This Is The End, My Friend.
November 29, 2011 7:00 PM | Eric Caoili

Simon Carless: OK, if you're reading GameSetWatch, prepare for some bad news. I'm afraid we're putting the site on semi-permanent hiatus, as of, uhm, this very post, after 6 years (wow!) of reporting the best, brightest and weirdest in alt.games news.
I'll let current editors Eric Caoili and Danny Cowan have their say after I contribute a few words, but first, I'mma let myself end things out with a brief eulogy to the site, which I founded back in November 2005.
And here's the kickoff post, revealing launch contributors including current IGF chairman Brandon Boyer, Kotaku/MeatBun and now GameTrailers stalwart Michael McWhertor, Gamasutra news director Frank Cifaldi, and the ever-awesome Alice Taylor, as well as Game Developer mag EIC Brandon Sheffield (and yep, Insert Credit, which I also contributed to sporadically, was def. an inspiration for GSW.)
Although that initial line-up was kinda awesome, and they certainly contributed _some_, a look through the early years revealed mainly boundless OCD-like enthusiasm for me in terms of finding _weird video game stuff_, including Lil Jon's crunk golf game and lots more. Did I really check 500+ RSS feeds _daily_ for GSW? Apparently...
In the first few months, you'll also find awesomeness like a LimeLife press kit unboxing from Frank (we have a bug with old author names not being displayed right, sorry about lack of crediting there!). We also started up a bunch of columns, one of the signature parts of GSW in its early and mid-life.
Probably this would be a good time for me to say thanks to everyone who submitted columns over the years we ran them. Some of the standouts include John Harris' @Play, which is practically the Roguelike bible, as well as Kevin Gifford's Game Mag Weaseling and, of course, Game Time With Mr. Raroo. But there are LOTS more - feel free to link to others in comments if you have some you'd like to highlight.
We also ran some odd meta-posts out of our Gamasutra coverage from time to time, such as this poignant anecdote: "Just before the press conference itself started, there was a call over the PA for a Lexus with the numberplate 'Factor5' to be moved by the owner, because it was blocking something and would be towed otherwise. Just because you make neat-looking PS3 dragon games like Lair, it doesn't mean you can flaunt the rules of parking, Julian Eggebrecht."
Then things started to get a bit busier with my fulltime job (running Gamasutra, Game Developer, and eventually overseeing all of our products, including the GDC shows). So through into 2008 you'll see there are just daily links roundup posts, and the majority of the rest of the content was 'best of' original material from Gamasutra, with GSW columns included as well. (Oh man, and I just remembered the rather awesome comics column by Skullgirls artist Jonathan 'Persona' Kim we ran.)
The story of 2009 and 2010 is of further transition, after we poached the excellent Eric Caoili, who co-edits Tiny Cartridge and has an excellent mind for alt.links, to co-edit and eventually lead the site, and as we gradually dialed down the amount of columns (the only thing I was managing regularly for GSW at that point!).
We eventually phased the columns out this year in favor of all original posts by Eric and the awesome Danny Cowan. A greater amount of all-original posts (also including the memetastic Matt 'FortNinety' Hawkins for a few months!) was our preferred method of delivery, and everyone was having a lot of fun doing it.
So, why are we stopping? Well mainly, we're seeing an increasing overlap with sister site IndieGames.com, just in terms of some of the best material out there being indie-related. So Danny is going to go and blog over there, while Eric comes back to help us a bit more on mothership site Gamasutra.
But we also think that mainstream game blogs are doing a much better job nowadays of including the weirder and alt.links in amongst their gaming news. So it's not like GSW is _irrelevant_ as such. But it's never really been that relevant to start with - it's always been an entertaining fripperie.
But I'd like to thank _everyone_ who contributed to GSW over the years - you guys rock. It's obviously something I care about, and y'know, as much as there's more to life than blogging about weird video game stuff, there's a lot of love and passion around this subculture. I know we published a whole lot of stories that wouldn't have got picked up like they did, and I think that made some people happy. And making people happy is important.
Anyhow, I've grandstanded for long enough. We're leaving the site up intact (no nuking for us, Jason Scott, fear ye not!), but there will be no more updates starting today. So long, and thanks for all the fish, as everyone is obligated to say at this point. Over to Eric and Danny...
Eric Caoili: What initially and always attracted me to GameSetWatch was that it always offered something you couldn't find anywhere else: Leigh Alexander's risque Aberrant Gamer column, John Harris dissecting roguelikes and introducing so many people to the genre through @Play, and Simon's link round-ups that seemed to be pulled from corners no one even knew existed.
Years after coming across the site and keeping a close eye for updates on my RSS feed, I was asked to head GameSetWatch -- a tremendous honor -- and I tried my best to continue that tradition of finding and sharing items yet undiscovered, like the Mike Tyson's Intergalactic Power Punch NES ROM, Zookeeper's surprisingly sad story, and the amazing walking warlord pedometer/game.
As Simon points out, though, many other sites have increased their coverage of indie projects, obscure games, retro remakes, strange imports, chiptune events/releases, oddball auctions, amazing fanart, and other gaming miscellany in the past year or so, making a site dedicated to such curiosities less essential. No less special, but not so vital to followers of these niches.
Thanks for coming to the site for so long, and for reading a few of my 3,400+ or so posts. And much appreciation to Simon Carless, Danny Cowan, Matthew Hawkins, and our columnists, who've all made writing for GameSetWatch one of the most enjoyable gigs an alt.game blogging fan could ever ask for.
Danny Cowan: I'll miss you, GameSetWatch. Writing for this site has spurred my creative output. It's given me a new appreciation for my hobby. If it weren't for GameSetWatch, I may have never discovered wonderful things like, say, an NES gameplay compilation set to an '80s dance megamix. (Seriously, the mere existence of that series just makes me so, so happy.)
I appreciate that GameSetWatch gave its writers a platform to share their enthusiasm for the obscure and the particular. Aside from giving me an outlet for my pinball fetish and my love of all things Cheetahmen, GameSetWatch featured a number of worthy creations that the mainstream press would have otherwise overlooked. Hopefully, our daily updates have been enlightening and entertaining...or, at the very least, not too boring.
I admit that I'll miss having an excuse to babble on about old games or fan translations or speedruns or whatever on a daily basis, More than that, however, I'll miss reading a site maintained by people who genuinely care about the things that they're covering. There isn't another gaming blog out there that's quite like GameSetWatch, and its closure means that I now have a rather large void in my daily Internet rounds.
Simon, Eric, Matt, and everyone in the Gamasutra crew -- you guys rule. Our columnists also rule. And you? You're pretty cool too, I guess.
It's been tons of fun. Thanks for reading.
[Image via Cheshirechest]
Categories:
83 Comments
i did my very first regular work here, and it gave me such a thrill, having treasured gsw even before that.
thanks to eric, danny, the columnists we all love, and of course to simon, without whom few things are possible.
xo
Leigh | November 29, 2011 10:50 PM
Sad to see it go - thanks for all the great posts, everyone.
Matthew Burns | November 29, 2011 10:51 PM
So long, and thanks for all the fish!
Nemphtis | November 29, 2011 10:53 PM
Thanks for six years of good reading, guys. Either our interests intersected amazingly well, or editorship was stellar (probably a bit of both), as GSW has been one of the few gaming blogs I read where I don't have to skim through a bunch of junk to find the occasional gem.
Regardless of how much indie or alt bits the other sites post, there will be a noticeable gap in the interesting-gaming-news category. Here's hoping that something comes along to fill it. Venus Patrol, maybe?
Chris A | November 29, 2011 11:03 PM
RIP! <3 Thanks for all the awesomeness.
CORY SCHMITZ | November 29, 2011 11:06 PM
This is heartbreaking news :( GSW has been my favourite source of game-related content for years. Thanks for all of your unique contributions to the community, and I'm looking forward to following your work elsewhere :)
Bryant | November 29, 2011 11:08 PM
aw man I love this site! BOOO!!! Come back!!! Miss it already!
Seriously really dug the news here- was refreshing vs all the tabloid or PR pieces that are everywhere else ...
c sineni @ phosphor games | November 29, 2011 11:09 PM
Best of luck to everyone. I've always looked forward to the unique offerings of GSW, and hate to see it go.
Ben | November 29, 2011 11:17 PM
Thanks to all you writers and admins, you have done a fantastic job bringing oddball game-culture news to the fore. I have no idea what an "entertaining fripperie" is but it's been one, and I'll miss it!
PsySal | November 29, 2011 11:20 PM
NOOOOOOOOO! Damn, I'm really going to miss GSW. Really great blog, but excited to hear IndieGames.com will be getting even better. Cheers.
Andy Baio | November 29, 2011 11:21 PM
Thanks for writing!
It was this site that exposed me to sides of gaming I wouldn't have seen otherwise, and I always felt I'd find or learn something novel each week.
I have a backlog of bookmarked posts I still need to read, so even more thanks for keeping the site up.
Rick | November 29, 2011 11:38 PM
It's been a fun ride and it's sad to see you go. You were one of the very first gaming blogs I started reading on a daily basis in my college days, and since then I've become a full-time blogger myself. Thanks for being an inspiration and delivering freshness to my eyballs/brain cells. Stay awesome.
brownkidd | November 29, 2011 11:45 PM
<3 and will miss you in my reader!
John Polson | November 29, 2011 11:47 PM
Oh man this is a bummer. I guess all good things come to an end, and the sad part is I've only been following GSW for just more than a year. We hardly knew ye.
BadoorSNK | November 29, 2011 11:49 PM
It's the end of an era! Good work on keeping it up for so long.
Jon | November 30, 2011 12:06 AM
If you guys stop updating GSW, then I'll have to boycott you.
Thom Yorke | November 30, 2011 12:54 AM
This is easily one of my favorite blogs and definitely the one with the most consistently awesome posts. Really crushed to see you guys go. Thanks for all of the hard work you've put into this site. Hopefully someday you guys will reconsider because in all my years I've never came across any blog that can compare to yours, but either way good luck with what the future brings, and once again THANKS. a lot. seriously. thanks.
Ryan Carroll | November 30, 2011 1:04 AM
Leigh Alexander's Aberrant Gamer column is what got me interested in critical thought about games. Thanks for everything.
Ian | November 30, 2011 1:09 AM
Geez, wasn't expecting this one today. Normally, I just scroll through the quality posts and keep my comments to myself. I seriously can't remember when I started reading GSW, had to be before 2008.
Thank you for having an archive worth sifting through whenever I feel like I have little to contribute to this ever growing gaming culture. You guys inspired me to start my own personal site.
Glad it's not a nuking. Glad Indiegames is growing. But darn it, kinda stings a bit.
Isaiah | November 30, 2011 1:36 AM
All my favorite news sites keep closing down.
Jerks!
Thanks for all the interesting info...
creath | November 30, 2011 2:06 AM
Boo! Thank you, but also boo! I will miss this site.
chris | November 30, 2011 2:18 AM
I wrote this really long comment about how much this site has meant to me over the years but it tells me I can't post it because the word count is too many, so I'll keep this short:
Not to sound too melodramatic but I will sorely miss this place. GSW has been with me the entirety of my adult life. I know for a fact that life will be less rich without it.
Anthony Brice | November 30, 2011 2:20 AM
Sad to hear. You guys livened up my RSS feed since I got into retro/indie/offbeat/ news a few years back. Here's hoping for something to occur that would make this hiatus as brief as possible.
Erik Johnson | November 30, 2011 2:27 AM
:( I found this site over the summer have been hooked ever since. Of of the gaming blogs I've discovered this was one of the few daily visit staples. You will be missed
Ahmad | November 30, 2011 2:28 AM
Sad to hear it. You guys have livened up my RSS feed since I got into /indie/retro/offbeat news a few years back.
Here's hoping something in the short-term changes to keep this hiatus as brief as possible. I need to know about genius novelty twitter accounts and such.
Erik Johnson | November 30, 2011 2:34 AM
You did awesome job dudes! Thx alot! It is not clear from this post why you stop GSW but as for me (try to drive same activity on russian emulation community at emulate-su.livejournal.com) your blog was very interesting and must read out of other 200+ my VG-releated RSS. Tnx!
Maxim Muchkaev | November 30, 2011 2:42 AM
As a very brief columnist, I'd just like to say how much I enjoyed writing for, and reading, GameSetWatch. I think you're right in identifying that the niche it started has been filled in from several directions - which is just another way of pointing out how essential it was.
Andrew Doull | November 30, 2011 2:59 AM
I imagine I'm one of a very select few that uses this site as the start of my internet daily flow so I've got to say that this is something I don't look forward to. Gone are the days of homepages for me, but if I were to make a site a homepage it would have been this one. I recommended it to people countless times and have always enjoyed the content.
My own personal regret is that I rarely commented so I rarely interacted with the fine writers through the years but I guess since this is the place to do it I just need to say thanks now for the years of entertainment.
GamerBytes and now this consumed by Gamasutra (I'm aware that they were always part of the same network, not some outside force). I guess that means I go back to making Gamasutra my first stop online every day. Reminds me that it's a fine time to renew my digital subscription to Game Developer Magazine, as well.
You folks should add your twitter links so we can follow you there?
Ugh, this still makes me all sorts of sad.
Good luck.
Nick Garboden | November 30, 2011 4:22 AM
Wait a sec... Is it April 1st already?
Seriously, though, I have enjoyed reading this site and will miss it. Thankfully, contributors to GSW will continue writing elsewhere and we will still be able to enjoy their work.
Thanks for everything, girls and guys.
Aruto-chan | November 30, 2011 4:25 AM
My heart is in countless pieces, you guys.
Shattered.
Wolfgang Wozniak | November 30, 2011 4:28 AM
Damn.
I was reading the RSS feeds, and suddenly this. It will be missed. I have GSW on my feeds for 5 years i believe.
I confess i was not an active reader/user, but i liked a lot some of occasional content. I will stay connected to Indiegames.
Thank you on all your work into GSW. Best wishes for your future, guys.
Marco | November 30, 2011 5:27 AM
The end of an era in alternative games journalism. I for one was honored to be a part of this in some small way. I have always trusted GSW to present us with the news most other websites didn't even bother to mention. Eric, you have performed a wonderful work and you should be extremely proud of your diligence and perseverance.
Thank you for all of the years and good luck for future projects. May this be more of an au revoir than a goodbye.
Bruno de Figueiredo | November 30, 2011 6:55 AM
Are there any other gaming blogs similar to GSW that are still alive?
GSW was the most frequently updated that I know of when it came to indie and obscure games, so it'll be dearly missed. It leaves an empty hole in my daily browsing.
F | November 30, 2011 8:33 AM
Man, I've love GameSetWatch. I come here every day, and have learned about so much stuff that I never saw on other sites. Very sorry to see it end.
Brandon Boyer's new site, Venus Patrol, can't start soon enough for me!
http://www.venuspatrol.com
James Kochalka | November 30, 2011 9:09 AM
:(
Miles | November 30, 2011 9:30 AM
Damn.
Thanks for the great posts and also promoting our stuff (even this week).
I wish you all the best!
Matt Kenyon | November 30, 2011 9:37 AM
We're sad to see you go. It was a wonderful run, though!
Gryffin | November 30, 2011 10:03 AM
Thanks for all the posts guys! It's been great.
Now I'm interested to see what new venues spin out of the void left from GSW's leaving. Anyone have any ideas?
Aaron Rutledge | November 30, 2011 10:12 AM
/standing ovation
Zack Hiwiller | November 30, 2011 10:33 AM
There aren't enough hearts to fill my energy meter after hearing about this! ;_;
While several sites serve the same ingredients you do, none of them makes that particular bowl of news gumbo you were always so famous for.
Thank you for all these years! I salute you like the gorgeous people you are.
Personamatters | November 30, 2011 11:15 AM
Sad to read this. Lots of fond memories reading GSW, and enjoyed seeing something of mine occasionally finding a home linked here. Mad hugs, my friend.
Jason | November 30, 2011 12:08 PM
To Aaron and everyone asking where else to go, the answer is somewhat simple: just keep track of the whereabouts of all those involved!
If there's one thing that I didn't quite realize till today is how many truly awesome have helped to build the GSW legacy over the years. We are indeed one huge family.
But yeah, take note of all the Twitter feeds that Simon's passed along, and then follow that to our respective bodies of work. GSW may be gone, but to many of us, the spirit lives on, since it led us on the path of so many things.
Matt 'FortNinety' Hawkins | November 30, 2011 12:19 PM
Thanks for letting me a part of the team here at GSW, guys. What a wonderful experience it has been!
Mister Raroo | November 30, 2011 12:28 PM
Obi-Wan: I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.
こういう最もな禍難なことが心に留まる。
M | November 30, 2011 12:39 PM
Well I will certainly miss you, GSW is permanent resident of my GReader feed. Always bringing some interesting, quirky, weird news about games and game culture, now who will keep me informed of these things :/. Good luck for whatever path you are taking in future, see you around :).
Sau | November 30, 2011 12:40 PM
You have been one of my favourite sources for the past 4 years, providing me with some of the most intriguing, informational content. Thanks for all the memories, guys. Best of luck in your future endeavours. I wish this wasn't goodbye.
Erika Szabo | November 30, 2011 12:47 PM
We are so sorry to see you all go, having been around so long, like ourselves. Having you leave is like losing our favorite cousin. Hopefully we'll still see you at Christmas. Hugs and love from all of us at Gameinatrix.
Cori Roberts | November 30, 2011 1:03 PM
So saddened by this news.
Thanks to Simon for giving me the opportunity to contribute. Writing my Chewing Pixels column a few years back stretched me in ways nowhere else has.
And thank you to all the other contributors for making this a favourite corner of game writing esoterica.
Simon Parkin | November 30, 2011 1:06 PM
Awww. I love this site. Hopefully one day it shall wise from it's gwave. Good luck with future pursuits, guys.
Espiox | November 30, 2011 1:15 PM
I'll really miss this site. The posts have always been articulate and engaging. One thing I have always noticed in my years subscribing to the blog is that very few people comment on the posts, so there was very little reader interaction.
Then again for most of the sites that have lots of user feedback, the comments are trite and superfluous. Maybe it's always been a quality vs. quantity thing.
Christopher McDougall | November 30, 2011 1:27 PM
I've been reading and enjoying your current for a long time. This place will be missed! Thanks for everything. :)
Paul McG | November 30, 2011 1:32 PM
It would be difficult to be informed of such delicatessen rarities surfing around the web. It's true some of the post could fit Indie Games or Gamasutra, but I can't think something like the story of "Mr. Fascination" could fit anywhere. This site was unique, and I will grieve for it. Hope to see this kind of contents in the other sites (Indie Games and Gama).
Thanks a lot for all these years, you are/were my second site to be informed about games (after read Indie Games, I always click on Game Set Watch link, better in a new tab ;))
Ruber Eaglenest | November 30, 2011 1:33 PM
I loved the work here. Sad to see it go! I have learned so much about games and game critical thought from the pieces here.
Amanda Lange | November 30, 2011 1:58 PM
One of the best. Thanks for everything.
Adam Robezzoli | November 30, 2011 2:00 PM
Just wanted to let you guys know that your articles and ideas have helped me, over the years, to get a better grasp for writing; they've shaped my own views on video game journalism, and have influenced my career plans as well. Good luck on the other side!
Zach | November 30, 2011 2:39 PM
As with a lot of people here it seems, you guys were one of my favorite RSS feeds to read and you guys were brought in a lot more interesting stories and articles than most of the mainstream guys out there.
Sad to see you guys go, but good luck out there
Chip Skylark | November 30, 2011 2:47 PM
Good site. I'll miss it.
dorkly chair of the institute for space politics | November 30, 2011 3:12 PM
Any site that picks up any of these people should be fucking honoured to have them.
Victor AI | November 30, 2011 3:24 PM
I'm really sad to see this site go. I particularly enjoyed your coverage of mecha games. Thanks for all the great articles over the years and I wish you all the best.
Warren | November 30, 2011 4:47 PM
Thanks for occasionally posting my retro game content and developer interviews when everyone else just kind of ignored me! You were a neat site and I'll be sad to see you go. Best of luck in your personal endeavors!
GlitterBerri | November 30, 2011 5:10 PM
I'm sad to see GameSetWatch go. One of my favorite sites, no doubt about it.
Here's to 6 years of outstanding reporting, great finds and weird/strange/bizarre games :)
Luis Levy | November 30, 2011 5:44 PM
So IndieGames.com and Gamasutra will have to fill the gap left behind by gsw?
Tom Happ | November 30, 2011 6:03 PM
My RSS reader just got a lot poorer. You did a great job here.
Raff | November 30, 2011 6:11 PM
Sad to see you go, GSW, but I am glad to see you guys refocusing your energies where you think they'll make a bigger impact. Can't wait to see what's next from all of you, keep up the great work!
Vin St. Joihn | November 30, 2011 7:07 PM
Out of all the gaming feeds in my rss reader this was the site I read the most. I am bummed out.
Thomas | November 30, 2011 7:12 PM
Sorry to hear this is happening. GSW was my where I got my first written work published, and I have a special little place in my heart, hiding from comparison videos and endless top ten lists. Thank you Simon and all the rest for a good half decade plus. Truly an S Rank production.
Ryan | November 30, 2011 10:45 PM
Aww mannn! No more @Play? =[
Keith Burgun | December 1, 2011 1:40 AM
i'll miss you guys :(
tramps | December 1, 2011 2:49 AM
I am sad face.
Ollie Barder | December 1, 2011 4:37 AM
Like Leigh, it was at GameSetWatch where I first regularly worked as a 'proper' games writer, earning coins and everything. Mr. Carless took a punt on bringing in an unknown entity, and I will be forever grateful of his time, support and the opportunities he afforded me.
GSW was, at its best, the best place to go if you wanted to see interesting people sharing their interesting opinions of interesting games. To this day I feel incredibly sad that I had to leave GSW behind to move onto other work at other publications.
The blog will be missed terribly. But I am immensely glad it existed.
Lewis Denby | December 1, 2011 5:05 AM
This makes me so sad.
I had just rediscovered the site. Honestly, I found this to be the best gaming site, most closely geared towards what I was looking for. I loved all of the esoteric gaming news, seemingly perfectly tailored just for me.
Thank you all for your hard work. This honestly is awful news, even if I understand that a site is run based on the personal motivation of dedicated people, not my need for its awesome content... It reminds me of almost exactly how I felt when TheGIA shut down.
You will be missed, and I won't lose the hope that some day you or others willing to take up the site will bring it back.
John | December 1, 2011 7:07 AM
Sad day =(
Shawn | December 1, 2011 8:39 AM
This is a shame. I discovered GSW less than a year ago, and it's my favorite blog. Almost every post is interesting. You really covered the niches I like (even outside indie games, such as Treasure). Well, thanks a lot, and auf wiedersehen!
David | December 1, 2011 9:06 AM
Damn I love this site! :(
Steven | December 1, 2011 10:05 AM
oh no! this site is up to this day one of my favorites on my daily reading routine. had always something outlandishly interesting to find here, especially compared with the often boring mainstream gaming blogs. i wish you all best of luck, you did a great job!
samim | December 1, 2011 11:17 AM
I was just enjoying posts on this site two days ago. I did not see this coming, but I bid you guys a fond farewell. I will miss your posts in my RSS feed.
Kevin | December 1, 2011 4:46 PM
:(
I'll miss GSW. Thanks for everything.
Daniel | December 1, 2011 5:11 PM
I can´t believe this! I discovered this site just a few months ago! before that, I only used to check indiegames.com, but then I discovered you guys posted AWESOME stuff in here. I'll have to dig all the archives :D ! I wish you all the best, keep up the good work!
cheers from Argentina
Ignacio | December 1, 2011 7:53 PM
So sad I'm literally holding back my tears. It's been years since I regularly check this blog. My personal favourite gaming blog. THANKS FOR EVERYTHING. You'll be missed guys!
SixStringsGeek | December 2, 2011 8:29 AM
I'm going to miss you guys, you've given me so many good memories. Although there may be other alt.gaming blogs, your unique charm is irreplaceable.
Goodbye... And best of luck to you all!
Eelnest | December 2, 2011 12:54 PM
Bummer! I just found this site a few weeks back and it was my favorite for indie news. I guess it felt the least "SEO-enhanced". :)
Good luck with future endeavors!
doodaddy | December 3, 2011 4:32 AM
:( R.I.P GSW you will be missed dearly
Jilly | December 3, 2011 5:40 AM
Dang. Just dang. To say I'm bummed that this ride is over is an understatement.
Thanks for all of the hard work over the years - I've learned so much here.
RevEng | December 3, 2011 1:11 PM