Keith Stuart
@keefstuart.bsky.social
Novelist. Video game correspondent for The Guardian. He/him 💖
Thanks @keefstuart.bsky.social for the lil mention of Aliens: The Video Games in last week's Pushing Buttons. Read that here: www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j... It's release month! Pre-order Aliens: The Video Games: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Aliens-The-V... (Digital review copies available.)
Today I also wrote a preview of Clean Start, a cosy home-sorting puzzler that also looks into immigration and domestic service www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
‘A universal human story’: Clean Start’s thought-provoking tidying sim tells immigrant’s tale
Playing as recent arrival Lena, your challenges include learning a new language and uncovering family secrets – its developer hopes it will spread ‘a little more compassion’
theguardian.com
Hello, this spring I visited charity shops all over the England to see what video games they had on the shelves. It was… educational. Please come and see what I discovered and add your own finds in the comments! www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
SingStar Take That anyone? The strange joy of charity shop video games
Hidden gems can be unearthed, but you have to dig deep into the bargain bins of countless outdated Fifas, Wii Fits without the controllers and partially finished quizshow games
theguardian.com
Hello, I wrote about intriguing space mining visual novel A Line Held Tight from Humble Grove and spoke to the team about games, unions and folk music www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
A Line Held Tight – miners, mechs and mismanagement on a distant planet
Deep underground the player joins a colony of ruthlessly exploited pit workers who could be taking on the bosses. How things play out will depend on you
theguardian.com
I am disappointed that no Pushing Buttons readers have noticed that the image I used for this week’s reader question - “is there an accepted canon of the best games ever” - featured only Sega Saturn titles. I put a lot of effort into my Sega propaganda ffs www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
After 40 years, Aliens is still shaping the way video games are made
James Cameron’s high-octane film sequel is a blueprint for modern action space slashers
theguardian.com
Wildfires are raging – and the world has junked 45 climate pledges. Disaster looms, and little wonder | Bill McGuire
Wildfires are raging – and the world has junked 45 climate pledges. Disaster looms, and little wonder | Bill McGuire
Five years ago, I wrote an open letter asking climate scientists to speak out. Now governments are in retreat, it is surely time to act, says climate professor Bill McGuire
theguardian.com
Hi I played some Townfall and talked to the team about bringing Silent Hill to Scotland… www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
Silent Hill Townfall: the series is coming to Scotland, but what fresh horrors will it bring?
An amnesiac loner arrives in a remote town for who knows what reason … this may sound familiar but this time we’re on a remote Scottish island and surprises lie in wait
theguardian.com
Hi I wrote about Pokemon Go and discovering the great outdoors. Hope you’re doing ok www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
How Pokémon Go encouraged me to find wonder in the world
These days, I ‘collect’ birdsong and wild flowers, but it all started when my sons and I first set out to find Pikachu and pals• Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here
theguardian.com
Reminder that by this point in yesterday’s match there had been six goals
Time travel back to 1995 in Hack '95, a card-based computer hacking voyage where you take down an evil tech startup with the help of an incontinent virtual pug. Featuring a brand new licensed music track by Paul Hartnoll of Orbital and Minesweeper! www.youtube.com/watch?v=_98C...
Hack '95 - Gameplay Trailer
YouTube video by Convergence Games Showcase
youtube.com
I went to a brilliant academic games conference at Falmouth university and spoke to @poppywilde.bsky.social and Dr Ewan Kirkland about the meaning of horror www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
Zombies, gore and creepy kids – why we can’t stop playing horror games
As global anxieties multiply, video games from Resident Evil to Mouthwashing are providing rich source material to help decode society’s problems
theguardian.com
We got a mention in @keefstuart.bsky.social's newsletter for @theguardian.com (which is a VERY worthwhile sign up)🎮 Physical editions are vital for a healthy games ecosystem and it's an honour to be thought of when it comes to preserving their culture! www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
PlayStation says it will stop making physical games – and that should worry us all
Sony’s announcement spells the end of a whole ecosystem built by superfan collectors – and signals a troubling shift in the industry
theguardian.com
Launching a new website about video games today. Meet @respec.net. A sibling to @rpgsite.net, a spiritual successor to VG247, & a brother from another mother to other 100% independent UK media brands like @videogameschronicle.com and @trueachievements.com. 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
I am here! It’s so fascinating! Love an academic horror gaming conference 👍
This week’s pushing buttons newsletter is the only analysis of the games console RAM crisis you’ll read that starts with a Pride and Prejudice misquote. Thanks to @andyrobinson.bsky.social @dringo.bsky.social and @piershr.bsky.social for their expertise www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
No console-flation: how the thirst for AI chips is sending games console prices soaring
AI data centres, memory scarcity and factory capacity are costing consumers –and console makers
theguardian.com
There’s less than a week left on this and they’re just short of the brilliant third stretch goal which is an unmissable treat for fans of From Software and Edge Magazine
ON games journal@ongamesjournal.bsky.social · last mo.It's the last week of ON3 on Kickstarter - the campaign ends midnight on Wednesday July 1st. ON3 is available on Kickstarter at a 20% discount, and there’s loads of Kickstarter exclusive products and upgrades. Get your copy now: on.games/on3 #ON3mag #GamesMagazine #ProjectWeLove @kickstarter.com
Hello, do I know any big fans of Sega’s ‘real life career’ games from the late 90s? Crazy Taxi, 18 Wheeler, Brave Fire Fighters?? I would love to speak to you for an article!
Hello I wrote this week’s Pushing Buttons newsletter about bad World Cup football games but also some good ones www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
The history of brilliantly terrible World Cup video games
As football fans revel in the real world tournament, its digital counterparts continue to stumble in capturing the hyped up atmosphere
theguardian.com
ON3 Design showcase: Signs and symbols. @keefstuart.bsky.social finds that work can still be fun in gaming by exploring @sega-west.bsky.social job simulators like #CrazyTaxi in ON3. Clock in at on.games/on3 #ON3mag #GamesMagazine #ProjectWeLove @kickstarter.com
George Osborn’s book Power Play, about the intersection of video games and global politics, is out NOW and it’s a fascinating, important read!
George E. Osborn@georgeosborn.bsky.social · 2mo agoIt was a genuine delight to talk about Power Play at Backstory in Balham last night. Thank you to @keefstuart.bsky.social for being such a wonderful moderator and to everyone who made it out.
Hiiiii, I wrote about life as a Twitch streamer and spoke to Aimsey, Sweet Anita and @merrykish.bsky.social who were all brilliant! www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
‘Streaming gave me a space to be myself’: Twitch creators on what it’s like to grow up on the platform
The world’s most successful gamer content creators, many of whom have spent their entire adult life on the platform, have met up at TwitchCon in Rotterdam
theguardian.com
Tickets are nearly gone for my chat with @keefstuart.bsky.social about Power Play next Tuesday. I’ll be signing books after, if you feel like saying hello. backstory.london/products/16t...
16th June 7.30pm - George E Osborn in conversation with Keith Stuart, Power Play: Video Games, Politics and the Battle for Global Influence
Please note event tickets are neither exchangeable nor refundable. Tuesday 16th June, 7:30pm Backstory, 71 Balham High Rd, SW12 9AP Leading gaming expert George E Osborn will be in conversation with T...
backstory.london
Hello I wrote for the Boundless Play newsletter about why adults should play more video games boundlessplay.substack.com/p/play-for-a...
Play For All Ages
Keith Stuart, journalist, author and life-long gamer, on why adults should play more video games.
boundlessplay.substack.com
Keza and I put together a list of the best video games of 2026 so far. Feel free to add your own faves in the comments but please bear in mind this list is definitive and correct. thanks folks www.theguardian.com/culture/ng-i...
The best games of 2026 so far
If you fancy roaring around Japan’s open roads, scaling impossible mountains and playing with post-apocalyptic Pokémon, this year’s highlights mean you can do so without leaving your chair
theguardian.com
Saw Obsession and it is an absolute masterpiece. Had this weird thought that it’s basically a darker version of 500 Days of Summer. Does anyone else see that comparison???
The 90s computer nerd adventure I’m writing for, Hack 95, now has a demo on steam and a website. Come and play! (And please wishlist on steam if you like the look of it!) 💾👾 hack95.com
Hack '95 on the World Wide Web
hack95.com
The demo for Village Studio’s nostalgic hacking game Hack 95 is out now! I am on the writing team! Come and enter the world of 56k modems, phreaks and tiny FMV windows! #PCGamingShow store.steampowered.com/app/4685250/...
Hack '95 Demo on Steam
Time travel to 1995 in this card-based computer hacking voyage. Take down an evil tech startup and shadowy government agency to become a god to the freaks and geeks of cyberspace. All while being help...
store.steampowered.com
At 8.03pm BST, Village Studio’s next title, a game I’ve been making since I was 8 years old, will be revealed to the world at #PCGamingShow I think you’re going to love this if you always wanted to be a hacker, but on 56kbps dialup. Watch live here: youtu.be/yv8nZY8auPQ
