Melbourne Gaming Journal

Games, carved into words.

Long-form reviews, retro preservation and honest esports analysis — printed like a woodblock, published from Prahran. No hype cycles, just the games that stick.

Read the archive Our columns

Tips & pitches: +61 3 9021 5267

Retro and modern gaming setup lit in seafoam tones

Read and cited across the scene

PixelPress AU Frame Rate Weekly Southbank Arcade Retro Revival Expo Ladder Report

What we publish

Three columns, printed weekly.

Every piece is played to completion before we write a word. No review copies rushed, no scores without hours behind them.

The Long Play — deep-dive reviews

Full-playthrough reviews of 40+ hour releases, published two weeks after launch so first-day patches count. Every score shows our total hours logged.

New drops every Thursday

Carved in Cartridge — retro archive

Preservation features on 8-bit and 16-bit classics, complete with hardware history, fan-patch guides and interviews with local collectors around Chapel Street.

Fortnightly, every second Monday

Ladder Notes — esports analysis

Meta breakdowns and match reports across the ANZ competitive circuit, with patch-impact charts and roster moves the mainstream sites miss.

Match-week recaps every Sunday

The archive

Recent pieces, filed by column.

A slice of what we have printed this season. Filter by the kind of story you're after.

Open-world RPG landscape — Review
92 hours in: the RPG that respects your time

Vintage handheld console — Retro
Restoring a 1991 handheld, screen and all

Esports team on stage — Esports
The ANZ grand final that came down to one round

Indie platformer artwork — Review
The indie platformer that outsold its budget tenfold

From our readers

Trusted by people who finish games.

TL
Tom L.
Fitzroy, VIC

The only site that told me a game got better 20 hours in instead of scoring it on the tutorial. Saved me from refunding something I now adore.

PN
Priya N.
Prahran, VIC

Their retro restoration guide got my old handheld running again over a weekend. The hardware history alongside it made the whole thing a joy to read.

MR
Marcus R.
Southbank, VIC

The Ladder Notes patch charts are better than what the official broadcasts show. I read them before every match week now.

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Get in touch

Pitch a story or say hello.

Got a tip, a game to cover, or feedback on a review? We read everything and reply within two business days.

Phone: +61 3 9021 5267
Email: [email protected]
Studio: 67 Greville Street, Prahran VIC 3181
Hours: Mon–Fri, 9:00am–5:30pm AEST