It's actually illegal to move a cat

SCULLY: "Well surely if there was some sort of Furtive Pygmy out there with a Lord Soul, we would have heard of it." MULDER: "Unless he was so easily forgotten.."

Inkle mixes archive-surfing and audio drama to create a surprisingly powerful story of obsession and a machine. Our TR-49 review: www.eurogamer.net/tr-49-review

Now I know I should be rooting for writers to be more equal to directors in hierarchy but something about the switch from Nia DaCosta to Alex Garland here is very suss…

Now I know I should be rooting for writers to be more equal to directors in hierarchy but something about the switch from Nia DaCosta to Alex Garland here is very suss…

Sounds fantastic

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is astonishingly good — I’m so glad I stuck with the previous after the strange opening, and this has some of the most interesting zombie genre stuff I’ve seen in ages, and the most human performance from Fiennes

Really loved RENTAL FAMILY - such a good big-hearted film without being overly sentimental, which is a mean feat given its subject matter

Next up: interviews on writing games set in different historical periods, with writers from Total War, Assassin's Creed & more. Ft: balance between gameplay/accuracy, myths/museums in research, cultural sensitivity/tone, & emotional connection with players. gregbuchanan.substack.com/p/interviews...

I think about this quote from the Luddite movement all the time

In case you missed it: inkle's next game will be out in less than two weeks. If our account disappears between then and now, this trailer is why.

I had an incredibly wholesome Elden Ring event today where, after a long duel with an invader where I was out of health potions, I ran a bit, bowed, then sat down to await my fate. The enemy approached, stood there for a moment, dropped a bunch of items, bowed, and left my world, leaving me alive.

In a game writing sense — the over-careers-ifying of craft improvement. Small samples for things that aren’t actually implemented or thought through in relation to fuller games — it’s fine initial practice, but beyond not being as useful or competitive, why not make something real? It feels joyless

Game writing

The phone is for making posts like "the ass is the father of the legs" whereas the computer is for posts that include words like "inexorably"

My neighbor has been on a 5-year squirrel eradication mission (he traps them, puts them in his car, and drives them to the lake). His children and the other neighborhood children are outraged, all of a sudden. There are signs. They picketed his front yard this weekend.

"If you work for (X) game company it's your moral duty to quit" hey so idk if you've seen the game dev job market lately...

If you want to make your own game in 2026, consider joining my game writing workshop (starting February) -- three months with a group of both aspiring/pro writers, live playtests, weekly video calls, & a focus on craft and challenging ourselves. More info at -> www.gregbuchanangames.com/courses

Protip: Microsoft Office the-non-subscription-version is quite affordable to purchase keys for from a bunch of places - my 2021 copy is still going strong. You don’t have to subscribe to however they’re changing it. Remarkable to me how only Google has come close to matching it

I have managed to fix the boiler twice now -by myself-

We got through to our first Night Lord but started the fight a bit earlier than we needed to, from what I can tell. Really good game and fun to play a soulslike with such speed

Got ELDEN RING: NIGHTREIGN setup with the seamless coop mod for playing with three others. Lots of fun so far

If you want to make your own game in 2026, consider joining my game writing workshop (starting February) -- three months with a group of both aspiring/pro writers, live playtests, weekly video calls, & a focus on craft and challenging ourselves. More info at -> www.gregbuchanangames.com/courses

Playing the FMV game DEAD RESET with friends -- so much fun. I love Wales Interactive having this niche

Omg 😦 I loved this and forgot it existed

I’m really enjoying reading physical books this Christmas - I’d gotten into a run of reading ebooks mostly for a while (faster to get for research and I’d recently downsized my library). Good fun!

1-page comic

Playing Samsara was what made us approach Meghna for 80 Days. Wonderful thing.

I’ve decided that somehow, the world of Vince Gilligan’s PLURIBUS eventually becomes the world of Pixar’s CARS. There will be no further questions at this time

Indeed! (Most recent loved thing: the tv show Pluribus)

It's so hard to know when something is Done in writing. So much is affected in our judgement by daily mood/taste that it can be hard to tell legitimate causes for alteration from panic or being overhabituated to how things look on the page. I'd advise everyone to keep multiple drafts to check back!

The War Between the Land and the Sea (BBC, 2025)

Follow the Kickstarter for an occult action thriller containing: Breakneck action 💥 Interpersonal drama 🫂 Occult investigion 🔦 www.kickstarter.com/projects/flo...

Merry Christmas everyone!

People who have played Elden Ring: Nightreign -- do you think someone without much Soulslike experience would have fun playing with three others (two of which have loads, one has a decent amount)? Is it the kind of thing where the others could protect the new person like an escort quest?

My next game writing workshop is starting February 2026 -- for aspiring and professional writers alike, focussing on creating a game of your own with a supportive group Head over to www.gregbuchanangames.com/courses to join the list & get your application -- I'm finishing work in the next few days

Gamers! Go check out the DIE RPG on @bundleofholding.com. It's a great TTRPG, based on the comic by @kierongillen.bsky.social and @stephaniehans.bsky.social, designed by them as well and published by the fine folks at @rowanrookanddecard.bsky.social . bundleofholding.com/presents/DIE...

And irony, I know, due to the themes I'm drawn towards, but: If you realise that -everything- you are writing/sharing on social media is dominated by anger or despair, then just ask yourself if there's more you can share, and if you feel able to, try. It could mean a lot to the people who see it.

Gratitude journalling is a practice that aims to shape life: not just to realise the good things that have happened in the face of our bias-towards-the-negative, but to -notice- and appreciate the positive more actively over time. You're not ignoring the negative, you're just -balancing- it out

Interested also: who here reads any CYOA-type books, and which are your favourite? I’m especially intrigued to hear about any that were written in the last ten years

So cool

I really don’t think I will be going to GDC again for a long time. As someone who has produced explicitly political work, it feels a risk to travel — and although it was great to meet some people face to face, the event’s vibe is unfriendly. Develop in Brighton + Feral Vector = ultimate pairing.

For those wondering about my books btw — 3 & 4 were written simultaneously and are in the pipe, more to share in 2026 but I hope they will be worth the wait. Both ambitious for very different reasons: I had not written so many POVs for one (an ensemble), and the other, you’ll see. Both standalone.

Silent Hill f: The social and domestic abuse levied towards women is the true horror and it leads to self-harm and suicide in ways we have not yet come to terms with as a society Silent Hill f director: I met a woman once and I've never been so scared in my life

Even on stuff like books, where your name is all over it, you get a very small portion of the for-sale price in traditional publishing (though they do give you loads of physical copies, which I think the games industry could stand to do)

"I have been silenced" I cry, from the front page of the BBC news site www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...