picked up over a thousand new holos/rares today. praise be to local game stores!!

How can we listen to and talk about video game music better? To help, I asked @pixelprojectradio.bsky.social and Charlie Young for a lesson! Hope you enjoy, and hope you learn something- I know I did. LISTEN: talesfromthebacklog.fireside.fm/vgmappreciat... WATCH: youtu.be/89bkDcM60xo

NEW: I spoke to multiple people impacted by the job cuts at Xbox to understand how the latest round of mass layoffs played out and what it means for the embattled video game division moving forward. This is their story.

INLAND EMPIRE – You hear it, don't you? Voices gathering just beyond the curtain. They know something is coming. DRAMA – Splendid! Let anticipation linger. Every grand entrance deserves an audience.

SOLD

the way i almost flipped a table before realizing i still had my resurrection left

This week: 23 picks on disc-ourse, ARGs, Warframe, and much more: critical-distance.com/2026/07/13/j...

titanium court - 0/10 …it called me generic 😭😭😭😭😭

The cruelest part of this Xbox bloodbath? More than 1,200 job cuts are still looming, and nobody knows when they will happen or who will be impacted. This week's column: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

Pushing Balatro to naneinf. @adef.bsky.social was not messing around in this run! #SGDQ2026

Theyre calling the the most one-sided but objectively correct bid war in history

Mr. John Oliver please look at RAM prices so that parents will text their gamer sons and daughters “hey did you hear about these RAM prices” and we can all respond “yeah”

this one's for all the people who felt unsettled and even disappointed about the twist and the choices at the end of clair obscur: expedition 33. whether you agree with dr. mcwilliams or not, he's gonna give you some good thoughts to turn over in your mind

Have it writ upon thy meagre grave: Felled by King Laszlo! Last of all kings.

blog post - advice on how to write about indie games mightyvision.blogspot.com/2026/06/advi...

if you're ever stuck in bed recovering from a surgery, i can confirm that triangle strategy pairs quite well with the experience. blew through eight hours yesterday in my first session

FUCK

Even now there's misinformation floating around, so let me make this clear: Xbox is cutting 3,200 jobs, or 20% of the organization. 1,600 jobs will be eliminated today, and then another 1,600 (including the studio divestments) in the next 12 months. Full story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

i went to the footbottom feast and everyone knew you

A narrative adventure game that centers around the nostalgia of music you grew up with. Sounds like a Flora game, right? Strap in, folks. Cause I haven't had such a strong negative reaction to a game in a very long time. Here's my experience with Mixtape: epiloguegaming.com/the-vapid-pr...

friday EpilogueGaming.com

🇨🇦Happy Canada from your favourite Canadian video game club podcast!🇨🇦 (@floramerigold.bsky.social is an honourary Canadian - don't worry about it!)

i just wrote 3500+ article on Mixtape seems like a flora-game, right? EpilogueGaming.com this friday~

Absolutely love the look of this upcoming Indie game 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗼. The Egyptian carvings are actually the playable environment 🤩

wtf is this dialogue 😭😭

I've been really struggling to find motivation to play games, and Dispatch was exactly what I needed: it made me feel excited again. I have so many thoughts that I will save for a future article, surely. But for now, it feels good to hit the credits on something meaningful.

Reality is a camera trick. Films, games, police bodycams — all depict a version of the first-person perspective. We use those sources to unconsciously decide what “real life” should look like through that digital lens. The camera manipulates our expectations, always. youtu.be/BEM_qZEX5VU

Finally grabbed Dispatch on the Steam Sale and I blew through the first half in one sitting. If it wasn't past midnight, I'd finish it now. Loving every aspect of it so far!

my favorite brand of game review is still the steam reviews complaining about a lack of content and the game being boring and then the playtime is over 300 hours. buddy you might wanna sit down for this, but I think you might have just finished the game.

the three genders

this is an esquie support group — happy pride, wee woo!!! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🖤✨

i know im getting old because i got more excited for a new Switch Sports game than the obvious other highlights

i got the proof for my new poetry book and i am geeking out ✨🖤🏳️‍⚧️ (preorders opening soon 👀)

as everyone's most annoying Tifa simp, I've gotta say I was eating GOOD at this year's #SummerGameFest 🙏🙏🙏

Very funny from /r/balatro

An indie developer is working with Jacob Geller to explain the subtleties within their new game’s narrative to media illiterate players. paletteswap.site/dif...

My big Titanium Court piece on the game's (mis)use of theatrical frameworks of storytelling is now free for everyone to read over on my blog. Please give it a read and even though you don't have to anymore, consider sending me a tip on ko-fi if you like it willarowe.bearblog.dev/titanium-cou...

New on Tales from the Backlog today- @floramerigold.bsky.social and I take aim and discuss Many Nights a Whisper by @selkieharbour.com and @deconstructeam.bsky.social! As always, no spoilers for a while- enjoy! LISTEN: talesfromthebacklog.fireside.fm/217 WATCH: youtu.be/_LTkfihWK9c

celebrated the first day of pride with a nice cup of venus fly traps 😋

Here's what's coming up on Tales from the Backlog in June! A nice mix of of games with these great guests: @floramerigold.bsky.social @claireafterall.bsky.social @idolismj.yase.world @ajfillari.bsky.social I loved how these discussions turned out, so please look forward to them!

😭😭😭

I'm replaying Disco Elysium as a fascist who is dumb as a rock. While the writing is rewardingly different from my initial playthrough as a hyperintelligent communist, it *genuinely* pains me to disappoint Kim Kitsuragi at every turn and I hate it!!

how it feels trying to break out of gender prison

oh my god

"I didn’t mean for LOVE ETERNAL to be my breakup game, but it honestly feels like poetry to me when I look back on it." Check out @katerblossom.bsky.social's full review of LOVE ETERNAL: nosmallgames.com/2026/05/love...

Say hi to our guest @floramerigold.bsky.social, whom you can find at @epiloguegaming.bsky.social and @leftbehindgameclub.bsky.social! In our latest episode, we discuss Flora’s work and gaming tastes. Then, we review the indie game she chose for us: Flower! Hear it now on all the podcast apps!

bluesky for me = gaming but obv i love doing things outside of that so heres a random riff i learned by ear tonight if youre into the whole guitarist/musician thing :)

got so excited to install saros that i forgot an entire bag of groceries on my counter 😭

Around half a dozen times playing Flower to date for me, and every time it hits me in a different, nuanced way. One of our oldest featured games in this episode, and we had the pleasure of talking with the excellent @floramerigold.bsky.social!

Our 97th episode of Underplayed is here! We’re reviewing Flower from @thatgamecompany.com alongside our guest @floramerigold.bsky.social! We also have reviews of games from @magicrainstudios.bsky.social and Spoonful of Wonder! Available now! Links below ⬇️