Graham Smith
@grahamsmith.bsky.social
Previously: RPS, PC Gamer, Eurogamer, Dicebreaker.
I don't typically like any genre you'd put it in, or any system it contains, and yet Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time would be on my top ten of the year. It dares to ask: what if Animal Crossing was a videogame? A daft, colourful, bountiful dopamine machine, and a lark to play with kids.
December 21, 2025 at 2:26 PM
I don't typically like any genre you'd put it in, or any system it contains, and yet Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time would be on my top ten of the year. It dares to ask: what if Animal Crossing was a videogame? A daft, colourful, bountiful dopamine machine, and a lark to play with kids.
The father of indie gaming
December 18, 2025 at 7:54 PM
The father of indie gaming
I don't think I nailed Despelote in my review back in May, but it's one of my favourite games of the year and you should play it.
www.rockpapershotgun.com/despelote-re...
"In a medium often dominated by genre pastiche and YA fiction tropes, what a treat it is to have a videogame that feels true."
www.rockpapershotgun.com/despelote-re...
"In a medium often dominated by genre pastiche and YA fiction tropes, what a treat it is to have a videogame that feels true."
December 12, 2025 at 11:47 PM
I don't think I nailed Despelote in my review back in May, but it's one of my favourite games of the year and you should play it.
www.rockpapershotgun.com/despelote-re...
"In a medium often dominated by genre pastiche and YA fiction tropes, what a treat it is to have a videogame that feels true."
www.rockpapershotgun.com/despelote-re...
"In a medium often dominated by genre pastiche and YA fiction tropes, what a treat it is to have a videogame that feels true."
The most exciting moment I've seen in any Game Awards trailer so far was when Total Warhammer 40k actually showed the UI. This industry needs to stop being ashamed of buttons and HUDs.
December 12, 2025 at 11:49 AM
The most exciting moment I've seen in any Game Awards trailer so far was when Total Warhammer 40k actually showed the UI. This industry needs to stop being ashamed of buttons and HUDs.
Skinemax, Smash TV's mashup and DJ mix described as "Koyaanisqatsi for a generation raised on late night television and B-movie VHS tapes". Originally uploaded to Vimeo in 2011, lightly edited here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cQL...
December 5, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Skinemax, Smash TV's mashup and DJ mix described as "Koyaanisqatsi for a generation raised on late night television and B-movie VHS tapes". Originally uploaded to Vimeo in 2011, lightly edited here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cQL...
Just going to post a different thing I like every time a stupid video game discourse begins.
Here's a cool song and music video by a Japanese band called OGRE YOU ASSHOLE.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L1Y...
Here's a cool song and music video by a Japanese band called OGRE YOU ASSHOLE.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L1Y...
OGRE YOU ASSHOLE - バランス ［OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO］
YouTube video by VAP OFFICIAL MUSIC CHANNEL
www.youtube.com
December 3, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Just going to post a different thing I like every time a stupid video game discourse begins.
Here's a cool song and music video by a Japanese band called OGRE YOU ASSHOLE.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L1Y...
Here's a cool song and music video by a Japanese band called OGRE YOU ASSHOLE.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L1Y...
Flea is making a trumpet album, and if it's all like this, oh boy.
Flea - A Plea (Official Music Video)
YouTube video by Flea
www.youtube.com
December 2, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Flea is making a trumpet album, and if it's all like this, oh boy.
Reposted by Graham Smith
In honour of the original breach wizard, Santa, we'll be in this year's Jingle Jam bundle! It starts on Monday, and you get us and 14 other games if you donate at least £35 to one of the Jingle Jam charity fundraisers.
Because you've been so good, we're letting you open a few of your presents early this year.
Core Keeper, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Tactical Breach Wizards and an exclusive Jingle Jam edition of Train Sim World 6 are your first four games in the 2025 Jingle Jam Games Collection!
Core Keeper, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Tactical Breach Wizards and an exclusive Jingle Jam edition of Train Sim World 6 are your first four games in the 2025 Jingle Jam Games Collection!
November 28, 2025 at 5:50 PM
In honour of the original breach wizard, Santa, we'll be in this year's Jingle Jam bundle! It starts on Monday, and you get us and 14 other games if you donate at least £35 to one of the Jingle Jam charity fundraisers.
Reposted by Graham Smith
Tactical Breach Wizards is 40% off in today's Daily Deal! The cheapest the wizards have ever allowed us to price them.
To celebrate, we've added a community missions pack, featuring some great ones players have made since launch.
store.steampowered.com/app/1043810/... .
To celebrate, we've added a community missions pack, featuring some great ones players have made since launch.
store.steampowered.com/app/1043810/... .
Save 40% on Tactical Breach Wizards on Steam
In Tactical Breach Wizards, you lead a team of renegade wizards in kevlar through turn-based battles to unravel a modern conspiracy plot. Combine their unique spells in clever ways, or rewind time to ...
store.steampowered.com
November 2, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Tactical Breach Wizards is 40% off in today's Daily Deal! The cheapest the wizards have ever allowed us to price them.
To celebrate, we've added a community missions pack, featuring some great ones players have made since launch.
store.steampowered.com/app/1043810/... .
To celebrate, we've added a community missions pack, featuring some great ones players have made since launch.
store.steampowered.com/app/1043810/... .
Just saw that Anthony Jackson died, one of the best (and most prolific) bass guitar players. For years I've been returning to these Hiromi Trio Project performances in which Jackson plays a six-stringed bass guitar that he *invented*: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIYI...
Hiromi Uehara - Voice - Jazz à Vienne 2011 - LIVE HD
YouTube video by Zycopolis TV
www.youtube.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Just saw that Anthony Jackson died, one of the best (and most prolific) bass guitar players. For years I've been returning to these Hiromi Trio Project performances in which Jackson plays a six-stringed bass guitar that he *invented*: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIYI...
This is really easy outrage bait, but it's worth reading the original story no one links to see this is a consequence of climate change and not a moustache-twirling Lord McVitie cackling upon his chocolate (flavoured) throne: www.theguardian.com/business/202...
October 18, 2025 at 1:43 PM
This is really easy outrage bait, but it's worth reading the original story no one links to see this is a consequence of climate change and not a moustache-twirling Lord McVitie cackling upon his chocolate (flavoured) throne: www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Reposted by Graham Smith
📚 My current contract is coming to an end in Dec so I am now looking for new work!
⭐ I am an award-winning & expert/lead game writer & narrative designer.
🌎 I am interested in long & short term contracts & consultancy, ideally remote.
Let's chat!
hannahnicklin.com
linkedin.com/in/hannah-nicklin
⭐ I am an award-winning & expert/lead game writer & narrative designer.
🌎 I am interested in long & short term contracts & consultancy, ideally remote.
Let's chat!
hannahnicklin.com
linkedin.com/in/hannah-nicklin
October 15, 2025 at 6:46 PM
📚 My current contract is coming to an end in Dec so I am now looking for new work!
⭐ I am an award-winning & expert/lead game writer & narrative designer.
🌎 I am interested in long & short term contracts & consultancy, ideally remote.
Let's chat!
hannahnicklin.com
linkedin.com/in/hannah-nicklin
⭐ I am an award-winning & expert/lead game writer & narrative designer.
🌎 I am interested in long & short term contracts & consultancy, ideally remote.
Let's chat!
hannahnicklin.com
linkedin.com/in/hannah-nicklin
Split Fiction (2025).
October 6, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Split Fiction (2025).
Reposted by Graham Smith
Feel this is being buried under the digital ID announcement today.
Ministers plan to allow naming and shaming of offenders completing community sentences
Exclusive: critics say the move, part of the sentencing bill for England and Wales, would bring shame upon families of offenders
www.theguardian.com
September 26, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Feel this is being buried under the digital ID announcement today.
Reposted by Graham Smith
So Starmer is backing ID cards - which I do not like - in order to facilitate this government’s ugly immigration policies - which I also do not like - and in doing so is apparently spiralling down the electoral drain and throwing votes to Farage - whom I do not like?
Fan-fucking-tastic.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
September 25, 2025 at 9:16 PM
So Starmer is backing ID cards - which I do not like - in order to facilitate this government’s ugly immigration policies - which I also do not like - and in doing so is apparently spiralling down the electoral drain and throwing votes to Farage - whom I do not like?
Fan-fucking-tastic.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
If anyone is considering purchasing part of a property via a shared ownership scheme, I strongly suggest you: don't. It's pitched as "affordable" housing but then they will quadruple your service charge and make it so no mortgage lender will touch it, stopping you from selling or staircasing.
September 25, 2025 at 7:01 PM
If anyone is considering purchasing part of a property via a shared ownership scheme, I strongly suggest you: don't. It's pitched as "affordable" housing but then they will quadruple your service charge and make it so no mortgage lender will touch it, stopping you from selling or staircasing.
I started my new job last month: I'm now studio manager/producer at Suspicious Developments, the team responsible for Tactical Breach Wizards, Heat Signature and Gunpoint!
September 16, 2025 at 11:24 AM
I started my new job last month: I'm now studio manager/producer at Suspicious Developments, the team responsible for Tactical Breach Wizards, Heat Signature and Gunpoint!
Reposted by Graham Smith
We're shortstaffed on RPS and need some rad PC-minded freelancers for urgent review work. Specifically:
- Borderlands 4 (yes I know it's out already)
- Dying Light: The Beast
- Silent Hill f
Standard rate is £200 GBP per review, make yourselves known at james.archer@rockpapershotgun.com
- Borderlands 4 (yes I know it's out already)
- Dying Light: The Beast
- Silent Hill f
Standard rate is £200 GBP per review, make yourselves known at james.archer@rockpapershotgun.com
September 15, 2025 at 3:59 PM
We're shortstaffed on RPS and need some rad PC-minded freelancers for urgent review work. Specifically:
- Borderlands 4 (yes I know it's out already)
- Dying Light: The Beast
- Silent Hill f
Standard rate is £200 GBP per review, make yourselves known at james.archer@rockpapershotgun.com
- Borderlands 4 (yes I know it's out already)
- Dying Light: The Beast
- Silent Hill f
Standard rate is £200 GBP per review, make yourselves known at james.archer@rockpapershotgun.com
Would people be willing to pay more for Silksong? Sure. Is it worth more? No idea. Is it nice to have an interaction with capitalism that isn't designed by a team of data analysts to take you for the absolute maximum possible? Yeah.
September 4, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Would people be willing to pay more for Silksong? Sure. Is it worth more? No idea. Is it nice to have an interaction with capitalism that isn't designed by a team of data analysts to take you for the absolute maximum possible? Yeah.
Reposted by Graham Smith
The BBC is about to shut its Written Archives to the public. Writers and researchers rely on these archives. They belong to the licence payers. Please sign and share this open letter.
Join the campaign to protect the future of independent research at the BBC Written Archives Centre
Follow the instructions at the top of this open letter to join the campaign and sign
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Follow the instructions at the top of this open letter to join the campaign and sign
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Open letter BBC Written Archives - August 2025
Join the campaign to protect the future of independent research at the BBC Written Archives Centre The following text is an open letter expressing the concern of historians and researchers about chan...
docs.google.com
August 26, 2025 at 3:41 PM
The BBC is about to shut its Written Archives to the public. Writers and researchers rely on these archives. They belong to the licence payers. Please sign and share this open letter.
I don't know what this is but it's the apex of technology
August 21, 2025 at 7:03 PM
I don't know what this is but it's the apex of technology
Reposted by Graham Smith
We're excited and proud to announce that Digital Foundry is now fully independent, having parted ways amicably with IGN. In this DF Direct Special, we share our thoughts and aspirations for the future of the channel: youtu.be/tl7bIJ2yu4I
August 7, 2025 at 2:00 PM
We're excited and proud to announce that Digital Foundry is now fully independent, having parted ways amicably with IGN. In this DF Direct Special, we share our thoughts and aspirations for the future of the channel: youtu.be/tl7bIJ2yu4I