I had planned to update this site more often, and then before I knew it, we were already halfway through the year! It’s been a hectic few months with some real highlights but also some bitter lows.

I visited my brother and his family in Cambodia in April, and it was so lovely to get away from everything and have some new adventures. However, 2026 looks shakier than ever for the gaming industry, so it can be a struggle to stay optimistic at the moment.

Gaming Journalism

Some of the highlights so far this year have been gaming events I’ve been to. Most recently, I went to Download Festival to interview The Primals (who were absolutely lovely).

Since January, I attended BAFTA Games in Concert, went to Gothenburg to visit Wishfully Studios, I had the absolute honour of being a juror for the BAFTA Games Awards (Performer in a Leading Role), I got spooked at the Directive 8020 preview event, attended LVL UP Expo in Las Vegas, and went to Twitch Con in Rotterdam!

You can check out some of my work from these events here:

The Primals Were Thrilled To Have Crowd-Surfing During Their Download Festival Performance: “That Would Never Happen In Japan”

From Eorzea to the muddy fields of Download Festival: I spoke with Final Fantasy 14’s in-house band The Primals after their set.

www.thegamer.com

Twitch’s Mike Minton On AI: As A Tool For Creators, It Can Help To “Create More, Create Better, Create With Less Work”

At TwitchCon 2026 in Rotterdam, I sat down with Mike Minton to chat about Twitch Drops.

www.thegamer.com

Maile Flanagan Says Recording Naruto For The Video Games Is More Difficult Than The Show

Maile Flanagain discusses the emotional growth of Naruto, acting challenges, and how anime has become mainstream.

www.thegamer.com

Kaiji Tang On Kiryu: “I Would Love To Keep Seeing Him In The Yakuza Games”

Kaiji Tang geeks out with us about the Yakuza series, what he hopes for Ichiban’s future, and what’s involved in the recording process.

www.thegamer.com

Sean Gunn Says Pulling Double Duty As Kraglin And Rocket Raccoon In Guardians Of The Galaxy Was “The Trickiest Stuff That I’ve Done Career-Wise”

We spoke with Sean Gunn about a possible return as Kraglin, video game work, and what he loves about acting.

www.thegamer.com

Folklore Project

My folklore project is still going. I have now amassed an even larger collection of books on Devonshire folklore. I have come across some absolutely exciting stories in old newspapers, but I don’t want to spoil the book, so you’ll just have to wait!

I really need to dedicate more time to this. It’s not that progress is slow, but when I am reviewing a game or away and can’t really get back to it properly for a couple of weeks, it can be a bit jarring to think ‘Right, what research was I in the middle of?’

The problem is I lack the self control to truly compartmentalise my life, so if I’m at my PC working on my folklore stuff, it’s very difficult not to check in on journalism work.

Gardening

I’ve become just a little bit obsessed with gardening. Has old age finally taken me? In particular, I am completely taken by dahlias, so I’ve been collecting all sorts of varieties and trying my hardest to keep them alive and well, which is pretty hard to do when you’re battling against slugs, snails, and other pests.

I also thought I had saved an old salvia from last year from one of my flower beds and nurtured it back to life in another pot, only to find out it was a weed… so I’m definitely still learning! Plants don’t seem to be dying as much as last year though, so that’s an improvement! In fact, none of my plants has died yet this year!