Jake Barros
Jake Barros covers gaming for Press Start with a through-line that combines detailed trading card game coverage with fast, digestible daily news about what is happening in games right now. He works as a content producer and host of Press Start’s Daily Gaming News, bringing together written stories and audio updates on the same beat. His recent work leans into exclusive card previews, set introductions, and headline-driven news pieces that keep pace with announcements, leaks, and new experiences across the wider gaming landscape.
Trading card games and exclusive reveals
Barros regularly leads coverage of trading card games tied to major entertainment franchises, with a particular focus on exclusive card reveals.
In his exclusive Riftbound card reveal for the Vendetta set, he breaks down the card Shady Spectacles in mechanical terms, spelling out its cost, rarity, domain, type, and equip ability and then explaining how copying a friendly unit fits into the game’s wider strategy. He follows that up with a broader preview of Riftbound: Vendetta, framing the set as the fourth release in Riot Games’ League of Legends trading card game and positioning it for dedicated TCG players and existing Riftbound fans. Earlier work on Disney Lorcana includes an exclusive Winterspell card reveal, underscoring a pattern of access-driven stories where he introduces new cards from licensed universes and highlights how they play.
Across these pieces, he balances publisher information with plain-language explanations so that both invested TCG players and general gaming readers can understand why the new cards matter.
Daily gaming news and announcement coverage
Alongside written articles, Barros hosts Press Start’s Daily Gaming News, a short-form podcast positioned as a regular snapshot of what is happening across the gaming world.
That role mirrors his work on the site’s news feed, where his bylines pick up trailers, leaks, and announcements and turn them into concise stories. In coverage of the leaked opening for the cancelled Kingdom Hearts mobile game Missing Link, he reports on the community reaction and situates the footage as either an introductory cinematic or trailer, addressing both the content of the leak and the uncertainty around its original context.
His news pieces also include practical announcements such as PAX Aus 2026 early bird badges going on sale, giving readers clear information about timing and access around major gaming events. This blend of audio hosting and written news allows him to surface developments quickly and repeatedly, with a format that suits both daily listeners and site readers who scan headlines.
Events, experiences, and broader gaming features
Barros’ archive includes coverage of in-person gaming experiences and live-service content that broaden his beat beyond cards and leaks. He has written about a new VR experience launch, presenting it as a fresh way for players to engage with games and highlighting its arrival date for interested visitors. His work on World of Tanks: War Stories focuses on a single-player expansion coming to console platforms, signalling attention to how established online titles evolve through new modes and content.
Event-facing pieces such as PAX Aus badge sales sit alongside these, creating a thread of coverage that moves from at-home play to conventions and dedicated experiences while staying anchored in clear, actionable information for players. Across this strand of his work, he maintains a straightforward tone that emphasises what the experience is, when it is happening, and why it may matter to regular players.
Voice and format
Barros writes in an accessible, mechanics-aware style that reflects his dual focus on trading card games and headline news. In card reveal pieces he foregrounds rules text and card functions but keeps explanations short, ensuring that specific terms like domains, runes, and equip effects are unpacked just enough to show strategic impact.
In news coverage, he prioritises the core development - whether that is a leak, a trailer, a ticket release, or a new experience - and then adds just enough context for readers to understand what has changed without wading through opinion or speculation. His work on the Daily Gaming News podcast reinforces this approach, presenting frequent, compact updates rather than extended commentary, and positioning him as a consistent translator of gaming announcements into everyday language.
Together, his writing and hosting indicate a reporter who specialises in turning detailed mechanics and fast-moving news into clear, repeatable formats for an audience that wants both depth on specific games and a reliable daily overview of the broader scene.
4 more gaming journalists.
Adam Hales
Adam Hales stands out by treating the Xbox and wider Microsoft ecosystem as one connected whole, covering games, hardware, services, AI tools, and community culture as a single beat. He writes for Windows Central, focusing on how platform decisions, developer tools, and community dynamics shape the way people play and connect. His reporting stays close to developers and internal culture around major franchises like Halo, Age of Empires, and live‑service titles, using direct quotes and industry context. He covers console updates, handheld devices, emulation, and system changes with an eye on how they alter everyday play. He also tracks Microsoft’s AI‑driven tools such as GitHub Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot, explaining what new models and agents mean for developers and knowledge workers. Across stories, he reads earnings calls and shifting messaging to show what decisions signal about the future for teams and players.
Alan Wen
Alan Wen is a freelance video games journalist known for examining how games feel to play, how mechanics and structure serve their themes, and whether new entries earn their place in a series. He currently writes for TechRadar, covering features, interviews, previews, reviews, and opinion pieces. His work has appeared in Edge, Official PlayStation Magazine, GamesMaster, Games TM, Wireframe, Stuff, Kotaku UK, FANDOM, Rock Paper Shotgun, Digital Spy, The Guardian, and The Telegraph. His beat spans big-budget releases, cult titles, mobile spin-offs, Nintendo and party games, horror, atmospheric worlds, remakes, revivals, and series history. He focuses on level design, sound, narrative framing, combat, encounter design, player expectations, and fan communities. His reporting places each game within its wider series or genre and asks whether it is essential, refreshing, or merely another iteration.
Alex Blair
Alex Blair is a News.com.au reporter who stands out for treating gaming as mainstream consumer culture, not niche trade coverage. He covers major game releases, franchise news, and the business side of gaming, including projected revenue and other money questions around big titles like Grand Theft Auto VI. His broader remit also spans entertainment, finance, music, tech, travel, science, and sport. He has worked in several roles at News.com.au, including sport, and his reporting background includes football coverage. He writes in a concise, news-driven style for general readers, spelling out numbers, stakes, and context so non-specialists can follow why a release or platform matters.
Ali Haider
Ali Haider is a news editor at TwistedVoxel who specializes in detailed, version-specific coverage of video games, closely linking granular patch notes and platform changes with what studios say about their titles. He focuses on live game support, studio messaging, and platform infrastructure, tracking how patches, updates, and developer communication shape major and mid-sized releases. His beat includes live-service shooters, action and role-playing games, large publisher catalogues, and subscription lineups, with a consistent emphasis on patch names, version numbers, and specific systems affected. He reports heavily on developer statements, industry tensions, announcements, wishlists, and event-driven reveals, treating quotes and policy positions as core news drivers. Alongside news, he contributes reviews and technical support stories and brings a background in editing and managing YouTube videos to multimedia projects tied to fast-moving gaming and tech subjects.