AAA video game character going to the toilet: "I'll take these stairs." "Ah, there it is, the bathroom." "Better open the door." "The door's open, nice." "Gonna pull my trousers down now." "Sitting down." "Okay, here we go." "I needed that." "Okay, time to fl

Our final guest list for Day 1 of @giantbomb.bsky.social GOTY, the Main Event if you will, is the reigning AEW World Champion, Samoa Joe! giantbomb.com/articles/sam...

So another reason to support comic artists and writers and letterers directly if you can, because without them many characters we love wouldn’t exist.

All that being said...as of next year, I will no longer be a freelance video game journalist. I've secured a full-time reporting role elsewhere, and I am *so* excited for my new chapter! I told you 2026 was going to be my year!

2025 was my first year doing freelance work full-time. I traveled across the US and Europe. I wrote more than 80 stories for The Guardian, Aftermath, Kotaku, Rolling Stone, Gamespot, & more. I worked my ass off to make ends meet. Most importantly, I did work I'm really proud of. Here are my faves:

For real, most screenwriting back-end negotiations are fiercely fought over single-digit percentage shares of the net profits, and it ain't high single digits

If you are a millennial who grew up watching Cartoon Network, look up what happened to the guy who was Brak and produced Space Ghost Coast to Coast and despair.

This is true both in obvious media, like The Movies and Novels and Comic Books, but also true in areas like Video Games and Tabletop Games. We also have a special bonus category of "the money wasn't given to Some Guy, you love the stories but no one gave any money".

With very few exceptions: If you think someone who made the stories you love is rich, you are incorrect.

The reason I work a soul crushing awful job at a community college registrar's office doing mindless paperwork is because I can't support myself re-learning how to Art. It's that simple.

If you need verification of this, just look up the band Badfinger.

Comics especially. MCU pays absolutely nothing to the folks whose characters & stories they base stuff on. (I'm not talking about Stan Lee's estate.)

Fun fact: in a rare example of NOT this, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created by an employee of Montgomery Ward, and after it became wildly popular, the company's CEO gave him back the rights. The family still owns and manages the copyright. And the employee's brother-in-law wrote the song!

So many actors, that should have been set for life based on the explosive popularity of the properties they propelled into popularity, have straight up died because they couldn't afford their medical bills. JESSIE FROM FUCKING *POKEMON* DIED THIS WAY.

Like BROKE broke. Brokedy broke.

we get around 5-10% of sometimes cover price, sometimes retailer net...paid six months after the fact

Buy books you love for people you love so the authors you love can live their lives and love the people too.

And the folks who write about and champion all those games, films, and books. Most of us LOSE money to do this.

Oh ok so as an massive audiodrama nerd What if An audiodrama about one of those Big Cast audiodramas that are invariably awful through the lens of stealing from a tough little indie? (Which they absolutely do do)

Same with songs

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)

It makes me sad whenever I see a prominent and important creator like Peter David or Stan Sakai having to resort to crowdfunding to deal with bills and medical assistance, and it should never, ever be like that.

Regular reminder that the majority of the people who dreamed up the stories you love are, like, BROKE broke, and that most of the money spent on their work was given to Some Guy™️ instead.

HEADS UP! Both of our award-winning indie games are on sale over the festive period... ❄️ Röki ☀️ Mythwrecked

Idk man maybe it’s cause I spent a long time a prose writer, but a lot of the time when I’m working with an artist I’m like. Just fuck me up. I don’t need AI to show you what I’m thinking because what the artist is thinking is probably better

Never waver. Dominate all. Proud to show off the newest hoodie for @allelitewrestling.com champion Samoa Joe, designed by yours truly, now available at ShopAEW! www.shopaew.com/catalog/prod...

You and other AI developers need to LISTEN to what we are saying to you. You have caused harm as a group. Harm to education and learning. Harm to society. Take this feedback to your employer. Sit with it. Wrestle with why everyone is upset.

I mean jfc CNN just *sat down and interviewed* a group of Christian nationalist leaders who want to repeal women’s right to vote! open.substack.com/pub/jessica/...

Why decline all these chances to defend feminism? Because to participate would be accepting the premise that our rights and humanity are up for debate in the first place. Once you’ve conceded that it’s reasonable to ask whether women’s equality was a mistake, you’ve already lost.

It’s not easy having a good time…

This is awkward, but as of yesterday I'm no longer employed with Nightdive Studios. I'm currently looking for full-time work and would be happy to share more info via DMs. I'm also open to freelance work!

‘Yer da shouts at hotels’ theres been a murder

Starting and ending this year on the cover of @patchmagazine.bsky.social! (Imagine my delight that they’re issues 40 & 50!) I’m so lucky to have written for both Afterlove EP & Winter Burrow, and so proud of everything the Pikselnesia & Pinecone teams have achieved. Two incredible, emotional games!

This is incredibly painful for me. I have never asked for help like this before. But I have had people reach out to me asking if they can help, so I am sharing my story and finally asking for help. I've been lucky to have a lovely group of followers here, please share if you can, anything helps <3

When you have to name 9 swords before content lock

I am so deeply sorry to be in the position to have to pull this lever again, but I just watched my car get towed away and I don't really know what else to do anymore. More details in the update & description, but if you're able to help out or share, we would be grateful beyond words.

Starting and ending this year on the cover of @patchmagazine.bsky.social! (Imagine my delight that they’re issues 40 & 50!) I’m so lucky to have written for both Afterlove EP & Winter Burrow, and so proud of everything the Pikselnesia & Pinecone teams have achieved. Two incredible, emotional games!

The awards are raging on, we're raising money for Palestinian children and we may or may not be revealing a certain highly anticipated Valve game. Come on through

Trying to finish up my work for the year but at this point my head’s like a wheelie bin with a tennis ball in it.

We spoke to a dozen professional concept artists who are currently or have previously worked in game development about whether generative AI image tools have made their jobs any easier. Zero said it did. Most said it made things harder. thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/conc...

We all have encountered work/creative challenges where you wish that you had more people or more time but I think having somebody steering the ship whose default answer is to axe everybody & do it themselves or hire/fire hundreds more people for years, your problems will not ever be solved

this is to me the same issue in terms of why I was upset about Larian: a pattern of behaving badly towards the labor that makes a game possible

“All the most pivotal members of the team were laid off, but don’t worry, we kept The One Very Angry Guy Who Is Singlehandedly Holding Up Production!”

So I can work in whichever office location I want? And all the other writers can work in whichever office location they want? And so for meetings we’ll… ? Zoom. Right. Of course. We’ll relocate our whole lives to go into an office to take our meetings on Zoom.

Bring this energy with you int 2026 (yes this is a threat)

The Hard Drive Game Awards are airing tonight on twitch.tv/harddrivemag at 7PM EST! We're fundraising for the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund: tilt.fyi/0jq1GoIcuQ World premieres, fabulous guests, and copious amounts of billionaire hate! Aftershow Fuser set by @sam.robotsfightingdinosaurs.com

A map for this game is a GODSEND. A gem of a game on the Switch and perfect for over Christmas 🎅

Winter Solstice is quickly approaching! Wouldn’t it be nice if you could decorate your burrow in celebration? 🎄👀

Winter Solstice is almost here, and along with it a brand new holiday themed Winter Burrow update! The perfect companion for coziness this holiday season. 🎄 Available now on Steam, Xbox and Nintendo Switch!  https://store.steampowered.com/app/3008740/Winter_Burrow/ #cozygames #gamedev

Winter Solstice is coming to the burrow! Our free holiday update is now LIVE! 🎁 What’s New? 📖 New story & quests 🎄 Lights & decorations 🧣 Holiday clothing 🥧 Festive cooking recipes 🪑 22 new furniture items 🗺️ Map feature (due to popular demand 🤗)