<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Games in the Wild</title><description>Thoughtful analysis of video game trends, design, and player culture — modern releases and what makes games connect with people.</description><link>https://gamesinthewild.com/</link><language>en-us</language><item><title>The quiet genius of games that trust you</title><link>https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/quiet-genius/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/quiet-genius/</guid><description>Modern releases are rediscovering an old idea: that the most respectful thing a game can do is get out of the way. There is a particular pleasure in watching a game reveal its…</description><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 09:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Features</category><category>Design</category></item><item><title>Review: a survival game about staying still</title><link>https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/review-survival/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/review-survival/</guid><description>It asks you to do almost nothing, and in that nothing finds something close to profound. There is a particular pleasure in watching a game reveal its intentions slowly. The best…</description><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 09:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Reviews</category></item><item><title>How speedrunners rewrote a game&apos;s DNA</title><link>https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/speedrunners/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/speedrunners/</guid><description>A decade after release, a community turned a linear adventure into a physics playground nobody designed. There is a particular pleasure in watching a game reveal its intentions…</description><pubDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2026 09:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Culture</category><category>Features</category></item><item><title>The comeback of the mid-size studio</title><link>https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/mid-size-studio/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/mid-size-studio/</guid><description>Between indie and blockbuster, a middle class of developers is quietly making the year&apos;s most interesting work. There is a particular pleasure in watching a game reveal its…</description><pubDate>Sun, 28 Dec 2025 09:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Industry</category><category>Features</category></item><item><title>Review: a racer that isn&apos;t about winning</title><link>https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/review-racer/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/review-racer/</guid><description>The finish line is almost beside the point. This is a game about the corner before it. There is a particular pleasure in watching a game reveal its intentions slowly. The best…</description><pubDate>Sat, 20 Dec 2025 09:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Reviews</category></item><item><title>Why we keep returning to broken worlds</title><link>https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/broken-worlds/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/broken-worlds/</guid><description>Ruined landscapes have become gaming&apos;s favorite backdrop. What does our appetite for collapse say about us? There is a particular pleasure in watching a game reveal its intentions…</description><pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2025 09:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Culture</category></item><item><title>The interface is the game</title><link>https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/interface-is-the-game/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/interface-is-the-game/</guid><description>Menus, maps, and inventories are not chrome around the experience — increasingly, they are the experience. There is a particular pleasure in watching a game reveal its intentions…</description><pubDate>Sat, 06 Dec 2025 09:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Design</category><category>Features</category></item><item><title>Field notes: a weekend inside a fan convention</title><link>https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/fan-convention/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://gamesinthewild.com/posts/fan-convention/</guid><description>Away from launch trailers and review scores, this is where games actually live. There is a particular pleasure in watching a game reveal its intentions slowly. The best releases…</description><pubDate>Sun, 30 Nov 2025 09:00:00 GMT</pubDate><category>Culture</category><category>Features</category></item></channel></rss>