What is Gaming Retro?
Gaming Retro is a labour of love, and its story goes back to 2017, with the creation of a Facebook page, Retro Gaming World. Launched just before the retro gaming revival got going, the page quickly built a following.
I didn’t think that retro gaming was particularly popular beyond the world of emulation, but I thought it could be something that more and more people become interested in…
It became apparent that a whole website could potentially be built around the idea. So in 2020, Gaming Retro UK was launched, and the Facebook page renamed to match. Since that time, various writers have contributed to the site’s collection of reviews, lists, features, and guides.
In mid 2025, I launched the Gaming Retro newsletter on Substack, and in January 2026, this became the home for the website, and began the task of migrating articles across.
Who are you?
I’m Christian Cawley, and I’ve been writing about video games and technology professionally since 2007. In that time, I’ve worked with MakeUseOf.com, XDA-Developers.com, TechRadar.com, TomsHardware.com, and many other big name sites.
I’ve also had regular spots in print magazines such as Android Magazine, Linux User & Developer, and Linux Format.
Over the past few years, like many in the industry, I’ve become concerned with the growth of AI and its role in replacing genuine writers, supplanting their experiences with generic vagueness, and fooling readers.
I want to be in the vanguard, and reclaim the web for users, returning the philosophy of this space to what it was in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Why subscribe to Gaming Retro?
Every Sunday morning, I send out the Gaming Retro newsletter, which features a catchup, a key feature, and the latest retro gaming news from the past week.
This is free to all subscribers, and lands in your inbox in time for your Sunday morning coffee.
Meanwhile, I also publish two additional articles each week. These might be an in-depth feature, an interview, a review, or a “lab notes” where I get technical with some retro hardware.
These articles are available with a supporting subscription, and also unlock the full publication archives and early access to the podcast and videos.
Who else writes?
Most articles are written by me, but I’ve had some help over the years from some excellent contributors, including:
Anthony Yates
John Bowe
Bhav Soor
Will Llewellyn
Philip Bates
Several other writers have also contributed to Gaming Retro, underlining the wide reach that playing old computer and video games still has.
Where can you follow Gaming Retro?
As well as subscribing right here, you can follow Gaming Retro on social media:
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