

Shayna Josi
Contributor
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395articles
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395Features
About Shayna Josi
Shayna Josi is a Features Writer from South Africa. Shayna has always been passionate about stories, and has dedicated her life to learning how to tell them. Aside from writing about her favorite video games on the digital publication Game Rant, Shayna has taught English in Japan, is a ghostwriter, copywriter, and editor in the publishing industry. Shayna enjoys traveling, and spends most of her time between South Africa, the EU, and Japan. She believes the best of people come out in the stories they tell, and with stories comes the power to connect people across any divide - be it language, geography, culture, or time. To this end, Shayna’s research at university dealt with narrative worlds within video games, and how they use their environments to tell stories. Her hope is that the incredible stories told through video games will be recognized as literary, just as much as traditional storytelling mediums.?
Industry Focus
Shayna’s industry focus is primarily on RPGs and life sims, but she does venture into cozy games if they're set to the backdrop of LotR. RPGs encompass everything from Dragon Age to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, with focus on commentary about character, storytelling, and game design. Life sims are also great vehicles for storytelling, with customizable environments allowing for imaginative sandbox gameplay.
Favorite Games
Shayna’s favorite games are: The Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Hades, Baldur’s Gate 3, Dragon Age: Inquisition (with Trespasser), Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Journey. Hades and Hades 2 triggered a deep appreciation for the Classics, while KotOR and Oblivion formed the backdrop of her childhood.
Favorite Console
Shayna grew up playing games on her family’s desktop and fighting with her brother for her turn. Having her own PC to access whenever she wanted somewhere in her teens turned gaming from a habit into a full-blown obsession. She never got the chance to play console games and missed the Nintendo boat, but does admire it from afar and dreams of owning a Switch one day. She did once own a PlayStation 4 while living in Japan and enjoyed it immensely.
Latest

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's Success Puts the Ball in Naruto's Court
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The Witcher 4 Monster Wish List
The Witcher features a variety of monsters from Eastern European folklore, with some returning favorites and new ones in The Witcher 4

Fallout Has the Perfect Premise for a Horror Spin-Off
Fallout has a massive setting and rich world filled with different scenarios that could put characters into all kinds of horrifying situations.

Why The Elder Scrolls 6 Needs to Deliver on Magic in a Big Way
The Elder Scrolls 6 will be released in a very different time to Skyrim, and needs to offer a magic system far beyond what Skyrim offered.

Baldur's Gate 3: NPC Camp Guest Tier List
Baldur's Gate 3's party camp has a variety of NPCs that come and go, all with their own stories, motivations, and connections to the party.

Why Tales of the Shire's Interior Decor Could Still Be Perfect for a More Traditional LotR Game
Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game includes features that could give Lord of the Rings games in other genres a surprising boost.

The Sims is Celebrating 25 Years with a Nostalgia Extravaganza
The Sims came out 25 years ago, and Simmers are celebrating with events, games, and updates that bring back memories of The Sims' 2000s era.

Sims 4's Business & Hobbies Could Take Notes From One of Sims 2's Best Expansions
The next expansion pack for The Sims 4 could be a callback to another fan favorite from The Sims 2 and hopefully has much in common with it.

Tales of the Shire Has A Big Chance to Stand Out on One Classic Cozy Sim Feature
Tales of the Shire has The Lord of the Rings' extensive appendices and rich lore to draw upon to make its worldbuilding and mechanics stand out.

NPCs in the Rumored Oblivion Remake Would Have One Big Hurdle to Clear
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remake rumors haven't indicated details about a key point that may make or break the success of the remake.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2's Kreia Is Still One of The Franchise's Most Interesting Characters
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords' Kreia provides a perspective to Star Wars lore that hasn't been seen before or since.

Multiclassing in Baldur's Gate 3 Can Be a Recipe for Disaster
Multiclassing is one of Baldur's Gate 3's most powerful features, but it can come with some devastating consequences if used incorrectly.

Elder Scrolls 6's Story Could Break Tradition by Starting More Like Avowed Than Skyrim, Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls 6 should look to Avowed as inspiration for a creative twist on an iconic part of The Elder Scrolls' storytelling tradition.

Fallout 4, Starfield Present Two Possible Roads if Elder Scrolls 6 Has a Settlement Feature
The Elder Scrolls 6 will likely include a settlement feature, with Fallout 4 and Starfield offering valid and differing takes on the mechanic.

Mass Effect 4 Should Answer One Burning Question from Andromeda
Mass Effect was put on ice before Mass Effect: Andromeda's most burning questions could be answered, leaving the door open for Mass Effect 4.

The Elder Scrolls Online Expansion Pack Tier List
The Elder Scrolls Online launched over ten years ago and has had some remarkable add-ons that have expanded its lore, gameplay, and story.

The Elder Scrolls 6 Needs to Address One Skyrim Build in Particular
Skyrim's most notorious build may get a pass for its accessibility and ease, but The Elder Scrolls 6 needs to improve its systems for more.

The Elder Scrolls Single-Player Expansion Pack Tier List
The Elder Scrolls games feature a variety of expansion packs that enrich the lore and tell incredible stories, but some are better than others.

The Elder Scrolls May Have a Hard Time Firing Its Biggest Chekhov's Gun
The Elder Scrolls 6's setting has the unique chance to return to a lore question that has been waiting in the wings for several millennia.

How Baldur's Gate 3 Proves It's a Game For Everyone
Baldur's Gate 3 includes a steep learning curve but once that's surpassed it's a game that encompasses players from all walks of life.