Ryan Zhao πŸ”œ GDC's Avatar

Ryan Zhao πŸ”œ GDC

@insrtcoins

Author: The Fundamentals of Video Game Literacy (coming April). Podcast host for Play;Write, Cane and Rinse, and Sound of Play. Marketing for Xbox Game Pass, prev. Nintendo. https://letterboxd.com/InsrtCoins/ My gaming blog: https://www.upbyupleft.com/

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03.07.2023
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Latest posts by Ryan Zhao πŸ”œ GDC @insrtcoins

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GlitchSPANKR🟩
Comedy game that feels like a Rick & Morty-type riff on There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension and The Stanley Parable. Funny plotting and performances, but the core mechanic (the slapping stick) could be better optimized as a physical comedy prop. Plenty of novelty; could use more "glitch"

07.03.2026 23:52 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Every shot in the film has at least one completely unexpected decision.

07.03.2026 17:49 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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Uhh. What just happened?!

07.03.2026 10:05 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Chloe Zhao already in talks to continue the Shakespeare's Unfortunate Children cinematic universe with Macneth (2027), Otnello (2029), and the most deliberately named of his children, Taning of the Snew (2030).

06.03.2026 20:31 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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06.03.2026 17:47 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

28 Weeks Later, The Wash, It Was Just an Accident, An American in Paris
#LastFourWatched

06.03.2026 17:31 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

streaming now! (ish)

05.03.2026 23:58 πŸ‘ 17 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Do you believe in extra lives after love

05.03.2026 22:28 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I think we view experts of, like, art and music as being studied PhDs in esoteric institutions publishing in insular journals, whereas experts in games can just be anyone and everyone. Speaking only of perception.

05.03.2026 20:30 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Like, it's not unusual to be casual friends with someone "important" in the discourse, which means that we see ourselves as being adjacent to that community and its expectations (refinement of taste stemming from wide exposure and "keeping up"). One viral podcast appearance from being an influencer.

05.03.2026 20:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I think there is that expectation amongst those deep in music or movie community or critics. Maybe the accessibility of video game critics (or the wider "professional opinion-havers" pool) contributes to the sense that everyone wants to view themselves as an expert.

05.03.2026 20:30 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

For as direct a clue as this is, there are still technically two acceptable answers.

05.03.2026 16:50 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Kurt and the Cobains
Kurt and the Cobains YouTube video by Ryan Zhao

@tcgs.co Your discussion of Kurt Cobain in Guitar Hero made me remember one of my favorite game clips I captured many years ago:

05.03.2026 08:54 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Snoop Dogg has one of the strangest discographies of anyone of his level of success. It feels like R&G in 2004 (or maybe Blue Carpet Treatment in 2006) was the last real studio album he made -- everything since then feels like mixtapes. Has he done anything since 2006 that feels *expertly produced*?

05.03.2026 05:14 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Thanks. I'll DM you.

05.03.2026 00:34 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Not needing support for in-game capture yet. If you're interested in looking at existing clips and suggesting, "I bet we could get a shot like this in [game]", I can send more information.

04.03.2026 21:41 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Would anyone be interested in participating in the creation of a docu-style film made from footage captured from video games? At this stage, needing support identifying games from which we could capture footage that matches specific existing live-action video.

04.03.2026 21:41 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

I always loved the purple bug on the cover art.

04.03.2026 19:09 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I know nothing about the movie it's advertising, but this poster is insane.

04.03.2026 01:21 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
GIPTM: February 2026 Micro-reviews of the games I've played this month. Featuring: The SΓ©ance of Blake Manor, BALL x PIT, Sometimes to Deal with the Difficulty of Being Alive I Need to Believe There Is a Possibility That ...

My monthly post of mini-reviews for all of the games I completed in February.

Includes:
The SΓ©ance of Blake Manor
BALL x PIT update
Sometimes to Deal with the Difficulty of Being Alive I Need to Believe There Is a Possibility That Life Is Not Real
Isopod
Babushka's Glitch Dungeon
[...]

01.03.2026 08:18 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Featuring the content of HBO, Paramount, and Viacom, we introduce HPV Max.

02.03.2026 19:10 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I don't think they have Amy Rose's look quite right yet.

02.03.2026 19:00 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

[...]
Wheel World
UNBEATABLE
Tall Trails
Grapple Dog
Nikoderiko: The Magical World
to a T
PIG in HELL
Lil Gator Game: In the Dark
Demon Tides
Mini Motorways (Hong Kong & Cape Town updates)

01.03.2026 08:18 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

[...]
Wheel World
UNBEATABLE
Tall Trails
Grapple Dog
Nikoderiko: The Magical World
to a T
PIG in HELL
Lil Gator Game: In the Dark
Demon Tides
Mini Motorways (Hong Kong & Cape Town updates)

01.03.2026 08:18 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
GIPTM: February 2026 Micro-reviews of the games I've played this month. Featuring: The SΓ©ance of Blake Manor, BALL x PIT, Sometimes to Deal with the Difficulty of Being Alive I Need to Believe There Is a Possibility That ...

My monthly post of mini-reviews for all of the games I completed in February.

Includes:
The SΓ©ance of Blake Manor
BALL x PIT update
Sometimes to Deal with the Difficulty of Being Alive I Need to Believe There Is a Possibility That Life Is Not Real
Isopod
Babushka's Glitch Dungeon
[...]

01.03.2026 08:18 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
album cover for a band called GOITSE

album cover for a band called GOITSE

did a quadruple take

28.02.2026 03:48 πŸ‘ 2839 πŸ” 444 πŸ’¬ 125 πŸ“Œ 50

FFS we just want to play Bloodborne in 60 frames and it's being treated like the moon landing.

27.02.2026 22:10 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Hale County This Morning This Evening, Time for Sushi, Poetic Justice, Kwaidan
#LastFourWatched

Highlights of the week were Donkey Skin and The Secret Agent.

27.02.2026 18:47 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

What's the point of this? I can watch a better version of this whenever I want already. What's the take? What's the angle that justifies its translation across mediums? I'll keep an open mind if there *is* a take, but this looks like some How to Train Your Dragon-esque unnecessary live action.

27.02.2026 18:20 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

People are always asking me where to find official artwork for DJ Rotom.

27.02.2026 16:48 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0