@timsalmons.bsky.social Just wanted to thank you for the excellent reviews of Shaw Brothers films on The Digital Bits! It's hard to find reviews online that treat them as seriously. I also appreciate the heads up about poorly aged stuff/transphobia.

Great write-up on the Yakuza series here that really articulates why the big genre and narrative shifts of Yakuza: Like a Dragon worked so well with each other.

This is loads of fun. I wish more mobile games were built with Nintendo's design and monetization sensibilities.

In the early 2020s, Canadian startups didn’t get much hotter than ApplyBoard, whose business matching foreign applicants to university and college programs was worth $4 billion and had the immigration minister comparing its founding brothers to the Wright brothers. Things have changed.

ApplyBoard, the edtech unicorn, turned the foreign-student bubble into a $4-billion Trudeau-era success story, but let workplace norms take a back seat to growth. Now everyone’s feeling the hangover. thelogic.co/news/the-big...

"Level 10 gambling wizard" is a pretty fantastic creative writing prompt, I think. www.tumblr.com/contextfreep...

It's Bea Arthur's birthday, so of course today's Context-Free Patent Art is Golden Girls-related: www.tumblr.com/contextfreep...

I don't put captions on Context-Free Patent Art, but if I did, today's would be "The Trojan Zamboni." www.tumblr.com/contextfreep...

hot tip: when someone says something nice to or about you screenshot it or write it down and put it in a note on your telephone and then one day you can find out about it again as if for the first time

As someone who has almost always hated autoscrolling levels, I'm surprised how much I'm enjoying Ron Gilbert's Death By Scrolling on the Switch. It takes a mechanic I hate, builds a roguelike around it, and delivers it all with Gilbert's humour and sensibilities. Good stuff.

The theatre I worked at had a "brainwrap" at exactly the moment the asteroid hit Earth in Deep Impact. We wound up showing what we called "the [theater name] cut," where the approaching meteor segued immediately to the horrible aftermath. In my mind, that's the epitome of "dirty multiplex scan."

If you've ever wondered why I am The Way I Am, this video was my formative years. Me re-enacting the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey with the Goobers box instead of the monolith.

Be advised, after re-watching Buddha's Palm and The Magic Blade, I am re-entering my Shaw-Bros.-movies-that-aren't-as-readily-available-as-they-should-be era. Expect further updates after I return to Killer Clans and Secret Service of the Imperial Court.

New: The Canadian gov is concerned about the extent to which pedophiles, white nationalists and violent extremists are using Roblox to target and recruit children, according to a brief obtained by The Logic. Story by @patriquin.bsky.social and @lauraosman.bsky.social thelogic.co/news/exclusi...

Rebekah did a phenomenal job at IGN and I know she'll continue to thrive in games journalism for as long as she chooses to do it.

I would live to see some research into how many younger problem gamblers today spent a chunk of the past dozen years playing games built on loot box mechanics.

This is one of those things where if you don’t know anything about Bob Dylan you go “yeah fine whatever”, and if you know a little about Bob Dylan you go “how could Bob Dylan do this?” and if you know a lot about Bob Dylan you go “yeah fine whatever”

Reminder that Epic's last mass layoff was to ensure the business was sustainable, so no further layoffs would be necessary. www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/n...

We'll host a conference on the convergence between videogames and gambling in late September 2026 in Hong Kong. 🇭🇰🇨🇳 Call for papers: tinyurl.com/thegamblingcfp Let’s think “outside of the loot box.” Abstract deadline: 26 June 2026 Results notification: 20 July 2026 Conference: 28–29 September 2026

I'm worried I may be coming around on Switch 2's game keycards simply because they let you sidestep Nintendo's draconian two-systems-connected-to-your-profile limitation. Game keycards suck, but that limit sucks more for a family where everyone plays.

Every piece of Sam Kieth's art was instantly recognizable as his, and none of the art he influenced would ever be confused for his own work, even for a dilettante like me. He was a singular talent.

I always found writing about complex topics felt like the Socratic method. I'd write what I thought, ask how I knew each assertion, and in trying to answer those questions and test the answers, find new links and a clearer understanding of the issue at hand. I didn't "know" it all from the outset.

Maybe I'm not cynical enough, but it's still deeply weird to me to see Disney receive a patent on pink slip racing/gambling with NFTs.

I just wish Bluesky would introduce a theoretical business model at some point so I know if it's something that might be here for the long term or if I should just give up all hope on this place now.

We’re recruiting a postdoc and up to 3 research assistants at the Creative Media Policy Observatory (www.cmpo.net), City University of Hong Kong. Apply for the RA position: www.cityu.edu.hk/hro/en/job/c... Apply for the postdoc position: www.cityu.edu.hk/hro/en/job/c...

[Eyes emoji] www.ft.com/content/dc14...

Some movies with a "Legacy" section on Wikipedia: Jackass: The Movie Super Mario Bros. (1993) Gigli Howard the Duck Son of the Mask

If I had a nickel for every AI story where lack of consent was a key part of the story, I would have... many nickels. Just so many nickels.

Amazing disconnect these days between the dismal job market in games (don't think I've ever seen it as bad as it's been the last couple years) and the actual business of games. Circana is projecting record U.S. spending on games in 2026. Lots and lots of money in games, just not for making games.

Just saw this AR patent that reminded me of Jason in The Good Place going through the museum asking Janet how much every piece of art was worth, and now that might get stuck in my head as the target audience for AR glasses.

The Logic is looking for a Calgary-based reporter! Full details and salary range are in the job posting: thelogic.applytojobs.ca/editorial/44...

Love it when Context-Free Patent Art followers point out context/references/interpretations I had not considered. Today's was a good one.

The thing I love most about K-dramas is how they let me escape to exotic foreign lands with unfamiliar problems.

We're looking for a News Editor to join TWIV. Ideal candidate would have proven experience with: - Working in news for a games outlet - Conducting original reporting - Mentoring junior writers ...and genuinely enjoy writing news, diving deep, and talking to people. UK timezone preferred. Email me.

I just described a game as "Very Problematic, but a part of my childhood" and realized that applied equally well to various music, movies, books, TV shows, DJs, and condiments.

This is a bummer. NCSX was my introduction to the world pf gaming beyond my local Best Buy or GameStop. Their daily stock updates were the kind of discoverability tool game devs are begging for these days.

Hello, I'm still on the hunt for work opportunities. I have nearly a decade of experience with business, tech, gaming, and culture reporting for major sites. You can find the entirety of my portfolio below. Please feel free to reach out for any opportunities. Thank you authory.com/JeffreyRouss...

Heads up that The Logic has dropped its paywall on some of its biggest stories of 2025, for a limited time. Check them out: thelogic.co/news/special...

Saw Zootopia 2. It gets a few bonus points for having the narrative revolve around a subject kids absolutely know, love, and care deeply about: patents.

Yesterday I went looking for some Christmas-themed game-related patent art. The patent database fates decided that no, I would only find this instead. www.tumblr.com/contextfreep...

Today's Context-free patent art is a whole thing.

Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown.

When I wrote up the endearingly goofy Study Group for the annual staff picks article at The Logic, I didn't think they'd actually run it. They wound up making it the headline image on the round-up. Read up on it and a bunch of other great stuff. No paywall on this one! thelogic.co/commentary/b...

Really great thread which heightened my appreciation of a really great movie.

Big fan of this album. Highly recommend anyone not allergic to the phrase "indie rock" give it a listen.

This is a really good list of amazing games that came out this year. Reminded me of a few I had been meaning to play, and introduced me to a couple more. Definitely worth a look.

The writing in Hades is remarkable from either a quality perspective or a quantity perspective. That it excels at both while also being a phenomenally deep-yet-approachable action game is something close to a miracle.

Sony envisions a future where "my controller's running out of juice" has nothing to do with battery power.

Faked sales claims. AI-driven hunts for malefactors jn a “high-trust company.” Executives heading for the exits. @aleksagan.bsky.social has an exclusive report on bad doings at #Shopify.

If my dog ever gets lost, please don't bother sending me condolences if you're just going to outsource it to an AI that won't even get the dog's name right. www.tumblr.com/contextfreep...