Río Robayo (She/Her)
@riorobayo.bsky.social
🌟She/Her
🌟Writer and Reviewer for Qualbert.com
🌟Spanglish Speaker 🇦🇺 🇻🇪
🌟Professional Whinger
🌟Writer and Reviewer for Qualbert.com
🌟Spanglish Speaker 🇦🇺 🇻🇪
🌟Professional Whinger
Pinned
I’m Still Not Done Talking About AI Use in The Alters | Qualbert
The more we let companies use GenAI in development, the more we all stand to lose. We examine the ripple effects of AI use in games, beginning with The Alters.
www.qualbert.com
Finally finished this monster piece about the Alters! This is my second big feature for Qualbert, and gets into why I want genAI out of my damn games www.qualbert.com/ai-use-in-th...
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
Cool! I added this line to PancitoMerge's credits a couple weeks ago, glad to see many others are pushing the same idea in different ways.
November 24, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Cool! I added this line to PancitoMerge's credits a couple weeks ago, glad to see many others are pushing the same idea in different ways.
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
If we have a kid we are absolutely forbidding Roblox. I know I will inevitably cave on a number of other stupid things all their little friends are doing, but this is a hard line in the sand that no amount of screaming will change.
Oh my god that is the worst possible answer
November 21, 2025 at 6:53 PM
If we have a kid we are absolutely forbidding Roblox. I know I will inevitably cave on a number of other stupid things all their little friends are doing, but this is a hard line in the sand that no amount of screaming will change.
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
I’m curious; are other European languages as bad as English when it comes to discouraging repetition in writing? Every time I write a review I have to use roughly a dozen different words throughout for simple adjectives like “fun” and “unique” to avoid the dreaded repetitiveness
November 20, 2025 at 10:04 AM
I’m curious; are other European languages as bad as English when it comes to discouraging repetition in writing? Every time I write a review I have to use roughly a dozen different words throughout for simple adjectives like “fun” and “unique” to avoid the dreaded repetitiveness
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
Why am I so against generative AI in games?
Because I simply do not want my initial reaction to art to be one of suspicion and scrutiny, AI slop is fundamentally damaging my relationship to art and artistry, and I am deeply resentful that it is forcing me to be guarded when I should be wowed.
Because I simply do not want my initial reaction to art to be one of suspicion and scrutiny, AI slop is fundamentally damaging my relationship to art and artistry, and I am deeply resentful that it is forcing me to be guarded when I should be wowed.
November 17, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Why am I so against generative AI in games?
Because I simply do not want my initial reaction to art to be one of suspicion and scrutiny, AI slop is fundamentally damaging my relationship to art and artistry, and I am deeply resentful that it is forcing me to be guarded when I should be wowed.
Because I simply do not want my initial reaction to art to be one of suspicion and scrutiny, AI slop is fundamentally damaging my relationship to art and artistry, and I am deeply resentful that it is forcing me to be guarded when I should be wowed.
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
Metroid is a fascinating study of fandoms vs shifting official presentation, clashing visions of what and who a character is, and also of a franchise that is way more popular overseas than it is in its home country.
The entire fandom’s (and Retro Studios) initial assumption: “Oh she hunts down the baddest monsters in the galaxy and gets paid for it, right?”
Nintendo: “What? No. She’s like humanity’s motherly guardian. What are you talking about.”
www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/04...
Nintendo: “What? No. She’s like humanity’s motherly guardian. What are you talking about.”
www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/04...
November 15, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Metroid is a fascinating study of fandoms vs shifting official presentation, clashing visions of what and who a character is, and also of a franchise that is way more popular overseas than it is in its home country.
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
Been laughing at this for about 10 minutes.
November 14, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Been laughing at this for about 10 minutes.
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
I have a million things I could add to this and only so many characters. I have heard some version of this from almost everyone in games PR in Aus, but the names they use are News or Nine. They want normies, new audiences, not the core. Whatever they’re selling, they already expect you to buy it.
I've had this chat with PR people and they know that supporting smaller sites and freelancers makes sense and would help build a healthier games media.
The problem is game publishers pretty much exclusively want GI cover stories or an IGN First and anything smaller isn't worth it.
The problem is game publishers pretty much exclusively want GI cover stories or an IGN First and anything smaller isn't worth it.
I don't understand this mentality as long as the person/website has reputable people. How does it hurt you to provide a code? With how hard it is to get publicity for games of all sizes even "small" coverage seems like it would only help?
November 14, 2025 at 2:04 AM
I have a million things I could add to this and only so many characters. I have heard some version of this from almost everyone in games PR in Aus, but the names they use are News or Nine. They want normies, new audiences, not the core. Whatever they’re selling, they already expect you to buy it.
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
Anyone else noticed how Nazi rallies get the go-ahead fairly easily from state governments, then the horrified public reaction is weaponised to pass anti-protest laws, which are then used to quash anti-genocide dissent and justify police assaults on small brown women? You picking up on this, too??
November 13, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Anyone else noticed how Nazi rallies get the go-ahead fairly easily from state governments, then the horrified public reaction is weaponised to pass anti-protest laws, which are then used to quash anti-genocide dissent and justify police assaults on small brown women? You picking up on this, too??
Saw the trailer for this. Looks very cheeky and fun
November 14, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Saw the trailer for this. Looks very cheeky and fun
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
Despelote
Fill in the blank:
Before you pick your Game of the Year, make sure you play _______
Before you pick your Game of the Year, make sure you play _______
November 14, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Despelote
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
hard not to feel like we (whoever is left in games media) waged a battle for a decade we could never win
Hard not to connect yesterday's Media Watch stuff to more games media job losses.
Sad fact: these fuckups are inevitable when there is no way for people to cover video games ethically and pay the rent.
We exist in an ecosystem built to sell us shit with zero oversight. It's all by design. Borked.
Sad fact: these fuckups are inevitable when there is no way for people to cover video games ethically and pay the rent.
We exist in an ecosystem built to sell us shit with zero oversight. It's all by design. Borked.
November 12, 2025 at 1:44 AM
hard not to feel like we (whoever is left in games media) waged a battle for a decade we could never win
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
La nomenclatura Juana la Loca sigue la misma estructura que Sonic el erizo
November 10, 2025 at 11:06 AM
La nomenclatura Juana la Loca sigue la misma estructura que Sonic el erizo
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
Si ves a alguien leyendo y crees que está siendo performativo es más un problema tuyo que de la persona leyendo
November 10, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Si ves a alguien leyendo y crees que está siendo performativo es más un problema tuyo que de la persona leyendo
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
I read a thread about games with terrible UI earlier and this video has been destroying me all day.
November 10, 2025 at 12:37 AM
I read a thread about games with terrible UI earlier and this video has been destroying me all day.
I wasn't able to come to this!! Super keen to fire this up!
The Parallels 2025 recording is live! Whether you want to revisit a favourite talk or see the show for the first time, it's available on our channel now:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD2a...
🎩🏈💀🃏⬜💐🧚🏠
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD2a...
🎩🏈💀🃏⬜💐🧚🏠
Freeplay Parallels 2025
YouTube video by Freeplay
www.youtube.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:29 AM
I wasn't able to come to this!! Super keen to fire this up!
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
is it better for countries to invest in boring things like transport and energy infrastructure or should they invest all their money in useless chatbots that talk in reddit-voice on the vague and completely unsubstantiated hope that they'll be able to do something profitable one day
November 7, 2025 at 10:19 PM
is it better for countries to invest in boring things like transport and energy infrastructure or should they invest all their money in useless chatbots that talk in reddit-voice on the vague and completely unsubstantiated hope that they'll be able to do something profitable one day
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
November 10, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
Not to be the fun police but I do hope people know that Arc Raiders does use generative AI for voice acting, and by supporting the game you're letting higher-ups know that this is an okay practice.
They try to downplay this on the Steam store page by describing the AI usage as vaguely as possible.
They try to downplay this on the Steam store page by describing the AI usage as vaguely as possible.
November 8, 2025 at 6:51 AM
Not to be the fun police but I do hope people know that Arc Raiders does use generative AI for voice acting, and by supporting the game you're letting higher-ups know that this is an okay practice.
They try to downplay this on the Steam store page by describing the AI usage as vaguely as possible.
They try to downplay this on the Steam store page by describing the AI usage as vaguely as possible.
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
Panera’s moderately caffeinated lemonade was loosely associated with 2 deaths before it was taken off market.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
I fully believe in the corporate death penalty and believe we would be a better world if OpenAI lost its corporate charter and was forcibly dissolved.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
ChatGPT encouraged college graduate to commit suicide, family claims in lawsuit against OpenAI | CNN
A 23-year-old man killed himself in Texas after ChatGPT ‘goaded’ him to commit suicide, his family says in a lawsuit.
www.cnn.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Panera’s moderately caffeinated lemonade was loosely associated with 2 deaths before it was taken off market.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
This article alone has 4 examples of ChatGPT encouraging young people to commit suicide, and OpenAI’s own public stats estimate over a million users discuss suicide with ChatGPT each week.
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
There are no words for how evil this is
November 7, 2025 at 1:36 AM
There are no words for how evil this is
Reposted by Río Robayo (She/Her)
When @kjpalmer.bsky.social and I worked at EB Games together, some kid called up asking for “Grand Sex Auto” and to this day it might be the funniest joke I’ve ever heard
In 2008, the children would ask me for GTA Eye Vee. In 2013, a new crop of children would ask me for GTA Vee. In 2026, the children will ask a dead eyed clerk for GTA Vee Eye. And so the wheel turns, forever.
Thinking about when I was working retail during the GTA IV launch and people were coming in asking for GTA Eye Vee.
November 7, 2025 at 1:57 AM
When @kjpalmer.bsky.social and I worked at EB Games together, some kid called up asking for “Grand Sex Auto” and to this day it might be the funniest joke I’ve ever heard