Notes from the screen

Alpha is a gamer's blog about the experience of playing games: story, pacing, mechanics, and the games worth revisiting after the credits roll.

I write about the parts of a game that stay with me once the screen goes dark: how it feels to play, where the story earns its pace, and where it does not. No press releases, no news cycle, just careful notes from someone who plays.

Longform pieces that come back to the same questions: what a game asks of the player, and what it rewards.

How a narrative breathes across hours of play, and when a scene lands because the game has earned it.

The weight of a jump, the timing of a reload, and the small controls that shape how a game feels in the hands.

Games that deserve a second look, written about with the same attention I give the big releases.

Get new longform pieces on games and play delivered directly, with no marketing noise.