Reconnect Recap - w/e 18th May
A weekly newsletter highlighting some of the best articles to feature on Reconnect in the past week.
Kia Ora folks
For a few years now I’ve been exclusively gaming on my Steam Deck and an Xbox Series X. They have done wonders for me and I honestly didn’t feel the need to add anything else to the stack.
But i’m a lifelong Destiny 2 player and my Xbox is showing its age and I’m somewhat certain now that Sony owns the game the Xbox version is getting buggier. So all of this lead to me picking up a gaming laptop, yes I know a desktop is better, but I have my reasons for not getting a desktop.
Now I’m able to play destiny and many of the games I play on Steam Deck at a much higher quality level and boy am I impressed. Love that new gaming hardware feel as you rush to install everything just to see how it looks.
Welcome to another week of the Reconnect Recap, the companion newsletter to Reconnect, a website that aggregates hundreds of games writers work into one easy to use location. It’s my way of reminding the world that games writing isn’t dead!
This week we’re diving into some great write ups about art, cyberpunk, Clare Obscure, Blue Prince, Dress to Impress and video game funding. Plus some extra fun links you might like.
Let’s dig in.
Great Write Ups
How to get your game funded: To be a game dev, means you are pretty competent at coding, designing, art, writing, and music. But to get funded, you need to be business savvy, which is where many developers stumble, I know I would. So
has a guide to help you pitch your game.Storing game ideas on USB sticks for when we die?: In light of recent news by a certain video game auteur, Aftermath has their own list of game ideas stored someplace safe.
Meet the people behind Dress to Impress: I know i’m old because I simply don’t understand Roblox, but its a billion dollar enterprise and I just have to live with that whilst I yell at clouds.
over at Crossplay has an interview with the popular Roblox game(?) team members and how they got on board.This game has been rated P for psychologically manipulative:
poses the question, should games be rated based on their level of addiction.An Eulogy for Polygon: We’ve had a few of these and honestly I could read a hundred more. Inside stories from those who founded the great site are always an invigorating read.
- gives us their breakdown of what actually went wrong with CD Projekt Red’s infamous launch.
Blue Prince had a story?: Like most, I put a handful of hours in Blue Prince, got a gist for the puzzle system and decided I was too stupid to complete it. However, apparently there’s an entire story I missed.
GTA 6 is the antidote to the wrong problem: I don’t want to diminish anything Rockstar is doing, several thousands employees are getting to work on GTA 6 at the top of their game, and potentially the top of the industry. However, it feels like the industry needs GTA 6 more than Rockstar does and that spells out a big problem.
Art is revolution, and video games are art:
breaks down some of our most influential forms of art and what video games can learn from them.Are the games good again?: I’ve been having this epiphany lately that games are surprisingly hitting quite hard and impressing, against all odds (read: greedy stakeholders).
shares my thoughts about the recent release of Clair Obscur Exhibition 33 and the mark that has left on them.
Fun Tidbits
Remember the Sega Genesis? I don’t I’m far too youthful (that’s a lie), well someone has ported the original Metal Gear to the 36 year old console. (ausretrogamer)
The first line of Laura Michet’s blog had me sold instantly: Proverbs, a sort of minesweeper variant where you complete small puzzles which, together, form the 200+ sections of a single large puzzle grid
I loved the Sony Xperia Play, I really liked that series of Sony smartphones and the idea of playing games was great. But alas it didn’t work out in reality. It seems like Anbernic might be taking another stab at the concept. (TimeExtension)
Thinky Games is creating a database of ‘Thinky Games’, i.e puzzle games. They’ve recently updated the database with some great new features.
Whilst some of us might be getting tired of fishing mini games, what about an entire game about the relaxing experiencing of fishing. If that doesn’t reel you in (see what I did there), the visuals are a fucking treat for the eye, STUNNING.
Another game we never got, Tintin on the Moon for the Sega Master system.
Writer Recap
This week we’re taking a look at Rewinder, a new independent writing outlet based in the UK that has just started. Led by industry veterans, Henry Stockdale, Scott Mcrae, and Lex Luddy.
It’s great to see another reader funded independent outlet be formed. They won’t have any corporate overlords impinging on their editorial freedom and I wish them all the luck.
However, as they themselves pointed out, its was unlucky timing that a game by the same name got announced the same week. But I don’t think that will have a significant impact on their work.
Housekeeping
🟨 Want to see more? Visit Reconnect and bookmark it, the site is updated multiple times a day.
⏰ Missed a previous Recap? Check out the full catalog here.
✍️ Like how I write? I occasionally write my own thoughts on the games industry, find those articles here.
🦋 On Bluesky? Give me a follow, I share all the best articles on my profile every day, if you’re curious about following more games writers, I’ve made a starter pack so that you can follow all the Reconnect writers in one spot. Not 100% complete yet but I’ll keep adding to it.
💸 I develop, and pay for the costs of hosting Reconnect out of my own pocket, and everything I do from managing the site and writing these articles are things in do in my personal time. If you're feeling generous feel free to give me a tip.
Hmmm, I wonder if there are some Chinese handhelds that will run SteamOS...