Ian Dean
Ian Dean covers the intersection of video games, digital art and creative technology as Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, drawing on more than 25 years in games and art journalism. His coverage stands out for connecting how games look and feel with the artists, pipelines and tools behind them, from console blockbusters and retro classics to AI-driven workflows and craft hardware.
Video games, worldbuilding and reviews
Dean has been writing about games since 1998, and that long view shapes his mix of reviews, buyer’s guides and culture pieces.
He reviews major releases such as Marvel’s Wolverine and Ace Combat 8, focusing on visual ambition, technical polish and how well long-running series evolve without losing their core identity. In his coverage of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, he treats a remake as a chance to weigh nostalgia against modern expectations, examining whether updated presentation delivers a true reset or simply a prettier version of the past.
He brings the same attention to hardware decisions around games, weighing up PS5 versus Xbox Series X specifically through the lens of GTA 6 and the growing cost of console ownership.
His commentary on GTA 6’s leak and digital-only releases digs into preservation, ownership and the risks of an all-digital ecosystem for players and the industry. He also writes personal, reflective pieces on platforms like Nintendo Switch 2, using his own delayed adoption to explore why a console can feel fresher than rivals despite familiar specs.
Worldbuilding and art direction are central threads: his feature on how thatgamecompany turned Van Gogh paintings into playable spaces looks at brushstroke technology, narrative framing and letters as design material rather than just visual flair. In his coverage of Control Resonant, he treats New York as a creative subject, examining how the game’s version of the city differs from other depictions and why that matters for atmosphere and player experience. He extends this perspective into curated guides, such as his selection of the best retro game consoles on sale, where he combines long-term familiarity with hardware with a focus on how classic experiences are preserved or reimagined for modern players.
AI, digital art and creative workflows
Dean is a consistent voice on how AI is reshaping art and entertainment, covering both new tools and the unease they create for creatives.
In his reporting on the AI caricature trend, he examines why seemingly lighthearted filters cause discomfort, linking job losses, data exploitation and the way humour can mask serious concerns in creative industries. His feature work around Adobe’s framing of AI art entering a “Controls Era” looks at how more granular tools, custom models and new skills are changing what artists need to learn to stay competitive.
He profiles individual artists and technologists to ground these shifts, such as concept artist Daniel Porto on how AI amplifies but does not replace decades of experience, and creators building entire transmedia sci-fi universes with AI tools. Across pieces on Unreal Engine’s AI initiatives, Autodesk’s AI 3D generators and new text-to-vector tools in CorelDRAW, he explains how features like editable AI artwork, realistic oceans and accessible 3D generation alter workflows for game artists, VFX teams and digital makers. He also returns to the limits of AI, highlighting where current systems struggle with empathy, cinematic craft and meaningful visual storytelling, and why human vision remains the competitive advantage.
Retro gaming and games culture history
Retro games and their legacy form a distinct strand in Dean’s beat. His feature on brutally hard ’90s classics uses collections like Disney Afternoon and Rayman anniversary editions to argue for the enduring appeal of demanding design, framing difficulty as part of the emotional hook rather than a relic of old hardware. In a long-form profile of journalist Paul Drury and the creators behind coin-op classics, he foregrounds messy, human stories over tidy legends, showing how oral history and candid interviews complicate the myths around the arcade era. These pieces, alongside his retro console buying guides, position him as someone who treats games history as living culture rather than nostalgia alone.
Creative hardware, craft tech and deals
Beyond games, Dean writes extensively about the tools and gadgets creative people use, from headphones and phones to tablets and niche craft devices. His reviews and deal pieces on Nothing Headphone (1) Pro, engraving pens and stylus-enabled tablets combine hands-on impressions with clear assessments of whether an upgrade is worth the cost for artists, note-takers and everyday users. In coverage of the Nothing Phone and similar devices, he pays close attention to industrial design and personality, weighing aesthetics and creative appeal against conventional spec sheets.
He also taps into craft and fandom trends, such as Harry Potter book nooks and cosy craft kits, situating these products within broader currents of home-based creativity and pop culture collecting. Across his role at Creative Bloq, he keeps returning to Cricut machines, laser cutters and other maker tools, treating them as part of the same ecosystem as digital tablets and 3D software. This mix of hardware reviews, deals content and inspiration-led craft coverage means his work reaches both professional creatives who depend on tools and fans who use them to express their interests.
4 more entertainment journalists.
Abbie Bray
Abbie Bray reports on how television affects the people on screen and the viewers at home. She is acting head of Screen Time, working across national and regional titles on dramas, soaps, factual entertainment and live broadcasts. Her focus includes Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise, Vera and Midsomer Murders, as well as Gardeners’ World, Our Yorkshire Farm, Countryfile, Garden Rescue and A Place in the Sun. She also covers presenters, long-running series, sports broadcasts, viewer complaints and Ofcom scrutiny. Before Screen Time, she was a TV reporter for Metro and the Daily Express, then held weekend TV editor, assistant TV editor and deputy showbiz editor roles. Her reporting links TV formats to grief, career changes, casting, audience reaction and the personal stakes behind live coverage.
Adam Bloodworth
Adam Bloodworth covers how culture, nightlife and luxury spaces shape modern entertainment and everyday life. He is a Features Journalist and Deputy Life&Style Editor at City A.M., where he has written and commissioned culture and lifestyle features since 2022. He is also Deputy Editor of City A.M. The Magazine. His beat includes film, TV, music, theatre, things to do, restaurants, hotels, members’ clubs, fashion and LGBTQ storytelling. He has written for The Telegraph, The Independent, VICE, Metro and HuffPost UK. He reviews gigs, theatre and restaurants, profiles venues and reports on live-music infrastructure. His work often combines criticism with first-person experience, judging places and performances by their atmosphere, stories and audience experience. He also interviews public figures and appears as an on-air commentator.
Adam England
Adam England stands out for linking celebrity news to wider trends in music, sport, health and everyday life. He is a writer-reporter on the news team at People, where he covers entertainment, culture and lifestyle through timely stories and evergreen explainers. His work has appeared in publications including The Guardian, The Independent, Vice, Dazed, Healthline and Verywell Mind. He writes about music, screen entertainment, celebrity careers, fan communities, sport, cultural history, mental health, travel, pets, relationships and social affairs. His explainers include the 2023 NFL Draft and Bruce Lee’s death. He also reports on sensitive celebrity health stories, such as Lionel Richie cutting a concert short after feeling dizzy. His reporting is clear, factual and service-driven. He strips back jargon and mythology, uses lived experience and expert input where relevant, and avoids sensationalism.
Adam White
Adam White is features editor across culture and lifestyle at The Independent. He writes and commissions long-form features, essays and interviews on film, television, music and entertainment. His work examines how fame, fandom and taste shape contemporary culture, from streaming thrillers and celebrity disclosure to festivals, live music and creative careers. His writing has appeared in Dazed, Huck, i-D, Playboy, The Telegraph, The i, Little White Lies, The Quietus and Nylon. He uses a strong, voice-led style that combines reporting, observation and personal immersion. His streaming coverage treats television as something experienced as much as watched. His celebrity essays connect star narratives to wider questions about privacy and public image. His festival writing focuses on audiences and live events as cultural rituals. His interviews with film-makers and authors rely on rapport, extended stories and reflection.