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Ben Kuchera

@benkuchera.bsky.social

4.7K followers 710 following 8.5K posts

I'm pretty sure this isn't Twitter, but let's hang out anyway. I've spent 20 years reporting on games and pop culture for Ars Technica, Penny Arcade, and Polygon. I've set the internet on fire a few times, in fact! Don't worry though, I'm nowhere near done

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Reposted by Ben Kuchera

Brendan Keogh @brkeogh.bsky.social · 14h

Visa and Mastercard have the opportunity to do something really funny.

Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 18h

Oh good, ChatGPT is getting "erotica for verified adults" later this year

We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.

Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases.

In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!). If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing).

In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our “treat adult users like adults” principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 10h

There was some solid discourse about its themes that lasted exactly six minutes

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 10h

My two thoughts on every podcast being on video:

1) Not every art form should require every bit of promotional potential to be considered valid.

2) One of my favorite movie podcasters is trying facial hair and frankly it needs to stop

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 11h

That is the most amazing turn I've ever seen a question take.

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 13h

This is an Xbox

Game Developers Conference @officialgdc.bsky.social · 17h

🎮 PIXELS → POWER-UPS → PURE MAGIC ✨
Next week changes everything.
GDC Festival of Gaming 2026 registration launches!

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 13h

I know, I wrote the message

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 1d

Find a buddy with ADHD and let them know they're not in trouble.

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 1d

I had no idea! My kids had midwives and we were pretty crunchy about it, love it!

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 2d

Now it's time for this masterpiece. Absolutely thunderous when you give it some volume and space.

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 2d

My first time listening to this record on a proper stereo, with the volume all the way up. My reaction?

Listen, it was recorded for like $20 and that comes through, but it's also a LOT heavier than I remember, with some really great drumming. One of the better garage rock debuts.

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 2d

Amen.

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 2d

Watching Mad Men as an adult is weird because you both feel sorry for Sally Draper and also realize how your emotionally unavailable baby boomer mother got that way.

Everyone has that same thought, right?

Right?

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 2d

These are the same people who thought Star Trek was apolitical.

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 2d

Business idea: Find a quiet lake somewhere and for $20 you can rent a small boat for an hour on which to float and read.

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 2d

However good you think you are at your job, none of us can ever match Leto's manager/agent whatever

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 2d

It's under ADHD, sorry to say

andy vs. @im-all-id.me · 4d

When is addiction to outrage being added to the dsm

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 2d

Tron flopped, but was influential. Tron: The Other One flopped, but had a great soundtrack. You'll never guess what happened with the third film.

Here's a hint about the new movie: Jared Leto is in it.

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 2d

Doing a Mad Men rewatch and everyone focuses on the womanizing and the boozing and the beautiful people and the horrible depictions of anything involving race.

It's also a long meditation on a terrifying idea: What if your imposter syndrome was real? What if you really didn't belong there?

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 2d

This is my new favorite response to that statement and it's kind of how my brain feels whenever I don't HAVE to do anything. Just a man with a strong Austrian accent yelling to chill out.

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 2d

Goddammit that's actually super good and actionable advice

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 2d

I never know what to do on days off.

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 3d

I visited Iran for an industry event during Trump's previous presidency and I expected it to be weird with other people but random folks on the street were basically like "we get it, our leaders are assholes too" and anyway Iran is nice.

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 3d

If the youths aren't coming up with annoying aesthetics what are we even doing here? They're trying to annoy a generation that came up on Nine Inch Nails, they had to really go for it.

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 3d

Goonies never say die is written on my data disc, let's go hunt a fascism

a man in a futuristic outfit with the letter t on the chest

ALT: a man in a futuristic outfit with the letter t on the chest

media.tenor.com

Ben Kuchera @benkuchera.bsky.social · 3d

I never feel like shutting up, laying down, and listening to records. I have to do so, operating on faith that once I'm there, I'll remember that I'm someone who loves nothing more than laying down, shutting up, and listening to records.

It has a 100 percent success rate.