This has to end in 2026. Palestinians deserve safety and freedom.

BIG GABI GET IN #arsenal

Really good stuff, great example for the ongoing Genre conversation. I’m already thinking about F-Zero with Samantha’s thoughts in mind…

ICYMI, I posted this review of Spooky Express yesterday. Check it out!

My EOTY roundup for Stop Caring is now live, a bit more informal than the regular essays I provide, I wrote about my 10 favorite games of 2025 and award one the coveted title of Stop Caring GOTY I also wanted to take a moment to thank all the contributors and supporters in the beginning :)

Fun puzzle game. Cute Halloween Fantasy. But I think there were some possibilities left on the table, maybe in pursuit of a really tight link between mechanics and theme.

May I present… a cryptid for the season… the Holly Man

So I finally started really playing Cyberbots and the story elements of this arcade mode, plus all the cool things I already have an idea of from watching the occasional tournament, are making it a real good time. #optionalplaying

Y’know, I really like this Wikipedia pic of the day.

Dug out my switch 1 to take traveling so I’m dealing with the game card thing. All my digital stuff apparently now belongs to my switch 2. What’s the point of this, it’s all on my same account, why do I have to click through to say, “yes, let me play the game I have on this device that I also have.”

In Ruins. An unlikely game from me, I grapple with what all is there to say about war games during war. On Battlefield 6, destructible environments, and gardening:

I know many things are awful but here is one genuinely useful and helpful thing you can do. No matter their party, your representative needs to hear that trans people and our families are not alone and this bill is an unjustifiable and extreme threat to criminalize the health care we need to live.

do you think Gavin Newsom wants to murder as many people as Ronald Reagan or would he settle for murdering about the same number

Just a reminder with Christmas just around the corner

Foggy LA morning with some remixes of The Cure #optionallistening

Friends, the final hours of the #TYIVGB25 submission period are upon us! If there's anything you've been holding back, submit it now! www.critical-distance.com/2025/12/01/c...

This week: 25 new-and-interesting selections on the western construction of the JRPG, Chris Roberts, Hades II, and Keoff Geighley: critical-distance.com/2025/12/15/d...

I’ve now seen 4 operas in person (today was La Bohème) and two have ended with the leads reclining, singing, and dying. Cue curtain. Give the people what they want, I guess.

Outstanding: - The upholstery “will need more safety pins than a punk vest to keep it together” -“The interior smells like something more than teen spirit.” - Only one speaker remains operational and “able to raise a fist in protest.”

367 days ago btw

Huh, if this is correct then I just learned that Tetrisphere was originally a Jaguar game. Cool. harddrop.com/wiki/Tetrisp... Played some decent rounds last night, starting to remember some of it, but I think there were details I missed out on last time I gave it a spin. #optionalplaying

#pathologic #pathologic2

Having played the first chapters of skate story and demonschool on back-to-back nights, I think they’re after similar but not quite identical audiences. I might skew more towards the “I’ll sign myself over to pain if it means I get to eat the moon,” of skate story, myself.

Microsoft’s Xbox is a priority BDS target. Call to action for gamers, streamers, journalists, game workers ⬇️

So happy I can finally show off my contribution to @deletedsavesmag.bsky.social I wrote about Metal Gear Solid Delta and what is lost on the sacrificial altar of remakes and high-fidelity graphics. Needless to say: I was not a fan of the Snake Eater remake.

BREAKING: A federal judge ordered the government to restore Rümeysa Öztürk's SEVIS student record after it was wrongfully terminated in retaliation for exercising her freedom of speech. This allows her to fully engage with the opportunities of her PhD program.

Guess Monday took it out of me because I feel low on patience and it’s not even 9am on Tuesday.

Justice Kavanaugh laid out the framework for how racial profiling is permissible by federal agents leading to what has now been coined as the “Kavanaugh Stop,” by professor Anil Kalhan. The full story: lataco.com/kavanaugh-st... By @eltragon.bsky.social

What was the last game you played that made you say, "I love this crew"? For @exalclaw.bsky.social, that game is Battle Suit Aces by @team.trinketstudios.com, showcasing "a future where people can love without being driven by fear of the known and unknown." www.gamerswithglasses.com/reviews/batt...

Wow, killer title. Makes me want to read this immediately!

Wrapped up 100% of Spooky Express, wrote a few more paragraphs about it. Review is getting there. Fun challenge to think about its particularities and particular situation. There’s always something in puzzle games beyond their structures. #optionalplaying

Earlier this week, I went to a poetry slam for students. Some stuff was read quietly and nervously, some was a little too cute and self-consciously clever, and some acted like they were the first to combine historical hip hop styles. In other words, a poetry slam! The kids are alright.

Got a copy of Forsaken 64 that was untested, but worked after a little cleaning. What a weird thing to move around in. Threw Perfect Dark on afterwards and it was like that weirdness gave me my N64 shooter sea legs back. Worth the price and time just for that. #optionalplaying

I guess talking videogame music is also cool. I’ve been playing Spooky Express’ optional levels and I’ve got one more of those left. And y’know @ghoulnoise.com put together a really fun soundtrack! Still hanging with it hours later. #optionalplaying #optionallisteningi

Listened to the Viagra Boys’ viagr aboys this morning and that is one alternative rock sounding album. Like a complication of other alt rock bands stuffed into one band. #optionallistening

🥱 I just wanna talk about music some more instead, my dudes

By count, I have the five tracks I streamed the most this year. First one is apparently a repeat of my top from last year - Bacchae’s Just a Rat. #optionallistening

I like the nonchalant carry of this skull that appears out of a murder well. #optionalplaying

100 days of The Hundred Line later and ready to can (not) redo. #optionalplaying

Gomez is undefeated

The East LA level in Tony Hawk's American Sk8land has an elaborate secret involving an invisible rail that clips you through geometry to an out-of-bounds section of the map, revealing a message telling you to hide in the bushes in the Beverly Hills map. When you do so, the game plays a fart noise.

To all who've been wondering what demos to try: we've got you covered. Next Fest correspondent @skycherry.bsky.social returns with four handpicked recommendations, featuring @astralshiftpro.com, @regularstudio.bsky.social, RageForDragons, and Crimson Dusk. www.gamerswithglasses.com/gwg-recommen...

Folks, I’m still looking for an immigration attorney who works on deportation defense (and appeals) for the family I wrote about here. IL and IN based preferably.

Get those Shiren games and play ‘em. Tower of Fortune and Serpentcoil Island both rule. You know you like dungeon crawling, so go hit those maps one square at a time with all the art and music and items to go with.

Gex has a *girlfriend* in Gex 3? I have never seen anyone mention this.

men want one thing and it’s fmv of Herbie Hancock in the 1997 computer game The Virtual Nightclub

If your JRPG 🎮 doesn't have a dolphin 🐬 as your sand cruiser's 🌳 sonar operator 🎧 I don't want to hear about it 😤

Played various amounts of The New Tetris, Perfect Dark, Mischief Makers, F-Zero X, and Tetrisphere this evening. Good stuff. F-Zero X, in particular, looks, plays, and sounds like a dream on the analogue 3d.

Last week, my former housemate punched me multiple times in the eye, forcing me to break the lease for the beautiful apartment we shared and move in with a trusted friend As I try to rebuild my life and find more permanent housing, I would greatly appreciate any support you could offer Stop Caring