John | Video Game Canon
@videogamecanon.bsky.social
Amateur game historian and cataloger of links to great writing about games.
💻 videogamecanon.com
➡️ Video Game Canon Top 1000
➡️ Various Bits of Game History
💻 videogameresearchlibrary.com
➡️ Video Game Research Library
💻 videogamecanon.com
➡️ Video Game Canon Top 1000
➡️ Various Bits of Game History
💻 videogameresearchlibrary.com
➡️ Video Game Research Library
Pinned
Hades Debuts in the Top 10 in the 2025 Update to the Video Game Canon’s Top 1000
It took a little extra time, but the Version 8.0 update to the Video Game Canon is finally here. With the addition of a handful of new lists since the last update, the Video Game Canon’s crit…
www.videogamecanon.com
The 2025 Update to the Video Game Canon is now available for all!
Supergiant’s Hades makes its debut in the VGC Top 1000 at #7!
www.videogamecanon.com/adventurelog...
Supergiant’s Hades makes its debut in the VGC Top 1000 at #7!
www.videogamecanon.com/adventurelog...
Reposted by John | Video Game Canon
My trailblazing game industry bad-ass friend Rebecca Heineman has passed away.
Fuck cancer.
Friends, let’s not forget her: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca...
Fuck cancer.
Friends, let’s not forget her: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca...
Rebecca Heineman - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 17, 2025 at 9:52 PM
My trailblazing game industry bad-ass friend Rebecca Heineman has passed away.
Fuck cancer.
Friends, let’s not forget her: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca...
Fuck cancer.
Friends, let’s not forget her: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca...
So the Games section of Paste became its own thing, Endless Mode, in the Spring. And now Endless Mode is being folded back into The AV Club.
I am so very confused, but I’m glad all the same people are still involved.
I am so very confused, but I’m glad all the same people are still involved.
November 17, 2025 at 8:47 PM
So the Games section of Paste became its own thing, Endless Mode, in the Spring. And now Endless Mode is being folded back into The AV Club.
I am so very confused, but I’m glad all the same people are still involved.
I am so very confused, but I’m glad all the same people are still involved.
Reposted by John | Video Game Canon
This is it. I nearly suffocated by using the reetroom. I’m asking my doctors agreeing on a short cure. Only really sure painful prolonged angona is hereafter the grim reaps me. Please donate on the funeral fund me now.
November 16, 2025 at 6:57 PM
This is it. I nearly suffocated by using the reetroom. I’m asking my doctors agreeing on a short cure. Only really sure painful prolonged angona is hereafter the grim reaps me. Please donate on the funeral fund me now.
Reposted by John | Video Game Canon
🤖🌟 Issue 6 of APWOT is live on Kickstarter! 🌟🤖
Featuring a beautiful lenticular cover of Astro Bot marking both our feature interview with the game’s director, Nicolas Doucet, and the 30th anniversary of PlayStation.
Get in there!
💫 kck.st/4i1GAHT 💫
Featuring a beautiful lenticular cover of Astro Bot marking both our feature interview with the game’s director, Nicolas Doucet, and the 30th anniversary of PlayStation.
Get in there!
💫 kck.st/4i1GAHT 💫
November 4, 2025 at 6:21 PM
🤖🌟 Issue 6 of APWOT is live on Kickstarter! 🌟🤖
Featuring a beautiful lenticular cover of Astro Bot marking both our feature interview with the game’s director, Nicolas Doucet, and the 30th anniversary of PlayStation.
Get in there!
💫 kck.st/4i1GAHT 💫
Featuring a beautiful lenticular cover of Astro Bot marking both our feature interview with the game’s director, Nicolas Doucet, and the 30th anniversary of PlayStation.
Get in there!
💫 kck.st/4i1GAHT 💫
Why do all of these people look like they drank from the false grail?
This is good reporting and all that but here's the thing I learned the other day: Bill Pulte, the 50-year-mortgage dude and the guy who keeps pulling the mortgage docs of Trump's enemies is only 37 years old.
www.wsj.com/finance/regu...
www.wsj.com/finance/regu...
Exclusive | Fannie Mae Watchdogs Probed How Pulte Obtained Mortgage Records of Key Democrats
FHFA’s acting inspector general handed the probe report to the U.S. attorney office that had indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James.
www.wsj.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Why do all of these people look like they drank from the false grail?
Well shoot, I can give you three:
1) It’s not as good as Mario Kart 8
2) It’s not even the best game on the Switch 2 so far this year
3) “Buzz” is hard to quantify, but I can think of a dozen games with more “Buzz” and there’s only 5-6 GOTY slots available at these shows.
Now to read the article…
1) It’s not as good as Mario Kart 8
2) It’s not even the best game on the Switch 2 so far this year
3) “Buzz” is hard to quantify, but I can think of a dozen games with more “Buzz” and there’s only 5-6 GOTY slots available at these shows.
Now to read the article…
There are two reasons why it's not even in the conversation.
Mario Kart World will never win GOTY
There are two reasons why it's not even in the conversation.
www.polygon.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Well shoot, I can give you three:
1) It’s not as good as Mario Kart 8
2) It’s not even the best game on the Switch 2 so far this year
3) “Buzz” is hard to quantify, but I can think of a dozen games with more “Buzz” and there’s only 5-6 GOTY slots available at these shows.
Now to read the article…
1) It’s not as good as Mario Kart 8
2) It’s not even the best game on the Switch 2 so far this year
3) “Buzz” is hard to quantify, but I can think of a dozen games with more “Buzz” and there’s only 5-6 GOTY slots available at these shows.
Now to read the article…
The Mets sold an estimated $250 million in tickets last year. And sold the naming rights to the stadium for $20 million. On top of all that, there’s concessions, merchandise sales, advertising, their TV contract, and a handful of other ways they make money.
There’s NO WAY they lost money.
There’s NO WAY they lost money.
@keithlaw.bsky.social I'm in a great ol mood, and I'm a bit late to this party, but I'd love to hear your comment on the report that "MLB has privately told owners that teams lost $1.8 billion last year, led by the New York Mets with about $350 million in losses" (braces for impact, ducks for cover)
November 12, 2025 at 11:38 PM
The Mets sold an estimated $250 million in tickets last year. And sold the naming rights to the stadium for $20 million. On top of all that, there’s concessions, merchandise sales, advertising, their TV contract, and a handful of other ways they make money.
There’s NO WAY they lost money.
There’s NO WAY they lost money.
Reposted by John | Video Game Canon
A garbage plate is “street food”? Absolutely not.
And “Upstate”? Also no.
And “Upstate”? Also no.
unsure what to wine pair with a garbage plate. sauv blanc?
November 12, 2025 at 2:40 AM
A garbage plate is “street food”? Absolutely not.
And “Upstate”? Also no.
And “Upstate”? Also no.
I’ve been thinking about it, and this might be one of the best jokes The Simpsons ever did.
(The first person to bring up “Formerly Chuck’s” gets blocked)
(The first person to bring up “Formerly Chuck’s” gets blocked)
November 11, 2025 at 3:35 AM
I’ve been thinking about it, and this might be one of the best jokes The Simpsons ever did.
(The first person to bring up “Formerly Chuck’s” gets blocked)
(The first person to bring up “Formerly Chuck’s” gets blocked)
Reposted by John | Video Game Canon
If you were a member of The Game Awards Future Class and can speak to your experience, I want to chat with you for The Guardian!
DM me, or email alyssamerc[at]gmail[dot]com.
Signal boost please!
DM me, or email alyssamerc[at]gmail[dot]com.
Signal boost please!
November 7, 2025 at 2:25 PM
If you were a member of The Game Awards Future Class and can speak to your experience, I want to chat with you for The Guardian!
DM me, or email alyssamerc[at]gmail[dot]com.
Signal boost please!
DM me, or email alyssamerc[at]gmail[dot]com.
Signal boost please!
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like trying to find stuff on Google is harder now than it was even a few months ago. It was already pretty bad and now they’re somehow worse? I can’t believe it.
I mean, I can, but I’m still a little shocked at how bad it is.
I mean, I can, but I’m still a little shocked at how bad it is.
November 7, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like trying to find stuff on Google is harder now than it was even a few months ago. It was already pretty bad and now they’re somehow worse? I can’t believe it.
I mean, I can, but I’m still a little shocked at how bad it is.
I mean, I can, but I’m still a little shocked at how bad it is.
Fellow Mets fans, gather around to hear another very weird story from the team’s early days.
defector.com/wilbur-huckl...
defector.com/wilbur-huckl...
Wilbur Huckle For President: Solving A 61-Year-Old Mets Mystery | Defector
Earlier this year, on a cold Sunday in January, I walked into an antique store in a Washington D.C. suburb. When I go to a shop like this one, I’m not looking for chairs or lamps. My interests are a l...
defector.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Fellow Mets fans, gather around to hear another very weird story from the team’s early days.
defector.com/wilbur-huckl...
defector.com/wilbur-huckl...
Reposted by John | Video Game Canon
New awareness campaign
November 3, 2025 at 3:23 PM
New awareness campaign
Reposted by John | Video Game Canon
Yuji Horii has been named in Japan's autumn honors list, making him the first game designer to be recognised for his work
www.gamesindustry.biz/dragon-quest...
www.gamesindustry.biz/dragon-quest...
Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii featured in Japan's autumn honors list
Horii is first game designer to be awarded with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette
www.gamesindustry.biz
November 3, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Yuji Horii has been named in Japan's autumn honors list, making him the first game designer to be recognised for his work
www.gamesindustry.biz/dragon-quest...
www.gamesindustry.biz/dragon-quest...
If you haven’t, you should read Jacked by Kushner. The first half of the book is basically the Housers freaking out over some movie and trying to recreate it in GTA.
Very eye-opening explanation for why I never really clicked with those games.
Very eye-opening explanation for why I never really clicked with those games.
Saw that interview wi Dan Houser, which is a tedious puff piece but does have an incredibly revealing bit, where he says Agent, the spy game Rockstar announced and cancelled, didn't work because spy films (he specifically says films) "they’re beat-to-beat" which doesn't suit open worlds
November 3, 2025 at 1:46 PM
If you haven’t, you should read Jacked by Kushner. The first half of the book is basically the Housers freaking out over some movie and trying to recreate it in GTA.
Very eye-opening explanation for why I never really clicked with those games.
Very eye-opening explanation for why I never really clicked with those games.
Watching Bubba Ho-Tep in a packed theater was a trip. Top 10 movie watching experience.
Bubba Ho-tep, a surprisingly emotional film about ageing Elvis Presley fighting a mummy in a Texas rest home made for just $1 mil and featuring one of Bruce Campbell's best performances, is FREE on YouTube (in the States):
youtu.be/k2-WqEsQUQA
youtu.be/k2-WqEsQUQA
November 2, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Watching Bubba Ho-Tep in a packed theater was a trip. Top 10 movie watching experience.
Reposted by John | Video Game Canon
Did not expect one of the best paragraphs I’d read about baseball would come from an Irish newspaper
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
November 2, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Did not expect one of the best paragraphs I’d read about baseball would come from an Irish newspaper
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
Reposted by John | Video Game Canon
149 days until Opening Day
November 2, 2025 at 5:12 AM
149 days until Opening Day
This is probably the most I’ve ever been interested in Fortnite, but it looks like an absolutely terrible Simpsons game.
I’ve always thought the only way to do a Simpsons shooting game is a Halo-style parody with Kang and Kodos.
Or go 2D and do a Contra riff with players controlling McBain.
I’ve always thought the only way to do a Simpsons shooting game is a Halo-style parody with Kang and Kodos.
Or go 2D and do a Contra riff with players controlling McBain.
Ignoring the money vortex app Tapped Out, there hasn’t been a proper Simpsons game in 18 years! But in 2025 there aren’t full licensed games anymore, so instead you get a massive season of Fortnite with piecemeal content that’ll cost way more than a $60 game. Simpsons isn’t half assing the crossover
November 1, 2025 at 4:29 PM
This is probably the most I’ve ever been interested in Fortnite, but it looks like an absolutely terrible Simpsons game.
I’ve always thought the only way to do a Simpsons shooting game is a Halo-style parody with Kang and Kodos.
Or go 2D and do a Contra riff with players controlling McBain.
I’ve always thought the only way to do a Simpsons shooting game is a Halo-style parody with Kang and Kodos.
Or go 2D and do a Contra riff with players controlling McBain.
Another attempt to science up the thinking behind nominees and winners of The Game Awards.
Give it a watch! This is good stuff.
Give it a watch! This is good stuff.
New video! I analysed a decade of The Game Awards to uncover the surprising trends behind what games win, and answer if there's a TGA equivelent to "Oscar Bait".
📼 youtu.be/APgWxCdGI5A
📼 youtu.be/APgWxCdGI5A
I Graphed 10 Years of Video Game History
YouTube video by hotcyder
youtu.be
October 31, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Another attempt to science up the thinking behind nominees and winners of The Game Awards.
Give it a watch! This is good stuff.
Give it a watch! This is good stuff.
Reposted by John | Video Game Canon
So, today I'm announcing a new book project... and doing a call for papers: crpgbook.wordpress.com/2025/10/31/t...
It's an anthology of video game history outside the usual US perspective - an accessible & exciting panorama of different realities - and I'll pay 300 USD per article.
Please share :)
It's an anthology of video game history outside the usual US perspective - an accessible & exciting panorama of different realities - and I'll pay 300 USD per article.
Please share :)
The Video Game History Expansion Pack – Pitch your story
Today I’m putting my money where my mouth is and launching a new project — a book focused on game history outside of the usual North American perspectives.
crpgbook.wordpress.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:11 PM
So, today I'm announcing a new book project... and doing a call for papers: crpgbook.wordpress.com/2025/10/31/t...
It's an anthology of video game history outside the usual US perspective - an accessible & exciting panorama of different realities - and I'll pay 300 USD per article.
Please share :)
It's an anthology of video game history outside the usual US perspective - an accessible & exciting panorama of different realities - and I'll pay 300 USD per article.
Please share :)
Hey @aidanmoher.com, did you see this?
October 30, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Hey @aidanmoher.com, did you see this?
Reposted by John | Video Game Canon
I think this quote in here really sums up why it’s so hard, sometimes, to really get the history of games that we should have
October 30, 2025 at 2:04 PM
I think this quote in here really sums up why it’s so hard, sometimes, to really get the history of games that we should have
This article about changing the value of pi in Doom’s code (and how that changes the game) is interesting, but I’m really hung up on the headline referring to it as a “cult classic” and a line in the article that calls out Doom’s “terrible graphics”.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
How an Error in Cult Classic Game Doom Sparked New Appreciation for Pi
What would the world look like if we changed the value of pi? Whether in the real world or a game environment, the answer is complex
www.scientificamerican.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:31 PM
This article about changing the value of pi in Doom’s code (and how that changes the game) is interesting, but I’m really hung up on the headline referring to it as a “cult classic” and a line in the article that calls out Doom’s “terrible graphics”.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...