Critical Distance | Where’s all the good writing about games?

Gift links are acceptable, but they cannot expire, or they will not qualify.

We can’t wait to see what you’ve got for us! #TYIVGB25

Curators (myself and Chris) must be able to access the work in order for it to be considered. We cannot accept private PDFs of articles that are not and/or will not be posted to the public Internet. We also cannot accept anything gated behind a hard paywall. #TYIVBG25

You ARE allowed (and in fact, strongly encouraged) to submit your own work for consideration.

Submitted work will at the very least be considered, regardless of whether it is published at a major outlet, self-hosted blog or on a long-form social site like Blogger or Tumblr. #TYIVGB25

Key points:

This Year in Videogame Blogging is an annual roundup and celebration of good games writing. It is NOT an awards ceremony/show. As long as a piece of writing fits the guidelines above, you are free to submit whatever you like! #TYIVGB25

What DOES NOT Qualify (continued):

Anything which violates our inclusivity statement. #TYIVGB25

What DOES NOT Qualify:

Works first published before 2025.
Works that don’t have anything substantially to do with games.
Works that are not web-hosted and open-access, e.g., works locked behind a paywall with no gift link.
Works of GenAI boosterism, and anything generated wholly or in part by AI.

What Qualifies (continued):

Audio works (must have transcript available).
Video works (must have transcript available).
Works not in English (must have an English-language summary available).
Things we have previously featured on TWIVGB.
Things we have *not* previously featured on TWIVGB. #TYIVGB25

What Qualifies:

Games criticism, analysis, commentary, etc which was first published in some form in 2025.
Works on videogames, computer games, interactive fiction, board games, tabletop, word games, card games, sports, literally any kind of game.
Written works. #TYIVGB25

You have until Midnight Pacific Time on December 15, 2025 to make your voices heard and submit what you think is the best writing on games from 2025. #TYIVGB25

The window for submissions on #TYIVGB25 is now open!

critical-distance.com/2025/12/01/c...

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...

actually, I just tried it on my personal inoreader account, and it looks like it's also throwing errors.

Give this a shot:

critical-distance.com/feed/

Hey there! Our email is not closely monitored at present--the most immediate way to put specific writing on our radar is through our Discord: discord.gg/9DupbRmZWv . We'll also add your RSS!

This week: we begin and end with horses:

critical-distance.com/2025/11/30/n...

This week: genre talk, gay Dragonball, Zelda Musou musings, and more:

critical-distance.com/2025/11/23/n...

Hi! Our email is not closely monitored these days. The fastest way to bring an article to our attention is on our Discord discord.gg/Gv3qQHNByS

Hey wait—

This week: 25 picks on Ball x Pit, 1000x, Hades II, Bloodlines 2, and much more:

critical-distance.com/2025/11/16/n...

The RSS stuff is a separate problem we've been wrestling with for a bit, and the reason the Telegram and TikTok links are broken is because we don't use those social media platforms. I'll let the board know and we'll see about making some changes in this regard. Thanks for letting us know!

Hey friends! If you've been having trouble accessing the site today, we've pinpointed the likely cause. The issue is currently resolved, though you may have to verify that you're human first before accessing the site now. Sorry for the inconvenience! #saynotoAIscrapers

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

Last Month in Videogame Blogging, October 2025 | Critical Distance Get more from Critical Distance on Patreon

As the fall sets in, here's our monthly Patreon supporter roundup for October!

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

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critical-distance.com/2025/10/19/o...

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

Last Month in Videogame Blogging, September 2025 | Critical Distance Get more from Critical Distance on Patreon

Last month in videogame blogging:

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

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critical-distance.com/2025/10/05/o...

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