quick note: if you've been meaning to email me a thing, it won't go live until the 29, so don't rush. and if you already have, i'll get back to you soon

Yesterday was not the Last Work Day of the year for me, but most of what’s left is GOTY stuff. I’m mid-workout so between sets, I’m gonna thread a few things I liked that I wrote in 2025, the year of me getting my spark back, kinda. Slowly, but surely.

4,000 words on the stage I haven't been able to stop playing for the last six years. Early dev screenshots, talk of tech challenges, five demo tracks embedded so you can hear the song's evolution. All the good stuff.

final fantasy is great too bad they never released a 16th entry

december 19

discord being spotty while i'm trying to share gossip is so rude

this week, arguably like any other week beforehand, has been a reminder that media should be wary of putting studios and ceos on a pedestal. sadly, i can already see the marketing image for this game with nothing but dozens of 10s on it, and folks proudly sharing it

love to find out that a payment i have been waiting for during the past few weeks won't be processed until january because some accounting person who likely earns more money in a year than i've ever seen in my life decided so

remember when I wrote a dang comic. a cool thing I always wanted to get out there finally done this year

the more time i sink into the hundred line, the more i think we've been championing the wrong games all this time

I know the holidays are the worst for hiring but I'm still looking for work :') my website goes into detail on my contributions to Civ VII, MMS, and Hindsight: emmkid.info I'm quick, adaptable, and eager to learn from smart people who enjoy abusing custom slack emotes

break the "reviews are just to tell me if i should buy things" shackles. care about art beyond whether it makes the number of your bank account go up or down! have a thought!

Finally, The Kotaku Review for Hundred Line. I spent much of it reflecting on how its incredible ambition makes it nearly impossible to recommend without caveats. But it's one of the most important games of 2025, and a testament to the power of making something for yourself without compromise.

full combo or death

skyrim as the steam machine launch title

hades II's core issues weren't fixed with its post-launch update. I went long on two characters that demonstrate its deeper problems: sisyphus and persephone youtu.be/zMa6nDH8KvQ

for the vision of skate story to be completely realized, blood cultures should play at the market hotel

@emmakpark.bsky.social hey emma! hope you've been well. do you mind sending me a dm? wanted to extend an invite for something. ty!!

i'm always here btw www.youtube.com/watch?v=45-r...

nah dude i think i'm good

it's that time again www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_g4...

Holiday gift idea! Get someone a one-year Design Room subscription. Just go here, tip $70, and put their name, email, and the date you want it to start in the notes. www.designroom.site#/portal/supp...

never heard of him

the thing is that left 4 dead is the greatest game of all time

good morning

updating my resume and writing a cover letter

i’m so hireable

digital storefronts this past week www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_DV...

Horses is a Very Bad Time and I highly recommend it. Here’s me on Valve and Epic deciding that a critique of how the powerful use conservative moralism to oppress others is too morally objectionable for their platforms www.inverse.com/gaming/horse...

three coffees some lunch

let’s take ibuprofen together

DOLLSWEAT, my solo ttrpg about turning into a doll, 🐾🪆, will release on january 5, 2026 ⋆｡°✩ it'll be available to download as a free PDF on itch you can keep up with the OCCULT, CURSED, DANGEROUS project here plantorbeast.itch.io/dollsweat 🎧🫀🦢

It is never a critic’s job to give the slightest fuck about a Metacritic score.

playing marvel’s deadpool vr broke me to the point of feeling like a dog being spoon-fed dopamine. my review for av club: www.avclub.com/marvels-dead...

playing marvel’s deadpool vr broke me to the point of feeling like a dog being spoon-fed dopamine. my review for av club: www.avclub.com/marvels-dead...

every kirby air raiders clip is incomprehensible

Closest thing you'll see from me maybe ever to a personal essay about a video game vgbees.com/im-great-at-...

love getting an email saying “we’d love to invite [outlet i haven’t written for since 2021] to an all-expense-paid trip to see X thing”

I finally got around to writing about Goodnight Universe. I talk about growing up, minimizing myself in familial spaces, and how sometimes you feel like by being quiet, you can help plug the cracks in the foundation www.restart.run/articles/goo...

Sat down with the folks at @adhocstudio.com to talk about Dispatch's best scene and how the team made the most out of its most chaotic, violent, and hilarious five minutes.

we have to go back

As a permalancer I am a secret 4th thing. Person who posts in order to get job.

NEW: Indie studio Santa Ragione is facing closure after its surreal horror title, Horses, was barred from Steam ahead of its upcoming December release The studio behind Saturnalia and Wheels of Aurelia said Valve has yet to adequately explain why an early version of Horses was blacklisted in 2023.

one day, over ten years ago, a person from a local video game fb group said they were looking for writers for a blog. something inside pushed me to put my name in, despite never considering myself a writer up to that point. it’s been a whirlwind with countless ups and downs. but i’m very glad i did

this is precisely how playing the deadpool vr game feels like

"I don’t want her to think her sacrifices were in vain." Tomás Neumann Aspee (@tomeitou.bsky.social) faces the reality of no longer caring about the most important day of his life. intothespine.com/2025/11/22/t...

hey, i'm looking for work! full-time or freelance 💜 journalist, critic, author proficient in features, criticism, reporting, reviews, previews, news, guides words at lost in cult, RPS, VGC, unwinnable, gamesradar+, polygon, EDGE, PLAY muckrack.com/ash-like-a-d... [email protected]

anyway new website just dropped, hire me: emmkid.info (the eagle eyed will notice i'm using screenshots from my tga video spot because lol)

prototype switch 2 edition would fix me

Literally Reb and I had a whole ass conversation about this a couple weeks back and both felt so so strongly that it’s a hard no. If I could use my video game ✨expertise✨ and motherhood status to impart any sort of advice on fellow parents, it’s keep your kids off Roblox