ICYMI: "Did I succeed? Of course not. But the journey, as they say, is the destination." @mattmarrone.bsky.social tries to escape Night City:

"Did I succeed? Of course not. But the journey, as they say, is the destination." @mattmarrone.bsky.social tries to escape Night City:

ICYMI: "Now you’re saying no else can come here? What makes you so special?" @hotsliceofjesus.bsky.social digs into the paradox of John Denver:

I love games that feel like strange found artifacts. They don’t have to literally be found footage like Sam Barlow’s brand of FMV games, but games that don’t feel like they’re chief aim is to be experienced in a recognizably game-y way. Indie and AA games will be more of a focus for me this year.

ICYMI: "Ironically, despite its whole industry being about play, there’s less and less playfulness in big studio design work." @phoenixwritesdown.bsky.social yearns for more Weirdness in AAA and AA games:

"Now you’re saying no else can come here? What makes you so special?" @hotsliceofjesus.bsky.social digs into the paradox of John Denver:

"Ironically, despite its whole industry being about play, there’s less and less playfulness in big studio design work." @phoenixwritesdown.bsky.social yearns for more Weird in AAA and AA games:

Any game can teach you a valuable lesson. It might not be the one you expected, but if it makes you feel something that profound, then it's achieved a feat worth celebrating.

I wrote this for @unwinnable.com check it out. unwinnable.com/2026/02/05/t...

ICYMI: "My memory might be all that keeps it alive, like so many people I’ve known." @unabridgedgamer.bsky.social says goodbye to Anthem and learns something about grief in the process:

"Where's all the good writing about games?" It's right here, ready for you to take a look!

"My memory might be all that keeps it alive, like so many people I’ve known." @unabridgedgamer.bsky.social says goodbye to Anthem and learns something about grief in the process:

For the night crew, a complete rundown of the new Exploits. Plus, subscribe to @unwinnable.com now and get the entire 95-issue Exploits archive! 1500 pages of doom-scrolling distractions! unwinnable.com/subscribe/

anywho, new issue of Exploits by @unwinnable.com is out, I wrote about last year's "reconstructionist romance" Materialists, and it's a piece I'm still proud of! Check it out here: bsky.app/profile/stuh...

Oh, before I go on, I should note, Unwinnable (and by extension, Exploits) is subscriber funded. In fact, Exploits mostly ONLY exists for subscribers, so to get the full experience, you have to sign up: unwinnable.com/subscribe/

The February issue of Exploits is out now. That's @unwinnable.com's monthly cultural diary, a collection of recommendations, warnings and short form essays to inspire you to read, watch, play and listen to new things this month. Let's see what is inside, yea?

ICYMI: "Silent Hill f did nothing else so much as remind me just how badly being a teenager sucked." @glassethound.bsky.social explains how Silent Hill f reflects the horrors of adolescence:

"Silent Hill f did nothing else so much as remind me just how badly being a teenager sucked." @glassethound.bsky.social explains how Silent Hill f reflects the horrors of adolescence:

Do you want to read me defending Secret Lives of Mormon Wives as a 4th-wave feminist text? Sure you do. Sub now!

A handy link for all you lovelies! We’d love to hear from you!

The rumors are true! @emilyprice.bsky.social and I are the shiny new Exploits books editors 💕🙏 if you’d like to write about books for us, might I suggest pitching?

I had a good time writing about listening to jazz (that’s me on Little Big III) thanks to @freshoelectro.bsky.social. Check it out!

I work with some of the coolest people

If you missed my earlier post, I’m now the co editor of Exploits’ books section! If you have a pitch for us, please email [email protected] and find our pitch guide here

Is Angeline Era “FA” or “FO” question for the ages

@chiltonm.bsky.social and I are the new Books Editors for Exploits! I had the pleasure of editing this month’s review of Chain Gang All Stars.

Very good read. Highly recommend

For @unwinnable.com's February issue of Exploits, I wrote a short piece on practical effects in The Vourdalak and Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess which became a treatise of sorts on puppetry.

(We're still trying to bring on one new subscriber a day, and today it could be you. I hear being an @unwinnable.com subscriber makes you 37% cooler and 12% more likely to understand what people younger than you are talking about.)

Even after I gave up most of the work on Unwinnable Monthly to other folks, I still do the layout and final edit on Exploits because it genuinely entertains me. Short form AND freeform! What a combo! And it is often just...silly and irreverent in just the right way. So, yea, check it out!

The February Exploits is out! I've been talking a lot about Unwinnable Monthly lately, but Exploits is the other Unwinnable-produced magazine, our on-going cultural diary. 16 pages of thoughtful recommendations and the occasional warning. Subscribe and get it now!: unwinnable.com/subscribe/

Stay in from the snowcrete and get cozy with some micro-criticism. This month's Exploits includes writing on topics like The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and Materialists. Buy: buff.ly/tbqYoVp Subscribe: buff.ly/tGadYLN Read @kellymerka.bsky.social's essay on puppets: buff.ly/YRqFcGZ

I liked this quick read by @orringrey.com at @unwinnable.com about the way game design that values iterative play can erect barriers to the table. unwinnable.com/2026/01/13/t...

Lovely to see @unwinnable.com is able to keep such esteemed company

Wrote about my western adventures for Unwinnable! WATCH THE RUTHLESS FOUR!

ICYMI: "I spent most of last year, when faced with a few hours to myself, thinking, 'Damn, I want to watch a Western.'" @chiltonm.bsky.social shares a few of the Western movies she watched in 2025:

"I spent most of last year, when faced with a few hours to myself, thinking, 'Damn, I want to watch a Western.'" @chiltonm.bsky.social shares a few of the Western movies she watched in 2025:

LETS GOOOOO Honestly some of these are straight fire and I'll probably buy some extras for the rest of the year. Also if we get a bunch more subs I can hire a bunch more writers.

One week left to pitch! Feel free to reply/DM with any questions.

ICYMI: "Playing Angeline Era, one of my favorite games of 2025, is like dreaming with all the fear and frustration, but also reckless joy, it entails." @emilyprice.bsky.social bumps into Angeline Era:

Unwinnable is cool, man

What's Unwinnable? A site dedicated to freeform cultural criticism, founded 2010, subscriber supported since 2014. We love READERS and don't fuck around with SEO, ad tech, paywalls or anything else that interferes with the story. A better internet is possible, and you can help with just $5 a month.

Last chance to take advantage of the Unwinnable year-end special subscription offer: sign up for $5, get all 24 issues from 2025. Ends tonight! Easily one whole day of distraction from doomscrolling. unwinnable.com/subscribe/ @unwinnable.com

"Playing Angeline Era, one of my favorite games of 2025, is like dreaming with all the fear and frustration, but also reckless joy, it entails." @emilyprice.bsky.social bumps into Angeline Era:

Angeline Era is like a dream: random, transcendent, frustrating. That feeling made it one of my favorite games of 2025. My review: unwinnable.com/2026/01/29/a...

I took down the year-end special. Now when you subscribe to Unwinnable, you get the current issue. Like a secret fast food restaurant menu, though, I'll continue to honor the deal until Friday. So, last chance to get all of the 2025 issues for five bucks: unwinnable.com/subscribe/

ICYMI: "This month we reflect on the year gone past and how the spirit of revolution never really dies[.]" Oluwatayo Adewole dips into 2025's One Battle After Another, Palestine 36 and Happyend:

Thread below is a full reckoning of the contents of the January issue of @unwinnable.com. Several of the stories are online now, so you can get a further taste. The year-end special goes away after tomorrow, so, tick, tock, tick, tock: unwinnable.com/subscribe/

"This month we reflect on the year gone past and how the spirit of revolution never really dies[.]" Oluwatayo Adewole dips into 2025's One Battle After Another, Palestine 36 and Happyend:

Fantastic read on a striking game that I missed entirely. Time to fix that.