It's been another tumultuous year — is there really any other kind? Although 2023 has been a landmark year for incredible video game releases across all platforms, the state of the gaming industry itself — with post-pandemic layoff announcements from big companies coming on a seemingly daily basis recently — is sobering. Looking outside the realm of interactive entertainment, much of the global news isn't any better; in fact, it's often far worse.
With all the economic and humanitarian crises around the globe, we try our best here at Nintendo Life to inject a little positivity into your feed. The daily doom scroll might suggest that there's not much beauty in the world right now, but we're certain that's not the case, and the realms of media — interactive or otherwise — have been filled with wonders to help process the realities of a world that, at times, feels impossibly fractured.
Obviously, we're all living the Nintendo Life around these parts but, on occasion, we sample other things. So, if you'll permit the indulgence over the festive break, we thought it would be nice to share some of the non-Nintendo media we've enjoyed in 2023. Movies, books, music, podcasts, art of any kind — below you'll find just a handful of tonics that made us smile (and occasionally cry) throughout 2023.
Jazz Emu, Star Trek, Perfect Consoles (Gavin Lane, Editor)
The final season of Star Trek: Picard delivered a potent nostalgia punch, but also weaved new cast members and themes throughout in a way that felt less contrived than previous seasons. In classic Trek mode, it needed a couple of rounds to find its feet — and apparently to bring its star around to the idea of reuniting the entire TNG family. It was a triumph, and tears were shed when the doors to hanger bay 12 opened.
This year I also stumbled upon the infectious oeuvre of one Jazz Emu after hearing Archie Henderson on RHLSTP. A musical comedy act that explores situations somehow both universal but also hyper-specific (especially to socially anxious Brits), the songs are lyrically hilarious but it's the awesomeness of the tunes that keep me coming back. Multiple times throughout the year, I've thrown on Still Waiting (above) and my mood will instantly improve. Other excellent tracks include: an unreasonably catchy number about a robot who travels through spacetime to fix the world's ills using its greatest tool: funk; a scam email odyssey; a track charting the awkwardness of finding your train seat occupied; the invention of fingerful gloves; and a takedown of the English language's insane pronunciation. I could link a dozen more. I ended up buying several albums.
Elsewhere, I also enjoyed The Offer (a ten-part miniseries with Miles Teller and Juno Temple charting the making of The Godfather), I found Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny surprisingly affecting, and the best film I saw was A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night... from 2014. Finally, Simon Parkin and his My Perfect Console podcast have been exceptional company in the car.
The Boy and the Heron, Reservation Dogs, Gabrielle Zevin (Alana Hagues, Deputy Editor)
My biggest love after video games is movies, and while I still have lots to see before I settle on my 2023 favourite, I have to sing the praises of Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron. This might be my new favourite Studio Ghibli film. It's an incredible blend of surrealism, magical realism, and the reflections of a creative looking back on his career and the future. That's all I'll say about it. It's beautiful. Ignoring 2023 releases, the best film I saw in 2023 is without a doubt Aftersun, which is now firmly in my top-5 movies of all time. Just beautifully tender and devastating.
2023 is also the year I moved in with my partner — which means we've been watching a lot of TV. I need to finish Succession (I know, I know), but I did finally watch The Bear, which — oh my goodness — blew me away. I've never cried at a Taylor Swift song until this show. If you know, you know. But a lesser-known show also completely stole my heart: Reservation Dogs. What starts as an off-beat comedy blossoms into a beautiful show about community and family. It's unmissable and just keeps getting better.
I've read a fair few books this year, too — I'm a better reader in the summer, though, because there's something about reading outside that I love. But, on the topic of video games, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is my favourite of 2023's pile. It uses game development as a way to frame empathy, humanity, and relationships. Can you tell I like media that makes me cry?