Gene Park

Gene Park

Creator
0 followers

Washington Post games reporter; reports on the games industry and communities with empathy and insight.

Tomodachi Life: The Ultimate Cozy Comedy Game
SocialMay 21, 2026

Tomodachi Life: The Ultimate Cozy Comedy Game

Tomodachi Life is my first 4/4 review for 2026. It is the funniest, most delightful cozy game I’ve ever played. It’s the evolution of making your Macintosh’s text-to-speech program say “butt” in 1994. Like a loud fart, always funny no...

By Gene Park
Visual Novels Shaped Modern Narrative Games, Kojima Confirms
SocialMay 12, 2026

Visual Novels Shaped Modern Narrative Games, Kojima Confirms

visual novels are the foundation of your favorite narrative games today, always innovating games as a whole. put some respect on the genre. Hideo Kojima said a visual novel inspired him to work in games. Final Fantasy or JRPGS wouldn’t...

By Gene Park
Interviewed Pearl Abyss Founder on Next Global Hit
SocialMay 12, 2026

Interviewed Pearl Abyss Founder on Next Global Hit

i’m the guy who interviewed Pearl Abyss’ founder in 2022 about how they’re going to make the next massive global hit. who are you?

By Gene Park
Upcoming Release Makes Gaming Drama Seem Trivial
SocialMay 12, 2026

Upcoming Release Makes Gaming Drama Seem Trivial

toxic gaming discourse is my hyperbolic time chamber. gaming is just Raditz and Nappa compared to what releases later this week. https://t.co/JWViC0PlrI

By Gene Park
Simple Indie Games Succeed when Execution and Impact Shine
SocialMay 12, 2026

Simple Indie Games Succeed when Execution and Impact Shine

I gave a 10 to a 3-hour indie game with no fail state, only walking and interaction segments with minigames that only require QTE button pushes, and only 4 characters. These can be valid, important games. It all depends on execution...

By Gene Park
Yoshio Sakamoto: Legend Behind Miis, Tomodachi Life,
SocialMay 11, 2026

Yoshio Sakamoto: Legend Behind Miis, Tomodachi Life,

Created and written by the creator of Miis and Tomodachi Life (and Super Metroid’s director. Yoshio Sakamoto is a legend) https://t.co/tIS5dabSt5

By Gene Park
Reviewing Drake’s Iceman: Expect Typical Hip‑Hop Debate
SocialMay 10, 2026

Reviewing Drake’s Iceman: Expect Typical Hip‑Hop Debate

announcing that i am reviewing Drake’s Iceman this week. certainly the discourse will be normal in hip hop… , right? https://t.co/4kRhV7KxMM

By Gene Park
Fans Hope GTA6 Embraces Modern Music Over Retro
SocialMay 10, 2026

Fans Hope GTA6 Embraces Modern Music Over Retro

i’m just excited for GTA6 because at least i know it isn’t going to be stuck in the 60s-80s era of music. bob dylan is literally my favorite in any medium but we need to move past James Gunn as...

By Gene Park
Non‑Traditional Games Media Careers Explained in Upcoming Talk
SocialMay 9, 2026

Non‑Traditional Games Media Careers Explained in Upcoming Talk

i might just do a video on this soon because i get asked this a lot. but i do not have a normal career path for games media and its not an easy one to follow today. im actually doing...

By Gene Park
Venba Shows Value of Publisher Support for Indie Developers
SocialMay 9, 2026

Venba Shows Value of Publisher Support for Indie Developers

Venba was exactly the kind of game i’m talking about. i hope big publishers like Annapurna can continue or find support for developers like these around the world.

By Gene Park
Tomodachi Life Matches AC Hours without Grinding
SocialMay 8, 2026

Tomodachi Life Matches AC Hours without Grinding

my tomodachi life hours already match my animal crossing lifetime. i got sick of goddamn grinding crafting materials in ac and i’m so glad Tomodachi has none of that https://t.co/QS5uhseeiK

By Gene Park
GOTY Awards Must Embrace Diverse, Non‑Linear Games
SocialMay 8, 2026

GOTY Awards Must Embrace Diverse, Non‑Linear Games

it makes me sad that a genuine sensation like tomodachi life will be ignored in game of the year awards because it doesn't have actors or a linear narrative. i really hope astro bot continues to be a guide for...

By Gene Park
Critique the Game Itself, Not the Surrounding Discourse
SocialMay 8, 2026

Critique the Game Itself, Not the Surrounding Discourse

i respect coney trying the game and outlining his perspective clearly, so this isn't a dunk. but i do think responding to other reviews is a bad way to critique games. i totally getting having a bad reaction to them,...

By Gene Park
Switch Launch Title Eclips
SocialMay 8, 2026

Switch Launch Title Eclips

completely outlapped donkey kong bananza sales, which took months to hit over 3 million sales. being a switch 1 game helped for sure

By Gene Park