iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 26/09/2026

People being real uppity this weekend... First someone criticised my game comparisons while absolutely refusing to provide any of their own comparisons to show how I should be doing things (to avoid being criticised themselves I'm sure)... (1/2)

110

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 06/09/2026

Someone just criticised Civ 7 because it doesn't have England, "You know, that little nation that ruled the world". I told them Great Britain is in Civ 7 and that the 'ruling the world' bit was actually the British Empire, not an English Empire. They proceeded to call me 'woke' lmao

170

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 04/09/2026

I just got told "barely anyone is playing" the 5th most played game in a genre... I wish people would actually look up stats before saying things like that.

4130

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 26/08/2026

People often don't believe I get the comments I do, but this is so far the most unhinged take on a false AI accusation I've received.

A YouTube comment that reads, "I COMPARED it to AI, never suggested it was AI. Otherwise I would have said "it could be" instead of "it looks like"."

010

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 26/08/2026

Someone just said a game's graphics looks like AI and when I asked them to elaborate they literally said, "I COMPARED it to AI, never suggested it was AI"... If I compare them to a clown that doesn't mean I'm calling them a clown right?

121

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 26/08/2026

I have a hypothesis that a huge amount of people criticising everything as 'AI' are actually pro-AI and trying to thicken the smokescreen. Because 'who cares' when 'everything looks like AI'? I've seen this first hand, someone tried calling my video out as 'AI' when they had an AI profile pic.

040

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 25/08/2026

Whenever I mention that Cities Skylines 2 is the most played city builder on Steam, of course some are upset at that but then there's a whole demographic who simply deny the numbers... This causes them to continuously be confused at the state of gaming and why developers make the decisions they do.

A collection of 5 YouTube comments that read:
1. "most played? steamcharts say otherwise :D"
2. "I think CS is doing a pretty good job of ending themselves tbh..."
3. "City SL2 was the biggest rubbish game ever, thats why they sold it and it is not the most played."
4. "source? (on Cities Skylines being the most played) i highly doubt it , because 2 was pretty bad tbh"
5. "It's likely being the most played city builder currently because of its recent updates, but it's likely to fall down and once again lose to its predecessor after people get tired of it."

A graph of the playercounts of the most played city builders on Steam. Cities Skylines 2 (15K), Cities Skylines 1 (13K), Manor Lords (10K), Timberborn (6K), Workers & Resources (4K), Anno 1800 (4K), Anno 117 (2K).

160

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 23/08/2026

Someone once again told me to "leave them alone" as they commented... on my channel. I think trolls sometimes get so wrapped up in their own narrative that they forget they're in my house lol.

040

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 23/08/2026

Sometimes people get so deep into discussing topics within their own circle they stop realising the conclusions they've made aren't actually objective truths. They make confident statements like this as if some authority dictated it when really it's just a subjective opinion.

A YouTube comment that says "As you well know, in Homeworld, infrastructure consists of capital ships and autonomous megastructures. They perform exactly the same functions of production, research, storage, and repair as the buildings in a classic RTS( which we’ve already discussed) but they’re mobile. Nowhere in the core of the genre does it say that base construction must take place on the ground or be purely static."

011

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 18/08/2026

I just called rice pudding "dessert congee" and I can tell you that my wife did not appreciate that.

120

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 05/08/2026

I always find it funny when someone tells me to "get lost" when they're commenting on... my channel.

040

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 02/08/2026

I'm so tired of talking to someone online and they go from zero em dashes at all to suddenly at least one in every reply...

030

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 30/07/2026

"Destroy ramps! Buildings shouldn't be designed for people in wheelchairs and those who can't walk, they just make buildings worse. You should experience the building as the architects intended!" This is how some people talk about accessibility options in video games.

282

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 24/07/2026

Unfortunately the em and en-dash are ruined — just see how suspicious this looks now. Even normal dashes in sentences - we all just see it now. There's a particular 'problematic' game out there and 9/10 of the people who support it reply to me with em-dashes. Weird but also telling.

140

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 23/07/2026

People always seem to forget that Starcraft 2 cost $100 Million to produce ($150M in today's money). Then they see a new game that has like $6 Million in funding today and get confused why it doesn't look as refined...

550

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 12/07/2026

People in the UK really don't understand that for the bus AC to keep everything cool you have to close the windows huh?

040

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 11/07/2026

People continue to not believe how old I am. I just got accused (again) of being a zoomer pretending to be a millennial.

110

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 08/07/2026

In today's "every game is a copy" investigation, Lords of the Realm 1 (1994) because that was "back when devs made original games instead of just copying". Ah yes, the Fields of Glory, Stronghold, Centurion Defender of Rome, Castles, Warlords, Genghis Khan, and more... 'clone'.

A screenshot from Lords of the Realm 1 showing a map with a road along a coast with forest at the top and water below, viewed from above.

141

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 30/06/2026

Sometimes people say things like "Dead game! No one will give money to Paradox!" I don't know what world they live in because Paradox is Crusader Kings 3, Hearts of Iron 4, Cities Skylines 2, Age of Wonders 4, Victoria 3, Stellaris... Some of the most played games in the world, you know?

170

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 28/06/2026

I made a guide video where essentially all you had to do was download an exe file from a website and install it like normal... and I just got told that's "wizardry" and requires "voodoo mastery". Has tech literacy really gotten THAT bad?...

130

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 27/06/2026

When someone hates a game but it has positive reviews on Steam they often claim that the developers "delete bad reviews". They genuinely believe devs can delete thousands and thousands of negative reviews freely, secretly, and without consequence. They of course have zero evidence for any of this.

3120

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 26/06/2026

Reminder that 'the internet' is just other people's computers.

020

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 07/06/2026

Stronghold 4 just got revealed! We were sponsored [ad] so I can show off what the game is now: youtu.be/7yvK3e9Jkt0 Have a watch to see a breakdown of the new gameplay and ask any question so I can check and answer that for you.

The title "Stronghold 4 is real!" with the background being a set of medieval buildings and orchards from the game itself. A castle gate decorates the top of the image.

061

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 06/06/2026

Just so you know, this is how I toast a burger bun at home and if a burger restaurant does it worse than this I get severely disappointed.

010

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 03/06/2026

Made a post about YouTube membership that outlines some things you might want? youtube.com/post/UgkxKdh...

A photo of my cats feet crossed over with her tail going between them.

000

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 30/05/2026

We're live streaming now with a long day of weekend city building! Come join: www.twitch.tv/GamerZakh Follow there to keep up! Also if you don't know, I've been posting bonus videos on Patreon: www.patreon.com/c/GamerZakh (some free public ones too)

An image of GamerZakh looking serious with his fist to his chin as if in judgement. The background is a painted image of the river Nile with the great pyramids in the distance, from Pharaoh A New Era.

141

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 27/05/2026

For a long time people have said Cities Skylines 1 was a 'success' while Cities Skylines 2 'flopped', but I didn't actually check this until just now. If you align the playercounts to release, CS1 and CS2 essentially are performing exactly the same as each other.

A graph showing the concurrent playercounts for Cities Skylines 1 and 2. The green line and blue line bounce up and down but essentially they follow the same trajectory from the left side of the graph.

230

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 26/05/2026

You've been asking for unique city builders that commit to their themes, so here's Life Below: youtu.be/3mTBTk0ofUU [ad] It's launching today and it really takes the environment into how you have to build your 'city'. Check it out.

The title reads "Life Below City Builder". The images behind is split. On the left, a red and hot underwater environment with heat vents. On the right a blue coral reef with a central structure emitting bright blue tendrils.

020

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 22/05/2026

So many people say things like, "this game was such a disappointment! What were the devs thinking!?"... about a game that's in like the top 3 most played games of the genre. Age of Empires 4, HoMM Olden Era, Civ 7, Cities Skylines 2...

140

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 18/05/2026

Wait is this the first time modern Firaxis has properly acknowledged the existence of Civ 2 Test of Time?

A screenshot from a recent Civ 7 video about the Test of Time update. Behind the presenter on a shelf is the box for Civ 2 Test of Time.

110

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 16/05/2026

People talk about the 90s like there weren't 'early access' games... no what we did was just re-release the exact same game but change the name so you had to buy it again. Civ 2 then 'Multiplayer Gold Edition' Moonbase re-released as 'Lunar Command' SimCity 2000 'Special Edition'

040

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 15/05/2026

Lol got asked to fill out a questionnaire and it began with the reassuring clause of "The contents of this study are confidential and may not be shared without our written approval"... 'Our' approval? Not mine?

100

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 09/05/2026

One of the most frustrating things when talking about games is all the people who don't understand what 'concurrent' players means. They see "40,000 players online" and ask "How can the game have sold 500,000 copies but fewer than 10% of people are playing it!? Must be fake sales numbers!"

130

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 08/05/2026

The source of some of the confusion in the HoMM lore...

The meme from The Office where Pam is asked, "Corporate needs you to find the difference between this picture and this picture", where she replies in the frame below, "They're the same picture". The 2 pictures in this case have been replaced by the same red demon image with horns and yellow eyes. The one on the left is labelled "Deezelisk from Heroes Chronicles: Conquest of the Underworld" while the one on the right is labelled "Axis from Heroes of Might and Magic III".

120

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 03/05/2026

What I've found is the more successful something is the more hate comments it gets, meaning a ton of hate comments for a game before release is actually an indicator of a potential hit. When a game is obviously bad, even haters don't bother because there's no one to argue with lol

140

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 02/05/2026

Have you seen a tycoon sim mix in survival colony gameplay? We were sponsored to check out Above The Snow and it's launch has been well received, so have a watch to see if you're into it: youtu.be/yQ4_eS32uP4 Thanks!

A split image, on the left a cozy lodge lounge with a fireplace and some furniture. On the right, the outside of the lodge withstanding a snow storm. The text 'Tycoon & Survival' is at the bottom.

030

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 28/04/2026

It seems 9/10 people who say "Tropico is just releasing the same game again and again!" have never played Tropico 6.

020

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 28/04/2026

Someone questioned my knowledge of city building games so I sent them this video: youtu.be/nQys8W8JyOs They haven't replied since unfortunately. Still, it's the 'best' video I've ever made.

youtu.be

60 Years of City Building Games in 10 Minutes

YouTube video by GamerZakh

060

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 27/04/2026

I just got told, "I know some Malaysians and you're not like them, so you must be abnormal in your culture"... because I was arguing with them about something. Ah yes, someone from the country famous for being multicultural doesn't fit a single culture.

130

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 26/04/2026

Did you know Tropico 7 revealed gameplay and I call Tropico games 'the most consistent city building series'? Here's a video about it: youtu.be/Uwix5G5lduI

020

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 25/04/2026

A long awaited factory sim finally released and it's one of the highest rated games of the year. Have a watch of getting started in Shapez 2 [ad]: youtu.be/soAVyc13nFc You might think combining shapes is boring but I think it's actually factory gameplay distilled.

The title Shapez 2 1.0 is shown. On the left a floating stack of coloured shapes, In the background, a factory setup with conveyor belts and glowing tubes built in a purple mist.

010

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 24/04/2026

I did an ultimate test to see if the spelling of 'defence' or 'defense' works better for videos and I'm happy to report that this groundbreaking research has resulted in the insight that no one cares.

A screenshot of a title and thumbnail test on YouTube testing both for a Tower Defence list. The top thumbnail and title uses the 'defence' with a 'C' spelling resulting in 49.7% watch time share, while the bottom uses the 'defense' with an 'S' spelling with a 50.3% watch time share.

180

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 23/04/2026

I made a video talking about the 'not Inferno' faction in HoMM Olden Era because so many people have been demanding the faction when it's just not possible: youtu.be/PVf3NOPVoX4

The meme with Megamind looking sad but he's recoloured to be red. The text "No Inferno?" is in meme text at the top. The background is the lava bug city of the Hive faction in Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era game.

140

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 22/04/2026

When people complain about me calling an early access launch a 'release' I always ask if they consider No Man's Sky on day 1 a 'release'. This tends to break brains... because the secret is there's no such thing as 'release'.

A YouTube comment, "Early access is NOT "release"!"

430

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 21/04/2026

When you want to insult a game but can't think of anything specifically bad about it.

A YouTube comment, "so the game is to just build some units and move them around on the map?"

My reply, "Well you just described about 80% of all strategy games lol"

4110

GamerZakh @gamerzakh.com · 15/04/2026

Being a creator, sometimes people just confuse you with other creators and get mad. Some comments are literally like... "A year ago you said X and then you said Y, but then you made a video about Z" And I check to find I never said X, or Y, and video Z isn't mine.

020