Graham Smith

Brighton

Editorial Director at Rock Paper Shotgun

Deputy editorial director, @reed_pop. Former editor-in-chief, @rockpapershot @pcgamer. Co-founder, @crateandcrowbar.

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Articles

The Sunday Papers

1 week ago | rockpapershotgun.com | Graham Smith

The Sunday Papers is our weekly roundup of great writing about (mostly) videogames from across the web. Well! A one-week Sunday Papers break turned into three, prompted by the seemingly endless school holiday at Easter. Now I return and-- Monday is another holiday? Blimey. Nevertheless, let's do some links.
Despelote review

1 week ago | rockpapershotgun.com | Graham Smith

Despelote review A sweet, two-hour video game about Ecuador's historic 2001 World Cup qualifying campaign which masterfully captures what it feels like to be a child and a football fan. Developer: Julián Cordero, Sebastian ValbuenaPublisher: PanicRelease: May 1st, 2025On: WindowsFrom: SteamPrice: £10.79/$13.49/€12.59Reviewed on: Steam DeckDespelote ought to feel idiosyncratic.
The Sunday Papers

1 month ago | rockpapershotgun.com | Graham Smith

The Sunday Papers is our weekly roundup of great writing about (mostly) videogames from across the web. Sundays are for being on holiday, but that doesn't mean we can't produce a roundup of some links before we depart. For The Guardian, Sarah Thwaites spoke to developers of indie game hits about the freedoms of success and the pressure to repeat it.
IGN Live will return from June 7th-8th and tickets are on sale now

1 month ago | rockpapershotgun.com | Graham Smith

IGN Live was already confirmed to return this June, but now RPS's corporate papa has put a date on it. The in-person fan event, with streams for those who can't attend, will return on June 7th-8th in LA, and tickets are on sale now. The event, which takes place amid the summer gaming onslaught previously marked by E3, is being held in downtown Los Angeles at Magic Box @ The Reef. Currently announced attendees include Netflix, 2K Sports, Lenovo and Arcade1Up, with more to be confirmed in future.
The Sunday Papers

1 month ago | rockpapershotgun.com | Graham Smith

The Sunday Papers is our weekly roundup of great writing about (mostly) videogames from across the web. Sundays are for nursing a sore throat into nearly its third week of activity. I wish I wasn't such a tiny widdle baby, but I strongly feel that no person has ever suffered as I now suffer. Let's do some links. Edge Magazine has launched an industry newsletter, called Knowledge. You can signup here. Edge has long been a stealth B2B product, so an explicitly B2B newsletter makes sense.
The Sunday Papers

1 month ago | rockpapershotgun.com | Graham Smith

The Sunday Papers is our weekly roundup of great writing about (mostly) videogames from across the web. In his irregular newsletter, Culture: An Owner's Manual, W. David Marx wrote about the age of the double sell-out. His argument is that, by the end of the 20th century, it was deemed acceptable for artists to sell-out because commercial activities were understood to pay for creative work, but now culture's most successful creators sell-out simply to sell-out further.
Expelled! review

2 months ago | rockpapershotgun.com | Graham Smith

Expelled! review A 1920s golden age mystery in which you plot your own path through the scheming world of an all-girls boarding school, told with energy and some bugs. Developer: InklePublisher: InkleRelease: March 12th, 2025On: Windows, MacOSFrom: SteamPrice: TBA Reviewed on: Intel Core i5-12600K, 32GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti, Windows 10Verity Amersham's pockets are overflowing.
The Sunday Papers

2 months ago | rockpapershotgun.com | Graham Smith

The Sunday Papers is our weekly roundup of great writing about (mostly) videogames from across the web. Sundays are for playing a bit of Split Fiction and tinkering with that new expensive camera you bought, the latest in a long line of attempts to adopt a new hobby. You're almost 40 so if this one doesn't stick you may as well just give up and start a Band Of Brothers re-watch. For Eurogamer, Florence Smith Nicholls wrote about their experience at a Disco Elysium-inspired LARP.
IGN Live is coming back this June for a multi-day event and livestream

2 months ago | rockpapershotgun.com | Graham Smith

RPS's corporate daddy has announced that IGN Live is returning this June. The in-person event aims to fill the void left by E3, with playable demos in LA and livestreams of game reveals and panels for those who can't attend.
The Sims 4's Businesses & Hobbies expansion pack will let open your own business and tattoo your Sims

2 months ago | rockpapershotgun.com | Graham Smith

Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life, the saying goes. (This is why so many games journalists are unemployed - ba-dum tish.) Thankyfully the next expansion for The Sims 4 seems to understand the permeable boundary between passion project and career as purely aspirational. It's called Businesses & Hobbies and it lets Sims open their own tattoo parlour, pottery studio or - if you have the right complementary expansion - a cat café.