Playing This Week
Katya RyabovaVideo game essays and reporting putting the spotlight on the Canadian video game industry, by a journalist and a recovering marketer based in Toronto. A sucker for good RPGs, adventure, and cozy games (whatever that means).
| Platform |  | Pricing | Only free issues | Publishes | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 84 | Founded | 2 years ago | Last Issue | 4 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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playingthisweek.substack.comLatest Issues
My writing for games media outside of Substack
It has come to my attention that Substack doesn’t ~~think I’m a real journalist~~ know what I’m up to outside of writing my little posts here.
That’s really no surprise—how would you, if I don’t tell you? But I haven’t found an organic way...
The coolest sh*t I’ve seen at Gamescom
Gamescom is yesterday’s news already. Of course. It’s been a while— now it’s Tokyo Game Show’s turn to flood my inbox with the same PR deluge, even though I’m not in Japan.
For the last couple of days, I enjoyed the last remaining bit of m...
Gaming on the road
Steam on my Chromebook finally bit the dust.
I knew that before departing on my latest European jaunt. Given that the Steam beta for Chromebooks was set to end on January 1, 2026, it's remarkable that I not only successfully ran, but truly...
What I think about generative AI in video games
Photo by Phillip Glickman on Unsplash
Right in time for Gamescom, it’s time to ~~alienate potential contacts~~ write another hard-hitting AI piece!
While I truly don’t want to discuss genAI any more than necessary, or at all, I find mysel...
A detailed look at Curse of Resthaven demo
Falling in love with a demo is risky business. It wraps the game in layers of expectations, the player’s idea of the game, which may or may not come to pass.
I don’t need to tell you that a demo might be polished to oblivion, while the end...
Key Facts
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| Subscribers | Engagement | 75 | Monthly Web Visits | ||
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| #95 |
Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Freelance writer & journalist. Gaming, Canadian-made video games, hot takes and cold drinks. She/her
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