Jon Irwin

Jon Irwin is a freelance journalist who covers the intersection of gaming, tech, art, and culture. Since 2011 he's written extensively about Nintendo for outlets such as The Atlantic, Kill Screen, Paste Magazine, Variety, the Washington Post, and Inverse. His first book, Super Mario Bros. 2, was published by Boss Fight Books in 2014. Before focusing on games, he wrote about music, sports, wine, and being an ice cream truck driver. He teaches at a small college outside of Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated from the University of Michigan far too long ago.

Retrospective

10 Years Later, Nintendo’s Most Underrated Platformer Is Still A Step Above The Rest

Donkey Kong has had a long and fruitful career as a mainstay of Nintendo’s playable menagerie.

ByJon Irwin
Retrospective

Remembering Wii Music, Nintendo’s Most Prescient Flop

The bizarre, ambitious game was no match for 2008’s video game landscape.

ByJon Irwin
Next in Tech

The Future of Gaming Looks a Lot Like This Classic Nintendo Console

After going all in on power-guzzling home consoles, the video game industry is shifting gears to a more elegant alternative: the handheld.

ByJon Irwin
Cult of Nintendo

Nintendo's Biggest Flop of 2023 Deserves More Love

Why so serious?

ByJon Irwin
Cult of Nintendo

'Tears of the Kingdom' Is a Masterclass in Pointlessness

The journey is the destination.

ByJon Irwin
Cult of Nintendo

The World Wasn’t Ready For Nintendo Labo

A captivating mess.

ByJon Irwin
Cult of Nintendo

Nintendo needs to treat its older games with more respect

Golden oldies.

ByJon Irwin
Cult of Nintendo

Splatoon 3 is the glorious pinnacle of Nintendo's style agenda

Image is everything.

ByJon Irwin

Switch Sports proves Nintendo’s biggest ‘weakness’ is actually a strength

Hardcore is overrated.

ByJon Irwin

11 years ago, Nintendo became the Marty McFly of video games

A controversial decision changed everything.

ByJon Irwin
Cult of Nintendo

Not even Microsoft can dethrone Nintendo — here's why

A Rare breed.

ByJon Irwin
Cult of Nintendo

Nintendo makes kids cry, and that’s a good thing

We love the chase.

ByJon Irwin
Cult of Nintendo

Legend of Zelda Game & Watch reveals Nintendo's most powerful weapon

ByJon Irwin
Cult of Nintendo

Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack price hike isn’t absurd, but the response sure is

ByJon Irwin