J.D. Kloosterman's Blog

Little-known games off for surprising amounts for the next five days. … More Steam Summer Sale 2025: Hidden Gems [8 minutes]

I didn't play as many as in previous years, but there were still some good ones. … More Steam Next Festival May 2025 [8 Minutes]

All very well to complain about AI, but what should we actually do about it? … More How to respond to the Insult of Artificial Intelligence? [15 minutes]

I certainly can't claim to have all "female writers" figured out. But I do think there was an insight in Haidt's book The Anxious Generation that has really helped me pinpoint a critical distinction between how male and female writers approach detective fiction. … More My totally not-at-all-presumptive theory about the difference between male and female murder writers. (Also, free book!)

The best books, movies and games (that I personally discovered in the course of) 2024 … More The Best of 2024

Allow me to brag on myself a little. (Okay, at length. This is a long one, like 15 minutes.) … More My 2024 Summer Reading

I don't normally read Memoirs, but this was fun. … More On the Memoirs of Ulysses S Grant

I’ve written, before, about my admiration for the legendary animator and artist Hayao Miyazaki. He has produced some of the most moving and beautiful works of art in Japanese cinema. My personal favorite is Porco Rosso, but others are more likely familiar with his works Spirited Away or My Neighbor Totoro. Or perhaps the most … More Artificial Intelligence: An Insult to Life Itself.

I haven’t written in a while. Life’s just been… life. But! I recently played a bunch of games during the Steam Next Festival, and that reminded me of how I used to review games all the time, so I decided I’d give a quick breakdown of all the games I played. Recently, I’ve gained a new … More Steam Next Festival Feburary 2024 (Upcoming Metroidvanias!)

I used to teach American Lit. I’m going to again, actually, this coming year, but it has been a few years. One of the things that occurred to me when I last taught it.  Part of the point of teaching American lit is to give kids a cohesive sense of culture.  We study the seminal … More What does it mean, actually, to be American?