Quinton is a Staff Writer from the United States. In his youth, Quinton was ridiculed for making video game ranking lists instead of paying attention in math class. In adulthood, people sometimes pay him for it. Life’s a trip.
Taking his first steps into the industry in 2020, Quinton has written for several digital publications, but his permanent literary home is right here at TheGamer.
Before striking up a conversation with Quinton, consider the risks: he’ll find a way to transform almost any topic into an analysis of either world history, Star Trek, or – at least this one’s relevant to his career – all his favorite role-playing games.
Stop the slop. Listen, I’ve been saying it for months. “AI slop” works because it sounds gross, as it should. But the public choice to attach “-slop” to everything like 2025’s hottest suffix has been nothing short of cringe-inducing.
Sure, it’s often intended to infer just as much grossness. And… well, I hate the word, I truly do, but I get that. Yet, it’s grown bizarrely endearing in many circles. Or it’s stated ironically. Or it’s knowingly an insult, but with a wink-wink, nudge-nudge. It’s cute. It’s whimsical. It’s funny. OK, and OK, and OK, but you know something’s up when an actual games industry investor posts a rant about it.
Stop The Friendslop
Peak. Repo. And so much more. 2025 was partially dominated by these fun co-op experiences, and as investor Binni Erllingsson says it, when we say friendslop, we’re being rather mean. To fans of co-op good times, and to the developers themselves.
“I can say that those would be the last words I would use to describe those studios. I feel “slop” devalues their skill and also in a way makes a little bit of a dig at the userbase at the same time.” -Binni Erllingsson, Behold Ventures
Honestly… yeah. I think Erllingsson has a point. We normalize it, and when that happens, it can seem like it’s become totally okay… to us. But people who aren’t so attuned – how do you think they take to that?
Ned Luke is going all-in on a swatter, and has heard of “many more names” involved.
Of course, this fellow is an investor. He wants to see games make money. (So does everybody who works on video games, for that matter, but it’s a big part of Binni Erllingsson’s specific modus operandi.) Naturally, there’s going to be a desire here to ensure that people don’t blanch at “friendslop” and tilt their heads in a separate direction, particularly if he ends up investing in these sorts of experiences. And it really sounds like he wants to keep doing just that, given his post carries on to praise co-op as one of the hottest things to hit Gen Z and Gen Alpha:
“Gen Z and Gen Alpha are raised on playing, laughing, and creating with their friends on Roblox, Toca Boca World and Minecraft and this is how I assume they are going to continue into adulthood. They will look for experiences that are like those that they grew up with and the current gaming landscape isn’t fully ready to catch them. But “friendslop” games are and they fit perfectly into this narrative.”
None of this really dampens his point. “Oh, you like friendslop games?” Erlingsson envisions a “token elitist gamerguy” in his head when he mimics a frequently-declared statement within the gaming community. It’s this weird dig at a burgeoning, emerging, genre that’s got some genuine bangers. At the proverbial office (we work from home here at TheGamer), I’m constantly hearing people rave about Peak. It’s not my thing – this genre honestly isn’t in general – but it’s ultra-popular for good reason, and it looks poised to continue.
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So, this is a bit of a rambling article on my part. Sorry for that. But I really believe the normalization of “friendslop” as a term can turn some people away entirely, and while some developers may find it endearing, I’d be willing to bet others decidedly do not. I know I see it with, like, Fromsoftware games, too. “Fromslop.” Hell, that one just rolls right off the tongue. But it’s still… eh. I’m with Erllingsson, and I don’t even stand to make serious money.
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