The Sunday Papers
Rock Paper Shotgun celebrates its 10th anniversary with a special edition of the Sunday Papers, the site’s weekly roundup of notable videogame criticism and journalism. The anniversary column features a comprehensive roundtable discussion examining the state of shooter games in 2026, with contributions from prominent gaming writers Ed Smith, Reid McCarter, Astrid Anne Rose, and Yussef Cole. The piece explores how the shooter genre has evolved and what defines contemporary first-person and third-person action games. This week’s roundup also covers extensive commentary on several gaming topics: Duke Nukem’s continued cultural presence, the rapidly expanding visual novel genre, innovative sociable space simulation experiences, and the emerging ‘search action’ game category. The Sunday Papers demonstrates Rock Paper Shotgun’s commitment to providing diverse and thoughtful gaming criticism, extending beyond mainstream coverage to include niche genres and cultural commentary on the medium.