Branden Lizardi

If you see that BIG HOPS is made by 1 guy anywhere that is NOT true at all.

We had a big team of skilled, smart, funny people and I will not accept being credited that way.

It was my vision and I did a lot of jobs, but everyone in this list deserves the credit and praise: bsky.app/starter-pack...

Is The AZLA ARES Clear Gaming Earbuds Worth It? - Review Korean AZLA brand has a long and established history with high quality audio, and the Ares (and Ares Clear) is their gaming-focused take on earbuds.

Go read this, if only exclusively to chortle about the choice of feature image.

thephrasemaker.com/2026/01/16/a...

I'm fortunate that a place as cool as Unwinnable was open to me being dramatic and introspective about such a common video game mechanic.

Give it a read, it might validate some feelings you weren't aware you had.

a collage of 15 different games included on the list, from silent hill f to elden ring nightreign

this was 2025, as told by 91 writers across the world

intothespine.com/2025/12/31/s...

Working in the industry with your most obnoxious keyboard

Tron’s Jeff Bridges Is Reviving an Iconic Film Camera On October 6, 2023, Academy Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges took to Instagram to announce The Widelux Revival Project. The endeavor is supported by a brand-new company, SilverBridges.

I'd have never known that the actor from Tron/The Big Labowski has been doing such interesting work towards photography history revitalization if not for this site. It's cool to see.

thephrasemaker.com/2025/11/25/t...

My coworkers generally love me.
My editors, however, want to rip the concept of present tense out of my brain, neuron by neuron.

I Needed This K-Pop Demon Hunters RCT YouTube Video A Roller Coaster Tycoon track synchronized to a popular song from K-Pop Demon Hunters, was the first real thing this year to make my feel that cliche.

I wrote about how this K-Pop Demon Hunters Roller Coaster Tycoon Video was the only thing this year to remind me of how beautiful "old youtube" style content can be nowadays.

www.thelizardrock.com/articles/a-f...

Silver lining: I wasn't a fan of those headshot pictures anyway

I'm Getting My PhD In Doin' Things - The LizardRock Every year, instead of a New Year's resolution, I like to give myself a motivational phrase.

I'm breathing life back into my personal website.
And what better a way to do that than a blog post about the phrase that got me through 2025?

www.thelizardrock.com/im-getting-m...

I wish I had a makerspace near me, that sounds like a dream.

I think that's a good move. They're very different beasts, and resin is more prone to problems (also a lot messier).

Just resin.
Resin printers are generally higher fidelity than filament, and that difference in detail mattered to me.

Plus I was working with casting resin prior, so I already knew some tips and tricks to help improve the printed product

I have a resin printer Ive made good use out of, mostly for D&D dice and minis.

LizardRock - Twitch Ironman With The Snail Nemesis In Shadows of Doubt!

I'll also be dusting off my Twitch account in the meantime.
come join me for my favorite murder mystery game, Shadows of Doubt!

www.twitch.tv/lizardrock

The cheese appears to be self-repairing itself against my pot, not entirely unlike Roman concrete.

I went to go do the dishes to take my mind of things, only to be confronted by the reminder that I made a complete dogshit Mac & Cheese for dinner last night.

It sounds like this is a larger scale termination by Valnet.
I don't know who all is affected, but my sympathies go out to them, too.

Unfortunately, my time as an Editor for TheGamer.com has come to an end.

I met some of the best coworkers I've ever had there, I learned and grew a lot.

If anyone is looking for a journo, especially for guides, reviews, VR, horror, and farming RPGs, I'd love to hear from you.

✨Have YOU played powerwash simulator and then gone on to powerwash something in real life? Do you have thoughts on how they compare? I want to talk to you for a story I'm working on.

Shares appreciated!

FROM NOW UNTIL FEBRUARY 13TH IGN CREATORS GUILD IS GOING TO... DO OUR JOB! OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, IGN MANAGEMENT HAS GOTTEN AWAY WITH LAYING OFF OUR COWORKERS OVER AND OVER. MEANWHILE, MANY OF OUR COLLEAGUES HAVE LEFT THE COMPANY IN NO SMALL PART DUE TO BUYOUTS, OVERWORK, AND FEELING UNSUPPORTED, EACH TIME, THE COMPANY HAS REFUSED TO BACKFILL MANY ESSENTIAL ROLES, CLAIMING WE'RE ON A HIRING FREEZE, IT'S NOT IN THE BUDGET, OR THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO LESS WORK THIS TIME. AS A RESULT, IGNCG MEMBERS HAVE BEEN FORCED TO TAKE ON MORE OF THEIR FORMER COLLEAGUES' WORKLOADS. MANY OF US NOW WORK LONGER HOURS THAN WE USED TO. A LOT OF US RARELY TAKE LUNCH BREAKS. SOME OF US DO NOT TAKE ADEQUATE TIME OFF DUE TO THERE BEING NO ONE TO PICK UP THE SLACK. OTHERS OF US ARE STUCK DOING WORK WE WERE NEVER HIRED TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE. UP TO THIS POINT, WE'VE ALL ACCEPTED THIS AS NORMAL, BECAUSE WE CARE DEEPLY ABOUT IGN AND THE WORK WE DO. BUT WITH SO MANY OF US STRUGGLING MORE AND MORE AS EACH NEW WAVE OF OUR COWORKERS ARE DEPRIVED OF A LIVELIHOOD, THIS CYCLE CAN'T CONTINUE. MANAGEMENT IS UNWILLING TO STOP IT, SO IT FALLS TO US. WITH THE LAYOFFS OF EIGHT OF OUR COWORKERS, IGNCG HAS NEGOTIATED A SIX-MONTH RECALL LIST. WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT, FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS, IF IGN WANTS TO FILL ANY OF THOSE ELIMINATED ROLES AGAIN, THEY MUST REHIRE OUR LAID-OFF COLLEAGUES. WE WANT THEM TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET THEIR JOBS BACK IF THEY WANT THEM, AND IF NOT, WE WANT THOSE ROLES BACKFILLED TO EASE THE BURDEN ON THE REST OF US. SO STARTING TODAY, LENCE MEMBERS ARE COMMITTING TO DO OUR JOBS. NO MORE, NO LESS. WELL SHOW UP TO WORK ON TIME AND LEAVE ON TIME. WE'RE TAKING ALL OF OUR LUNCH TIME, EVERY DAY. IF WE WORK LATE, WE WILL FIRMLY ASK FOR OUR RIGHTFULLY EARNED COMP TIME. AND IF IGN WANTS OUR LAID-OFF COWORKERS' WORK TO GET DONE, THEY'LL HAVE TO REHIRE THEM TO DO IT INSTEAD OF FOISTING IT UPON US. HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT IGNCG IN ALL THIS? SHARE THIS POST, AND TELL IGN MANAGEMENT THAT Y…

Ziff Davis and IGN routinely decide that work done by our laid off colleagues is not important. But inevitably, that crucial work falls onto those who remain.

Not this time. Not anymore.

Ok, so. I've been let go of my job at TheGamer. If you're looking for a gaming journalist with 7+ years of experience in the field and 3 years of experience as an editor, just hit me up at synchrocolt@gmail.com, or check santileguiza.com to read my work!

Meet the Man Who Designed Pokémon’s Iconic Logo - IGN Meet Chris Maple, a Seattle-based designer who unwittingly stumbled into creating one of the most iconic logos in the world: Pokémon.

really excited to share this fun interview with the dude who designed THE Pokemon logo!

www.ign.com/articles/mee...

I'm no longer with Polygon. If you're hiring, please consider the many talented writers and editors now on the market. Every one of them deserves a spot on your staff. I won't be talking more about the sale because I wasn't involved.

Going to hang out with my kid. Taking wins where I can.

My deepest empathy goes out to all the Polygon folks now looking for work. I'm sorry that there's not more I could do to help.

a screenshot of Mario Kart World, showing a Yoshi branded burger restaurant by a highway.

"Babe where do you want to go for dinner?"

I am having a lot of fun being a goofball tonight, come see!

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

A picture of a cow from the videogame Harvest Moon: It's A Wonderful Life for Gamecube stands in a field of tall grass.

no more fear no more pain only gamecube harvest moon cow

Listen to me talk about Farming Simulator. It's a fun game, I swear