Mark

This week: Eighteen new picks on coinflip games, RPGs for sickos, bumpslash design, and lots more:

critical-distance.com/2026/01/25/j...

It was not good. Enjoy.

This week: Immersion, Quake mods, To a T, and a whole lot more:

critical-distance.com/2026/01/04/j...

Pixelles (Montréal) Pixelles is a non-profit organization committed to empowering more women & everyone in game development. We host online and in-person programs, based in Montréal (Canada).

Pixelles GDC Ensemble is now open for applications! In partnership with GDC, we’re bringing 25 mid-career game developers to #GDC2026.

💖 We’re especially considering submissions from studio founders and grassroots community organizers.

Apply by Dec. 31st for your chance to win a Festival Pass:

IndigiNews is hiring for two new positions We’re looking for an Operations Manager and Audience Engagement Editor to join our team

IndigiNews is excited to announce that we are hiring for two new positions in our award-winning newsroom

indiginews.com/uncategorize...

Friends, the final hours of the #TYIVGB25 submission period are upon us! If there's anything you've been holding back, submit it now! www.critical-distance.com/2025/12/01/c...

✏️ Is there a teen (ages 13-17) in your life who loves to write? The Youth Short Story category of the 2026 Amazon Canada First Novel Award is now accepting submissions! Encourage them to submit their story at www.thewalrus.ca/afna.

This week: It's early! W-wha...?

critical-distance.com/2025/12/06/d...

a video game character named barret says the planet 's dyin ' cloud ! Alt: a video game character named barret says the planet 's dyin ' cloud !

I need ecoterrorists to start targeting A.I. data centers. They’re legit one of the biggest polluters and detriments to our environment right now.

Where’s Barret when you need him?

Me on a candlelit vigil for AIDS in 1987.

Me last week. Looking pretty healthy for 58 (28 years living with HIV).

I was diagnosed with #HIV in 1998, when I was 30.
Many of my friends had died of AIDS. I did not expect to live to 50.
I’m 58 now.
HIV treatment works.
Treatment also makes it impossible for me to pass HIV on during sex.
Ensure HIV treatment for all.
End HIV stigma.
#WorldAIDSDay

On top of the weekly roundup yesterday, we've also got a new edition of the monthly Patreon roundup!

www.patreon.com/posts/last-m...

How Jennell Jaquays Evolved Dungeon Design, Part 1: Pre-Jaquays Dungeons (This is a slightly cleaned up version of my two Bluesky threads on Jennell Jaquays, preserved in a hopefully easier to read format. Thank Amanda P for reminding me that having these things stored …

@critdistance.bsky.social for twivgb pathikablog.com/2025/04/26/h...

Screenshot of the fighting game Night Puncher 3. Bone David Fires a beam at Dr. Cupcake, who ducks it.

I caught myself thinking "have I even played Night Puncher 3?" as if it were a real game and not made up for a single page of my comic.

But seriously, Bone David is only a meta pick because the hitbox on his Forward Heavy is busted.

Every time I hear that someone has “rizz” my immediate reaction is to picture Rizzo the rat in his letterman jacket and backwards hat, and then if I think whoever we’re talking about is at least as cool as that I go “yeah”

Why Elon Musk Needs Dungeons & Dragons to Be Racist The fantastical roots of “scientific racism”

@critdistance.bsky.social for twivgb www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

November 9th Welcome back readers. Okay, I lied a small lie last week. I’m not going to plug our money stuff this week. Instead keep your focus on The Jamaican government’s official portal for Hurri…

This week: community and continuity form a thematic throughline for seventeen new picks:

critical-distance.com/2025/11/09/n...

November 2nd Welcome back readers. We’re back with 20 new picks of all shapes and sizes to greet November (though that’s not to say we’re done with October). I promise I’ll plug our own …

This week: Sin, hurricanes, horror games, and more:

critical-distance.com/2025/11/02/n...

This week: 31 terrifying picks on haunted houses, costumes, Blue Prince, cozy games, friction, media literacy, and much, much more:

critical-distance.com/2025/10/26/o...

@critdistance.bsky.social for twivgb

a wholesome plane has hit the second cozy tower more like no thoughts to declare

@critdistance.bsky.social for twivgb. God-tier blog name.

blog.giovanh.com/blog/2025/10...

Ruins in Reverse - Unwinnable Tarrey Town shows that rebuilding is possible, and that collective labor can carve out spaces of resilience in the shadow of catastrophe.

@critdistance.bsky.social for twivgb unwinnable.com/2025/10/15/r...

Calling all creative 16-30 years old! 👋

You have a project idea that could benefit your community? This is your chance! Thanks to the Resilience Fund, you could:

💰Receive up to 5,000$ in funds
🤝Access mentorship and guidance
👥Exercise leadership & learn new skills
💡Turn your idea into reality

October 12th Welcome back readers. It’s a holiday weekend here in Canada, but it would be a shame to break CD’s recent on-time-ish streak, so here I am with 17 fresh reads! I usually take a whole on…

This week: history, ahistory, mythology, and much more:

critical-distance.com/2025/10/12/o...

Itch.io isn’t like other platforms It’s like a 3.5 star Chinese restaurant.

@critdistance.bsky.social for twivgb www.rascal.news/itch-io-isnt...

Canada Post faces two futures—a revitalized public service or a billionaire cash machine ⋆ The Breach The Liberal government is dismantling Canada Post for the billionaire class, while ignoring bold proposals from postal workers to reinvent the public service

Who stands to benefit from the gutting of Canada Post?

The billionaire class.

If Mark Carney were really serious about nation-building, Dru OJa Jay writes how the post office could become an engine for green energy, public banking, and better services. breachmedia.ca/canada-post-...

September 28th Welcome back readers. We’re two for two on this recent streak of on-time Sunday updates. I’m hoping to keep this up as I adapt my schedule to accommodate a couple of new work commitment…

This week: 21 articles on culture movements, maps, difficulty, dungeon crawlers, and much more. No Freddi Fish articles this week, sorry:

critical-distance.com/2025/09/28/s...

@critdistance.bsky.social for twivfb

Careers & Fellowships | The Walrus Work with us at The Walrus! As a registered charity, we publish independent, fact-based journalism; produce national, ideas-focused events; and train emerging professionals in publishing and nonprofit management.

Join The Walrus! Applications are open for two Editorial Fellow positions. The deadline to apply is September 29. thewalrus.ca/about/careers/

September 21st Welcome back readers. Behold! A rare on-time-ish Sunday post! If you are as amazed by that feat as I am, what would you say are the odds we can translate that amazement into Patreon support? Eh? Eh…

This week: Literary editions, punk rock, TikTok nostalgia bait--oh, and videogames, too, we promise:

critical-distance.com/2025/09/21/s...

Careers & Fellowships | The Walrus Work with us at The Walrus! As a registered charity, we publish independent, fact-based journalism; produce national, ideas-focused events; and train emerging professionals in publishing and nonprofit management.

Did you know The Walrus is a registered charity? We’re hiring a director of development to lead our fundraising work. Learn more at the job posting below. The application deadline is Wednesday, October 1, 2025. thewalrus.ca/about/careers/