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The best games writing, weekly.
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Suggest oneSuperjoost Playlist38Nintendo Is Great37Scanlines' Journal37Recognizing Patterns33GameDiscoverCo27Dego Talks Game Design26Play Moore26Game Studio Unlocked24Magnvs' RPG Journey24Meaningful Play24The Saved Game24The Video Game Library23
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Newest Writing
60 results
Industry
Oligopoly Go!
The games industry has been consolidating since 2020. The data says it hasn’t even peaked yet
PC Gaming
What do s&box’s issues (so far) tell us about launching platforms in 2026?
Also: the latest news, and the brand new GameDiscoverCo Show.
Culture
The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #065
90 VIDEO GAME BOOKS that you need to know about!
RPG
Found in translation: the selfless legacy of Eien Ni Hen
For those who followed the English fantranslation efforts of Japanese RPGs since the very first days, back when the idea of playing localized versions of Final Fantasy V, Tales of Phantasia, Star Ocean and Seiken Densetsu III seemed too good to be true and teams like RPGE and DeJap were like wizards inhabiting a different plane of existence, this scene was n
Game Development
A Free Game Engine Is Taking the Power Back
Godot costs nothing, answers to no shareholder and now powers nearly half the games at the world’s biggest game jam. But the games making real money still mostly run on Unity and Unreal, and console
Culture
Upcoming games inspired by Disco Elysium, plus some others
pirates, pigs, and sentient motorcycles
Xbox
Thinking outside GTA VI’s collector’s box
Rockstar's $400 GTA VI collector's box skips the game. What it reveals about Take-Two's ambition, plus why Xbox is handing Halo to Activision
PC Gaming
What are Steam Deck’s biggest 2026 hits - and top genres?
We go deep on the popular PC handheld. Also: the latest news & this week on Steam.
Game Development
Panthalassa Treats the Interface as the World
On knowledge, navigation, and a Portuguese point-and-click in the tradition of Silver Case.
Xbox
The reverse acquisition of Xbox
Microsoft bought Activision for $69 billion. Three years later, the publisher is taking over Halo and helping reshape how Xbox runs its studios.
Game Development
How the Resident Evil movie stays on the rails
And its weird parallels with The Last of Us
PC Gaming
BeamNG.drive - the biggest driving game hit nobody analyzes?
We’re going to right this wrong! Also: notable news & the GameDiscoverCo Show returns.
RPG
The art of Hiroaki Shioya, Sega’s Americana enthusiast
Among early Japanese RPG artists working from the mid ‘80s to the early ‘90s, it’s quite common to see a marked influence of Western sword and sorcery and pulp aesthetic, amid other influences that gave each one their own unique stylistic and thematic traits.
Retro
A New Era For The Journal - CEX Box #1
[Unboxing/Announcement] Launching paid subscriptions and a taste of what’s to come.
Industry
The next generation of video games research
Notes on data and research after talking to a former competitor
PC Gaming
The one ‘game discovery by player age’ chart you need to see
We’re excited about this JPG, cos we’re weird. Also: lotsa news & this week on Steam.
RPG
Final Fantasy XIII is Flawed in Interesting Ways
I didn’t like it but can’t stop thinking about it
Game Development
Fright Train: How WildArts Studio Turned Reloading a Gun Into the Core of Survival Horror
An interview-based breakdown of Fright Train's inventory, reload, and enemy-interaction systems, and how they generate tension without scripted scares.
Reviews
Fallout 3 | Heading Back into the Capital Wasteland
Entry 01: Exploring one of the most influential games I’ve ever played!
Game Development
Q&A With Eric Albers
One of the lead designers of “Mysterium” for the Game Boy talks early game design, Game Boy development, and passing on the opportunity to port SimCity to the PC!
Nintendo
Wall Street changes its mind on Roblox
It announced everything that’s to come, except revenue
PC Gaming
Is the game biz sustainable for the average indie dev?
Two ways to approach the question. Also: game discovery news & this week’s Show.
Retro
When the Platform Goes Away, the Voices Don’t Have To
I originally shared this as a Substack Note, but after posting it there, on X, and on Bluesky, I kept thinking about it.
Strategy
Area Man Learns to Design Strategy Games
When I began to design my own turn-based strategy (TBS) game Polemarch last fall, I had no idea where to start.
Nintendo
Forty Games Avoided GTA VI by Colliding With Each Other
The autumn I forecast has arrived. Here is the scorecard, and why the calendar was the wrong instrument all along.
Art & Music
Rain World Is Like Harsh Noise Music
[Indie Review] Piloting a humble Slugcat through the inhospitable lands of Rain World.
Xbox
Why Xbox is rationing the cloud
iPhone Duo, Nintendo Direct's biggest announcement, and Xbox's decision to cap its cloud gaming service
PC Gaming
When 1.0 goes nice: Yet Another Zombie Survivors edition
Also: oodles of news & this week’s biggies on Steam.
Game Development
Tingus Goose: How a Rule-Less, Surreal Universe Became a Playable System
Brian explains how MasterTingus’s chaotic animation was reverse-engineered into a legible incremental game.
Retro
What I Remember About September 11
Every year, as September 11 approaches, I find myself thinking about where I was that day.
RPG
The unexpected revival of Korean RPGs, between new efforts, old classics and a Dumas tribute
Unbeknownst to most outside South Korea, the ‘90s saw the rise of a number of diverse and ambitious single-player PC RPG efforts from local developers, inspired by both contemporary Japanese titles, though often not the ones one would expect, and a number of Western design traits, mixed with some unique Korean flair.
Xbox
The end of cheap compute
After Xbox initially built cloud gaming on the promise of abundance, AI is now changing the economics
Reviews
A Few Changes
[Publication Update/Maintenance] I’m tired of not appearing on leaderboards and drive-by commentors, it’s time to remedy both.
PC Gaming
Does your Steam demo CCU ‘predict’ your game’s success?
We’ve got data. Unsurprisingly. Also: lots of news & new GameDiscoverCo Show.