Lewis Gordon
@lewisgordon.bsky.social
Culture on computers, mostly | ✍ The Verge, FT, The Ringer, The Nation, ArtReview, The Guardian, Vulture | ✉️ lewisjohngordon~at~gmail~dot~com | he/him
imagining Hamnet with this as its score rather than Mr. Richter laying it on thick. adds another star, easy
It's Bandcamp Friday! Here's my rec: a collection of works by Renaissance composer Nicolas Gombert performed by the inimitable Apartment House.
It's some of the most exquisitely elegant, achingly sad music I've ever heard. 10/10, no notes.
anothertimbre.bandcamp.com/album/g-o-m-...
It's some of the most exquisitely elegant, achingly sad music I've ever heard. 10/10, no notes.
anothertimbre.bandcamp.com/album/g-o-m-...
G O M B E R T, by Nicolas Gombert & James Weeks
14 track album
anothertimbre.bandcamp.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:42 PM
imagining Hamnet with this as its score rather than Mr. Richter laying it on thick. adds another star, easy
It's Bandcamp Friday! Here's my rec: a collection of works by Renaissance composer Nicolas Gombert performed by the inimitable Apartment House.
It's some of the most exquisitely elegant, achingly sad music I've ever heard. 10/10, no notes.
anothertimbre.bandcamp.com/album/g-o-m-...
It's some of the most exquisitely elegant, achingly sad music I've ever heard. 10/10, no notes.
anothertimbre.bandcamp.com/album/g-o-m-...
G O M B E R T, by Nicolas Gombert & James Weeks
14 track album
anothertimbre.bandcamp.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:34 PM
It's Bandcamp Friday! Here's my rec: a collection of works by Renaissance composer Nicolas Gombert performed by the inimitable Apartment House.
It's some of the most exquisitely elegant, achingly sad music I've ever heard. 10/10, no notes.
anothertimbre.bandcamp.com/album/g-o-m-...
It's some of the most exquisitely elegant, achingly sad music I've ever heard. 10/10, no notes.
anothertimbre.bandcamp.com/album/g-o-m-...
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
kinda knocked it out the park with this (dated) design document for game 2
February 5, 2026 at 10:56 AM
kinda knocked it out the park with this (dated) design document for game 2
I'm getting lost Windham Hill ambient classic -- gauzy trumpet, delicate guitar strums, piano echoes. nice stuff.
nintendo direct music giving disco elysium rn
February 5, 2026 at 2:00 PM
I'm getting lost Windham Hill ambient classic -- gauzy trumpet, delicate guitar strums, piano echoes. nice stuff.
among everything else, how do i live in an era when the written word is becoming passé? just colossally grim
the Post news is gutting for many reasons, but I can’t help focusing on the books section—how great it was, and how essential. So many worthy books barely get reviewed. I’ve had authors reach out to thank me because mine was the only post-pub coverage they got. Just awful for readers & for writers.
February 4, 2026 at 8:31 PM
among everything else, how do i live in an era when the written word is becoming passé? just colossally grim
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
always bears repeating that this is NOT a financial decision. jeff bezos is worth over 250 billion dollars. he can afford to lose many millions and never even notice it. this is, at its core, a political and personal decision by bezos to destroy the post
WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Post says one-third of its staff across all departments, not just the newsroom, is being laid off.
February 4, 2026 at 3:04 PM
always bears repeating that this is NOT a financial decision. jeff bezos is worth over 250 billion dollars. he can afford to lose many millions and never even notice it. this is, at its core, a political and personal decision by bezos to destroy the post
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
I’m sure someone else has said this better but it is insane how close the experience of reporting on the Epstein files is to playing a database mystery Her Story or The Roottrees Are Dead
February 4, 2026 at 9:25 AM
I’m sure someone else has said this better but it is insane how close the experience of reporting on the Epstein files is to playing a database mystery Her Story or The Roottrees Are Dead
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
not for nothing: this is the whole point of journalistic organizations. they exist to hold their members accountable. if you get something wrong they publish a correction; you get something wrong on purpose you get fired. it’s about trust. random ppl with a mic don’t have that. don’t just trust them
I think it’s really important when you get something wrong that you fix it. We are in an age of parasocial journalism where everyone is talking into tiny microphones. People have their faves and they trust what those faves say. If you get something wrong, fix it. It makes you more credible.
February 2, 2026 at 11:41 AM
not for nothing: this is the whole point of journalistic organizations. they exist to hold their members accountable. if you get something wrong they publish a correction; you get something wrong on purpose you get fired. it’s about trust. random ppl with a mic don’t have that. don’t just trust them
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
Hey - if you're a game developer who for some reason happens to have access to Google's Project Genie, we would really love to hear your thoughts.
If you're a gamedev who doesn't have access but has strong thoughts to share regardless, please also feel free to get in touch. Email or DM me!
If you're a gamedev who doesn't have access but has strong thoughts to share regardless, please also feel free to get in touch. Email or DM me!
Google has released Project Genie, an AI tool that generates characters and explorable environments.
Videos of Genie outputs using licensed characters have since been subject to takedowns. Stock prices for some game companies have also dropped, though one analyst said the reaction was "overblown."
Videos of Genie outputs using licensed characters have since been subject to takedowns. Stock prices for some game companies have also dropped, though one analyst said the reaction was "overblown."
Google's 'Project Genie' World Generator Sparks Copyright and Investment Concerns
Project Genie is an "experimental research prototype" that lets users generate characters and explore worlds to move around.
thisweekinvideogames.com
February 2, 2026 at 1:50 AM
Hey - if you're a game developer who for some reason happens to have access to Google's Project Genie, we would really love to hear your thoughts.
If you're a gamedev who doesn't have access but has strong thoughts to share regardless, please also feel free to get in touch. Email or DM me!
If you're a gamedev who doesn't have access but has strong thoughts to share regardless, please also feel free to get in touch. Email or DM me!
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
another instance of self-inflicted wounds from cultural boards more interested in preserving their own status than in the communities they're supposed to serve. many such cases!
January 30, 2026 at 3:12 PM
another instance of self-inflicted wounds from cultural boards more interested in preserving their own status than in the communities they're supposed to serve. many such cases!
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
a disgrace, plain and simple
The CCA goes bust, entering liquidation
All staff are being made redundant and operations are ceasing with “immediate effect”
www.glasgowbell.co.uk
January 30, 2026 at 3:10 PM
a disgrace, plain and simple
christ. regardless of financial mismanagement over the years and the trainwreck handling of the BDS demands more recently, this is a catastrophic blow to the Glasgow art scene and Scotland's more broadly. miserable news
🚨 BREAKING: The CCA is "No longer able to continue operating and is entering liquidation."
Tomorrow we're publishing the inside story of how it all went wrong for the arts organisation - read our first report and sign up below 👇
www.glasgowbell.co.uk/cca-liquidat...
Tomorrow we're publishing the inside story of how it all went wrong for the arts organisation - read our first report and sign up below 👇
www.glasgowbell.co.uk/cca-liquidat...
The CCA goes bust, entering liquidation
All staff are being made redundant and operations are ceasing with “immediate effect”
www.glasgowbell.co.uk
January 30, 2026 at 2:52 PM
christ. regardless of financial mismanagement over the years and the trainwreck handling of the BDS demands more recently, this is a catastrophic blow to the Glasgow art scene and Scotland's more broadly. miserable news
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
Absolutely. There's so much pressure to not write criticism about games that embraces one's subjectivity & personal taste, especially when one's view skews negative. Tevis Thompson wrote an essential piece on this 12 years ago that's as relevant today as it was then tevisthompson.com/indie-critic...
January 29, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Absolutely. There's so much pressure to not write criticism about games that embraces one's subjectivity & personal taste, especially when one's view skews negative. Tevis Thompson wrote an essential piece on this 12 years ago that's as relevant today as it was then tevisthompson.com/indie-critic...
There is one highly unnerving GIF in this Kickstarter that has sold me on Abide: an immaculately uncanny therapy room populated with @king-spooner.bsky.social's creepy doll people.
I'd pledge if I didn't hope to cover it journalistically.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/637...
I'd pledge if I didn't hope to cover it journalistically.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/637...
ABIDE
A stop motion horror game from the makers of Judero and Mashina.
www.kickstarter.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:18 AM
There is one highly unnerving GIF in this Kickstarter that has sold me on Abide: an immaculately uncanny therapy room populated with @king-spooner.bsky.social's creepy doll people.
I'd pledge if I didn't hope to cover it journalistically.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/637...
I'd pledge if I didn't hope to cover it journalistically.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/637...
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
feel like this is one of the bigger labor stories of Our Current Regrettable Age variety.com/2026/gaming/...
One-Third of U.S. Video Game Industry Workers Were Laid Off in 2025, GDC Study Reveals
One-third of U.S. video game industry workers say they were laid off last year, according to GDC.
variety.com
January 29, 2026 at 9:55 PM
feel like this is one of the bigger labor stories of Our Current Regrettable Age variety.com/2026/gaming/...
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
also, check out this phenomenal article via @designroom.site and @lewisgordon.bsky.social www.designroom.site/mirrors-edge...
Mirror's Edge: An oral history
17 years on from its release, DICE's first-person parkour thriller is a cult classic. We spoke to nine people who worked on it about how the revelatory game came to be.
www.designroom.site
January 29, 2026 at 5:05 PM
also, check out this phenomenal article via @designroom.site and @lewisgordon.bsky.social www.designroom.site/mirrors-edge...
all art by @mathieubablet.bsky.social. beautiful stuff!
Now the Cairn embargo is up I can gush about one of my favourite things in the game: its loading screens.
These lovely, fluid configurations of rock, air, light, cloud, and water soften the blow of each and every in-game death.
These lovely, fluid configurations of rock, air, light, cloud, and water soften the blow of each and every in-game death.
January 29, 2026 at 6:13 PM
all art by @mathieubablet.bsky.social. beautiful stuff!
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
Citizen Sleeper 2: Design Works 🚀 is available to preorder now!
To celebrate the 1 year anniversary we have loads to offer:
-Deluxe Edition with boxed edition of Spindlejack!
-New boxed edition of Cycles of the Eye!
-Both OSTs on vinyl!
-And more...
Go NOW: www.lostincult.co.uk/citizensleep...
To celebrate the 1 year anniversary we have loads to offer:
-Deluxe Edition with boxed edition of Spindlejack!
-New boxed edition of Cycles of the Eye!
-Both OSTs on vinyl!
-And more...
Go NOW: www.lostincult.co.uk/citizensleep...
January 29, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Citizen Sleeper 2: Design Works 🚀 is available to preorder now!
To celebrate the 1 year anniversary we have loads to offer:
-Deluxe Edition with boxed edition of Spindlejack!
-New boxed edition of Cycles of the Eye!
-Both OSTs on vinyl!
-And more...
Go NOW: www.lostincult.co.uk/citizensleep...
To celebrate the 1 year anniversary we have loads to offer:
-Deluxe Edition with boxed edition of Spindlejack!
-New boxed edition of Cycles of the Eye!
-Both OSTs on vinyl!
-And more...
Go NOW: www.lostincult.co.uk/citizensleep...
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
Understandably the NYT piece* included only a soundbite but if you want to know ✨WHAT I THINK ABOUT PEAK✨ here's the full conversation.
* www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/a...
* www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/a...
January 29, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Understandably the NYT piece* included only a soundbite but if you want to know ✨WHAT I THINK ABOUT PEAK✨ here's the full conversation.
* www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/a...
* www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/a...
Now the Cairn embargo is up I can gush about one of my favourite things in the game: its loading screens.
These lovely, fluid configurations of rock, air, light, cloud, and water soften the blow of each and every in-game death.
These lovely, fluid configurations of rock, air, light, cloud, and water soften the blow of each and every in-game death.
January 29, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Now the Cairn embargo is up I can gush about one of my favourite things in the game: its loading screens.
These lovely, fluid configurations of rock, air, light, cloud, and water soften the blow of each and every in-game death.
These lovely, fluid configurations of rock, air, light, cloud, and water soften the blow of each and every in-game death.
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
A rare bit of games crit from me, on Many Nights a Whisper and trying to get at what a “poetic” game might be 👇
Our current issue comes to a close with @jumpovertheage.com on Many Nights a Whisper and poetry in games. Read it here: bulletpointsmonthly.com/2026/01/28/w...
January 28, 2026 at 2:43 PM
A rare bit of games crit from me, on Many Nights a Whisper and trying to get at what a “poetic” game might be 👇
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
The Scholar’s Codex by @tuneandfairweather.bsky.social is now available for preorder. Each chapter starts from an in-game item to explore an aspect of one or more of FromSofware's Soulsborne games and I chose the Abyss Seal (DS2) to discuss the relationship between darkness and humanity.
January 29, 2026 at 8:32 AM
The Scholar’s Codex by @tuneandfairweather.bsky.social is now available for preorder. Each chapter starts from an in-game item to explore an aspect of one or more of FromSofware's Soulsborne games and I chose the Abyss Seal (DS2) to discuss the relationship between darkness and humanity.
I'm back in the NYT with a piece on my favourite micro-genre: climbing games.
I especially love their suggestion that anyone, even vertigo sufferers, can be a climber, converting the environment before them into a symbolic system of self-expression.
⛰️
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/a...
I especially love their suggestion that anyone, even vertigo sufferers, can be a climber, converting the environment before them into a symbolic system of self-expression.
⛰️
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/a...
The Thrill of Climbing From the Comfort of Your Couch
www.nytimes.com
January 29, 2026 at 12:13 PM
I'm back in the NYT with a piece on my favourite micro-genre: climbing games.
I especially love their suggestion that anyone, even vertigo sufferers, can be a climber, converting the environment before them into a symbolic system of self-expression.
⛰️
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/a...
I especially love their suggestion that anyone, even vertigo sufferers, can be a climber, converting the environment before them into a symbolic system of self-expression.
⛰️
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/a...
Reposted by Lewis Gordon
"We have to run on a crane" made me laugh out loud. Love getting to see how these iconic in-game moments came to fruition.
January 14, 2026 at 6:49 PM
"We have to run on a crane" made me laugh out loud. Love getting to see how these iconic in-game moments came to fruition.