Erik Kain

Erik Kain treats video games as part of a wider genre culture, writing as a critic who connects play, story and fandom across games, TV, movies and books. His coverage blends hands-on engagement with major releases and platforms with ongoing commentary on the franchises, services and streaming series that shape how players spend their time. He writes a long-running gaming and entertainment blog at Forbes as a senior contributor focused on the gaming beat.

Gaming Blog, Platforms And Console Wars

Kain’s core output is a steady stream of gaming pieces that track how platform decisions, major releases and business models affect players on Xbox, PlayStation and PC. His articles compare competing consoles and services in plain terms, weighing features, content libraries and ecosystems rather than treating hardware as purely technical specs. Headlines like “Xbox Is About To Leave PlayStation In The Dust,” “Of Course The PS5 Will Win The Console Wars,” and “7 Reasons To Buy An Xbox Series X Instead Of A PS5” show a recurring focus on the shifting balance between Sony and Microsoft, Game Pass, and console strategy framed around what it means for everyday players. He approaches big titles such as Halo Infinite from the player’s side as well, dissecting issues like progression and monetization in pieces that praise strong design while calling out specific problems, as in his coverage of “Halo Infinite” multiplayer and its “one glaring problem.” Across this work he writes as a commentator and critic rather than a news wire reporter, prioritising analysis, argument and clear recommendations grounded in personal experience with games.

Puzzle Guides And Walkthrough Coverage

Alongside platform and franchise commentary, Kain produces practical guides aimed at players who want help with daily puzzles and in-game challenges. His gaming blog includes walkthrough and hint articles that break down solutions step by step, tailoring advice to players rather than to developers or the business side of the industry. The New York Times game Pips is one example, where he wrote a detailed piece offering hints, answers and a full walkthrough for a specific day’s puzzle. This strand of his coverage emphasises clarity and usefulness, keeping jargon light and focusing on what a stuck player needs to get moving again.

TV, Streaming And Weekend Watch Lists

Kain extends his genre focus beyond games into TV and streaming, treating shows and films as part of the same audience conversation as big-budget games.

He writes pieces like “What To Watch This Weekend: New Shows And Movies To Stream On Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV And More,” which surface new releases and notable additions across major streaming platforms. These roundups mix brief capsule commentary with concrete viewing suggestions, highlighting fantasy, science fiction, mystery and other genre titles that align with the tastes of his gaming readership. His broader description of his beat centres on TV shows, movies and books in genre categories including fantasy, science fiction, thrillers, post‑apocalyptic stories and horror, so his streaming coverage mirrors the themes he follows in games. The result is a cross‑media lens where console battles, live‑service shooters and weekend streaming picks sit inside one coherent view of genre entertainment.

Criticism, Cross‑Outlet Work And Personal Taste

Kain writes as a critic with clearly stated preferences, especially for series like Dark Souls, first‑person shooters and role‑playing games.

That point of view informs his reviews and opinion pieces, which appear not only on Forbes but also in his Substack newsletter, on his YouTube channel and in curated review listings on platforms such as OpenCritic. He is Shorty Award‑nominated and explicitly presents himself as a writer and critic rather than a straight news reporter, positioning his work as commentary and analysis. His professional background includes bylines in outlets such as The Atlantic, Mother Jones and National Review, alongside a long tenure writing his gaming and culture blog.

Across these venues he covers video games, entertainment and pop culture, occasionally folding in politics and broader cultural debates when they intersect with digital media and fandom. For story placement, this means he is most responsive to pitches that touch the player experience, genre storytelling, platform strategy or the cultural impact of games and shows, rather than purely corporate announcements.