John Walker - Industry Analcyst
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botherer.bsky.social
John Walker - Industry Analcyst
@botherer.bsky.social
3.7K followers 430 following 1.7K posts
Co-creator of Rock Paper Shotgun, currently helping out at Kotaku, and still looking for a new long-term gig.

I write www.buried-treasure.org, unearthing excellent unknown indies. Please consider supporting!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/buriedtreasure
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botherer.bsky.social
Sorry to all you Americans out there, denied the magic of celebrating Boxing Day. It's no wonder you're all so cross.
December 26, 2025 at 1:36 PM
botherer.bsky.social
I've never much enjoyed Christmas.

It's this week of Sundays, an unfillable void, and yet everyone we know is busy doing...I have no idea what. We just don't have it to do, whatever it is.

This sense that everyone else is having this wholesome time, and we're bored out our fucking minds.
December 25, 2025 at 5:47 PM
botherer.bsky.social
Happy Presentmas!

I hope the Red Skygoblin reverse-burgles you to acceptable levels.
December 25, 2025 at 12:27 AM
botherer.bsky.social
My pick for the latest Kotaku Indie of the Week is a game that deserved so much more attention in 2025, @flebpuzzles.bsky.social's Strange Jigsaws:

kotaku.com/theres-no-be...
What Better Time Than The Holidays For Time Traveling Jigsaws
Strange Jigsaws is a stunningly clever and entertaining collection of puzzles that defy time and space
kotaku.com
December 24, 2025 at 6:45 PM
botherer.bsky.social
I've decided to start a beef with [double-checks name] THump.

kotaku.com/arc-raiders-...
Ex Pro-Gamer Goes Viral For Griefing In Arc Raiders
While a legitimate way to play, THump isn't winning any friends with his PvP antics
kotaku.com
December 23, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Reposted by John Walker - Industry Analcyst
botherer.bsky.social
Hey, you, here are my Top 10 Games of 2025!

Featuring @jabbage.bsky.social, @housefiregames.com, @dave.powerhoof.com, @wadjeteyegames.bsky.social, and @badvikinggames.bsky.social, among others.

kotaku.com/john-walkers...
John Walker's Top 10 Games Of 2025
What an extraordinary year for an extraordinary range of games
kotaku.com
December 22, 2025 at 7:54 PM
botherer.bsky.social
This is upsetting me too much:

It's,

Mobile: 55%
Console: 23%
PC: 22%

Right?

Someone tell me I'm not going mad.
GI.biz with some very odd percentage calculations.
December 23, 2025 at 10:53 AM
botherer.bsky.social
Hey, you, here are my Top 10 Games of 2025!

Featuring @jabbage.bsky.social, @housefiregames.com, @dave.powerhoof.com, @wadjeteyegames.bsky.social, and @badvikinggames.bsky.social, among others.

kotaku.com/john-walkers...
John Walker's Top 10 Games Of 2025
What an extraordinary year for an extraordinary range of games
kotaku.com
December 22, 2025 at 7:54 PM
botherer.bsky.social
Guys, I'm not sure Bari Weiss is actually very good at her job.
December 22, 2025 at 7:23 AM
botherer.bsky.social
One of my very favourite things in 2025 has been listening to @nataliehaynes.bsky.social and @aiannucci.bsky.social laughing together on Strong Message Here.

My 2026 wish for the pair to launch a longer podcast.
December 21, 2025 at 8:57 AM
botherer.bsky.social
If you're looking for other books by non-monsters to read your kids, these were some of our favourites:

The Mr Gum series by Andy Stanton. I would cry laughing reading these.

Any of Katherine Rundell's kids books, especially The Rooftoppers.

And @stubbleagent.bsky.social's books are hilarious.
December 19, 2025 at 8:44 PM
botherer.bsky.social
This is interesting. I DIDN'T read the books to my kid because they were so coarsing with hatred. Just constant, snide hate for fat people, less attractive people, less intelligent people...

Kind of surprised to learn they might not have been Walliams', given how well that seemed to fit.
andrewmale.bsky.social Andrew Male @andrewmale.bsky.social · 8d
To everyone on Bluesky finding out about Walliams and despairing at the fact that "I read those books to my kids" I just want to reassure them that it's OK. He didn't write them.
December 19, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Reposted by John Walker - Industry Analcyst
edmondtran.bsky.social
I spoke to a dozen professional concept artists working in games about whether generative AI image tools have made their jobs easier, even if it's just used in "very early ideation stages."

Zero said "yes." Most said it made their job harder.

I learnt a lot about concept artists. You should too!
thisweekinvideogames.com This Week in Videogames @thisweekinvideogames.com · 9d
We spoke to a dozen professional concept artists who are currently or have previously worked in game development about whether generative AI image tools have made their jobs any easier.

Zero said it did. Most said it made things harder.

thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/conc...
Concept Artists Say Generative AI References Only Make Their Jobs Harder
“The ‘early ideation stages’, when worlds are being fleshed out by writers and artists, are literally crucial to the development of a game’s vision,” said one artist.
thisweekinvideogames.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:07 PM
botherer.bsky.social
I wrote about @mark-ffrench.bsky.social's fantastic Mosaic of the Strange for Kotaku:

kotaku.com/mosaic-of-th...
Mosaic Of The Strange Is A Murder Mystery Unlike Anything Else
Logic-puzzle your way to victory in a conspiracy-laden adventure
kotaku.com
December 18, 2025 at 8:11 PM
botherer.bsky.social
No, not "despite".
Horses sells 18,000 copies despite being banned on Steam and Epic Games Store
December 18, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Reposted by John Walker - Industry Analcyst
pikapies.bsky.social
The wonderful @margaret.bsky.social & @iwriteok.bsky.social did an *excellent* two-parter on the Luddites and honestly they fucking ruled: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/c...
December 18, 2025 at 4:37 PM
botherer.bsky.social
I am SO fed up with people portraying the Luddites as some anti-technology idiots refusing to face reality.

They are the PERFECT example of AI resistance! People losing their jobs to a SPECIFIC new technology that was being forced on them, making products worse while destroying their livelihoods.
arivelazquez.com ari velazquez 🌯 @arivelazquez.com · 9d
here’s the full spew
Daniel Vávra This Al hysteria is the same as when people were smashing steam engines in the 19th century. @LarAtLarian said they were doing something that absolutely everyone else is doing and got an insanely crazy shitstorm. I've even seen someone accuse us of using Al in KCD2. I don't know anything about it, except that I used Topaz Labs to upscale some of the Al elements from KCD1 and some of the old low res textures. I'm no fan of Al generated art, but anyway, it's time to face reality. Al is here to stay with us. As frightening as it may be, that's the way it is. Personally, it scares me the most in the music because you can't even recognise Al there anymore. On the other hand, you know what I hate most about making games? The fact that it takes 7 years and 300 people and tens of millions of dollars to make. And the fact that Tom had to spend 500 hours in the studio recording completely generic heckling and generic bars. If Al can help me make an epic game in a year with a smaller team like in the old days, I'm all for it. That game will still have an art director, writers, programmers, graphic designers, but they won't have to do the tiresome and boring tasks, they'll have to focus on the essentials. I have ideas for lots of games, but I'm fifty years old and so far it's taken me seven years on average to make one game. If Al helps me realize those ideas faster, I'm all for it.
December 18, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Reposted by John Walker - Industry Analcyst
jon.inkle.co
Inkle has made one game a year for 15 years without AI. Sometimes - and I stress only sometimes - two.
arivelazquez.com ari velazquez 🌯 @arivelazquez.com · 9d
here’s the full spew
Daniel Vávra This Al hysteria is the same as when people were smashing steam engines in the 19th century. @LarAtLarian said they were doing something that absolutely everyone else is doing and got an insanely crazy shitstorm. I've even seen someone accuse us of using Al in KCD2. I don't know anything about it, except that I used Topaz Labs to upscale some of the Al elements from KCD1 and some of the old low res textures. I'm no fan of Al generated art, but anyway, it's time to face reality. Al is here to stay with us. As frightening as it may be, that's the way it is. Personally, it scares me the most in the music because you can't even recognise Al there anymore. On the other hand, you know what I hate most about making games? The fact that it takes 7 years and 300 people and tens of millions of dollars to make. And the fact that Tom had to spend 500 hours in the studio recording completely generic heckling and generic bars. If Al can help me make an epic game in a year with a smaller team like in the old days, I'm all for it. That game will still have an art director, writers, programmers, graphic designers, but they won't have to do the tiresome and boring tasks, they'll have to focus on the essentials. I have ideas for lots of games, but I'm fifty years old and so far it's taken me seven years on average to make one game. If Al helps me realize those ideas faster, I'm all for it.
December 18, 2025 at 3:55 PM
botherer.bsky.social
This is so adorably tragic. The vile little turd-boy cannot even comprehend the existence of the VIP section from which Ishii would have received her complementary popcorn.
airbagged.bsky.social kate bush’s husband @airbagged.bsky.social · 9d
SmashJT (the 5'1" racist gnome who was scammed by Tommy Tallarico, is currently being sued for harassment and was a seat filler at The Game Awards) is now trying to create a controversy that Erika Ishii shouldn't have had popcorn at the venue. I'm crying. This is hall monitor shit.
December 18, 2025 at 12:51 PM
botherer.bsky.social
The whole world is under arrest for not having told me there's a new Noname single:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFwT...
Noname - Hundred Acres ft. Devin Morrison (Official Music Video)
YouTube video by Noname
www.youtube.com
December 17, 2025 at 10:23 PM
botherer.bsky.social
If anyone has any contact details for the legend that is Geoff Crammond, I'd really appreciate a DM.
December 17, 2025 at 6:02 PM
botherer.bsky.social
I spoke to the team at @bscotch.net (creators of Crashlands) to find out how many dudes it would take to win in a fight with 100 toddlers.

kotaku.com/how-many-dud...
So, How Many Dudes Would It Take To Fight 100 Toddlers?
With a demo out now, we've spoken to the team at Butterscotch Shenanigans about their new roguelite game
kotaku.com
December 17, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Reposted by John Walker - Industry Analcyst
botherer.bsky.social
A quick reminder that the Commodore 64 Ultimate, no matter how good it might be, is a project from sex pest Thomas Middleditch.

www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Thomas Middleditch, Chief Creative Officer
December 16, 2025 at 8:48 PM
botherer.bsky.social
Look, I DO play a lot of Pictopix, the but truth is I leave it (and Tametsi) running in the background like, all the time.
December 16, 2025 at 9:16 PM
botherer.bsky.social
A quick reminder that the Commodore 64 Ultimate, no matter how good it might be, is a project from sex pest Thomas Middleditch.

www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Thomas Middleditch, Chief Creative Officer
December 16, 2025 at 8:48 PM