Riley MacLeod

New York

Co-founder, @Aftermath_site. Previously: Next Generation Audiences @washingtonpost, @LauncherWP, @kotaku. Trans; he/him. riley (at) aftermath (dot) site

Articles

Conclave Fandom Is The Religious Left

1 week ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

The papal conclave starts today, when cardinals get together in Vatican City to elect the next Pope following Francis’ death in April. On one hand, it’s a very niche event, involving one of the world’s many religious denominations electing its next leader. On the other hand, Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination; there are 1.4 billion Catholics in the world, so there are a lot of people invested in the outcome.
The Horror At Highrook Is A Mysterious Card-Based Investigation Game, And Also There's A Cat

1 week ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

For years I owned this huge illustrated Lovecraft book that I knew I should get rid of but which I struggled to finally take out to the curb: not from any attachment to the works themselves, but because the weight of the book made it perfect for pressing tofu. But I’m often curious about how works inspired by Lovecraft deal with questions of mythos and knowledge, which made recent indie card-based game The Horror At Highrook intriguing.
Polygon Sold To Valnet

2 weeks ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

Gaming site Polygon has been sold to Valnet, Kotaku first reported this morning. Multiple staff members have confirmed they've lost their jobs on social media.
Despelote Is A Small Game About How Big Soccer Can Be

2 weeks ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

I don’t play many sports games (we can’t all be Luke) but I’m always intrigued by a game that does something more than just recreate a sport’s mechanics. Soccer game Despelote, out today, captures both the physical and emotional side of the game from the perspective of a young fan. I first played a version of Despelote years ago at the NYU Game Center, where its unique look stuck with me.
I Didn't Think It Was Possible, But They're Making Duolingo Worse

2 weeks ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

You’ll remember my rant against Duolingo, which has now turned one of Aftermath’s Discord channels into a regular vent session as we share the language learning app’s latest follies. (My recent complaint: I pop in to do one lesson and it keeps foisting XP boosts on me, a naked attempt to keep me on the app that absolutely works, because I am a rube.) Well, I’m back with a new complaint, which is the harder pivot to AI Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn announced yesterday.
How To Not Play As Nathan Grayson In Clair Obscur

2 weeks ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

Several of us at Aftermath are enjoying Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a very French RPG that came out last week. I’m liking it so far, though I’m struggling with it a bit. One of my challenges is wrapping my head around its combat, particularly the timing of dodges and parries. Another is how much of the game I’ve had to play as my longtime colleague Nathan Grayson. Clair Obscur protagonist Gustave looks just like Nathan.
AI Has Come For The Horse In The Hospital

3 weeks ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

This morning, my Bluesky feed was full of people who have discovered what seems to be a quirk in Google’s AI search. Apparently, if you ask it the meaning of an idiom you’ve made up, it will treat it like a real, well-known expression and, with the embarrassing confidence only AI can muster, tell you what it means.
Good Morning To All My Blue Prince Non-Sickos

3 weeks ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

The–sorry–discourse around Blue Prince has been weird as hell. Everyone who got access to it before its launch came out of the gate raving about it. This set up a lot of expectations for its wider release; from the conversations I’ve seen, some people feel pressured to like it, or like they don’t “get” the game if they don’t. Others seem to feel they have to defend why they aren’t psyched on it, while people who love it are quick to offer advice for those who don’t.
I Quit Watching Social Media Videos, And I Am *Not* Full Of Regret

4 weeks ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

I’ve written before about my problem with Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts, Instagram, and any other site that gives me an endless scroll of short-form videos: I will keep watching that shit long past the point that it’s giving me anything of value, despite the fact that I know these services are manipulating me. You’re better than this, I chastise myself, before losing whole evenings of my life to literal garbage.
Games Writing Words I Hate

1 month ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

Back at Kotaku, our style guide contained a list of over-used or meaningless phrases that were banned from headlines and articles. My strongest memory is of “looks” making an appearance every press conference season, very good advice that also forced me to think more deeply about what had actually happened during a marathon of trailers. In my decade-plus of working as a professional editor in games journalism, I’ve developed my own personal list of words I axe from drafts.