Platforms & services · Digital-library preservation
PLAYLORE JOURNAL
PlayLore archive
Original, sourced stories about game history, machines and the cultures that shape play.
Game types · Speedrunning culture
Which speedrun are you watching? Any%, 100% and the clock explained
A record has no meaning by itself. Category, start point, load treatment and video proof define every second. Use this viewer card—and a sane first-run plan.Read story
Companies & technology · Game-development economics
Godot, Unity or Unreal? Choose a game engine by exit cost, not entry price
Free can cost time, paid tools can save it, and a royalty may never trigger. A practical test of team, platform and migration risk before the showcase dazzles you.Read story
Hardware · Operating systems and buying guide
SteamOS or Windows? Choose a gaming handheld by your library, not its chip
Two handhelds can share similar silicon while feeling radically different between the power button and play. This buying test begins with the games you actually use.Read story
Account safety · Practical checklist
The game-account recovery kit: 20 minutes before you lose access
Strong sign-in is incomplete when recovery details are stale. Build an official recovery path before changing phones, travelling or selling hardware.Read storyPreservation · Save-data safety
Cloud sync is not an archive: the 15-minute check before switching devices
Sync makes moving easier, but it can also carry a deletion or unwanted state. This sourced checklist separates local saves, cloud sync and manual copies before you sell or reset hardware.Read story
Creators · Game design
Shigeru Miyamoto doesn’t start with the character: how movement becomes a game
Before Mario became an icon, jumping was an answer to a barrel. Before Pikmin became a world, it was a handful of verbs: throw, stick, carry. A sourced look at action-first design—without the lone-genius myth.Read story
Countries · Korean play culture
Why didn’t smartphones kill Korea’s PC bangs? The room that became a platform
Mobile captures most Korean game revenue, yet the latest official white paper counted 7,243 PC cafés. This is not a nostalgia paradox—it is a lesson in bundling hardware, service and community into one product.Read story
Platform history · Companies and technology
Dreamcast reached the future before broadband did
A modem in the box, a screen in the memory card, an arcade-to-home bridge—and an early hardware exit. The story of why a correct idea still needs the right ecosystem at the right time.Read story
Events · Viewing guide
How to read gamescom 2026 without swallowing the hype
A field guide that separates a confirmed schedule from a marketing promise, ranks hands-on play above polished footage, and protects your time, wishlist and wallet.Read story
Technology · Inclusive design
Accessibility is not ‘easy mode’: how controllers redesigned skill
Skill is not two fast thumbs on one prescribed shape. From Xbox Adaptive Controller to PS5 Access and a new shared tag language, this is a practical guide to finding the barrier and buying only the input you need.Read story
Genres · Rhythm-game culture
Why do your feet know the beat first? The secret design of rhythm games
From DanceDanceRevolution arrows underfoot to Taiko drums and Beat Saber blades: how rhythm games turned music into a language the body can read—and how to choose the right doorway today.Read story
Technology · Storage buying guide
The game-storage trap: how much space do you actually need in 2026?
A terabyte is not a universal ticket, and a fast-looking card may be wrong for your machine. This practical guide separates storage that runs games from storage that merely holds them—and helps you avoid an incompatible upgrade.Read storyGame history · Handhelds