There hasn’t been
a new VGJunk article in nine months – wow, nine months, really?
Even I didn’t think it had been that long – so as you can
probably tell, VGJunk is closed for business. I really should have
mentioned something about it earlier, but the unpleasant finality of
saying “right, VGJunk is over” kept putting me off. I thought
maybe I’d come back to it, and I did try a couple of times, but
those attempts were non-starters so here we are at The End. I also
held out through October just in case a new Halloween Trick or Treat
game was released, because I’d have come back for that. I know, I’m
as disappointed as you are.
So why did I stop?
Normal, boring life reasons, I’m afraid. Lack of time, mostly. For
a big chunk of VGJunk’s run I was acting as a carer, which resulted
in a situation where I didn’t have a job to go to but I also
couldn’t get out of the house much; a fertile breeding ground for
bad jokes about long-forgotten ZX Spectrum games. That’s all
changed, and amongst other things I’m working full time - and after spending all day
typing things into a computer in an office I’m not exactly
desperate to come home and spend all night typing things into a
computer. VGJunk articles may look
like amateurish, hurriedly-cobbled-together things, and that’s
because they are – but each one took a pretty long time to put
together and that’s time I just don’t have any more. I can
scarcely believe I kept up the schedule that I did, frankly.
I
also felt like I was getting into a bit of rut, writing articles just
for the sake of having put something out that week, and that the
standard of quality was slipping below my admittedly very low bar.
There’s no fun in forcing it, and I started VGJunk to be a fun
thing that would occupy me during some of the roughest times in my
life. In that sense, VGJunk was outshone its goals, because I did have a hell of a lot of fun writing these hundreds of thousands (millions, even) of words.
So
that’s that. Will VGJunk ever return? Probably not, and it’s
especially unlikely to be in its old format, but never say never. I
do love writing, and I’ve been tentatively getting back into
writing some horror fiction and stuff like that, but that’s a hobby
that I’ll most likely keep to myself.
Best
wishes to you all,
VGJunk
Unfortunate but not unexpected. Appreciate all the solid content over the years on games we've never even heard of often in the states, and best of luck with anything else ya attempt.
ReplyDeleteI have a bit of insight into how much time you must have been spending on this site, so it's bloody impressive you were able to keep it going for so long. And I'm not surprised you got a bit tired of it after writing 15,000 articles (that's how many it looks like you've done anyway, I didn't count them). You didn't quit, you finished a marathon.
ReplyDeletePlus you made a good site, you showed off a lot of screenshots and you wrote funny things underneath them. Annoyingly funny things. Honestly it's been nice not to have the competition these last few months because whenever I look at your writing I'm like 'oh come on, how am I supposed to match that?' Definitely keep writing, you're good at it.
And thanks for the nine years of free entertainment.
I'm sorry to hear this but wish you all the best! Do let us know if you start any new projects!
ReplyDeleteI loved your articles, your sense of humour, your dedication to some of the most obscure and sometimes not-that-interesting games, your gifs, your niceness... I've been reading those articles on-and-off for a few years now, during long, cold night shifts and waiting for the always late buses... You made a really big piece of work, and I will be missing your writing. But this also means I have a backlog of articles to read, that won't be consistently growing up...
ReplyDeletePlease, archive your articles and gifs, they are treasures, even those that you don't think much of. Maybe as an ebook?
But, I also hope that at the end of things, you are now happy. You certainly made me much happier, a lot of times.
Best wishes from a long-time fan.
You've been missed! But sooner or later, the clammy hand of entropy grips all our blogs. Good luck with your new stage in life!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that, but that's life, I suppose. As I said in my previous comment: farewell, VGJunk. You have given us many years of funny and interesting articles about the video games of bygone days, and for that, we thank you. You shall be missed.
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog a few months ago, and it's been my nightly reading. What a treasure of funny and great articles. I really hope that perhaps you will return to it someday.
ReplyDeleteWell, it was nice while it lasted...and it was a nice read the whole while. I was wondering what was going on. Good luck with everything.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoyed your Hallowe'en articles :) Good luck in the future.
ReplyDeleteThis blog has been wonderful, thanks for the giggles over the years and all the best for the future xo
ReplyDeleteThanks for some hilarious and eclectic reviews. I really enjoyed your writing, and learned a lot about the contents of obscure games, some of which are now documented online for the first time. I hope you can make time to convert the best of your content into an illustrated book. Ideally two: one general and one Hallowe'en for 2020 or 2021. There is a good market for such things now, and it would be a great mic drop for this pile of wonderful.
ReplyDeleteYou are way too hard on yourself. These blogs kept me smiling and laughing through rough times. Sucks that it ends like this.
ReplyDeleteFuck that twitter garbage, I'll just keep this site bookmarked and check back in once in awhile when I need a chuckle.
Good luck, my guy. Depression sucks
I spent the last years alternating between vgjunk and Super Adventures in Gaming, two pages that never disappointed me. Thanks for the 9 years of hilarious reviews, and good luck!
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Brazil - and sorry for my broken english :)
Thank you so much, it was a great ride!
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Uruguay!
Your articles were real comfy to read, what with the images and your commentary, also lots of obscure goodies and real old jewels, best of luck in life mate, if you ever write anything else i'd sure like to read it
ReplyDeleteThanks You for keeping us entertained for so long! your articles were always fun.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Argentina!
I think everybody is pleased to hear that your personal life is developing. Personally, I want to wish you good luck, be well and keep up.
ReplyDeleteOf course we consider you as an interesting and entertaining writer and hope to update your stories from time to time.
Still believe that this not goodbye but au revoir...
And I forgot, greetings from Greece, also...
ReplyDeleteThis website remains one of my all time favorite time wasters. The Ronald McDonald in Adventure Land article is still my favorite. Best of luck in your future endeavors and thanks for the laughs!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to see you go. I wish you well in the future. I just want you to know that my Halloween felt like it was missing something without your articles. I guess I'll have to live without them now. They and you will be missed.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about games I wouldn't have even known existed without you.
Thanks for at least letting us know it was done and giving us all some closure.
And thanks for the memories and good times over the years.
Oh, no! I follow you on Twitter, so we will still keep in touch, but it is a pity that proletarian life has ended with the prolongation of entertainment here.
ReplyDeleteI wish you all the best, and I will not forget this blog. I will still visit it.
Thanks for telling us that its over.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved your articles. And you better believe I've loaded up every C64 game you've talked about on my C64 mini... just wish my original C64 worked... but then, I wouldn't be able to connect that to the internet so...
ReplyDeleteAw, that's unfortunate! I always enjoyed reading your stuff; you have on more than one occasion sent me into an absolutely paralyzing fit of laughter, and you kept consistently high quality throughout.
ReplyDeleteThis said, as a fellow "person who just kind of grew out of maintaining a website consistently", I totally understand how you feel, so you do as you like, and hopefully you'll feel it was a wise decision. Definitely appreciate you just coming out with it and saying you're probably going to end things here, though, closure is always appreciated. ;3
Godspeed, you magnificent bastard.
ReplyDeleteMay a Ferrari carry you ever on along the coast to the sound of Magical Sound Shower, a pumpkin from a hidden object game in the passenger seat as you smash through sliding tile puzzles, forward towards new things.
" I’m very pleased to think that I provided you with some entertainment over the years."
ReplyDeleteYou damn right! You provide me with entertainment all this time, for sure.
Moreover, you're my inspiration to write articles.
Good luck and good bye! -_-
Thank you for all the words. It was the best writing about the worst of video games. I saved the articles for long haul flights and they used to soothe me sleep. I will miss it. Honestly, I always hoped to see your writing in the major publication. Many soft cuddles.
ReplyDeleteGracias por los buenos momentos! tus artículos me hicieron reír mucho durante varios años (y me hicieron tomar el diccionario inglés español más de lo que hubiese querido) pero valió mucho la pena. Seguiré volviendo de vez en cuando para revivir aquellas carcajadas. Saludos desde Chile.
ReplyDeleteThank you, man, for helping me laugh during the toughest times of my life. I was a mess when I found VGjunk and Sometimes a smile and a laugh will make a huge difference. I understand why you leave this work, but know that it has importance to all of us that it touched and made happy for even just a few minutes, and making someone laugh even for a few minutes can be pivotal. Goodbye, man. Make good choices and be well.
ReplyDeleteYour site's been regular bedtime reading for me for a couple of years now, and I'm genuinely sad its time has come - and somewhat moved to hear that writing this little site helped you get through some rough times.
ReplyDeleteYou'll be much missed!
Thank you so much for all the work throughout the years.
ReplyDeleteIf a book were to come out with a selection of the best articles, I'd buy it. Heck, I'd kickstart it :)
I'm sorry to see VGJunk go, but I totally get it. I shut down my own horror movie review site years ago for very similar reasons. Glad you're still on Twitter!
ReplyDeleteI Wish you all the best sir - you have provided me with much entertainment over the years and for that I thank you. Take care!
ReplyDeleteI wish you the best, and I'd like to say that I found your articles very funny and charming insights into older games, even if sometimes the games themselves were not as funny or charming to play.
ReplyDeleteSo long, and thanks for all the fish! Wishing you well for the future
ReplyDeleteI planned to send this to you on the site's anniversary or whatever, but I figure I might as well put it here.
ReplyDeleteIt's a goofy skeleton.
https://i.imgur.com/zk2LA64h.png
(Knight's Quest on Game Boy, for anyone wondering)
Thanks for all the insights and laughs over the years. Both for the well-known games and the obscure nuggets I would have otherwise never heard of.
And there goes the last blog o>
ReplyDeleteMan your site was a constant source of funny moments, specially when real-life issues were so appaling (which is almost always anyways). Checking regurarly for an update was a daily routine and an irreplaceable one I must say...
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all the good laughts, and your fine writing on this forgotten gems or shitty games.
Personally I'll miss your articles about game covers which were excellent.
Good luck with your new stage in life, and like some people said here, I'll support a VG Junk book if someday it gets published ;)
I'll miss your updates. To be honest, I really enjoyed reading your articles. Some of them even managed to make crack up at times. It was always a delight to see you writing about video games I remembered playing as a kid myself, whether they were good things to say or not. I was saddened to find that you no longer had the drive to update, as made apparent months ago, but life tends to catch up with us eventually to where we can't do the things we used to do anymore and things change.
ReplyDeleteThat happens though. Life's like that.
Still, I had a fun time and I still will with this site when I feel like coming back to it. I hope you will keep it around, as I'm sure some of us still enjoy coming back to this place to read your stuff. I know I do.
Hang in there and I hope you have a good one. Especially with your horror fiction, I wish you the best with that.
Seems I completely missed this announcement. Well, I had a feeling it was gonna come sooner or later. I have to thank you for all those entertaining articles you wrote over the years, and for holding onto that passion for so long. I'll definitely come back and re-read them from time to time, and I'll keep following your Twitter account for the occasional insights.
ReplyDeleteThis has been a great blog. I will always look forward to you writing anything.
I still come back to binge the old articles on a regular basis. I hope life is treating you well,
ReplyDelete