Old Game Rating Systems Fail Roblox Era
Ratings organizations like the ESRB and PEGI made sense for a different era of video games. Do they make sense in the world of Roblox? Katya Ryabova, writing over at @crossplayblog, isn't convinced they're doing enough https://www.crossplay.news/p/video-game-ratings-icons-arent-enough
Balancing Freedom and Safety: Letting Kids Bike Independently
My 9yo asked if she could ride her bike to a friend’s. It's not far...but it’s not walking down the street. Less than a mile but...almost a mile. It gave me pause. I want her to have freedom. Over at...
The Bear's “Gary” Episode Revives the Series
The Bear is a show that's been up and down over the past few years, but damn, it's new "Gary" episode was great. Discussed this with David on Decoding TV https://t.co/ChDH1RcYLt
Mixtape Sparks Heated Debate, Enrages Online Trolls
Mixtape—which I loved, because I’m a paid off journalist—is both producing a lot of interesting discourse (90s exhaustion, assumptions about “collective” experiences, etc.) and making the absolute worst people online extremely mad. Helluva game.
Conquering Pain Leads to Emptiness and Unexpected Freedom
Manbreaker conquered. The piss mountain scaled. I can no longer feel pain or joy—but I am finally free. https://t.co/wcehqlNmDQ
Video Games Offer Unique Lens on Teenage Angst
Why tell a story about teenage angst and friendship in a video game, instead of a movie? A book? I asked the developers of Mixtape to find out for @remapradio, and it's one of my favorite conversations from the past...
Final Countdown: Beat Manbreaker by Friday or Take Stairs
The final countdown is on. If I do not beat the Manbreaker in Baby Steps by the end of Friday's stream, I must simply accept help and take the stairs. Can I do it? I guess, in a sense, I...
Widow's Bay on Apple TV Is Absolutely Awesome
I am here to report that Widow's Bay on Apple TV is [checks notes] fucking awesome https://t.co/7nX61QxZSS
Finding Hidden Magic in Overlooked Game Details
When I asked Titanium Court designer @bad_tetris about the game's baseball references, he had a simple explanation. It was about "illuminating the magic that exists under something that you might have previously dismissed." My story on this gaming rarity https://t.co/0RfqWZfiJS
Kids Review Video Games—Adorable Insights From Parents
I asked the parents reading @crossplayblog to turn their kids to turn into video game reviewers. The results are absolutely adorable. https://www.crossplay.news/p/kids-reviewing-video-games-minecraft
Freedom to Play Sparks Dream, Births Minishoot' Adventures
Today, I've got the story of two cousins—one who was allowed to play games, and one who wasn't—who chased a silly dream. Their journey traveled through the world of Flash games, before delivering one of my favorite games of 2026,...
Roblox to Censor Games on Prayer, Vaccines, and More
Roblox will soon roll out "child accounts" and start filtering out games with "sensitive issues." I asked Roblox what it considers a "sensitive issue"—and they told me! Prayer in schools? Vaccination policies? The full list at @crossplayblog https://t.co/C2khI7QBP1
Determined to Finish Pragmata Before Remap Radio
All I've played for the past week has been Pragmata. All I want to do right now is finish the last few sections of Pragmata. All I'm going to do before Remap Radio is try to pull that off. Capcom...
From Pandemic Trauma to AI: 1000xResist Evolves
1000xResist was/is one of my favorite games of the past few years. It spoke powerfully to the personal and societal traumas from the early days of COVID-19. Now, they're making a game about AI? Of *course* I had to talk...
Choosing Joyful Validation Over Frustration in Parenting
"I’m there for joyful experience, not frustration. My son likes to gloat a little—nay, a lot. In the spirit of validation, I say as enthusiastically as possible: 'Yes, honey, thank you so much. It wouldn’t have been a lot of...