John Walker - Industry Analcyst
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botherer.bsky.social
John Walker - Industry Analcyst
@botherer.bsky.social
3.7K followers 440 following 1.7K posts
Co-creator of Rock Paper Shotgun, currently helping out at Kotaku, and still looking for a new long-term gig.

I write www.buried-treasure.org, unearthing excellent unknown indies. Please consider supporting!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/buriedtreasure
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botherer.bsky.social
"It is far more interesting to discuss what exists beneath TR-49‘s mechanics, the wealth of meaning to find if you pierce the veneer. Despite its alt-history setting, depicted in an ancient, grimy stone basement, and documents primarily from the early-to-mid 20th century, this game feels incredibly, painfully relevant in 2026. This is no simple, reductive allegory, but rather an extraordinary tangle of interwoven analogy. It’s as much a piece about the existential threat posed by the mercenary consumption of human-created works being done by gen-AI as it is the immediate danger of a government that refuses to adhere to reality, although you could equally read the work as being about the complexities of constructivism, epistemology, and linguistic relativity. Heck, it’s a giant machine that eats books. Or you could just enjoy it as big, difficult puzzle."
January 27, 2026 at 10:14 AM
botherer.bsky.social
I will not stand for this, @nytimes.com.
January 23, 2026 at 8:47 PM
botherer.bsky.social
It must be so brilliant being married to me.
A cup of T.
January 11, 2026 at 12:33 PM
botherer.bsky.social
Like, THIS dark:
Musk posting "true" while reposting the following: "If White men become a minority, we will be slaughtered. Remember, if non-Whites openly hate White men while White men hold a collective majority, then they will be 1000x times more hostile and cruel when they are a majority over Whites. White solidarity is the only way to survive."
January 9, 2026 at 6:08 PM
botherer.bsky.social
Goddammit Time Magazine, it really is something to find the text for your article about the immediate dangers of AI being obscured by your fucking AI bot.
January 9, 2026 at 4:44 PM
botherer.bsky.social
I was forced through threats and money to review visual novel Spare Parts Chapter 1 by @emily64.bsky.social. I didn't entirely love it.

buried-treasure.org/2026/01/back...

If you want to force me to review a game, support the Patreon! www.patreon.com/c/buriedtrea...
January 8, 2026 at 12:15 PM
botherer.bsky.social
This is upsetting me too much:

It's,

Mobile: 55%
Console: 23%
PC: 22%

Right?

Someone tell me I'm not going mad.
GI.biz with some very odd percentage calculations.
December 23, 2025 at 10:53 AM
botherer.bsky.social
No, not "despite".
Horses sells 18,000 copies despite being banned on Steam and Epic Games Store
December 18, 2025 at 5:33 PM
botherer.bsky.social
I spent November well!
December 16, 2025 at 9:24 PM
botherer.bsky.social
Look, I DO play a lot of Pictopix, the but truth is I leave it (and Tametsi) running in the background like, all the time.
December 16, 2025 at 9:16 PM
botherer.bsky.social
A quick reminder that the Commodore 64 Ultimate, no matter how good it might be, is a project from sex pest Thomas Middleditch.

www.latimes.com/entertainmen...
Thomas Middleditch, Chief Creative Officer
December 16, 2025 at 8:48 PM
botherer.bsky.social
Hey Larian devs: if you all say, "NO WE'RE NOT" at the same time, he can't fire all of you.
Larian Studios Leaning Into Generative AI Despite Internal Pushback: ‘Everyone At The Company Is More Or Less OK With The Way We’re Using It’
December 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
botherer.bsky.social
New favourite headline.
10 Underrated Shows With Rotten Tomatoes Scores Above 90%, Ranked
December 16, 2025 at 7:40 AM
botherer.bsky.social
I've been sorting our bookshelves, and two layers deep I found this total classic.

Sadly the site doesn't appear to work any more.
December 12, 2025 at 9:07 PM
botherer.bsky.social
Got to bust out my specialist UK knowledge for a post about the UK government responding to the Rockstar union busting.

kotaku.com/gta-6-rockst...
Labour is, in theory, a pro-union party, and has historically been in large part funded by the UK’s various major unions, as opposed to the Conservatives who are mostly funded by big businesses and Satan himself.
December 10, 2025 at 3:18 PM
botherer.bsky.social
The Amateur Deity Society by @robertcarlson.bsky.social is a new approach to interactive fiction with the sensibilities of a point-n-click adventure, telling a great short story to boot.

buried-treasure.org/2025/12/the-...

Support Buried Treasure for just $2 a month www.patreon.com/c/buriedtrea...
The Amateur Deity Society screenshot. The Amateur Deity Society screenshot. The Amateur Deity Society screenshot.
December 10, 2025 at 12:21 PM
botherer.bsky.social
I am incandescent with rage about this:

No one, in the history of the universe, has ordered it "custard and apple crumble."

Who wrote that? AN ALIEN? IS BBC NEWS STAFFED BY ALIENS?

"What's for dessert, my love?"
"Custard and apple crumble."
"We are getting a divorce."

I'm so mad.
December 6, 2025 at 2:40 PM
botherer.bsky.social
How is this happening?

How are Carney and Sheinbaum not just bumrushing Trump with the podiums above their heads?

This is the worst game show I've ever seen.
Trump, Sheinbaum and Carney on a stage together.
December 5, 2025 at 5:50 PM
botherer.bsky.social
This prize is like AI slop in 3D!
Two corrupt men being corrupt next to a shit statue.
December 5, 2025 at 5:33 PM
botherer.bsky.social
Some might irrationally consider me slightly petty, but this is my favourite bit from a write-up of my last few days sucking at ARC Raiders:

kotaku.com/arc-raiders-...
The person who shot my near-dead body, slumped over the terminal that lowers the extraction elevator, after I'd painstakingly crawled my way in there and made it with seconds to spare and an inventory full of perfect loot: that came a lot closer to having me give up. That person was called Oscar Heen, from Sweden, with the Steam name OscarH, and if you see them in the game please ruin their every run. What did Oscar "OscarH" Heen stand to gain? There wasn't time to loot my corpse-the doors were all but closed, the lift was about to descend. It was mindless cruelty. I hate them. They are my nemesis. But despite this, Claire was right. Most people do nothing. There's usually a hesitation as you spot each other, both desperately hoping the other isn't some sort of OscarH-like piece of shit, perhaps emitting a "DON'T SHOOT!" cry of pacifism, before dashing off in opposite directions. And yes, as much as I would still thump my fist down hard on a PvE option should it ever get added to the game, it definitely does add a huge amount. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion it's part of why I don't want to stop playing no matter how bad I am.
December 1, 2025 at 6:17 PM
botherer.bsky.social
This is the saddest comment of all time.
"Not a single game on this list looks even remotely interesting. Though honestly thats a good thing as I've over spent on games recently. I need get control of my spending. I don't do Thanksgiving Always felt it was a really lame holiday and is only about stuffing yourself with food that's terrible for you. Thankfully (hahal) my family doesn't bother me about it anymore, so I'm not pressured to travel to see them. For me it's just another day, only with the annoyance that things are closed."
November 28, 2025 at 5:19 PM
botherer.bsky.social
Brian's Guide to Copyright Infringement.
November 28, 2025 at 10:28 AM
botherer.bsky.social
Let it be known that this guy shot me in the back as I clung to the console to lower me back into the bunker, having crawled past the drones, with the doors closing the lift descending, and he is now my sworn nemesis for all of eternity.
OscarH's Steam profile.
November 27, 2025 at 8:33 PM
botherer.bsky.social
A frighteningly long time ago, I used to draw a little web cartoon that almost no one ever looked at. I found my archive of the ones I hated the least last night.

Here, you may look at a few of them.
Brian's Guide to Killing Dragons Brian's Guide to Invading A Castle Brian's Guide to Looking Awesome. Brian's Guide to Snakes.
November 26, 2025 at 3:13 PM
botherer.bsky.social
Santa Ragione, after failing to get a response from Valve over its refusal to release their next game Horses, have pulled off something rather impressive. They've managed to manipulate the gaming press into a timed onslaught of coverage of the situation, clearly designed to force Valve's attention.
Many stories about the game Horses.
November 25, 2025 at 6:01 PM