Riley MacLeod

New York

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

Articles

Games Writing Words I Hate

2 weeks 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.
South Of Midnight Has Great Difficulty Options

2 weeks ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

Like a lot of folks, Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight had me intrigued since its reveal, with its folklore-tinged world and painterly look. I’ve been playing it this weekend (the game became available last week for people who purchased its “Premium” edition, and comes out officially on April 8) and so far its world lives up to what I’d hoped from its trailers, alongside some unique difficulty options that let me enjoy that world even more.
Switch 2 Pre-Orders Are The Future

2 weeks ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

The Switch 2 rollout continues to be weird: As you might have heard by now, Nintendo has delayed pre-orders in the US due to Trump’s tariffs, announced via a press release to various outlets. Why you are first hearing this through the press rather than from Nintendo is a bit beyond me, and further highlights how strange this whole thing has been. I first learned this via GameSpot.
Riley MacLeod

3 weeks ago | kotaku.com | Riley MacLeod

It’s the week before E3, so let’s look forward to some games we can actually play before we all get excited about …
Schedule 1 Is What Would Happen If Breaking Bad Was Stardew Valley

3 weeks ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

Politically, I am very much in favor of decriminalizing weed, but on a personal level, I absolutely can’t stand it. I feel bad about this–who hates weed?!--but after years of trying not to feel like the world’s biggest dork, I’ve learned to just quietly slip away when people are using it. Given this, recent early access drug-dealing game Schedule 1 should in no way be my thing, but somehow I’ve been playing the hell out of it.
Schedule 1 Is What Would Happen If Breaking Bad Was Stardew Valley - Aftermath

3 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Riley MacLeod

Schedule 1 Is What Would Happen If Breaking Bad Was Stardew Valley - AftermathPolitically, I am very much in favor of decriminalizing weed, but on a personal level, I absolutely can’t stand it. I feel bad about this–who hates …
Game Informer Relaunches With Original Staff

4 weeks ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

Former Game Informer staff announced today that the site and magazine are coming back, following their abrupt closure by owner GameStop last August. The entire staff at the time of the shutdown will return, and, after the contents of its website were completely taken offline, the Game Informer site is back online too.
Dawnfolk Is The Chillest, Teeny-Tiniest City-Builder

1 month ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

Maybe you have this problem too: There’s a new, or new to you, game you want to play, but you can’t seem to get in the right headspace to learn its ropes. Maybe you’re too tired or stressed out or distracted to give your attention to a bunch of new jargon and menus and button presses. Enter Dawnfolk, a recent city-builder that’s both complex and approachable. Dawnfolkcame out in February, but I only learned about it last week thanks to past colleague John Walker.
Is It The Right Time For Shows About Wellness Conspiracies?

1 month ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

I was at brunch with some friends a few weeks ago, one of whom is a massage therapist. We got onto the topic of–what else–politics, and my friend talked about how pervasively the alt-right has seeped into her sphere, which once felt like a bastion of, if not leftist ideas, at least anti-conservative ones. As the US government starts pushing fringe health theories into the mainstream, two recent TV shows–Apple Cider Vinegar and Common Side Effects–also explore this world and its dark side.
I Let Chris Person Improve My Audio Setup, And I Am Full Of Regret

1 month ago | aftermath.site | Riley MacLeod

Remember when Chris wrote that blog about shitty Yeti mics? That was inspired by me and my refusal to heed his advice by buying a garbage mic he warned me at length would be garbage. I returned that busted mic and basically never thought about my audio setup again–until recently, when I was, let’s say, politely informed via our podcast producers that it’s time to get big boy gear. This has been bad news for me, though very good news for Chris.