Delighted to have my words - and the words of my colleagues - published in the ABC opinion section today. As a kid growing up I wanted to be a journalist, and while my career has taken a different turn, this feels like a small taster of that dream.

www.abc.net.au/religion/met...

New article in @theconversation.com today reflecting on Australia’s 2024 loot box regulations and how, 1 year later, there remains widespread non-compliance - and generally really confusing age ratings for mobile games on the App Stores!

theconversation.com/loot-boxes-a...

🚨LIVE NOW FOR MY PATREON SUPPORERS 🚨
The State of Games Journalism in 2025

This is by no means an exhaustive look at what once was, what is, and what will be, but it's a start. I hope to do more pieces like this!
www.patreon.com/posts/state-...

This is so important to preserve and share games media.
Please submit and share Australian game stories!

We're working on an art project for Freakon! We want you to share games journalism that means something to you. If you have a review, a cover, a video, a headline, a quote - anything that made an impact on you please submit it!
Taking earnest and dumb submissions.
seasonofdecay.cargo.site

Drăculești is LIVE on Kickstarter

Play as Renfield, survive the terror of Castle Dracula, and find love in the darkest night in this seductive romantic horror narrative game.

Starring Ray Chase as Dracula. Voice/Casting direction by @jennyyokobori.bsky.social 🖤

www.kickstarter.com/projects/171...

The Kojima/Miller talk was fascinating for a few reasons but mostly because it gave me a proper understanding of why people love Kojima - he just seems very charismatic and I could listen to him talk fir twice as long.

We've compiled all the instances we can find of academics standing up for higher education and democracy, as well as attacks, at WeAreHigherEd.org. Please visit, and sign our letter and/or others (bit.ly/DemocracyAndHigherEd - 13k people have signed one or more statements).

ALT GAMES DAY
I’m running on 2 hours sleep, an $8.95 coffee and a love of those new fangled vidya games

❄️ A SPECIAL 1000xRESIST GIVEAWAY ❄️

An anonymous fan has bought 10 copies of 1000xRESIST to GIVEAWAY!!

In their own words: "A random act of kindness that maybe, hopefully, finds the right person." 🥹

To enter:

1. Follow us
2. Repost this.
3. Comment "Hekki Holidays"

Winners TBA on Dec 24, 2024.

Final issue of Multiplier for 2024 just went out. In it, I sat down with @hewso.bsky.social of @player2au.bsky.social to reflect on how Australia's game journalism scene has changed over the past decade. open.substack.com/pub/multipli...

I could go on, but the bottom line is this: the article is right. It doesn’t matter who you are, we’ve all been affected by layoffs, traffic roller coasters and uncertainties. But we’re also pretty scrappy and stubborn so, here’s hoping, right?

I recognise the position of privilege I have, to be able to work in this gig full time. There are so many wildly talented people who have lost that opportunity this year alone, and I don’t take it for granted - David Smith, for instance, is one of the absolute best in the game.

The Australian video game journalism piece is important and covers a lot of necessary ground, but if I’m being candid, as one of the few very lucky people to still be employed and trying to keep it alive every day, often these articles make it feel like more of an uphill battle.

Is the government about to accidentally ban kids under 16 from games? I wrote a piece with @darthtayrah.bsky.social on why they shouldn't.

theconversation.com/online-games...

(they also shouldn't ban social media!)

as horrible as it is theres something darkly comic about the Department of Efficiency having 2 chairmen