Latest articles by Ian Dean
The promise and panic of Unity AI’s open beta rollout explained
A powerful tool or pipeline to 'AI slop' games?
This new magazine just made the 'games as art' debate feel outdated
Reset, from the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 publisher, shows video games belong in art, fashion and design.
Every artist needs one, and these sketchbooks, notebooks and Moleskines are now cheaper
From Moleskine to Strathmore, the deals creatives shouldn’t miss.
Wax Heads review: a cosy puzzler where art does more than storytelling
Light on challenge, but captures the awkwardness of music taste in every illustration.
VR sculpting changed how I learn 3D, and made it fun
Illustrator Maciek Łazowski discovered an intuitive way to learn 3D modelling.
Motorslice review: a liminal Shadow of the Colossus-inspired must-play
Brutalist and brilliant.
This Unreal Engine 5 Star Wars racer has surprisingly old-school art direction
Star Wars Galactic Racer's key art is perfectly nostalgic.
The new Rogue Trooper movie poster looks like it fell out of a ’70s cinema
And fans love it.
The new Spectrum and THE64 handhelds have made retro gaming weird and personal again
Rubber keys, clacky keyboards, and deep cut retro games.
Mullet MadJack (Switch) review: a masterclass in '90s anime visuals wrapped around a thin arcade loop
It's a brilliant retro-like rush that burns out too quickly.
Artists are split over Claude AI and Blender – here’s why
A creative partnership that’s raising eyebrows.
This game artist turns “emotion and dance” into haunting creature designs
The gesture and geometry of Liuyazi (Arya) Hou's sculptures.
Amazon’s Gaming Week 2026 sale is a goldmine for retro game remake deals
Dragon Quest, Resident Evil, Mario Galaxy and more at impulse-buy prices.
How Autodesk’s new AI tool gets us closer to ‘just press animate’
Flow Studio’s new features turn character creation and animation into a single process.
Directive 8020's glossy, late-’90s sci-fi aesthetic gives it an edge
My hands-on shows how smart art direction can reshape familiar horror tropes.
Warframe’s latest short feels like a lost 2000s anime music video
Inside the glitchy, music-led animation redefining the game's visual language.
For Earth Day, I asked AI to show me what the future looks like
The results were eye opening.
NEOGEO AES+ pre-orders are surging and sparking FOMO
Don’t miss your shot at this retro revival – here's where to pre-order.
The best Cricut machines
The ultimate vinyl cutters for home crafting, with precise material cuts to help you transfer your designs onto mugs, T-shirts and more.
The best Adobe Illustrator alternatives, for all budgets and skill levels
From Affinity to CorelDRAW, try these top vector-editing tools.
Why Metal Slug still looks better than many modern games
30 years on, this pixel art masterpiece refused to evolve, and that's why it still matters.
Why Mullet Madjack’s retro VHS-era anime art style still stands out
Ahead of its Switch release, art director Alessandro Martinello explains why imperfection matters.
Why this artist swapped architecture for Unreal Engine
Techland's Jan Buczny wants to build worlds that tell stories.
