Author: Amy Goodenough

This week we see the impact of Gen Con’s cancellation, hear about how games helped people cope in a crisis in the second millennium BCE, and get a whole lot of RPG history. Don’t Support Us Every week we ask for your support in keeping this website running, and we have been so grateful for…

This week is a somewhat sombre one. Last year’s #AbuseIsNotAGame has echoes in a new Twitterstorm this week, targeting one of Dungeons & Dragons’ designers. Meanwhile, not unexpectedly, Gen Con has been cancelled in the face of the pandemic — the first time the con has been cancelled in over 50 years. Dungeons & Dragons…

The “regular” news this week is sparse — a few delays, a few snippets of RPG history, a vague promise that something will be announced sometime in the computer games industry. We revisit two of the countless legal battles from TSR’s history, we take a look at the Itch.io RPG community and we get some…

We took a week off to clear our heads, but oh, things kept rolling in games. It’s a bumper double issue today! There’s rough, but not exactly surprising news from Kickstarter, as the company announces massive layoffs in the face of decreasing pledges. Arguments flared up around the presence of “evil races” in RPGs —…

We’re all still stuck inside, waiting for the doctors, nurses, politicians and Tom Hanks to save us. But this week, things look, well, maybe a little brighter. At least, this week’s news feels a bit more like the good old days. Of course, gaming online is still the subject of the day: in particular, a…

This is a painfully quiet news week, and if there is any notable theme, it is that our gaming lives have gone digital. Of course, we knew that, but, boy, is it clear in this issue: digital gaming platforms, virtual tabletops, PDF releases, digital stores… And so little else. Do you remember going out? Do…

What a bleak news week this has turned out to be… New releases and announcements have slowed to a trickle, while news of how the pandemic is hitting the industry continues to be the focus. Meanwhile, in the business-as-usual side of the industry, we have stories of a toxic workplace, underpaid employees, online harassment, and…

It was pretty clear this April Fools that we have all had enough shocks for the moment. The day passed with little news, and apart from a small (shall we say quantum?) joke from Beadle & Grimms and a couple of misspelt monsters from Paizo., there just wasn’t much in the way of hoaxes. There’s…

The virus continues to dominate the news, hitting conventions, crowdfunding campaigns and businesses. But we’re also seeing support coming from all over as gamers go online to stand together and play together. News is otherwise a little scant this week: a smattering of reports, a few new product launches, very few new crowdfunding campaigns. It…

The coronavirus pandemic continues, and we’re seeing it on all sides of the industry. On the one hand, we’ve seen livestreams shut down, Kickstarters cancelled, events postponed. On the other hand, we’re seeing many gamers turn to online platforms, and numerous publishers offering support to keep people playing. Still, there are a cautious number of…