The state of games journalism is terribly depressing. Waypoint was an important source of levity and truth in that space, one that enabled all sorts of weird and interesting and thoughtful shit that’s all too often drowned out by SEO hunger and promo fluff.
It’s the space that enabled me to write a scathing piece about how gacha and loot boxes were leading to symptoms mirroring gambling disorder. That piece was referenced directly during my Discord interview, by our then-and-still Operations VP (s/o Steve Lin), and somehow I got hired and I’m about to hit my fifth year.
Waypoint literally changed my life. The community it fostered and the work it empowered led to the place I am now, and I would not be the same person I am today if I hadn’t had the opportunity to work with and be inspired by such a tremendous group of writers, activists, and friends.
Writing about games was all I wanted to do as a kid, and Waypoint did it better than anyone. We’ll miss y’all.