I had a chat with Julián Cordero and Ian Berman to discuss the creative methods behind DESPELOTE -one of the most remarkable games of recent memory. Here's the full transcript, alongside my essay about its unique, freeform spoken dialogue.

Introducing 'Screen Play,' a new column examining the thresholds of the cinematic and the virtual. In this first entry, Austin Lancaster explores the world of video game performance, looking at uncanny 'failures' & the desire for meaningful idiosyncrasy. tinyurl.com/45t5uzht

I'll be writing a new column for Rough Cut, looking at resonances between video games and film. The first article looks at Oblivion's buggy NPCs, non-actor performances, System Shock, Façade, Hitman, Out for Delivery and other related topics. tinyurl.com/45t5uzht

STRAFTAT is suchcatnip...

Teruo Ishii's Horrors of Malformed Men (1969) still haunts me...

Northern Journey's one-of-a-kind artstyle is one of the most beautiful ever devised?

Be assured: the best map of the video game landscape is not the official map.

@radiatoryang.bsky.social Hey Robert, have you played STRAFTAT? Been wishing for some mod-literate writing on the game but haven't been able any...

Dale and Dawson has something going for it: an Among Us-like set in a staitionery company's office. "Slackers" have to try to watch cat videos and sabotage the office without getting caught... store.steampowered.com/app/2920570/...

Genuinely the most exciting thing to hear about a game:

The most beautifully strange video game experiment in authenticity turns v1.0 today. Full of the simplest, most moving moments: trundling down a dirt road, wondering what's going on with a boat speeding across a lake. Not hostile, just trusting. store.steampowered.com/app/516750/M...

I've had a lot of reasons to think about this insight from @foddy.net's Jiggly Zone review lately.

greetings! just a reminder that i have an art book out! it also features a couple of essays exclusive to the book and some poetic snippets. you can purchase a copy here: www.mostancient.com/shop/great-art

Best under-the-radar game of last year: Mask Quest, a platformer by increpare and undef. Politically urgent and funny, with brilliantly constructed level design. Thoughtful writeup on @rockpapershotgun.bsky.social by Edwin Evans-Thirlwell: www.rockpapershotgun.com/mask-quest-r...

Thrilled to have my writing on @phoenixup.bsky.social's Time Bandit Part 1: Appendanges of the Machine featured in @unwinnable.com's Exploits! I discuss its relation to Inventing the Future, and the unique merits / challenges of adapting non-fiction into a game. shop.unwinnable.com/product/expl...