Ryan Zhao
@insrtcoins.bsky.social
Author: The Fundamentals of Video Game Literacy (coming April). Podcast host for Play;Write, Cane and Rinse, and Sound of Play. Marketing for Xbox Game Pass, prev. Nintendo.
https://letterboxd.com/InsrtCoins/
My gaming blog: https://www.upbyupleft.com/
https://letterboxd.com/InsrtCoins/
My gaming blog: https://www.upbyupleft.com/
Pinned
Ryan Zhao
@insrtcoins.bsky.social
· Apr 16
The Fundamentals of Video Game Literacy: Theory, Practice, and Aesthetics
This book posits a novel framework for sense‑making and meaning‑making in the play of video games. Extending a modern, process‑oriented, audience‑inclusive philosophy of artistic meaning generation, t...
www.routledge.com
My book, The Fundamentals of Video Game Literacy, is available TODAY. It's a framework for understanding the unique ways in which games create meaning in the interaction b/t design and player agency. A great place to start if you have curiosity about games academia.
www.routledge.com/9781032869278
www.routledge.com/9781032869278
Reposted by Ryan Zhao
With more people getting the opportunity to play Metal Gear Solid 4, it means more people will understand one of my favorite posts online
February 14, 2026 at 5:04 AM
With more people getting the opportunity to play Metal Gear Solid 4, it means more people will understand one of my favorite posts online
Chuckster spotted
New poster for Princess Peach and Toad in ‘THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE’.
February 13, 2026 at 8:14 PM
Chuckster spotted
Solaris (2002), Splitsville, Inspiration, Kitbull
#LastFourWatched
#LastFourWatched
February 13, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Solaris (2002), Splitsville, Inspiration, Kitbull
#LastFourWatched
#LastFourWatched
I'm not going to turn down more Neva, but wasn't the whole point of Neva that the cycle of life and death is endless? It's a cyclical story that loops back on itself. There being a "before" expressly goes against the narrative structure.
Gris developer's beautiful Neva gets new prologue, and it's coming sooner than you'd think www.eurogamer.net/gris-develop...
February 13, 2026 at 1:29 AM
I'm not going to turn down more Neva, but wasn't the whole point of Neva that the cycle of life and death is endless? It's a cyclical story that loops back on itself. There being a "before" expressly goes against the narrative structure.
I enjoyed that new Muppet Show episode. Feels like the humor is on-point for Muppets. Not really feeling the Kermit voice at the center of it, but otherwise, it all feels right.
February 12, 2026 at 5:18 PM
I enjoyed that new Muppet Show episode. Feels like the humor is on-point for Muppets. Not really feeling the Kermit voice at the center of it, but otherwise, it all feels right.
I've been playing the VHOLUME demo, a first-person parkour time trial game with very fluid controls and a persistent sense of peril. Small detail, but I love the way it uses light and dark. When moving quickly through the environment, it's important to be able to quickly read your environment...
VHOLUME on Steam
VHOLUME is a melancholic first-person parkour adventure set in a dystopian brutalist city where bureaucracy turns a simple task into an odyssey.
store.steampowered.com
February 12, 2026 at 8:47 AM
I've been playing the VHOLUME demo, a first-person parkour time trial game with very fluid controls and a persistent sense of peril. Small detail, but I love the way it uses light and dark. When moving quickly through the environment, it's important to be able to quickly read your environment...
Drummer from Alice in Chains went to my high school. The next high school over, though, produced Modest Mouse and the director of Zootopia, Encanto, and Tangled.
Who's the most famous alum of your high school?
I'll go first: David Draiman of Disturbed
I'll go first: David Draiman of Disturbed
guys i just found out i went to the same high school as howard lutnick. please respect my privacy at this time.
February 12, 2026 at 5:16 AM
Drummer from Alice in Chains went to my high school. The next high school over, though, produced Modest Mouse and the director of Zootopia, Encanto, and Tangled.
Reposted by Ryan Zhao
New piece for Up by Up-Left about advancements in avatar embodiment in Death Stranding and Baby Steps, and I use that opportunity to examine the parodic relationship between Baby Steps and Death Stranding, stories of two men who isolate from others, and what that means in terms of player control.
Embodied Play in Baby Steps and Death Stranding
An exploration of advancements in the philosophies and mechanics of projective embodiment in Death Stranding and its parody Baby Steps
www.upbyupleft.com
February 10, 2026 at 7:53 PM
New piece for Up by Up-Left about advancements in avatar embodiment in Death Stranding and Baby Steps, and I use that opportunity to examine the parodic relationship between Baby Steps and Death Stranding, stories of two men who isolate from others, and what that means in terms of player control.
I find it odd that so many sports video games exclusively feature in-engine athlete closeups instead of the game being played in press kit screenshots. Like, I guess everyone knows how basketball looks in action, so you're exhibiting the tech, but it makes it feel like something is being hidden.
February 10, 2026 at 8:17 PM
I find it odd that so many sports video games exclusively feature in-engine athlete closeups instead of the game being played in press kit screenshots. Like, I guess everyone knows how basketball looks in action, so you're exhibiting the tech, but it makes it feel like something is being hidden.
New piece for Up by Up-Left about advancements in avatar embodiment in Death Stranding and Baby Steps, and I use that opportunity to examine the parodic relationship between Baby Steps and Death Stranding, stories of two men who isolate from others, and what that means in terms of player control.
Embodied Play in Baby Steps and Death Stranding
An exploration of advancements in the philosophies and mechanics of projective embodiment in Death Stranding and its parody Baby Steps
www.upbyupleft.com
February 10, 2026 at 7:53 PM
New piece for Up by Up-Left about advancements in avatar embodiment in Death Stranding and Baby Steps, and I use that opportunity to examine the parodic relationship between Baby Steps and Death Stranding, stories of two men who isolate from others, and what that means in terms of player control.
For those keeping score, it's:
Gobliiins (i x3)
Gobliins 2 (i x2)
Goblins Quest 3 (i x1)
Gobliiins 4 (i x3)
Gobliiins 5 (i x3)
Gobliins 6 (i x2)
this will be on the final
Gobliiins (i x3)
Gobliins 2 (i x2)
Goblins Quest 3 (i x1)
Gobliiins 4 (i x3)
Gobliiins 5 (i x3)
Gobliins 6 (i x2)
this will be on the final
Looks like Gobliins 6 is out on itch:
pierre-gilhodes.itch.io/gobliins6
pierre-gilhodes.itch.io/gobliins6
GOBLiiNS6 by Pierre Gilhodes
Available for Windows
pierre-gilhodes.itch.io
February 10, 2026 at 6:39 PM
For those keeping score, it's:
Gobliiins (i x3)
Gobliins 2 (i x2)
Goblins Quest 3 (i x1)
Gobliiins 4 (i x3)
Gobliiins 5 (i x3)
Gobliins 6 (i x2)
this will be on the final
Gobliiins (i x3)
Gobliins 2 (i x2)
Goblins Quest 3 (i x1)
Gobliiins 4 (i x3)
Gobliiins 5 (i x3)
Gobliins 6 (i x2)
this will be on the final
Went to Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie tonight and holy cow. What a stressful, ambitious comedy. I don't know how they did any of it, but I laughed my little butt off.
February 10, 2026 at 7:42 AM
Went to Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie tonight and holy cow. What a stressful, ambitious comedy. I don't know how they did any of it, but I laughed my little butt off.
mate, you can't go releasing a film called Anomie a month after Anemone.......
February 9, 2026 at 7:31 AM
mate, you can't go releasing a film called Anomie a month after Anemone.......
There's a local bowling alley called Bowlero. And, just, what a wild pun. Strange choice. I respect it.
February 8, 2026 at 1:48 AM
There's a local bowling alley called Bowlero. And, just, what a wild pun. Strange choice. I respect it.
I've published a blog post on Up by Up-Left giving more detailed thoughts on the games I finished in January 2026. Micro-reviews of MIO: Memories in Orbit, The Hundred Line, PowerWash Simulator 2, Drawer Simulator, Banjo-Kazooie, and more!
www.upbyupleft.com/post/giptm-j...
www.upbyupleft.com/post/giptm-j...
February 6, 2026 at 9:46 PM
I've published a blog post on Up by Up-Left giving more detailed thoughts on the games I finished in January 2026. Micro-reviews of MIO: Memories in Orbit, The Hundred Line, PowerWash Simulator 2, Drawer Simulator, Banjo-Kazooie, and more!
www.upbyupleft.com/post/giptm-j...
www.upbyupleft.com/post/giptm-j...
But Epstein will be available as an 1,800 V-Buck skin throughout the month of February.
Epic clarifies that, no, Jeffrey Epstein is not still alive and playing Fortnite in Tel Aviv
aftermath.site/epic-games-for...
aftermath.site/epic-games-for...
February 6, 2026 at 8:15 PM
But Epstein will be available as an 1,800 V-Buck skin throughout the month of February.
Ghost Tropic, Piranha 3D, Movie Movie, Baby Boy
#LastFourWatched
#LastFourWatched
February 6, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Ghost Tropic, Piranha 3D, Movie Movie, Baby Boy
#LastFourWatched
#LastFourWatched
PlayStation just sued Tencent for making a game that looked like Horizon, and now they're making a Horizon game that looks like a Tencent game.
The hunt is on.
Step into the world of Horizon Hunters Gathering, a new co-op action game from Guerrilla coming to PS5 and PC: play.st/3ZPOtYi
Step into the world of Horizon Hunters Gathering, a new co-op action game from Guerrilla coming to PS5 and PC: play.st/3ZPOtYi
February 5, 2026 at 9:11 PM
PlayStation just sued Tencent for making a game that looked like Horizon, and now they're making a Horizon game that looks like a Tencent game.
@tcgs.co Wasn't @mat.tcgs.co playing Blake Manor at the time of the "that's the yolk" controversy?
February 4, 2026 at 10:13 PM
@tcgs.co Wasn't @mat.tcgs.co playing Blake Manor at the time of the "that's the yolk" controversy?
Very bizarre choice for a remaster. All characters involved are so entrenched in ~2010 Steam culture, I don't know what modern audiences will make of this. Will this just be a nostalgia piece for late-ytmnd'ers / early NeoGAFfers, or is there a plan for renewing relevance for younger players?
Poker Night at the Inventory coming to PS4/Switch/Steam on March 5th www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoXK...
February 4, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Very bizarre choice for a remaster. All characters involved are so entrenched in ~2010 Steam culture, I don't know what modern audiences will make of this. Will this just be a nostalgia piece for late-ytmnd'ers / early NeoGAFfers, or is there a plan for renewing relevance for younger players?
Why does this look like a Saw poster?
February 4, 2026 at 8:51 AM
Why does this look like a Saw poster?
F2
‘F1’ Sequel Teased By Racing Sport’s CEO At Apple TV Press Day. "Stay Tuned" deadline.com/2026/02/f1-s...
February 4, 2026 at 2:09 AM
F2
Reposted by Ryan Zhao
I made a filterlist for uBlock Origin to remove Generative AI features on websites. Includes blocks for
* Google AI Summaries
* YouTube Ask button & chat summaries
* GitHub Copilot
* Facebook AI chat
* X's Grok buttons
* Deviantart DreamUp
* Booru AI images
* And more
github.com/Stevoisiak/S...
* Google AI Summaries
* YouTube Ask button & chat summaries
* GitHub Copilot
* Facebook AI chat
* X's Grok buttons
* Deviantart DreamUp
* Booru AI images
* And more
github.com/Stevoisiak/S...
February 3, 2026 at 12:30 AM
I made a filterlist for uBlock Origin to remove Generative AI features on websites. Includes blocks for
* Google AI Summaries
* YouTube Ask button & chat summaries
* GitHub Copilot
* Facebook AI chat
* X's Grok buttons
* Deviantart DreamUp
* Booru AI images
* And more
github.com/Stevoisiak/S...
* Google AI Summaries
* YouTube Ask button & chat summaries
* GitHub Copilot
* Facebook AI chat
* X's Grok buttons
* Deviantart DreamUp
* Booru AI images
* And more
github.com/Stevoisiak/S...
The Ringo film should be animated.
First official look at the ‘BEATLES’ biopics cast in HD
• Harris Dickinson as John Lennon
• Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney
• Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr
• Joseph Quinn as George Harrison
All 4 films release in April 2028 in theaters.
• Harris Dickinson as John Lennon
• Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney
• Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr
• Joseph Quinn as George Harrison
All 4 films release in April 2028 in theaters.
January 30, 2026 at 10:12 PM
The Ringo film should be animated.
Hell of a career. Always took huge risks with her comedy which gave her such a singular, distinct comedic presence. Astounding in the Christopher Guest mockumentaries. So funny in both Beetlejuice films.
Catherine O'Hara, the actor who starred as Kate McCallister in “Home Alone,” has died at 71, TMZ reports
Catherine O'Hara Dead at 71
Catherine O'Hara -- famous for her work in "Schitt's Creek," "Home Alone," and "Best In Show" -- is dead ... TMZ has learned.
www.tmz.com
January 30, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Hell of a career. Always took huge risks with her comedy which gave her such a singular, distinct comedic presence. Astounding in the Christopher Guest mockumentaries. So funny in both Beetlejuice films.