass Effect 3‘s ending, and BioWare’s announcement that they would address the fan’s concerns, lead many to claim that players now have as much power as game developers when it comes to claiming ‘authorship’ of the game. Actually, argues Brendan Keogh, the exact opposite is true: players now have less power than ever before.

Monday’s ridiculous Dick Smiths sale resulted in many more broken hearts and angry gamers than it did satisified customers. Many accused DSE of false advertising, or the staff of stealing all the best bargains to sell later on eBay. Matt Williams, however, says that Dick actually did the right thing.

Much like Jordan Mechner unearthing the old Prince of Persia code, our own Toby McCasker recently unearthed a treasure trove of his old PC games. Join him as he strolls down memory lane to discover what made him a real gamer.

After playing his way through dozens and dozens of free-to-play MMO’s for our regular Timesink Tuesday columns here on games.on.net, James Pinnell has put pen to paper to discuss exactly where free-to-play is heading, how it got here in the first place, and what pitfalls it needs to avoid on the way.