I've been noodling on different email formats and trying to figure out which structure and cadence work best. This is both an experiment and something old.
Many, many moons ago, this email newsletter used to be called Playlist, and I used to send it out each week with a couple of game recommendations. I always liked that format, and now, given the thousands and thousands of games and experiences released every single month, it can be incredibly helpful to have someone winnow that down.
At a broader level, I used to feel a lot more pressure to feel like I needed to be on top of everything and keep a really wide net cast. As a result, I felt like, at times, Playlists would cast too wide a net, or we would struggle to find something that was really worthy of people's time. As games continue to develop as a medium, it's become more apparent to me that that's simply impossible. What you ostensibly come to Killscreen for is not just a point of view on all games, but a very specific point of view and taste-making sensibility for specific games, not just "indie games" with a broad brush.
What I'll be doing is scheduling this email as a members-only recommendation email, with a selection of something you should try this weekend and something to keep an eye on. These are the guardrails. If you like my thinking, do consider becoming a member.
Games should be short(ish)
I have come to believe over time that games struggle with a length problem: they demand so much of you. I think game makers and players take for granted that these markers exist in literally every other medium except for games, and it's often within limits. I believe that at this stage, the most important thing game designers can do is figure out how to make their medium make sense within the context of so many other competing and frankly equally worthy interests. What happens is that game makers, big and small, aspire to make something as long as a season of television, and I think that leaves a lot of people on the sidelines.
I've written quite a bit about this. So all my recommendations will be something you can actually finish in a sitting, maybe two. If you're trying to maximize your time for the lowest possible unit of value, then I'm not a good fit.
Games should have a distinct visual point of view
One of the saddest outcomes of the pop in indie games about 15 years ago was that the term 'independent' failed to serve as a diverse visual marker. At first, the retro aesthetic was something distinct, and then it became a default. A similar thing has happened with "cozy" games and now with PS1 aesthetics.
While game systems can be extremely beautiful, nothing should ever prevent the expression of those visual systems, even those with complex designs, from being visually compelling. To do so, I think, is a reflection of taste, so finding things that look good on your shelf or on screen is incredibly important to me. If you want deep, crunchy systems games where the look doesn't matter, there are lots of other places you can go.
Games should be in dialogue with culture
Finally, the recommendations will be focused on games that are intertextual in some way, meaning they engage with another medium (music, architecture, and so on), and I'll be explicit about calling that out.
It also means that there's media outside of games that reflect on games as an art form, so I'll make that recommendation as well.
So what should you spend an hour doing this weekend?
