#18 - Vandalism

A few years back our local playground was in a complete state. This is a playground that had been run-down to the point of falling apart - the kind of place where you say a prayer before tentatively putting your precious child on the swing, because no amount of parental concern can best a child’s moaning.

I’m not sure what triggered it, but the playground finally received a long overdue complete overhaul. New swings, new climbing frame, new everything! Exciting times for the local kids who just wanted somewhere to have a bit of fun.

The news broke to my kids, so we excitedly walked over one sunny morning, expectations through the roof. To my horror, someone had smashed some bottles at the bottom of the slide. Cigarette butts were all over the platform in the middle of the climbing frame. Swear words had been spray painted onto the little roundabout.

I felt angry that this had been done, no doubt without a thought about who it would affect. Not the kids who were disappointed when they inevitably had to leave without playing, not the local council employee who had to go and clear it all up. Not the people who felt sad about the damage and the image it gives the town.

It might seem small, but it was truly gut-wrenching.

The main park in town has a little trampoline built into the ground. If you’ve got kids you’ll know a trampoline is always one of the most popular areas in a playground, kids often queuing to get a bounce. One day we turned up and the jumping mat had been sliced diagonally from corner to corner. It was out of action for months.

Why?!

Websites I’ve loved have been systematically burned to the ground. Metaphorically, of course, but many are hollow facsimiles of what they were before, their life and soul replaced by corporate greed. One of my most cherished YouTube channels, home to some of the greatest videos ever made, was nonchalantly deleted forever a few years ago. Years of work just flushed away because of… reasons.

Unbelievable!

Remember when Toys ‘R’ Us was bought by private equity? What was once a child’s dream destination became nothing more than a dank and dark corner of WHSMITH (for US readers, that’s a miserable UK high-street store that used to specialise in books, magazines, comics, and papers, but now mostly sells shit).

I’m being somewhat facetious, but you get it. A lot of great things that were built to be enjoyed are being torn down by people who simply don’t give a fuck.

But I come with hope. That local park was cleaned up. The trampoline was fixed. And, well, those websites and YouTube channels might be essentially gone forever, but the people that made them still exist. That creative spark will find a way to shine again.

It just so happens that I’m launching a new website about video games today. Head over to Respec, a fully independent site co-founded with industry legend Alex Donaldson (VG247, RPG Site). We’d love your support over there. It’s time we start building things up again.

Sadly, despite my son passing around a collection box at a Toby Carvery some years back (having found out about Toys ‘R’ Us’ demise while enjoying a Yorkshire Pudding), none of the adults chipped in. I’m sorry, Geoffrey.

Speaking of vandals… Xbox is in the middle of divesting five of its studios as part of what will amount to 3,200 people being cut loose. This follows years of similar behaviour following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard and Xbox struggling to perform in a market dominated by PlayStation and Nintendo.

Undead Labs (State of Decay) and Ninja Theory (Hellblade) both have new undisclosed owners, while Compulsion (South of Midnight) and Double Fine (Psychonauts) are going independent. Who knows what further job losses will fall on those studios now. Arkane, currently working on Blade, is also likely going the same way, but due to French law can’t be offloaded without proper process taking place. Add to this the axing of third-party games that were in development for Xbox, such as IO’s fantasy game, plus job losses across many retained Xbox studios and teams, and it’s all a bit hard to stomach.

The financial health of the business might be pushed forward as the reason for all this, but it’s a calamitous event that once again should make us all question the need for publicly owned companies that serve no one but their shareholders. If you’re anyone else, the people at the top simply don’t give a fuck. This is no way to ensure creativity is at the heart of one of the biggest creative industries. Oh, and the use of generative AI in game development can do one too!

This newsletter isn’t entirely about video games - in fact, this one was… well, actually this one was mostly about video games, both directly and indirectly, which doesn’t happen very often. I’ll have a think about some other bits and pieces and round them up in the quick reviews below. I’m a critic, too, you see.

Things I can review:

• Nobody (Prime Video): I love a bit of the ‘old man is a bad ass and kills people because he’s been wronged’ genre. Nobody, featuring a brilliantly unassuming turn by Bob Odenkirk, nails it, building his character up to be a normal man, a safe man, a pen pusher, before unleashing chaos. Top stuff, helped by a brilliant leading man. 4 surprised goons on a bus out of 5 broken noses.
• The Sun (look into the sky, but not directly at it): Right, I’ve had a long think about this, considered all arguments, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I still hate the sun. It could implode or whatever for all I care. I’d take the end of all civilisation for just one day with a comfortable temperature.
• Cold brew coffee (homemade): If you’re reading this, I could do with some help. I’ve been trying to make some cold brew coffee for a while, and it’s just not working. I’ve got a massive glass jar and a filter. I’ve been using pre-used coffee grounds (which I was told work fine), letting them steep for at least 12 hours. But it’s just making the kind of liquid you’d find in a puddle. Currently 1 unpleasant sip out of 5 revitalising shots of espresso.