Five Games Journalists Worth Your Attention This Week

August 20, 2026 - 12:04

This week's Video Games Industry Memo is sponsored by Games In Italy, showcasing the country's growing game development scene at gamescom.

I'm writing this introduction from a train heading back from Edinburgh's Book Festival, where I discussed Power Play with a packed audience. Thanks to Caro Clarke for hosting. If you want to catch me later this year, I've confirmed appearances at book festivals in Jersey, Guildford and Stratford-upon-Avon this autumn.

VGIM goes daily for gamescom next week. Free subscribers get deliveries Monday through Friday morning. Paid supporters receive an exclusive audio extra called the Insider Track, featuring on-the-ground interviews.

The Big Read: Five Games Journalists You Should Follow

Last weekend I read Joost van Dreunen's deep dive into the state of video game media. It was excellent and you should read it. But finishing it made me realise something. Despite writing lists of books, podcasts and newsletters for understanding the industry, I had never written one about the journalists who make that coverage possible.

So here I am correcting that oversight. I have picked five video game journalists whose work I have followed closely over the past year, explaining what they cover and why it matters. And because there are so many great journalists out there, I have added extra recommendations at the bottom.

Chris Kerr, Game Developer

Chris is the Senior Editor for News at Game Developer. Full disclosure: I have known him for nearly a decade since we both worked at Pocket Gamer in 2015. But in recent years he has really hit his stride.

His biggest strength is being a proper news hound. He has broken stories including the giant rat protest staged by unionised workers at Bethesda against Microsoft layoffs. He also pulls together well-sourced behind-the-scenes features, such as this week's piece about what EA employees think of their new Saudi owners. He asks tough questions fairly, even when jumpy PR pros dislike it.

One of van Dreunen's points about games journalism is that it works best when it sits outside the institutions it covers. Chris's reporting provides a meaningful check on companies, something the whole industry should appreciate.

Nicole Carpenter, Freelance

Nicole is one of the best freelancers in the business. After being laid off by Polygon, game publications across the world quickly brought them on board.

Nicole has written for the New York Times about video games reducing violence among prisoners at Rikers Island. They reported on the removal of horror game Horses from Steam and Epic Games for Aftermath, one of the only writers to assess the censorship decision against age-rating criteria. Nicole also covered Roblox hit Grow A Garden for Game File before it reached its record-breaking peak.

From what I have heard from editors across the industry, Nicole is one of those rare all-rounders capable of tackling business and cultural stories in a way that brings consumers along. Even in a tough journalism landscape, that is worth being known for.

Isa Muhammad, Pocket Gamer

The Middle East has become an important hub for video games. Yet English-language reporting on the region is often patchy, leaving much activity underreported.

Isa, Pocket Gamer's MENA Reporter, is one of the few writers covering the region effectively. He has written about complex market dynamics like Roblox entering Saudi Arabia through an education partnership with Savvy Games. He covers public policy developments including cross-governmental partnerships in Abu Dhabi. He also maintains interest in global policy, covering Apple's regulatory challenges in Europe.

I enjoy Isa's work because he writes crisply about policy. His MENA coverage is fair and informed, making him a useful journalist to follow if you want to understand an emerging industry powerhouse.

Matthew Reynolds, One More Catch

Matthew has been a familiar figure in games journalism for years. He has edited at Polygon, Eurogamer and Digital Spy, plus contributed to The Guardian and Rock Paper Shotgun. But I am tipping him here because One More Catch gives us a glimpse of where consumer games media could go next.

His site is dedicated to Pokemon Go and next generation Pokemon games. It features guides on catching rare Pokemon in the real world, on-the-ground reporting from community events, and news the community actually cares about.

I admit it has been years since I meaningfully played the games Matthew covers. But in a sector where game communities can exceed the populations of major cities, One More Catch feels like subscription-backed local news for gamers. That makes it worth watching.

Mikhail Klimentov, ReaderGrev

Mikhail was an editor at Launcher, The Washington Post's games vertical. After Launcher shut down in 2023 he stayed at the Post, then was laid off in 2026 because that is journalism these days. Since then he has worked independently as a freelancer and editor of his own newsletter, ReaderGrev.

I enjoy his work because he covers subsections of the industry I spend less time exploring. He writes engagingly about live-service games, including the satirical