Every Steam Winter sale precipitates a bigger Balance of Payments crisis for me personally than the one Trump claims the US is in to justify his 15% Section 122 tariffs. When is Congress going to give ME unlimited power to smite the people selling me roguelikes and RPGs at competitive prices?

Letting out a sigh so long and deep that I pass out from oxygen deprivation

i've decided not to listen to the audio of a teacher reporting a kindergartender because frankly I don't want to become the person that that event would turn me into. but one thing I hope we are collectively coming to grips with is what it meant that we have lived among such people this whole time

I'm an unemployed video game designer with 14 years of experience and multiple shipped titles. Every day I get up to apply for jobs and every day the news says this

the immediate impact is one thing, but this is one of those weeks in the industry that's gonna ripple out over years, in ways we'll only learn about through reporting. so i guess i'm saying, now is a great time to support and read the work those reporters are doing, so they can chase it.

It's so funny to me that people are still actually mad about the IGN review for Pokemon ORAS. "Too Much Water". Yeah dawg it did have too much water. I say that as a Gen 3 respecter. But also the game got a 7.8, which is a good score. Grow up. Smoke a bowl. Touch a butt. Experiment with baking.

These mfs built a Burger King next to a Burger King

I feel like I am losing my mind reading this. What do you MEAN Tiktok is making AI-altered ads against advertisers' consent? Corporate addiction to AI is turning into a sort of business death cult. Why would you ever run ads on platforms that do this? Why would a business think this is a good idea?

So tonight's episode of the Pitt was good, I'm guessing from a few folks no-context jaw-on-the-floor reactions (Won't have time to watch til Saturday, SUCKS)

It is 2026. I have several people in my life who live under constant fear of ICE coming to our city for people like them. I'm dealing with advancing physical health problems. The world feels on the verge of collapse. I truly, TRULY refuse to waste energy stewing over non-existential problems.

People told me that I was stirring up something that wasn’t gonna happen. That I was an alarmist. Even had journalist tell me that there was no indication that EVO and Saudi would ever get in bed together. I got death threats, doxxed, had YouTube videos made of me and it’s part of why I moved here

Sony took a studio that was popular and successful for the thing they did (high end remake/remasters), and delivered the PS5's launch killer app (one of those) and forced them to chase live service bullshit and then cancelled that and then canned the studio for listening. The Aristocrats!

pook fucking called it

What's absolutely fucking insane is seeing people be correctly disgusted by these lolicon weirdos but then be like "shame on Capcom for making Diana like that though, they knew what they were doing". MY GOOD BITCH, EXPLAIN YOURSELF??? Insidious levels of self reporting.

Saw some nobody earlier spouting the usual gg shit about Kotaku, and it made me think of an exchange between me and Ashley on this episode where I talk about how Kotaku (or any site) is a Ship of Theseus that has been a different Kotaku every year of its existence. "Chuds do not understand shit."

I understand that this is for a specifically women's event and it's definitely a mistake that I received this particular email from this organization. Networking events like this are important and women need women's spaces to find mentorship and guidance from each other. But also, and forgive me:

2026 basically

in this episode: i somehow draw a non-tenuous line between games journalism and sports photography

Took a gummy for stress last night for the first time in ages, and I realized it had kicked in when an insurance document I was writing up slowly transitioned into a microphone recommendation guide Anyway thank goodness because instead of anxiety spiralling all night I just cuddled dogs and chilled

Are crabs shaped like hugs or is that just me

You ever not have a gummy in a real long time and then you have one and then Oh

Did you miss the launch of Pixel Spectrum? I was joined by @ashlikeadragon.bsky.social to talk about the eroding boundaries between journalists and influencers, and the struggle to make it as a professional critic or journalist. Follow the show on your platform of choice! linktr.ee/derbycityderek

(SONIC): To make a long fuckin' story short, I put a whole bag of jellybeans up my ass.

Yeah man

I have been the target of a delusional psychotic who arrived there the old-fashioned way in the Pre-AI days. He became convinced I was one of the shapeshifting aliens ruling the world from the shadows. The idea that AI can just churn more of him out on a factory line is terrifying.

The drunk uncle theory. You don’t argue with the casually homophobic uncle at Thanksgiving dinner to change his mind; you argue so that the closeted cousin at the kids table knows there’s safe people and better possibilities out there

[Your 23yo mutual]: I stayed up till 5am, I've had 3 energy drinks today, I've ran 5 miles, I am unkillable [Your 36yo mutual]: You know what. Heating pads are really nice, even when your body isn't in agony. It's just a very comforting feeling as you sit there doing your tasks.

I've been getting mentored into client development and national account management at work, and that guiding hand has done so much to help me push through my social anxiety in a professional setting. Funny thing: turns out that applies to Internet Derek learning to connect and network in this space!

Hey where my fighting game sickos at Especially the fellow oldheads

A big thank you to everyone who has already reached out about the new show! Call it imposter syndrome but I was kind of expecting to have to really fight to be noticed. It feels good to hit the ground running. Big new show, multiple PAX panels, lining up some good guests... it's a positive reminder.

Do you get it Do you get it it's because the light/color spectrum and also I'm queer and autistic DO YOU GET IT

My sib Derek started a gameing podcast and the first episode features one of my favorite oomfs (colloquially Friends)!!

I’ve been trying not to be loud about this but I will be at PAX and I will be on a panel, at PAX!!!

News Alert #2: I'm hosting a panel at PAX East! Catch me, @dollblood.garden, @nolanerdcast.bsky.social, and @camfinalmix.bsky.social after lunch on day 1 of PAX East as we talk about how licensed videogames have come in and out of favor with publishers! east.paxsite.com/en-us/schedu...

Running for president in 2028 on a platform of "we're fixing car headlights" and "give my trans homies free chicken wings"

honoured to be pixel spectrum's first guest! 💜 a very open, at times unavoidably pessimistic, conversation about the state of games media both corporate and indie, trying to make it despite the resounding lack of ladders up remaining, and whether passing around the same five dollars is still enough

Good morning all, I'm launching a brand-new ongoing series, Pixel Spectrum! For #1, I was joined by @ashlikeadragon.bsky.social to talk about how the lines blurred between influencers and professional media, and the precarious position we're all left in as legacy media collapses. Links below!

mom they’re roasting the US economy on mastodon again

All jokes aside, do keep eyes out in the morning for a real announcement

Public Service Announcement:

if you asked me to diagnose the western game industry's current problem it would start with "landlords have absorbed basically all disposable income"

Had a really good Valentine's day date Have had 4 drinks oopsie I'm gonna go get held on the couch now like a pretty princess

Zeta Gundam Sketches

I'm not saying this as a complaint, but that Disco Elysium tiktok has had that Lady Gaga song stuck in my head all day and it won't leave

A Democratic party that circles around Gavin Newsom as a candidate despite his throwing marginalized folks under the bus and cozying up to every fascist who shares a mic with him for 30 minutes, that ignores the palpable anger from any Democrat who believes anything, is just a far right party.

oh my god??

You ever have a crash out so reasonable and justified that it isn't even high energy, you're just calmly explaining a painful change that makes you feel existentially less valuable Level voice, calm body language, not spilling a drop from your overfull coffee mug, absolutely at the end of your rope