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Damien Lawardorn

@damienlawardorn.bsky.social
155 followers 136 following 641 posts

Writer, editor, and lover of stories in all their forms.

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Reposted by Damien Lawardorn
Nick Calandra @nickjcal.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Really been feeling the want to build a new gaming website again… still nothing out there like The Escapist that we built with a bunch of weekly columns from all sorts of talented writers. Loved building that and bringing new voices into the space… Wonder if there’s an appetite for people to fund.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Funny how it's delayed considering that AI is meant to make everything faster. It's almost as if the hype is bullshit...
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
If you're after a new book to read, I unreservedly recommend Arborescence. It's grounded and whimsical and imaginative and affecting. It's about transgression and love and climate change. It's just beautiful. #BookSky medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: Arborescence by Rhett Davis
A profound meditation on climate grief and how we live in a world on the brink of cataclysmic changes.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
If you're after a new book to read, I unreservedly recommend Arborescence. It's grounded and whimsical and imaginative and affecting. It's about transgression and love and climate change. It's just beautiful. #BookSky medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: Arborescence by Rhett Davis
A profound meditation on climate grief and how we live in a world on the brink of cataclysmic changes.
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kate bush’s husband @airbagged.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
This “journalist” discovered what successful marketing looks like.
MasteroftheTDS O @MasteroftheTDS
x.com
Wondering why Mixtape seemed everywhere on release despite being nothing special?
My wife @WritingRaven2 and I uncovered an extensive network of marketing connections behind its sudden visibility.
Full breakdown linked below.
BLUE RAVEN PR
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Accapurna leteractive, LEGO.
THE INFRASTRUCTURE
BEHIND THE ROLLOUT
DO IT OR DO IT
MUSIC
Get Tenge LaTh
THEIR ROLES
PR & CONMUNICATIONS
Shape the narrative
THIS WAS
NO ACCIDENT.
Mixtape didn't appear out of nowhere.
It was supported by a network of companies that specialize in building visibility. managing narratives, and putting games in front of the right eyes.
This is the ecosystem.
This is the machine.
EVIDENCE SOURCES
GROMOTION
A CIVIC COMPANY
speciates in panes
INFLUENCER CAMPAIGNS
STREAM
HATCHET
Inflwencer marketing analytics
Tracks creator performance. campaigns, and ROt
INFLUENCER ANALYTICS
Mixtape
Beethoven & Dinosaur
pithed by
Annapurna Interactive
popagenda
Influtocer marketing agency
Connects brands with creators across gaming and culture.
INFLUENCER NETWORKS
and publishers
MUSIC SUPERVISION
IndieBl
DATA INSIGHT. IMPACT.
Data and analytics platform
nufaters to understand
ANALYTIS & INSGHTS
Tara Bruno
PUBLIC RELATIONS
PR agency focused on
and major publishers.
PR & COMMUNICATIONS
NOT AN INDIE MIRACLE. AN INDUSTRY ECOSYSTEM.
Put the pane in front
all
ISBLITY INFRASTRUCTIRL
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Kevin Klehr @kevinklehr.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Everything has to be done to a tee in the household he runs, so much so that his own personal issues take a back seat no matter how drastic. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/AtN4C #bookreview #KazioIshiguro #TheRemainsOfTheDay #booksky #books
lttr.ai
Book Review – The Remains of the Day by Kazio Ishiguro
I’ve wanted to read this for a while. I loved Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go and was indifferent to Klara and the Sun. Of course, I’ve seen the movie of The Remains of the Day which I…
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Reactor Magazine @reactorsff.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
"Is newness surprise?" In the newest Mark As Read, @mollytempleton.com talks Doctor Who, The Saint of Bright Doors, and a willingness to be surprised:
reactormag.com
Do You Need to Be Surprised? - Reactor
What is the value of surprise in a story? Is it necessary?
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Dan Marshall @danthat.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
The video advertising Unity's ew AI-driven autocomplete game maker has 'Mari' who has a game idea they "always wanted to make" and that idea is "Space Corridor" and it looks like this, and that's the strongest argument I can think of for keeping game dev out of the pro-AI crowd's hands.
A conversation between Theo and Mari. He asks "you know that game you always wanted to make?"A screenshot of Unity building a game called "Space Corridor".A generic 3rd person space marine in a generic scifi corridor. It is large and empty.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
People become trees. AI hires humans. Arborescence is all about crossing boundaries and the importance of stillness in a world that demands movement. Full review at the link. 💙📚 medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: Arborescence by Rhett Davis
A profound meditation on climate grief and how we live in a world on the brink of cataclysmic changes.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
People become trees. AI hires humans. Arborescence is all about crossing boundaries and the importance of stillness in a world that demands movement. Full review at the link. 💙📚 medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: Arborescence by Rhett Davis
A profound meditation on climate grief and how we live in a world on the brink of cataclysmic changes.
021
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Imran Khan @imrankhan.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
So I'm trying to figure out what this means, because it surely isn't saying sales are 2-3x better, and I think literally they're measuring WoW Forever's launch and good Gears reviews and quantifying them as higher brand sentiment.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
An orange heart within orange flesh. We've borne children and gold and pets, but never before a flame. What, I wonder, is so special about fire? This fire that burns without heat and never falters? Those who see walk away with lighter step, a greater sense of what could be.
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Michaela Joffe @joffeorama.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I've decided to start writing dark twisted erotic fantasy. From these excerpts you can see its the kind that's maybe even a little too dark and twisted for some, but I guess you could say that, like my protagonist, I'm not like other girls.
"I feel nothing being with you!" I say in defiance.

"Your body says otherwise," he says. As an example, he points to my hands, which I hadn't realized were both giving a thumbs up.

"Traitorous thumbs," I say under my breath. "Crap. Fuck. This sucks."

I shove my hands behind my back so he can't see them, but then he starts doing this evil sex move where he thrusts even faster and they start applauding so he can still tell I actually like it anyway."Perhaps a night in the gaol will make you less defiant." He snarls with his sex mouth. At first I thought he had said "jail" because that was how he pronounced it, because that is how that word is pronounced and also it has the same meaning, but I didn't know that because I had only seen that version of the word written down. Or maybe I had heard it spoken but every time I did I had assumed they were saying "jail." There's honestly no way for me to know.

"Its pronounced GAOL!" I shout back, nowhere close to the correct pronounciation. Like, not even remotely on the map with that one.The Prince aimed his bonewand at us. Not the Bonewand that turns people into bones, but the bonewand, which is unrelated and uncapitalized. The one that shoots bones. 

Sharp bones pierced poor Wingwind, shredding his semitendinosus, his brachiocephalicus, his sternomandibularis, and his registertocontinueusingfreehorseanatomydotcom. As we fell from the sky, the valiant pegasus turned his head and spoke to me.

"My lady, you must live. No matter what happens, no matter what degredations you face, you must live. Even if the degredations get kind of sexy, you must live so that you can find love, feministly. Even if its with a guy who at least kind of sucks, you must do this."

"Holy shit, you can talk?" I said."Do you ever worry that the confines of our imagination have made actual intimacy impossible? That we merely seek to replicate the same failed dynamics we grew up surrounded by, in roles we slide into out of entropy rather than any real connection we feel to them, only now with elaborate pageantry we've constructed in order to feel empowered instead of debased?" He asks me, making me a bit uncomfortable since he's now talking about feelings like some kind of gay or one of those girls that I'm different from.

"Wuh-oh! Sounds like someone's got a case of the grumpies that can only be solved by doing some kind of crazy sex kink! Like, maybe a new kind of missionary, but one where I'm on my tummy." I retort.

For a moment I think he's about to cry but then at the last second he sternly nods and begins taking off his pants.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Today's review is Arborescence by Rhett Davis, a profound elegy for our era of climate change. It had me barking at laughter at some points and left me shattered at others. It's a beautiful book that easily stands out as one of my favourite reads of 2026. #BookSky medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: Arborescence by Rhett Davis
What’s It About?
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Charlie Stross @cstross.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Oh my: LibreOffice just made "no AI" one of their official features: blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/09...
blog.documentfoundation.org
Yes, no AI is now a feature - TDF Community Blog
One of the comments on the announcement of LibreOffice 26.8 was a simple question: “So, no AI is now a feature?” LibreOffice does not reject artificial intelligence out of hand, but an office suite us...
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The epilogue to Klara and The Sun is just a perfect piece of writing. I'd forgotten how good that book is. Taika Waititi is going to do some goddamn wild things with the adaptation
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Today's review is Arborescence by Rhett Davis, a profound elegy for our era of climate change. It had me barking at laughter at some points and left me shattered at others. It's a beautiful book that easily stands out as one of my favourite reads of 2026. #BookSky medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: Arborescence by Rhett Davis
What’s It About?
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
People always say that George Orwell and Aldous Huxley are the prophets of our age, but I think the person who really got it right was Ray Bradbury with Fahrenheit 451 pagesix.com/2026/09/29/c...
pagesix.com
Alix Earle makes shocking revelation that she’s ‘never read a book’: ‘Maybe Dr. Seuss?’
The influencer angered critics online due to her startling confession.
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Dustin A. Chacón @lingdustin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I've heard people make claims that AI would lead to a new Renaissance, but I didn't imagine it'd happen like this:
Screenshot of a Tweet from Pope Leo XIV. It reads: 

"In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgen to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity."
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Abundance offers a panacea to the issues that drive political wedges between us. Klein and Thompson clearly lay out the problems and imagine a heady, utopian future. It's worth checking out if you think we deserve a better future than the present. 💙📚 #BookSky medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: Abundance by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
Abundance argues for a new politics for a new era where scarcity is a thing of the past.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Abundance offers a panacea to the issues that drive political wedges between us. Klein and Thompson clearly lay out the problems and imagine a heady, utopian future. It's worth checking out if you think we deserve a better future than the present. 💙📚 #BookSky medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: Abundance by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
Abundance argues for a new politics for a new era where scarcity is a thing of the past.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
So many books I wanted to pick because I know their impact on the culture, but I had to limit myself to things I've read and remember reasonably well. Still tough to narrow it down. #Top100Books
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Edmond Tran @edmondtran.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Naming your Disco Elysium successor 'Red Rooster' is a sure-fire way to get the interest of any Australian but ESPECIALLY those interested in the socioeconomic divisions of Sydney which may or may not be apt for this videogame summereternal.com/redrooster
summereternal.com
RED ROOSTER
SUMMER ETERNAL introduces their incendiary, physics-driven RPG: RED ROOSTER.
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Elise (they/them)🇦🇺 🏳️‍⚧️ @eliseswords.eurosky.social · 28/09/2026
Note to Self: watch more period films and shows (for entertainment & writing inspiration). I see a lot of contemporary/ last 20 years stuff, but its interesting watching older approaches to dialogue, tone, mood & digital story telling over the last hundred years or so.
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Stellbound: Stellraiser II @antlervel.vet · 26/09/2026
Have I played “Control Resonant”? Sorry…I’m too busy reading the story of a man who “Controls Rocinante”…that’s right, Miguel Cervantes’ immortal tale “Don Quixote de La Mancha”. So you enjoy your strange “Federal Bureau”…I’ll be delighting in the adventures of Sancho Panza and his “Friendly Burro”
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Who let me back in the bookstore? I can't afford this kind of nonsense. 📚💙
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Currently Engaged in Racckiteering @racckiteering.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The ancient texts have something to say about this subject
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Abundance seems to suggest that deregulation will allow a bunch of John Galts to step forward and fix the world. I'm not convinced by that, but the book is still a valuable lens on very real problems that require more than soundbite solutions. 💙📚 medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: Abundance by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
Abundance argues for a new politics for a new era where scarcity is a thing of the past.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Abundance seems to suggest that deregulation will allow a bunch of John Galts to step forward and fix the world. I'm not convinced by that, but the book is still a valuable lens on very real problems that require more than soundbite solutions. 💙📚 medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: Abundance by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
Abundance argues for a new politics for a new era where scarcity is a thing of the past.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I hope PlayStation has a studio working on a KPop Demon Hunters game in the style of Hi-Fi Rush. That shit would make a mint.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Xbox (and PlayStation) are doing a fewer, bigger bets thing, and that will not deliver the outcomes they want. Yeah, Kojima's a good get, but not if it means Halo gets rolled into Activision or Obsidian becomes a Bethesda subsidiary
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Lewis | ICO Partners @persistentworld.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
It would be wonderful if we could stop framing games as studio versus studio. All developers care about all games. I've never once heard a developer talk about another in this way. Most are simply glad to be doing what they love, while watching others do the same.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
New book review! I'm reading non-fiction again? Abundance offers a clear-eyed view on why Western (mostly US) productivity has stalled and how we can kickstart it. I'm not entirely convinced of its position, but it's certainly thought-provoking. #BookSky medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: Abundance by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
Abundance argues for a new politics for a new era where scarcity is a thing of the past.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
New book review! I'm reading non-fiction again? Abundance offers a clear-eyed view on why Western (mostly US) productivity has stalled and how we can kickstart it. I'm not entirely convinced of its position, but it's certainly thought-provoking. #BookSky medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: Abundance by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
Abundance argues for a new politics for a new era where scarcity is a thing of the past.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
A rowing team getting chased by salties is just about the only way you could get me to watch the Olympics, so this is great.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The Heist of Hollow London is an Ocean's Eleven-style crime caper against a backdrop of Brave New World-tinged cyberpunk. Through clones and stolen personalities, it asks what the value of a life is. It's a solid thrill ride, if a little lacking in real meat. 📚💙 medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: The Heist of Hollow London by Eddie Robson
Unsurprisingly, this book is about a heist in the heart of a future London that has been razed by rampant capitalism.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The Heist of Hollow London is an Ocean's Eleven-style crime caper against a backdrop of Brave New World-tinged cyberpunk. Through clones and stolen personalities, it asks what the value of a life is. It's a solid thrill ride, if a little lacking in real meat. 📚💙 medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: The Heist of Hollow London by Eddie Robson
Unsurprisingly, this book is about a heist in the heart of a future London that has been razed by rampant capitalism.
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Sam Barlow 🔥 @mrsambarlow.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Increasingly likely that I will click a game review, get 3 paragraphs in and think, "Wait, this is just listing features in a bland, chirpy style and seems to repeat or revisit points from sentence to sentence as not aware of what was just written... ah f*ck". Depressing as hell.
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Eugen Bacon @genni.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
#bookmail 😍 @flametree.bsky.social
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Benjanun Sriduangkaew @ Persephone Effect out now @benjanun.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Probably an unpopular opinion but IMO reading a lot, and learning to read critically, beats the hell out of taking writing classes or watching 'writing advice' youtube videos.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Thought I'd check out my old stomping ground, and I'm pretty damn sure those news articles without bylines are AI slop... Goddamn sad to see.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This is so fucking grim. Going beyond just blaming migrants to wanting hack the country's legs off at the knees by cutting uni students and pushing away skilled migrants. Surely even the rusted-ons can see this is economic (and cultural) suicide? newsapp.abc.net.au/newsapp/2026...
newsapp.abc.net.au
One Nation migration plan to cut students and migrant worker families - ABC News
One Nation unveils its plan to slash immigration by 750,000 places over three years, with major cuts targeting international students and the families of skilled migrants.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
2029 for Diablo V? 2030 for StarCraft? Those dates are kinda refreshing, tbh. It demonstrates confidence in long-term planning, which is exactly what the industry needs more of. Short-termism is why Sony's immediate future looks bleak as hell and why MS is jettisoning good studios for spare parts.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The Heist of Hollow London is a crime caper set in cyberpunk future, starring a group of clones trying to help a woman buy back the IP rights to her personality. It asks some thought-provoking questions about the value of a life. #BookSky medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: The Heist of Hollow London by Eddie Robson
Unsurprisingly, this book is about a heist in the heart of a future London that has been razed by rampant capitalism.
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Jason Schreier @jasonschreier.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The video game industry has always been volatile (I published Press Reset in 2021!) but the skeleton key to understanding the current state of things is this: Big games now cost 10x to make what they did 15 years ago but most do not generate even close to 10x the revenue. Simple as that
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The Heist of Hollow London is a crime caper set in cyberpunk future, starring a group of clones trying to help a woman buy back the IP rights to her personality. It asks some thought-provoking questions about the value of a life. #BookSky medium.com/@lawardornd/...
medium.com
Should You Read: The Heist of Hollow London by Eddie Robson
Unsurprisingly, this book is about a heist in the heart of a future London that has been razed by rampant capitalism.
041
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Critical Distance | Where’s all the good writing about games? @critdistance.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Critical Distance is the equivalent of a fulltime job split across a small team, and Patreon support is how we keep it going. Help us keep the lights on, run events like our Friendslop Essay Jam, and continue our project to build a living time capsule of games criticism. www.patreon.com/critdistance
patreon.com
Get more from Critical Distance on Patreon
Get more from Critical Distance on Patreon. Join for free or become a member for just $5/month. Critical Distance promo video from Zoya Street on Vimeo.…
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Critical Distance | Where’s all the good writing about games? @critdistance.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
We're just going to re-up this once for the week, but if you appreciate our work documenting and organizing critical conversations in games writing, we could really use the support. Help us build longevity and organize cool community writing events by supporting our Patreon:
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Talia "ATTACK DOGS is out now!" Bhatt ⚢ @taliabhatt.itch.io · 09/09/2026
Some of the best and most successful video games ever literally have cartoon art styles. Nobody needs an Amazon server farm's worth of compute power rendering every individual ass hair to enjoy a game. Enough with this descent into madness.
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Damien Lawardorn @damienlawardorn.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I mean, if I was creating something I genuinely believed had a non-zero chance of ending humanity, I would simply stop creating that thing. But capitalism + 'if not us, someone else' = oodles of money, and I guess that's more important than existence.
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