Unwinnable Monthly – June 2022
This is a reprint of the letter from the editor in Unwinnable Monthly Issue 152. You can buy Issue 152 now, or purchase a monthly subscription to make sure you never miss an issue!
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Dear Reader,
Welcome to a very special edition of Unwinnable, the Ten-Year Anniversary Special. Well, 12-year, except the last two don’t count. As Stu will tell you, the early days look nothing like things look now. It was a shorter, weekly for those of you have joined since those salad days. Not to mention, a concept that was almost surely born to die as so many games joints are.
And yet, here we are, all those years later!
Of course, that’s due to all of you dear readers. Without your commitment and support and so many of you even becoming part of Team Unwinnable after picking up your first issue this would never have been possible. Honestly that’s how I got my start here, just a guy who thought this was a rad place and wanted to be a part of things. So, as always, thank you. Tell your friends, tell your mom.
And as you’ll read, that’s not an absolutely uncommon origin story for a lot of us. Like I said over a year ago when Stu first asked me succeed him, I wanted Unwinnable to continue to be a port in a storm, something it had been for me.
So, to commemorate I’ve asked the team to do something a little different. Simply put, look back over the last several years, back to around the time Unwinnable was born. Some people took that more literally than others. But that’s the beauty of how things work around these parts. It’s been a weird last 10-12 years. Some people already commemorated their [checks notes] tin anniversary. Like I said, the last two years have been a trip.
I’d also like to take a moment to thank all of the writers, editors and other staffers who have passed through these hallowed halls over the years. I talk to a certain amount of people with regularity and it’s stunning to run into people who had a stint here long before me. Seriously, our alumni game is strong and I’m proud to have brought so many new and wonderful folks into the fold to honor that tradition.
Something I don’t get to do a ton of these days is interviewing folks. Part of that is a factor of my lifestyle, part of it is the pandemic. But I actually love getting to interview people so I thought it would be pretty fun to actually turn the scope a bit inwards and talk to the one and only Stu Horvath about some of the early days, were we’ve been, and where we’re going. So, for features, it’s the Stu and David show!
As for our regular columnists I’d like to introduce you to . . . Matt Marrone, who is completely ahead of the game! Emily Price, who was once not so proud of being a gamer. Justin Reeve, who used to take better care of himself. Rob Rich, who never thought he’d get to do this for as long as he has. Levi Rubeck, who hit another unique milestone. Ben Sailer, who takes stock of the great crit shift. Phoenix Simms, who updates her writer’s statement. Noah Springer, who traces his life against one of the all timers. Alyssa Wejebe, who dives deep into the annals of 2000s Pixar in time to net a sweet new sponsor for a movie release, right? And back is Autumn Wright, on, well, you’ll just have to read it.
Stay safe, wear a mask and remember that there is no reason for anyone to own an assault-style weapon!
See you all in a few weeks in Exploits!
David Shimomura
Chicago, Illinois
June 13, 2022
