Katya Ryabova

Hey, remember that little 12 for 12 challenge I talked so much about at the beginning of the year? Well, about that... playingthisweek.substack.com/p/12-for-12-...

Rolled credits on a certain indie gothic mystery game coming out in two days (review on @videogame.town soon!), so it is obviously a great idea to start something even spookier... I'M SCARED 🥲🫠

Phew, our Sims-playing video game enthusiast mayor is sticking around for another term, wooooo Can't wait for the Bradford concession speech, it's going to be delicious 👩‍🍳🤌

My @thestar.com column: Today we get to decide our most direct kind of government. Your vote will decide things like street sweeping frequency, the wait for dead raccoon pick-up, and whether a washroom door is locked when you need it So don’t miss your chance — vote www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Listen, I've been in the weeds of the Toronto game dev scene for how long now? Yet I'm only now learning about Render File. What the heck, Toronto, what else have you been keeping from me? www.instagram.com/render.file/

Toronto! Go fucking vote! (I love you)

I'm sorry, you felt overwhelmed by "the range and complexity of answers", and what satisfied you was "empathetic, creative, and animal lover"? Brain atrophy continues in due course.

Indeed: www.rogue.site/editorials/n...

I need to repeat this one: A DUDE WITH A NICE ASS WILL SELL COPIES OF YOUR GAME

"I don't begrudge people the joy that this series brought them when they were kids. ... I'm just saying that if a person is still fixated on their favorite book from childhood, they aren't doing enough to explore what else the world has to offer." 👏👏👏

Receiving all of these gorgeous submissions has also made me sad. Every time I challenged a man who only hired other men I always got the same "no qualified women applied" I felt it could not be true and now I know it was not. If you give us space we can bloom.

He's the Wild Hunt to my Witcher, the Control to my Resonant, the Stardew to my Valley. My Blue Prince. 4 years married to my love. 💍💕

Incredibly cool indie gem from Toronto's @playhilltop.bsky.social coming *one week* today!

remember folks, next time you interview anyone at ea you should extremely be asking them about their new owners they might not answer, but as a journalist you should feel obliged to ask

📣Calling all women and femme writers📣 I am looking to commission around 10 heartfelt essays surrounding video game criticism. If this sounds like something you are down to do them read on and I urge you to apply. docs.google.com/document/d/1...

A quote in the excellent @verticalslice.news piece on Unity Spark inspired me to reflect on the idea of machine-generated games. It's not even about genAI. What do we lose if creation is reduced to a series of prompts? Read my latest: playingthisweek.substack.com/p/the-beauty...

Soon, I won't have access to Young Suns because my Game Pass is running out (and I ain't paying Xbox any money anymore), but y'all should check it out and wishlist on Steam!

Election day is one week away. Did you know you can download your Voter Information Card on your phone to show election officials? Having your physical or digital Voter Information Card ready helps speed up the voting process, but if you don’t have one you can still vote. toronto.ca/Elections

We just had our first game session in the Little Victories Discord server, and it was a lot of fun! If you're looking for a new place to play, hang out, and chat about games & life, you're more than welcome: discord.gg/CRjqRjvFpH

STEAM NEXT FEST IS UPON US (DUN DUN DUN)! The demo is live, and we're 10 DAYS OUT FROM LAUNCH. Want a head start on the mystery? Your save carries over on Oct 29! The island awaits. The townsfolk are suss as hell. Something is amiss. Discover this new 'cult' classic before everyone else does.

Of course, you're not going to create something like "Canada's PAX" overnight. But I think Jason makes some great points about how an experiential event focused on community and indie games can make an impact over time. I wish the show all the best so they can keep doing this for years to come.

Had a fantastic chat with @vglx-official.bsky.social head Jason Lepine about next week's con. I've long lamented the lack of gaming events in Canada, so I really appreciate how Jason and his team are trying to fix that in a very thoughtful, measured way.

Thank you for the support ❤️ For playing, sharing, and being a part of the community. #CONTROLResonant

It's always disappointing to learn you need to wait longer for something you really want, but good games from good people take time. 🫶

An explanation on why Big Walk isn't available on Xbox. bigwalk.game/xbox

We're Visai Games! 👋 We made Venba, an award winning narrative cooking game. As outsiders to the industry, we found our following in twitter but logging into it now means coming face to face with a lot of South Asian racism. If you like Venba, Follow us here so we don't have to login to twitter!

Are you a video game professional working on something RAD and UPLIFTING? My first days writing for Vertical Slice have been filled with preposterously downbeat and altogether maddening stories. The news cycle is what it is, but I would love to get some good/fun/silly news on the feed. HMU!

The whole thread tho 🎯

With 500 subscribers now following my work, it's time to make good on the promise I made to myself. Here's why and here's why now: playingthisweek.substack.com/p/500-subscr...

Big congrats to 🇨🇦 Behold Studios @beholdstudios.bsky.social on the release of Deep Dish Dungeon! It's time to get... cooking? Spelunking? Both? Both!

Yelling "EXECUTE THE BUS" in the early game as Dylan, in fact, executes the bus, was my favourite thing! Thanks for the piece, @compenderizer.bsky.social www.gamespot.com/articles/lea...

I'm only 3 subscribers away from hitting the big 500! Yes, I know Substack as a platform sucks, but once I eventually leave, I'm taking you all with me. Subscribe for game analysis, personal essays, and to hitch a ride when the time comes, weeeeee 🎠 playingthisweek.substack.com

I know, I know. Paying for journalism of any kind might feel strange, but our labour is not a cheap commodity to be consumed freely. So, to reward those willing to support us from the outset, Vertical Slice is running a LIMITED-TIME LAUNCH SALE. Nab 33% off our monthly/yearly 'Supporter' sub.

I truly believe people will pay for journalism that moves the needle and gives workers a voice. I want to serve readers, not exploit them. If you understand the video game industry is in dire need of a fearless press willing to hold power to account, then Vertical Slice is for you.

Yes. More 💪

Drop some muscles! Ooooh I wanna get in on that 💪

Absolutely fabulous. Perfect Friday morning reading.

It's so lovely to see good games reverberate through the friend networks and reach wider audiences outside of my immediate bubble 🥹

I need to see the bucket

Welp, still waiting for a patch, while invisible houses join invisible bridges.

Being a writer is great, your job is just words and every time you see the slightest edit in a google doc you get to think that everyone hates you actually

Another reminder to wishlist Curse of Resthaven, if you haven't already! New demo tomorrow. It rocks, I promise, AND your progress will carry over once the full game is out on October 29!

Advanced polls in the TO election are open October 6-10. Municipal elections are often where you can make the most difference. Go vote, Toronto.

Very cool to see this Atlantic Canada Game Celebration on Steam. 🍁 Shoutout to Greyhaven Craft for organizing!

5 people are making my most anticipated game of the month (rest of the year, even!), and that’s despite me fully stoked to lose myself into Gears of War this weekend. Small studios can work with such an incredible degree of focus and passion; no bloat, all art. Wishlist Curse of Resthaven. 🖤💜🤎✨