Jason Hawreliak
@profjay.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Game Studies. Brock University, dept. of Digital Humanities.
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
a government agent, who murdered a civilian for peacefully protesting, flying a dont-tread-on-me flag is such a perfect distillation of the maga ethos it almost feels fake
ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who shot and killed an unarmed civilian, flew a don't-tread-on-me Gadsden flag at his house, per the Daily Mail.
January 9, 2026 at 2:47 PM
a government agent, who murdered a civilian for peacefully protesting, flying a dont-tread-on-me flag is such a perfect distillation of the maga ethos it almost feels fake
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
this is your mission. roll up to this daycare in full tactical gear to harass some kids and teachers. when you get spooked by your own shadow like a panicked horse and start shooting your gun, our pedophile president will call the person you shot a terrorist. good luck soldier
January 8, 2026 at 2:33 PM
this is your mission. roll up to this daycare in full tactical gear to harass some kids and teachers. when you get spooked by your own shadow like a panicked horse and start shooting your gun, our pedophile president will call the person you shot a terrorist. good luck soldier
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
Today's events with ICE are an example of why I don't quibble about calling the Trump regime fascist. There's no utility in throwing around academic terms like 'competitive authoritarianism' when the President has a personal army invading cities and murdering citizens. It's fascism.
January 7, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Today's events with ICE are an example of why I don't quibble about calling the Trump regime fascist. There's no utility in throwing around academic terms like 'competitive authoritarianism' when the President has a personal army invading cities and murdering citizens. It's fascism.
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
Hey Canadians! Your taxes subsidize these big game companies and you should be furious about this.
Ubisoft closes Halifax studio weeks after workers vote to unionize
Ubisoft closes Halifax studio weeks after workers vote to unionize
Workers at the Canadian studio voted to unionize in December in search of security in an era of 'studio closures, layoffs, and increasing instability.'
www.gamedeveloper.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Hey Canadians! Your taxes subsidize these big game companies and you should be furious about this.
Really shitty that this keeps happening
The studio announced it had formed a union, joining CWA Canada, mere weeks ago.
Ubisoft has announced the closure of its Halifax studio, which had been working on mobile titles for Rainbow Six and Assassin's Creed.
www.gamesindustry.biz/ubisoft-shut...
www.gamesindustry.biz/ubisoft-shut...
January 7, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Really shitty that this keeps happening
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
one takeaway from the grok noncon porn thing is that much of the media just isn't interested in an issue they can't pretend has two sides or that doesn't give them an opportunity to shit on the left. Also it would be uncomfortable to justify remaining on twitter after acknowledging it
January 6, 2026 at 9:06 PM
one takeaway from the grok noncon porn thing is that much of the media just isn't interested in an issue they can't pretend has two sides or that doesn't give them an opportunity to shit on the left. Also it would be uncomfortable to justify remaining on twitter after acknowledging it
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
Their messaging is so fucking incoherent. Maduro was an illegitimate leader who lost in 2024, which is why we're replacing him with his VP instead of the person who won in 2024. We did this to stop fentanyl, which is why he's indicted for cocaine.
We're also occupying Venezuela via Zoom call.
We're also occupying Venezuela via Zoom call.
January 3, 2026 at 9:18 PM
Their messaging is so fucking incoherent. Maduro was an illegitimate leader who lost in 2024, which is why we're replacing him with his VP instead of the person who won in 2024. We did this to stop fentanyl, which is why he's indicted for cocaine.
We're also occupying Venezuela via Zoom call.
We're also occupying Venezuela via Zoom call.
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
"Maduro is a brutal authoritarian dictator," I wisely intone, as the corrupt demented paedophile US President violating Constitutional Law while operating a gestapo and concentration camps illegally arrests a foreign leader on charges which read like they were written on a paper placemat in crayon.
January 3, 2026 at 1:24 PM
"Maduro is a brutal authoritarian dictator," I wisely intone, as the corrupt demented paedophile US President violating Constitutional Law while operating a gestapo and concentration camps illegally arrests a foreign leader on charges which read like they were written on a paper placemat in crayon.
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
Abysmal statement from Canada on the illegal US action in Venezuela.
It doesn’t matter how much you dislike Maduro, that doesn’t justify a violation of international law and the UN Charter. You can’t call on “all parties” to respect international law and not call out US lawlessness.
It doesn’t matter how much you dislike Maduro, that doesn’t justify a violation of international law and the UN Charter. You can’t call on “all parties” to respect international law and not call out US lawlessness.
Please see my statement on the situation in Venezuela:
January 3, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Abysmal statement from Canada on the illegal US action in Venezuela.
It doesn’t matter how much you dislike Maduro, that doesn’t justify a violation of international law and the UN Charter. You can’t call on “all parties” to respect international law and not call out US lawlessness.
It doesn’t matter how much you dislike Maduro, that doesn’t justify a violation of international law and the UN Charter. You can’t call on “all parties” to respect international law and not call out US lawlessness.
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
I know it’s probably deeply annoying to see Americans go “holy shit, the nakedness of this” after our history of indigenous genocide and global regime change, but what is especially scary about this is that the more recent bullshit alibis at least took some time to drum up and put into place.
Trump: "We're going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure and start making money for the country. And we are ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to do so."
January 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM
I know it’s probably deeply annoying to see Americans go “holy shit, the nakedness of this” after our history of indigenous genocide and global regime change, but what is especially scary about this is that the more recent bullshit alibis at least took some time to drum up and put into place.
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
Corrupt tech billionaires are buying power to tilt the world in their favor.
Even the co-founder of Y Combinator is saying it. ⬇️
The radical death cult rising from Silicon Valley venture capital is metastasizing rapidly.
It's an existential threat to democracy and humanity.
Even the co-founder of Y Combinator is saying it. ⬇️
The radical death cult rising from Silicon Valley venture capital is metastasizing rapidly.
It's an existential threat to democracy and humanity.
January 2, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Corrupt tech billionaires are buying power to tilt the world in their favor.
Even the co-founder of Y Combinator is saying it. ⬇️
The radical death cult rising from Silicon Valley venture capital is metastasizing rapidly.
It's an existential threat to democracy and humanity.
Even the co-founder of Y Combinator is saying it. ⬇️
The radical death cult rising from Silicon Valley venture capital is metastasizing rapidly.
It's an existential threat to democracy and humanity.
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
Thank you all for your patience! Without further ado, it's This Year In Videogame Blogging 2025, complete with a bonus This Week In Videogame Blogging, December 28, 2025!
critical-distance.com/2026/01/01/t...
critical-distance.com/2026/01/01/t...
critical-distance.com
January 1, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Thank you all for your patience! Without further ado, it's This Year In Videogame Blogging 2025, complete with a bonus This Week In Videogame Blogging, December 28, 2025!
critical-distance.com/2026/01/01/t...
critical-distance.com/2026/01/01/t...
This game is like watching Madden
January 2, 2026 at 3:49 AM
This game is like watching Madden
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
An essential development over the past decade-plus is that the ignorant went from feeling chastened when their ignorance was revealed to banding together and deciding that, actually, they were right. They might disagree at times, but they agreed that ignorance itself was an indicator of trust.
December 29, 2025 at 3:26 PM
An essential development over the past decade-plus is that the ignorant went from feeling chastened when their ignorance was revealed to banding together and deciding that, actually, they were right. They might disagree at times, but they agreed that ignorance itself was an indicator of trust.
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
Targeting a religious gathering because you believe that all Jewish people are responsible for the actions of the state of Israel is center-mass antisemitism.
So the younger shooter, in a video submitted to the court, claims the shooting was aimed at the Zionist policies of Israel as a state. This is distinct from being an attack against Jewish people as a group. Once again the pro-Zionist coalition and right wing media jumped the gun and got it wrong.
December 24, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Targeting a religious gathering because you believe that all Jewish people are responsible for the actions of the state of Israel is center-mass antisemitism.
Should've had Rivers run 4 consecutive QB draws. Cowards
December 23, 2025 at 4:12 AM
Should've had Rivers run 4 consecutive QB draws. Cowards
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
I’ve been in game dev for 26 years and I can’t remember any other time where a specific tech was being insistently and persistently pushed on devs as a group in the public sphere.
Why would it? Cui bono? Why would any given dev have an interest in other devs using tech they don’t have a stake in?
Why would it? Cui bono? Why would any given dev have an interest in other devs using tech they don’t have a stake in?
My conspiracy theory about genAI in games blowing up more and more by big companies is that they’ve all got a ton of investors insisting they use genAI tools otherwise they(investors) won’t be able to bankroll em anymore
December 22, 2025 at 2:42 PM
I’ve been in game dev for 26 years and I can’t remember any other time where a specific tech was being insistently and persistently pushed on devs as a group in the public sphere.
Why would it? Cui bono? Why would any given dev have an interest in other devs using tech they don’t have a stake in?
Why would it? Cui bono? Why would any given dev have an interest in other devs using tech they don’t have a stake in?
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
In general, AI adoption levels are a measurement of to what extent a particular reward system (a corporation, a market, academia as a whole system) has ceased to distinguish between doing a thing and pretending to do a thing
One of many things the pro-AI crowd doesn't seem to understand is the very important distinction between academic scholarship and the production of papers. Of course they can be related but they're not necessarily the same thing
December 22, 2025 at 12:04 AM
In general, AI adoption levels are a measurement of to what extent a particular reward system (a corporation, a market, academia as a whole system) has ceased to distinguish between doing a thing and pretending to do a thing
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
Indigenous video games are gaining traction, and this independent studio is at the forefront
From The Globe and Mail feat. @achimogames.bsky.social
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/sma...
From The Globe and Mail feat. @achimogames.bsky.social
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/sma...
Indigenous video games are gaining traction, and this independent studio is at the forefront
Hamilton-based Achimostawinan Games is winning fans – and awards – thanks to its specific viewpoint and compelling gameplay
www.theglobeandmail.com
December 21, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Indigenous video games are gaining traction, and this independent studio is at the forefront
From The Globe and Mail feat. @achimogames.bsky.social
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/sma...
From The Globe and Mail feat. @achimogames.bsky.social
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/sma...
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
I am tempted to go on a longer discussion of this but I am on vacation. But as someone who leads the design department and hires and mentors designers, using chatGPT to write your design specs is antithetical to the role and job responsibilities of a designer.
December 21, 2025 at 6:27 PM
I am tempted to go on a longer discussion of this but I am on vacation. But as someone who leads the design department and hires and mentors designers, using chatGPT to write your design specs is antithetical to the role and job responsibilities of a designer.
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
Quantic Foundry does legit trustworthy analysis of gamer behaviour, and these survey results are shockingly negative toward genAI, to the point where I’m more hopeful that data driven mobile and AAA backpedals on their uses.
everyone dislikes genai in games, but kids and story-focused players the most.
sounds like we'll be ok. just have to stay the course here and the "inevitable" new technology nobody likes will die. again.
quanticfoundry.com/2025/12/18/g...
sounds like we'll be ok. just have to stay the course here and the "inevitable" new technology nobody likes will die. again.
quanticfoundry.com/2025/12/18/g...
Gamers Are Overwhelmingly Negative About Gen AI in Video Games, but Attitudes Vary by Gender, Age, and Gaming Motivations.
Learn about how gender, age, and gaming motivations shape the perception of Gen AI in video games.
quanticfoundry.com
December 20, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Quantic Foundry does legit trustworthy analysis of gamer behaviour, and these survey results are shockingly negative toward genAI, to the point where I’m more hopeful that data driven mobile and AAA backpedals on their uses.
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
"I refuse." This is it. There's no reason we should accept a narrative of an already settled future which marginalizes humans and individual agency. No one wants this. No one asked for it.
"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future."
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.
Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
December 19, 2025 at 1:21 PM
"I refuse." This is it. There's no reason we should accept a narrative of an already settled future which marginalizes humans and individual agency. No one wants this. No one asked for it.
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
this is to me the same issue in terms of why I was upset about Larian: a pattern of behaving badly towards the labor that makes a game possible
NEW: For the last seven weeks, Naughty Dog has enacted mandatory overtime for staff to finish an internal demo of their next game, Intergalactic. The game won't be out until 2027, leaving some staff wondering: If they're crunching now, what will next year be like? www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Naughty Dog Studio Orders Employee Overtime for ‘Intergalactic’
The Sony-owned gamemakers have been racing to hit a December deadline
www.bloomberg.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:40 PM
this is to me the same issue in terms of why I was upset about Larian: a pattern of behaving badly towards the labor that makes a game possible
Reposted by Jason Hawreliak
congrats to every "moderate" who cheered on this cruel, unfounded panic. hope you got what you wanted www.npr.org/sections/sho...
RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz announce moves to ban gender-affirming care for young people
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to announce a package of measures that would together ban gender-affirming care for minors. A press conference is set for 11 a.m. Thursday.
www.npr.org
December 18, 2025 at 4:56 PM
congrats to every "moderate" who cheered on this cruel, unfounded panic. hope you got what you wanted www.npr.org/sections/sho...