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

critical-distance.comBlogs of the Round Table: Friendslop JamHappy Monday, Readers (and Writers)! We’re practicing some necromancy today by bringing back a beloved and long-running feature to Critical Distance: the Blogs of the Round Table! Originally …

Good morning readers and writers! We are starting a new essay jam today that'll run until August 19! We're calling it the Blogs of the Round Table: Friendslop Jam! Check out the details here: critical-distance.com/2026/07/20/b...

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

critical-distance.comOctober 25thWelcome back readers. I am putting this article together a couple of days early so I can watch Desert Bus for Hope this weekend, but we’ve still got a packed issue for your reading pleasure. …

This week: Authorial intent, trans survival, and the Forbidden Grav-Bong: critical-distance.com/2026/10/25/o...

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

critical-distance.comOctober 18thWelcome back readers. As a heads up, I’m planning on observing a slightly shorter submission window for next week’s issue for a simple and selfish reason: Desert Bus for Hope’s 20…

This week: Penguin Colony, Ace Combat 8, and the purpose of play: critical-distance.com/2026/10/18/o...

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

critical-distance.comOctober 11thWelcome back readers. It’s a long weekend here in my country, and to that end I’m getting the issue out to you a few hours early so I can take it easy and enjoy some of it with my partn…

This week: labour, genre, physical media, and something called "CeX": critical-distance.com/2026/10/11/o...

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

patreon.comThe Month in Videogame Blogging, September 2026 | Critical DistanceWelcome back, readers! Ooh, we are getting perilously close to the end of the year and the TYIVGB roundup! It's my favorite time of the yea

now you may be asking: hey why is this out on a Wednesday? is it because the person who should've posted this on a Sunday was playing Ace Combat 8 instead? and I'll tell you this: I know better than to incriminate myself, okay www.patreon.com/critdistance...

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

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

This is a Patreon exclusive update, of course - Patreon is how we continue to operate in these weird times! Consider joining to support our mission! www.patreon.com/critdistance...

critical-distance.comOctober 4thWelcome back readers. Bit of a late-in-the-evening post this week by my time zone and recent posting schedule. My work timetable is a kind of horrific jigsaw puzzle right now, except the pieces com…

This week: Beltscrollers, Quake mappers, [checks notes] Austin Powers trivia...? critical-distance.com/2026/10/04/o...

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

critical-distance.comSeptember 27thWelcome back readers. As we move into the back quarter of the year, it’s time for us to start thinking about our annual Year In Videogames Blogging recap. This is always a major undertaking, …

This week: Ace Combat, Resident Evil, Sonic CD, and lots more: critical-distance.com/2026/09/27/s...

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

patreon.comGet more from Critical Distance on PatreonGet more from Critical Distance on Patreon. Join for free or become a member for just $5/month. Critical Distance promo video from Zoya Street on Vimeo.…

21 Sept

For the weekday crowd: we have a Patreon! Please support it! This is what we do instead of putting horse armor in the roundups. www.patreon.com/critdistance

Critical Distance | Where’s all the good writing about games?@critdistance.bsky.social

This week: Trails, Control, aesthetic experiences, and the International Phonetic Alphabet: critical-distance.com/2026/09/20/s...

critical-distance.comSeptember 20thWelcome back readers. I’m going to keep opening our issues with mini Patreon updates for the next little bit, because as I’ve been talking about recently, we need a bit more wiggle room…

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

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

20 Sept

This week: Trails, Control, aesthetic experiences, and the International Phonetic Alphabet: critical-distance.com/2026/09/20/s...

critical-distance.comSeptember 13thWelcome back readers. I’ll start with a Patreon update before getting into this week’s issue proper. As you might have seen, we shook the can pretty hard last week. We’re not quit…

13 Sept

This week: social play, trans-gressions, verisimilitude, and much more: critical-distance.com/2026/09/13/s...

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

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

8 Sept

We're just going to re-up this once for the week, but if you appreciate our work documenting and organizing critical conversations in games writing, we could really use the support. Help us build longevity and organize cool community writing events by supporting our Patreon:

Critical Distance | Where’s all the good writing about games?@critdistance.bsky.social

Critical Distance is the equivalent of a fulltime job split across a small team, and Patreon support is how we keep it going. Help us keep the lights on, run events like our Friendslop Essay Jam, and continue our project to build a living time capsule of games criticism. www.patreon.com/critdistance

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

critical-distance.comSeptember 6thWelcome back readers. It’s a Critical Distance hat trick this Sunday! If you haven’t already seen, Kaile is working way harder than me this weekend. In addition to our regular weekly is…

This week: truth, criticism, opiates, and this whale, apparently: critical-distance.com/2026/09/06/s...

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

critical-distance.comBlogs of the Round Table Roundup: “Friendslop”Welcome back, everyone! I am extremely pleased to present to you the entrants in the Blogs of the Round Table “Friendslop” Essay Jam—all twenty-four of them! This has been an incredible…

HI EVERYONE HAPPY SUNDAY HAVE SOME PREMIUM FRIENDSLOP ESSAYS FROM AROUND THE WORLD critical-distance.com/2026/09/06/b...

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

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

If you enjoyed this jam and want to see us organize more like it, consider supporting our work on Patreon! Readers like you make everything we do possible! patreon.com/critdistance

patreon.comThe Month in Videogame Blogging, August 2026 | Critical DistanceHello Readers! This is going to be a short and sweet update this month, just a couple of things to note: first, we've finished the Blogs of

Patreon supporters: the monthly roundup is now live! www.patreon.com/critdistance...

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

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

HI EVERYONE HAPPY SUNDAY HAVE SOME PREMIUM FRIENDSLOP ESSAYS FROM AROUND THE WORLD critical-distance.com/2026/09/06/b...

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

some of the links were messed up! they've been fixed now. if there are any other errors please let us know!

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

3 Sept

23 submissions for the first BoRT Essay Jam since 2018. Y'all... thank you for showing up and showing out! This is so cool.

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

31 Aug

Today is finally the day! After a month and a half we will be drawing our Blogs of the Round Table Friendslop Essay Jam to a close. Expect a roundup post for it later this week! Thank you to EVERYONE who participated and made the return of Blogs of the Round Table such a smashing success!

critical-distance.comAugust 30thWelcome back readers. There’s just one day left to get your entry in for our Friendslop Jam! Stay tuned for the issue compiling the submissions. Even with all of that participation (we love t…

31 Aug

This Week: Big Walk, checkpoint racers, and the hardest anybody has ever worked in a game for a pinch of salt: critical-distance.com/2026/08/30/a...

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

critical-distance.comAugust 23rdWelcome back readers. Just over a week left on the Friendslop Essay Jam. Get your article in today! Or tomorrow. Definitely by the 31st. No late submissions. Did I plug the Patreon yet this week? O…

23 Aug

This week: Papers, Please and trans survival, the ideological horizons of virtual worlds, Zelda and the Mahabharata, and more: critical-distance.com/2026/08/23/a...

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

critical-distance.comAugust 16thWelcome back readers. If you’ve been procrastinating getting a submission together for our Friendslop Essay Jam, a predicament I have absolutely no stake or prior experience in, I have good (…

16 Aug

This week: Nothing but the new stuff--Big Walk, Denshattack, and [checks notes] celebrated PC Engine RPG Emerald Dragon. That tracks. critical-distance.com/2026/08/16/a...

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

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

14 Aug

Alright y'all! We're extending the first Blogs of the Round Table jam to Monday, August 31! Thank you to everyone who has already gotten their work in! And for anyone still wanting to write something: we're looking forward to it!

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

13 Aug

How would everyone feel about extending the jam deadline to the end of August? say, August 31 on the dot?

critical-distance.comAugust 9thWelcome back readers. Hey! In case you needed a nudge, you’ve got a little over a week left if you’d like to participate in our Friendslop Essay Jam. A pretty big one-of-those came out …

9 Aug

This week: 20 new picks on Big Walk, Mother 3, Lufia/Lunar, and more: critical-distance.com/2026/08/09/a...

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

Monster Hylke Wilds: Ascendance

@gear12turbo.eurosky.social

5 Aug

It was posted too early for the @critdistance.bsky.social jam but seeing as Big Walk is relevant I thought I'd repost my thoughts about "friendslop" as a term hylkelanghout.com/2026/03/07/i...

hylkelanghout.comI wouldn’t call it friendslop if you paid meThere are two kinds of co-op games. The first is a game that can be played either single player or co-op and will have roughly equal experiences either way. This is where you see games like Elden R…

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

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

icepotato.netBeware Microgenre Names Bearing GiftsI recently called a book series I was on book 7 of, “bad”. …

24 July

Our first submission, by @icepotato.net! Beware Microgenre Names Bearing Gifts: icepotato.net/2026/07/23/b... #BoRT #BlogsoftheRoundTable

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

aguaspoints.comFriendslop = Friendless<<Slop>> Or: Will We Ever Lock Eyes When We Play Again?Friendslop is the Ghost of Play’s Past. It is the Ghost of Play’s Present. It is the Ghost of Play Never to Come. Only without any humanist intent.

3 Aug

@aguaspoints.bsky.social reads friendslop through the lens of Wark's Gamer Theory and finds new nadirs of alienation in the form aguaspoints.com/2026/08/03/f...

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

critical-distance.comAugust 2ndWelcome back readers. Before we hop in, I just want to offer a quick reminder that the Friendslop Jam we’re hosting is underway, and you’ve got two weeks and change to get your writing …

2 Aug

This week: Fifty picks past and present--twenty-five new reads, twenty-five from the archives: critical-distance.com/2026/08/02/a...

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

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

critical-distance.comJuly 26thWelcome back readers. If you haven’t already seen it, we’re bringing back Blogs of the Round Table on a semi-recurring, topic-oriented basis. The first topic is Friendslop. Check out Ka…

26 July

This week: Blades, Parades, Plays, Arcades: critical-distance.com/2026/07/26/j...

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

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

26 July

This week: Blades, Parades, Plays, Arcades: critical-distance.com/2026/07/26/j...

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

Some thoughts as folks start writing: This essay jam is open to everyone! And we do mean everyone, whether you're a critic, designer, player, or someone randomly coming across this post on the Bluesky discover tab! All we ask is that your blog is at least somewhat related to the prompt.

Critical Distance | Where’s all the good writing about games?@critdistance.bsky.social

View full thread

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

We would love to see discussions between writers emerge from this jam! Part of the delight of a #BoRT is seeing the community chat with each other. Don't be afraid to leave comments or write response blogs of your own! Most importantly: have fun with it!

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

OH: your essay DOES NOT HAVE TO BE AN ESSAY. if you want to make a game that puts your thoughts on the phenomenon into play, we'll accept that too!

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

Critical Distance | Where’s all the good writing about games?@critdistance.bsky.social

@abrambuehner.bsky.social

You also don't have to love the term friendslop to participate! Part of why we decided on this subject was because we saw that there was a lot of fertile ground for discussion in every direction. If you wanna write a manifesto called "Against Friendslop," your submission is more than welcome!

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

Abram Buehner

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

Love this! I'd highly recommend all my writer friends make time in the coming month for this project (I certainly will)! Such a great opportunity to rise to the current moment and meet these friendslop games with the curiosity that both their creative decisions and popularity demand

Critical Distance | Where’s all the good writing about games?@critdistance.bsky.social

critical-distance.comJanuary 19thWelcome back readers. We’re announcing an *event* tomorrow. Stay tuned. Patreon support is what makes *events* possible. Please take a look. This Week in Videogame Blogging is a roundup highl…

19 July

This week: Let's get historical, from past to present to future: critical-distance.com/2026/07/19/j...

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

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

19 July

Wait... January...?

critical-distance.comJuly 12thWelcome back readers. Hey! Kaile’s monthly recap is live. You, too can check out their excellent work by joining our Patreon! On the weekly side of things, we’ve got 23 new-and-cool pic…

13 July

This week: 23 picks on disc-ourse, ARGs, Warframe, and much more: critical-distance.com/2026/07/13/j...

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

patreon.comThe Month in Videogame Blogging, June 2026 | Critical Distanceoh dear god I pressed a button and a template spat out at me Frontmatter Thank you all for your continued support of Critical Distance's mis

6 July

The monthly patreon roundup is now live! www.patreon.com/critdistance...

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

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

critical-distance.comJuly 5thWelcome back readers. We’ve got tons of reading to share this week–22 articles to put a number on it–and that includes a lot of writers making their TWIVGB debut! Don’t forg…

5 July

This week: Queer temporality, Tomodachi phraseology, Strategy Game Smoochology: critical-distance.com/2026/07/05/j...

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

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

5 July

This week: Queer temporality, Tomodachi phraseology, Strategy Game Smoochology: critical-distance.com/2026/07/05/j...

critical-distance.comJune 28thWelcome back readers. We’ve got eighteen cool-and-new picks for your this week. Around the web, Warp Point just launched a webring of independent sites. Delightful. I haven’t shouted ou…

29 June

This week: Eighteen new picks across time, space, and Mario: critical-distance.com/2026/06/29/j...

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