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Author: Rob Rich

Here's the Thing
Two close-ups on a Transformer toy's head and face. Each image is slightly different, as if gremlins were playing with the settings on the production line at the Transformer toy factory.

Gremlins in My Toys

By Rob Rich • January 12th, 2023

Rob notes that gremlins – as a metaphorical concept – aren’t just a problem for the usual suspects. They can also gum up the works during action figure manufacturing.

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Key art from Return to Monkey Island, featuring pirate protagonist Guybrush Threepwood and his motley crew.

The End of Return to Monkey Island

By Rob Rich • December 19th, 2022

After reaching the end of the latest Monkey Island game, Rob was surprised by how hard he was hit by the ending.

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The Monster in My Belly

By Rob Rich • November 14th, 2022

Rob talks about the unpleasant stomach troubles he’s had to deal with for the past several years, all thanks to some bad seafood.

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A closeup of the ribbon on a manual typewriter.

I’ve Been Staring At This For Two Days

By Rob Rich • October 14th, 2022

Rob had so much trouble figuring out what to write about, he decided to write about how tough it can be to figure out what to write sometimes.

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Fozzie Bear, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Gonzo of The Muppets smile for a group photo.

I Was Wrong About the Muppets

By Rob Rich • September 15th, 2022

A while back Rob posited that the ABC’s The Muppets was criminally underrated, but a recent rewatch has changed his tune somewhat.

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The protagonist of DOOM Eternal fends off a horde of undead enemies.

The Nostalgia of “New DOOM”

By Rob Rich • August 10th, 2022

Rob ruminates on the unexpected way that the new direction for DOOM panders to nostalgia.

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The midsection of an ornamental "X," representing the number 10.

It’s Been Ten Years

By Rob Rich • July 7th, 2022

Rob thinks back on how he got started writing, and where it’s gone over the past decade.

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In key art from No Man's Sky, a giant metal orb surrounds a ball of glowing red energy. A smaller orb placed in an opening in its center brings to mind a giant eye.

Let’s Talk About The Story of No Man’s Sky

By Rob Rich • June 10th, 2022

Rob’s been spending a lot of time with No Man’s Sky lately and was genuinely surprised by its story. Yes, there’s a story.

A sepia-toned pen and ink lithograph of three men each looking into an arm of a tripod microscope

We Should Pay Attention to Germ Theory!

By Rob Rich • April 28th, 2022

Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch have an interesting theory about sickness, and we should start paying attention.

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Finally Clicking With No Man’s Sky

By Rob Rich • April 8th, 2022

Rob admits to having a difficult time staying invested in No Man’s Sky and explains why things have suddenly changed for him.

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A still from The Secret of NIMH featuring Mrs. Brisby looking worried. She is a light brown field mouse with large eyes. She wears a red cloak.

I Used to be That Guy

By Rob Rich • March 14th, 2022

Rob talks a bit about the type of person he used to be, and why he’s glad things have changed.

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Four Old West men sit at a poker table, eyeing each other suspiciously.

I Miss The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

By Rob Rich • February 11th, 2022

Rob reminisces about one of his favorite TV shows that was gone all too soon (like they always are).

Here's the Thing
A screenshot from Animal Crossing: New Horizons shows a cutaway view of a small house on a beach. The interior of the house is decorated in bright colors and several animals are gathered inside and out.

Nintendo Has No Idea What It’s Doing

By Rob Rich • January 13th, 2022

Rob thinks Nintendo still has no idea what it’s doing when it comes to online services and functionality.

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A transforming robot toy known as a Tobot, currently in its robot form.

Why I Love Tobot Toys

By Rob Rich • December 10th, 2021

Rob’s been happily collecting transforming robot toys for several years but has a particular fondness for a certain Korean toy line.

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A videogame screenshot showing the interior view of a car, the steering wheel prominent in the frame.

The Immersive Nature of Tedium

By Rob Rich • November 12th, 2021

Rob talks about why he often enjoys tedium in videogames, and how it can make them feel more immersive.

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Three eminently dateable characters from the Boyfriend Dungeon videogame.

Here’s The Thing: Separating the Artist From Art

By Rob Rich • October 5th, 2021

An artist is not their work, and Rob thinks it’s astonishing that some people don’t seem to understand this.

Here's the Thing
A painting of Weird Al Yankovic, a man with glasses, a mop of curly brown hair, and a yellow and black 80s-patterned shirt.

The Lyrical Genius of Weird Al Yankovic

By Rob Rich • September 1st, 2021

Rob talks about how “Weird Al” Yankovic’s goofy image belies an incredible talent for writing.

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She-Ra and company celebrating and cheering.

How She-Ra Helped Me (Seriously)

By Rob Rich • August 13th, 2021

Rob talks about how, of all things, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power helped him figure out how to address his pandemic-related anxiety.

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Resident Evil 8 and the Refinement of RE7

By Rob Rich • July 8th, 2021

Rob reflects on the evolution (mutation?) of Resident Evil’s latest iteration.

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Gonzo from the Muppets holding a cannonball.

Gonzo The Great and the Artistic Struggle

By Rob Rich • June 1st, 2021

Gonzo has always been known “the weirdo” of the Muppets cast, but Rob is more interested in how he’s a fuzzy blue representation of how difficult it is to be an artist in modern times.

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Godzilla roaring

The Glorious Slow Burn of Godzilla (2014)

By Rob Rich • May 12th, 2021

Sometimes, the best thing isn’t seeing.

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a Hygogg type mobile suit from Mobile Suit Gundam

Getting Back to Gunpla

By Rob Rich • March 29th, 2021

I really like building and customizing Gundam model kits.

Here's the Thing
An anime character smoking a cigarette.

FLCL, 17 Years Later

By Rob Rich • March 5th, 2021

Rob takes another look at FLCL, a brief anime series he used to love, and reflects on how different the whole thing feels almost two decades later.

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No Man’s Sky vs. Cyberpunk 2077

By Rob Rich • February 2nd, 2021

The edgelords never get what they want, do they?

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Why I’m Leaving YouTube

By Rob Rich • January 13th, 2021

After almost five years and hundreds of videos, Rob’s calling it quits and it’s all YouTube’s fault.

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It’s Okay To Let Stuff End

By Rob Rich • December 8th, 2020

Rob posits that, in a lot of instances, it’s better to let the stories and characters we love end rather than drag things out so long they become boring or just plain bad.

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On The Legend of Korra and Imperfection

By Rob Rich • November 4th, 2020

Korra’s way of bringing some particularly significant character flaws to light through the eyes of their children makes them feel even more like human beings.

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Alone in Duskers

By Rob Rich • October 8th, 2020

Rob reminisces about his favorite roguelike, which is also one of his favorite horror games.

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That $70 Sword of Damocles

By Rob Rich • September 14th, 2020

With an impeding ninth video game console generation looming on the horizon, people have begun buzzing (read: arguing) about a proposed game MSRP of $70. Now Rob wants to weigh in.

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Missing Mission Europa

By Rob Rich • August 13th, 2020

Rob’s favorite mobile game is something barely anyone has heard of and, due to Apple’s failure to support older software, it basically doesn’t exist anymore.

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Three Quick Ones

By Rob Rich • July 14th, 2020

Rob dives into how two series took a step forward in their decades-spanning gameplay formula this year, albeit to varying success.

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Difficulty is Hard

By Rob Rich • June 11th, 2020

A lot of people who play games love a challenge, but Rob posits that designing a good challenge is a challenge in and of itself.

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The Weird and Disturbing World of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends

By Rob Rich • May 12th, 2020

Rob remembers one of his favorite cartoon shows, about a foster home for imaginary friends, and realizes that it’s kiiiiiiiiiinda disturbing when thinking about the details.

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I Hope the FFVII Remake Changes My Mind

By Rob Rich • April 10th, 2020

Rob isn’t the biggest fan of Final Fantasy VII (to put it lightly) but he’s hoping that the upcoming remake will change that.

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Avatar and the Importance of the Mundane

By Rob Rich • March 10th, 2020

Rob takes a look at one of the most well-loved episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender and posits that it’s mundane slice-of-life moments that truly draw us in to stories about people with superhuman abilities.

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Enough With G1 Already!

By Rob Rich • January 31st, 2020

Hasbro and Takara have been giving fans and collectors G1-inspired homages for years, and while it was neat at first, it’s getting pretty of stale

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An Ode to the Fan Mode

By Rob Rich • January 11th, 2020

It took some time, but Rob has realized that sometimes the best way to “fix” a toy is to stop following the instructions.

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I’m Terrified of Disney+

By Rob Rich • December 11th, 2019

Streaming services have been A thing for several years now, with more and more companies trying their hand at it. Even Disney. But Rob’s a bit nervous about the massive entertainment corporation’s efforts.

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Futurama and Faith

By Rob Rich • November 14th, 2019

Rob takes a look at how Futurama (of all things) has managed to approach religious concepts and faith with a surprising amount of profundity.

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Rebooting Saturday Mornings with Netflix

By Rob Rich • October 12th, 2019

It’s been decades since Rob has set aside time for Saturday morning cartoons, but Netflix has brought that very specific brand of nostalgia back with a number of unexpectedly clever reboots.

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