Graham Smith
@grahamsmith.bsky.social
Studio manager/producer @suspicious.dev. Co-founder @jank.cool. Previously: RPS, PC Gamer, Crate & Crowbar, Eurogamer, Dicebreaker.
*Love* our latest from @pokachee.bsky.social, about a type of fanwork that's massively popular but one I rarely see discussed in convos about transformative fandom. Fangames are technically interesting—literally using the source material in modding—but even more so from a community/fandom angle:
Pokémon Fangames Evolve Beyond Their Origins
For fangame creators, the work they develop and the communities they inspire are inextricably tied.
fansplaining.com
Nic stops to smell the sweet, rotting roses in Total Warhammer 3's big update. www.jank.cool/you-dont-kno...
You don't know what you got (the moon) until it's gone (blown up by a magic rat)
Total Warhammer 3's gorgeous map is going through hell
jank.cool
Stab space cops for money - the flawed but lovable Ostranauts. www.jank.cool/ostranauts-r...
Ostranauts review
Everything can be salvaged, but make it a curse
jank.cool
there is only one allowable kind of videogame journalism and it's yelling
"It's rot and blood all the way down." Our Blood of Dawnwalker review gets into the guts. www.jank.cool/the-blood-of...
The Blood Of Dawnwalker review
Dawn Walker? I thought you said his name was Coen?!
jank.cool
Hello! I'm looking to speak to a game developer/programmer with a strong understanding of asset streaming. How it works, how it can be applied, what it means for games etc. If you're that person, get in touch at rick@ricklane.co.uk. Shares appreciated.
This essay by fighting game dev Patrick Miller starts as a response to drama (don't ask) but then drops truth after truth about escapism, coping mechanisms, and games as a painkiller. "If games serve a load-bearing function in someone's life, it's the life that needs fixing, not the games."
Smokage of the Burning Leaf@pattheflip.bsky.social · last mo."On opiates" I have been thinking a lot over the years about the unhealthy roles games play in people's lives, and the last week got me to finally put together this post on the kind of work I am doing (and not doing) going forward. I am here to heal and strengthen. www.patreon.com/pattheflip/p...
Modders have injected Spelunky 1 into Spelunky 2 and created the best of both. www.jank.cool/these-folks-...
These folks put Spelunky (1) in Spelunky (2) so you can Spelunky (1) while you Spelunky (2)
HDMod sends you back to the worlds of the original Spelunky with all the polish of the sequel
jank.cool
if you are a person of color and want to pitch to aftermath, i encourage you to do so. if you haven't pitched before or want to talk through an idea before you send it to the pitch email, give me a shout via email gita @ aftermath.site
"Sometimes you cannot fix the machine and the harm it does. Sometimes you must break it." An essay by game writer @hannahnicklin.bsky.social on Eliza's AI therapist, Luddites, and Slack ghosts. www.jank.cool/desire-withi...
Desire within the Miasma
An essay on Eliza, Luddites, and the ghosts in the company Slack
jank.cool
i reviewed Fields of Mistria, a game i mostly wanted to pick apart the problems with even though I also want to put 100 more hours into it www.jank.cool/fields-of-mi...
Fields Of Mistria review
Stuck between a rock and a soft place
jank.cool
Fields Of Mistria offers a "feeling of pleasure that, while insubstantial, has led to me sinking nearly 70 hours into the game in the last month", writes @jaymcastello.bsky.social www.jank.cool/fields-of-mi...
Fields Of Mistria review
Stuck between a rock and a soft place
jank.cool
So we found out this morning that everyone - myself included - from Restart's editorial staff has been let go. After like six layoffs in six years, that gif is my unfortunate reaction. Looking! For! Opportunities! I guess I'm open for freelance for a while!
Imran Khan@imrankhan.bsky.social · 2mo agoBoiling Point is a cult classic beloved for its bugs. We asked its developers how they made it www.jank.cool/the-making-o...
The making of Boiling Point: Road To Hell, the most broken game I've ever loved
How ambition turned an open-world pioneer into a janky cult classic
jank.cool
All sport needs heels. That's why football has Chelsea players.
Brenda Fricker died this past week and everyone should watch this extraordinary interview with her from 2021. So honest, so funny: www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-5r...
Brenda Fricker | The Tommy Tiernan Show
YouTube video by Tommy Tiernan
youtube.com
You deserve better literature than Dungeon Crawler Carl. www.jank.cool/you-deserve-...
You deserve better literature than Dungeon Crawler Carl
Demand more from books inspired by videogames
jank.cool
"There are no ghosts in Galley House, but it certainly feels like there are." @jaymcastello.bsky.social reviews Type Help's fancy follow-up. www.jank.cool/the-incident...
The Incident At Galley House review
A rebuilt machine
jank.cool
Big news! @apzonerunner.com and I have launched a new video games website. @respec.net is our attempt to create a highly curated multi-format site that has that club feel you used to get from the best magazines (and frankly, my beloved VideoGamer back in the day) www.respec.net/feature/87-w...
Welcome to Respec: A word from the Editors | Respec
Welcome to our new little corner of the internet. Why a new video game website, and why now? Allow us to explain...
respec.net
We're putting the paywall on a handful of Jank posts so we're celebrating with a week of articles about walls which includes reviewing 2008 movie tie-in game Wall-E
Jank@jank.cool · 3mo agoHere's the Wall-e review you've all been wanting. www.jank.cool/wall-e-revie...
The worst thing a Spurs player has done since the last time Spurs played.
I love football. I love caring about things that don't matter at all so much.
Remember the internet before Google, before algorithmic feeds, before monolithic social media corralled us onto the same handful of apps? When small, *personal websites* and webrings linking them together reigned supreme? Time to bring it back.
Introducing Warp Point, a Web 1.0 gaming blog directory built for 2026
It's a webring! And a website!
readonlymemo.com
