Mik Deitz

if you’re going to write a list of the Best Movies of the Year, please make sure you know film history, because saying British horror started in the 2000s when The Wicker Man and decades of folk and urban horror are RIGHT THERE is fucking embarrassing for everyone.

engage with the past! please!

yeah this all tracks painfully well

all women, trans or cis, deserve to use the bathroom, obviously. except for whoever keeps pissing on the seats, that’s men’s room behavior and deserves to be kept there.

If you're trying to ditch NYT Games, which you should be since their games singlehandedly prop up the entire dogshit rag financially, you should switch to Puzzmo. An annual sub is 50% off today for a crazy $19 and as a bonus doesn't enable the genocides of Palestinians and trans people

congrats!

the three concurrent truths of the NakeyJakey discourse:

1) some writers naively think they invented universal concepts

2) when writing an essay, source deeper than reddit

3) games crit as a whole lacks curiosity and more writing needs to be in conversation with other ideas/pieces

I'm delighted to kick of the Winter Spectacular with this piece from @ela-bambust.bsky.social!

Be sure to check back on @startmenu.bsky.social every day this month for new pieces from people across the games industry and beyond!

FYI: Extending this sale through 12/26! Get a full year of Bright Wall/Dark Room for less than $20 - or gift it to your movie loving friend this holiday season :)

Wake Up Dead Man post-screening Q&A with Rian Johnson sitting on stage answering a question. His socks are so very red.

i will never tire of living in New York :)

Wake Up Dead Man! messy! big! bold! Josh O’Connor is my favorite pathetic guy now. it’s his world, we are just living in it.

don’t be sad go get a tattoo

five concerts I’ve been to this year alone, why not:

lucy dacus (once w/ jasmine.4.t and Katie Gaving, once in a festival)
Momma + Narrowhead
The Greeting Committee
The Beaches
Lambrini Girls

been focused on personal essays all year for a secret project, but always a good time to thank @owoathkeeper.bsky.social @diegoarguello.bsky.social @crapstacular.bsky.social @garrettmartin.bsky.social @nicoleclark.bsky.social @zosha.bsky.social @kellymerka.bsky.social for their edits now and always

absolutely honored to be up here with some pretty incredible writers and editors!

thank you Megan oh my gosh! 💜 i miss editing your writing so so much

ah 🥲 i am but a pedantic nitpicker, honored to edit such discourse worthy pieces

hey so like tell me if i’m wrong, but are there only three publications to pitch personal games writing now? asking for literally me, someone please make me less depressed about the industry

So excited for people to watch the two best Hosada movies and one of the weirdest Little Mermaid adaptations ever

'Few games capture the spirit of indie game development quite like VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action. What initially started out as a short game for a Cyberpunk Game Jam back in 2014, soon became a standout indie hit. VA-11 Hall-A delivers a heartfelt story of happiness in the depths of disaster, draped in a unique cyberpunk aesthetic and set to a distinctive synthwave soundtrack to match. It’s a truly remarkable visual novel, and the perfect choice for our Design Works range. Produced in collaboration with Sukeban Games and Ysbryd, VA-11 Hall-A: Design Works explores the corrupt metropolis of Glitch City, its culture, and the people who frequent the game’s beloved hole in the wall, VA-11 Hall-A. Written by talented journalist and author Ashley Schofield (Polygon, EDGE, Unwinnable and VGC), you’ll hear how this world came to be and the cyberpunk touchstones that inspired it — all the while lending insight into the history of Venezuela, where the team is located, and the unique challenges of developing a game there. VA-11 Hall-A: Design Works will be a celebration of this beautiful indie masterpiece, and the people that made it all possible. Alongside contemporary interviews with writer/programmer Fernando Damas and artist/designer Christopher Ortiz conducted exclusively for VA-11 Hall-A: Design Works, the book also features a collection of highlights from the ‘Daily VA-11 Hall-A’ blog posts directly from Sukeban.moe. You can also expect deep dives into the development of the game’s prototype and prologue; the bartending mechanics that put you in the shoes of disaster bisexual bartender Jill Stingray, and interviews exploring its iconic synthwave soundtrack/jukebox with composer Michael Kelly. VA-11 Hall-A: Design Works features detailed insight into the game’s early concepts and development, an exploration of Glitch City itself, and a deep dive into the programming, art and soundtrack — an unmissable read for any fan.'

A magazine cover of Unwinnable Monthly #191, with the feature being my essay 'I Don't Want To Be This Kind of Animal Anymore' and art by Shafer Brown. An excerpt reads: In the dark times, should the stars also go out? 'Revachol is still. Silent. Decades of unrest, corruption and capital gain have reduced it to a shell of a city. And yet, under these sullen skies, a miracle is happening. The limbed and headed machine of pain and undignified suffering is firing up again.'

My review of Hollow Knight: Silksong for Video Games Chronicle. 'Hollow Knight: Silksong review: A game that intends to make you suffer, even to its own detriment. Team Cherry’s sequel has a clear mission statement, but doesn’t seem to consider the consequences. 3/5 stars.'

My review of Demonschool for Rock Paper Shotgun, included in RPS' Bestest Bests category. 'Demonschool review Saturday morning carcasses.'

hey, i'm looking for work! full-time or freelance 💜

journalist, critic, author
proficient in features, criticism, reporting, reviews, previews, news, guides

words at lost in cult, RPS, VGC, unwinnable, gamesradar+, polygon, EDGE, PLAY

muckrack.com/ash-like-a-d...
ashleyschofieldwrites@gmail.com

On this Trans Day of Remembrance, I would have you remember that there are trans people alive who need your action now, not your reflective words later.

Remembering us is not enough.

a poem written for TDOR titled “To Those Who Remain to Be” that begins: I am scared to know transwomen i would include the whole poem here in alt text if i could, but I can’t. it’s too long.

a poem I wrote for Trans Day of Remembrance:
For Those Who Remain to Be 💜

i texted my friend who is getting a PHD in chemistry and he is baffled

yeah so here’s the news

Paste Magazine ran for decades as a premiere place for what you’d expect — film, tv, music, games — and niche things like drinks, food, amusement parks that were so clearly passion projects. a phenomenal place to intern and learn from each writer and editor. a massive loss for media crit as a whole.

Mamma Mia but the only difference is that the Three Dad’s expect Donna to have a son and are confused she has a daughter but they become the most supportive allies possible of their newfound trans daughter once they realize

calico cat named Petite Maman naps on a patterned blue blanket

sure i didn’t know i had ADHD while in college, but the fact that I needed to play 2048 or Threes to pay better attention probably was a sign (also I wrote about it for @endlessmode.bsky.social a few years ago so… www.endlessmode.com/video-games/...)

Stimming is educational support sometimes

transness is a gift. i need every trans woman to understand that by nature of their existence they have been blessed with the ability to pluck the strands of fate with their hands if they choose to. it is not always easy and it is not without hardship but every trans woman is capable of greatness.

me, the sole vegetarian in my family showing up to thanksgiving dinner:

not enough people watched Players, a show my high-ranked League of Legends coaching housemate once called “accurate”

quoting both Percy Shelley and Lord Byron made me FURIOUS