Cal Raleigh. Incredible.

this happened in V for Vendetta

Dan is an incredible editor, and if ever there was a jersey that needs to be hung from the IGN rafters, it's his. His uncompromising expectation as an editor have made me much better writer, and I'm so thankful to have had the chance to work with him periodically over the last few years.

Some personal news: I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting. Thread incoming. substack.com/@karenattiah...

ARE YOU OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A FREELANCER IN VIDEO GAME/TECH/CULTURE JOURNALISM? I want to talk to you for a story! DM me, email me, or hit me up on Discord (AlyssaMerc/alyssamercante) Please signal boost!

Terrence Crawford is the best boxer on the planet. My god.

For no reason in particular, reminder that now is always a great time to donate to Trans Lifeline if you have the means: translifeline.org/donate/

Well folks, I have some personal news. I've officially quit my very normal day job, and have accepted a full time job in the video game industry. Without going too deep on details just yet, I'll be writing a lot, playing a lot of games, and still be able to freelance on the side.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles might be my most anticipated game from PAX West. I played about an hour of it behind closed doors, and had a great conversation with game director Kazutoyo Maehiro and art director Hiroshi Minagawa about legacy and inspiration.

Aaaanddd there it is. Invented a new kind of butt fumble even. Once a jet always a jet. Going to be a long season of Sam Darnold hell.

Oh good, now my fate and happiness is in the hands of Sam Darnold. Oh boy.

Nom (Xbox controller for reference)

Another PAX in the books! Great weekend of awesome games and amazing times with friends(new and old).

PAX West!

You should join the @butwhytho.net newsletter! Get a curated slate of what to watch and play every Friday - with the top picks from our crew! 👉🏽 butwhytho.net/newsletter

Ziff Davis and IGN routinely decide that work done by our laid off colleagues is not important. But inevitably, that crucial work falls onto those who remain. Not this time. Not anymore.

I hope someone says this at my funeral

Chomp

Now that the AI bubble is ready to burst, I wonder what the next big tech grift will be. I feel like we are past due for a good robot-themed ponzi scheme, or some bizarre wearables that, while uncomfortable, are also quite bad at measuring whatever they are meant to track.

Ok, hear me out. Oregon trail meets space RTS, set in the Battlestar Galactica Universe. Read my preview to see what I mean.

What do we name our new tortoise?

Your resident Shooter Guy™ is at it again! This time we've got a review in progress, with my impressions from the Battlefield 6 beta. Check it out! www.ign.com/articles/bat...

Booting up some Dark Souls HD and WHY IS MY DUDE RYAN REYNOLDS

If you are a video person who was laid off today and knows how to shoot on location, please email me. I don't have a lot of work, but we will need videographers from time to time and I want to know you.

I just want people who do great work to have job security and a good work environment. Every day that gets harder to see. Something has to give, there is way too much talent without a permanent home, and to great a need for their talents.

Throwing this out here once more for #PAXWest2025 friends: I have a hotel room for cheap cheap to help out anyone that is looking for a place to stay close to the convention. Let me know!

Lord help me, here we go again.

Cal Raleigh. That is all.

Indian tacos on the rez just hit different.

We've rolled out a new subscription dashboard and have new benefits for subscribers! 🎉 Ad-Free Viewing 📰 Exclusive Newsletter From Our EIC 🎧 Premium Podcast Content Pick up a monthly or annual sub and help us keep kicking butt and showing that the future is independent. 👉🏽 butwhytho.net/support

I spoke with people in Gaza who've been accused of being scammers or even AI.

Sinners is as good as people say. Wow.

Let's be clear. At this point using AI as we know it in this context is akin to crossing a picket line. Don't do it, don't be ok with other people doing it.

What a day

If you're currently looking for a new home in gaming: @cdprojektred.com is currently hiring for 90 positions across numerous disciplines - both in the US and in Europe (with a few additional global, remote options too). Fingers crossed for your job hunt❤️ ▶️ cdprojektred.com/en/jobs

At this point I think it is very hard to justify why management at Xbox has jobs.

Herman Melville on moderates, all the way back in 1857:

For the record: I see all your kind responses and am unbelievably touched, so thank you all. If you dig what I do, it has only been possible thanks to people taking a chance on me, setting aside time to mentor me, and giving me freedom to experiment. Everyone deserves that room to grow.

It would be hard to overstate how important Gio has been, in so many ways. I'm so blown away by the way he pushes forward criticism and writing in gaming as an art form. The industry is so much richer for Gio's contributions, and I'll be ready to ready/watch whatever is next.

Back home for my High School reunion. Why am I staying in the most haunted looking room of all time?

Hey All! Interested in contributing to the next LIFEBAR issue? Here are the games and events I'm looking for pitches for. Is there something going on in your hood that I don't know about? Id love to hear about that too! Looking for interviews/non-standard reviews/op-eds/vibes. DMs open!

Mamdani's decisive victory is the blue print to dismantle the ineptitude of the Democratic party and in turn build a vision worth fighting for in the general elections ahead. These battles are decided in the primaries, local elections, and party leadership elections. The work starts yesterday.

I've given enough 4s that I think I can safely buy that shirt.

I did a thing. This is was one of my favorite interviews ever done.

It would be great of outlets were commissions Latinos to write about SGF and the ICE raids.

Any journalists gonna be at SDCC or live in the San Diego area? I'm helping with a VIP launch event and wanna know who to start reaching out to (◕◡◕✿)

Video games are art. So is writing about video games. And dammit if Gio is one of the most creative and thoughtful artists we have.

As your resident Shooter Dude™ I was asked to re-review Rainbow Six Siege! I have many more hours ahead of me before I can give a final verdict, but so far the Siege X update has been really solid. Check it out!

Support independent media, especially extremely badass independent media like But Why Tho?