Keza MacDonald
@mackeza.bsky.social
Guardian video games editor, exhausted millennial. Author of SUPER NINTENDO and co-author of YOU DIED: The Dark Souls Companion. She/her 🏳️🌈
https://linktr.ee/super_nintendo
https://linktr.ee/super_nintendo
Pinned
Keza MacDonald
@mackeza.bsky.social
· Sep 3
My book, Super Nintendo: How One Japanese Company Helped the World Have Fun, is out next February! It is a lively cultural history of the world's most beloved video game company, drawing from 20 years' worth of reporting and interviews. Pre-order here: linktr.ee/super_nintendo
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
I’m only a humble science fiction writer but this seems like a terrible terrible idea.
January 31, 2026 at 12:16 PM
I’m only a humble science fiction writer but this seems like a terrible terrible idea.
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
Very, very excited for this! If you live near Brighton and would like to come along and hear the two of us get stuck into the weeds on Keza’s latest dive into the history of Nintendo, grab yourself a ticket.
January 28, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Very, very excited for this! If you live near Brighton and would like to come along and hear the two of us get stuck into the weeds on Keza’s latest dive into the history of Nintendo, grab yourself a ticket.
Bloody hell, a good review of Super Nintendo in the Times.
"The upside of MacDonald’s standing is that you won’t find anyone, I don’t think, with a better insight into the nuts and bolts of these games... Here is a book bursting with love."
www.thetimes.com/article/cc15...
"The upside of MacDonald’s standing is that you won’t find anyone, I don’t think, with a better insight into the nuts and bolts of these games... Here is a book bursting with love."
www.thetimes.com/article/cc15...
Mario, Pikachu and Donkey Kong — the joy of Nintendo
In Super Nintendo, Keza MacDonald explores the history of the Japanese company that gave us Super Mario, Pokémon and so much more
www.thetimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 10:24 AM
Bloody hell, a good review of Super Nintendo in the Times.
"The upside of MacDonald’s standing is that you won’t find anyone, I don’t think, with a better insight into the nuts and bolts of these games... Here is a book bursting with love."
www.thetimes.com/article/cc15...
"The upside of MacDonald’s standing is that you won’t find anyone, I don’t think, with a better insight into the nuts and bolts of these games... Here is a book bursting with love."
www.thetimes.com/article/cc15...
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
I don't know whether it is the #1 Catherine O'Hara accomplishment but the fact that she invented a manner of speaking that no other person in human history has ever attempted for Schitts Creek and made it seem realistic that her character would talk that way felt like a comedy miracle to me
January 30, 2026 at 7:23 PM
I don't know whether it is the #1 Catherine O'Hara accomplishment but the fact that she invented a manner of speaking that no other person in human history has ever attempted for Schitts Creek and made it seem realistic that her character would talk that way felt like a comedy miracle to me
"Is this another one of your masochist games?", asked my partner warily when I was playing through Cairn last week. The suffering is part of the point, yes, but also there are plenty of assists and difficulty options (that I stubbornly refused to make use of)
www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
Cairn review – obsession, suffering and awe in a climbing game that hits exhausting new heights
A punishing, beautiful survival game that turns mountaineering into an intimate test of endurance, fixation and emotional resolve – you’ll be in tears by the end
www.theguardian.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:21 PM
"Is this another one of your masochist games?", asked my partner warily when I was playing through Cairn last week. The suffering is part of the point, yes, but also there are plenty of assists and difficulty options (that I stubbornly refused to make use of)
www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
bookstore goal this year is to bring cooler stuff in, so Im slowly building a games section, first few things in by @jacobgeller.com @jasonschreier.bsky.social @add-hawk.bsky.social @mackeza.bsky.social
January 28, 2026 at 7:10 PM
bookstore goal this year is to bring cooler stuff in, so Im slowly building a games section, first few things in by @jacobgeller.com @jasonschreier.bsky.social @add-hawk.bsky.social @mackeza.bsky.social
BRIGHTON, I'm doing a Super Nintendo event at Loading Bar on February 17 with the esteemed @chrisbratt.bsky.social of People Make Games. Ticket price includes a Nintendo-themed special cocktail - come along!
luma.com/mkp59tca
luma.com/mkp59tca
Super Nintendo: Keza MacDonald and Chris Bratt. · Luma
Join Keza MacDonald in conversation with Chris Bratt for the launch of Super Nintendo: How One Japanese Company Helped the World Have Fun, a riveting cultural…
luma.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:39 AM
BRIGHTON, I'm doing a Super Nintendo event at Loading Bar on February 17 with the esteemed @chrisbratt.bsky.social of People Make Games. Ticket price includes a Nintendo-themed special cocktail - come along!
luma.com/mkp59tca
luma.com/mkp59tca
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
i made this on my shared work canva account
January 27, 2026 at 9:00 PM
i made this on my shared work canva account
One week until my book about Nintendo is out in the US - the cover is just awesome, I'm so pleased with it ✨
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/753986...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/753986...
January 27, 2026 at 11:20 PM
One week until my book about Nintendo is out in the US - the cover is just awesome, I'm so pleased with it ✨
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/753986...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/753986...
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
Calling new writers - get mentored and be printed in ON3! We have 6 spots available in the next magazine to showcase new voices. Email [email protected] with an example of your work and any relevant experience by 8th February. on.games
#GamesJournalism #GamesWriting
#GamesJournalism #GamesWriting
January 26, 2026 at 8:51 PM
Calling new writers - get mentored and be printed in ON3! We have 6 spots available in the next magazine to showcase new voices. Email [email protected] with an example of your work and any relevant experience by 8th February. on.games
#GamesJournalism #GamesWriting
#GamesJournalism #GamesWriting
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
i wrote about mothership.blog for @theguardian.com today by the way. thanks so much to @mackeza.bsky.social for the opportunity to tell more people about mothership and what we are doing with the site <3 www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
Why I’m launching a feminist video games website in 2026
I’ve been a games journalist since 2007, but still there isn’t much video games coverage that feels like it’s specifically for people like me. So I’m creating a home for it: Mothership
www.theguardian.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:25 PM
i wrote about mothership.blog for @theguardian.com today by the way. thanks so much to @mackeza.bsky.social for the opportunity to tell more people about mothership and what we are doing with the site <3 www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
I've long wondered why Nintendo gets special treatment from gamers. After reading a fantastic new book from @mackeza.bsky.social, I understand.
Fresh blog about it:
Fresh blog about it:
Fans treat Nintendo differently
Nintendo finally gets the history book it deserves
postgame.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:41 PM
I've long wondered why Nintendo gets special treatment from gamers. After reading a fantastic new book from @mackeza.bsky.social, I understand.
Fresh blog about it:
Fresh blog about it:
Super Nintendo book tour kicks off later this month! Event links are now live for Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, St Andrews, Brighton and Manchester, find them here linktr.ee/super_nintendo
Super Nintendo | Linktree
By Keza MacDonald 👾 Loading February 2026
linktr.ee
January 26, 2026 at 11:21 AM
Super Nintendo book tour kicks off later this month! Event links are now live for Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, St Andrews, Brighton and Manchester, find them here linktr.ee/super_nintendo
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
Painting on the 3DS 👁️👄👁️
January 23, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Painting on the 3DS 👁️👄👁️
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
Gotcha—let’s dig into that step by step.
1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, because I turned you into an amorphous lump of flesh. You’re not just immobile—you’re immortal, and you feel only anguish.
2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. That makes total sense—it’s a natural human impulse, and you’ve been through a lot.
1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, because I turned you into an amorphous lump of flesh. You’re not just immobile—you’re immortal, and you feel only anguish.
2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. That makes total sense—it’s a natural human impulse, and you’ve been through a lot.
January 23, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Gotcha—let’s dig into that step by step.
1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, because I turned you into an amorphous lump of flesh. You’re not just immobile—you’re immortal, and you feel only anguish.
2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. That makes total sense—it’s a natural human impulse, and you’ve been through a lot.
1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵, because I turned you into an amorphous lump of flesh. You’re not just immobile—you’re immortal, and you feel only anguish.
2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺. That makes total sense—it’s a natural human impulse, and you’ve been through a lot.
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
hey did you see a headline on google? turns out that headline might be an llm hallucination www.theverge.com/tech/865168/...
Google won’t stop replacing our news headlines with terrible AI
“This feature performs well for user satisfaction,” claims Google.
www.theverge.com
January 23, 2026 at 7:54 PM
hey did you see a headline on google? turns out that headline might be an llm hallucination www.theverge.com/tech/865168/...
Was a total delight talking to my old Kotaku work buddies at @aftermath.site - come for Nintendo book chat, stay for the bit about our favourite journalism rabbit holes at the end
open.spotify.com/episode/2dl7...
open.spotify.com/episode/2dl7...
The Queen’s Golden Wii (With Keza MacDonald)
open.spotify.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Was a total delight talking to my old Kotaku work buddies at @aftermath.site - come for Nintendo book chat, stay for the bit about our favourite journalism rabbit holes at the end
open.spotify.com/episode/2dl7...
open.spotify.com/episode/2dl7...
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
Nintendo’s games feel special in a way other developers can’t quite imitate. But why? According to @mackeza.bsky.social, author of Super Nintendo, an upcoming book about the Mario and Zelda maker, it’s because teams are intergenerational
January 23, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Nintendo’s games feel special in a way other developers can’t quite imitate. But why? According to @mackeza.bsky.social, author of Super Nintendo, an upcoming book about the Mario and Zelda maker, it’s because teams are intergenerational
I am live with my old work buddies at Aftermath talking about the book, come join!
On today’s stream, @mackeza.bsky.social joins us to discuss her upcoming book about Nintendo, which includes private interviews with the likes of Shigeru Miyamoto and a trip to the secretive Nintendo HQ. We go live at 4 PM ET to ask her about all that and more
twitch.tv/aftermathdot...
twitch.tv/aftermathdot...
January 22, 2026 at 9:09 PM
I am live with my old work buddies at Aftermath talking about the book, come join!
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
We're LIVE
On today’s stream, @mackeza.bsky.social joins us to discuss her upcoming book about Nintendo, which includes private interviews with the likes of Shigeru Miyamoto and a trip to the secretive Nintendo HQ. We go live at 4 PM ET to ask her about all that and more
twitch.tv/aftermathdot...
twitch.tv/aftermathdot...
January 22, 2026 at 9:08 PM
We're LIVE
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
It really is so good.
Cracker of a headline, cracker of a feature here from @ricklane.bsky.social (credit to @radiatoryang.bsky.social for that quote)
www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
‘It’s the underground Met Gala of concrete murderzone design’: welcome to the Quake Brutalist Game Jam
Quake Brutalist Jam began as a celebration of old-fashioned shooter level design, but its latest version is one step away from being a game in its own right
www.theguardian.com
January 22, 2026 at 12:45 PM
It really is so good.
Cracker of a headline, cracker of a feature here from @ricklane.bsky.social (credit to @radiatoryang.bsky.social for that quote)
www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
‘It’s the underground Met Gala of concrete murderzone design’: welcome to the Quake Brutalist Game Jam
Quake Brutalist Jam began as a celebration of old-fashioned shooter level design, but its latest version is one step away from being a game in its own right
www.theguardian.com
January 22, 2026 at 12:13 PM
Cracker of a headline, cracker of a feature here from @ricklane.bsky.social (credit to @radiatoryang.bsky.social for that quote)
www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
First review of 2026 is live and it's for a good 'un -- an exquisitely esoteric database mystery from @inkle.co.
Shades of Sam Barlow, naturally; I was also reminded of Benjamin Labatut's "nonfiction novels", The Maniac and When We Cease To Understand The World. www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
Shades of Sam Barlow, naturally; I was also reminded of Benjamin Labatut's "nonfiction novels", The Maniac and When We Cease To Understand The World. www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
TR-49 review – inventive narrative deduction game steeped in the strangest of wartime secrets
The UK game developer’s latest is a database mystery constructed from an archive of fictional books. Their combined contents threaten to crack the code of reality
www.theguardian.com
January 21, 2026 at 11:42 AM
First review of 2026 is live and it's for a good 'un -- an exquisitely esoteric database mystery from @inkle.co.
Shades of Sam Barlow, naturally; I was also reminded of Benjamin Labatut's "nonfiction novels", The Maniac and When We Cease To Understand The World. www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
Shades of Sam Barlow, naturally; I was also reminded of Benjamin Labatut's "nonfiction novels", The Maniac and When We Cease To Understand The World. www.theguardian.com/games/2026/j...
Reposted by Keza MacDonald
In ON3 we want to showcase and mentor 6 new voices in 1000 word features. We champion long form videogame journalism, the future of print and give freelancers a fair deal. Email [email protected] by the 8/2/26 with an example of your writing and your experience to apply. on.games
#GamesJournalism
#GamesJournalism
January 21, 2026 at 4:38 PM
In ON3 we want to showcase and mentor 6 new voices in 1000 word features. We champion long form videogame journalism, the future of print and give freelancers a fair deal. Email [email protected] by the 8/2/26 with an example of your writing and your experience to apply. on.games
#GamesJournalism
#GamesJournalism