Posts
Your Save File Is One Bad Patch Away: The 20-Minute Backup Routine I Use Before Every Big Update
A blunt, 20-minute save-backup workflow for PC players that combines launcher cloud sync with local versioned backups, so one bad patch doesn’t erase your progress.
Elias VanceMarch 13, 2026
Steam Deck Battery Health Is Not a Vibe: A 30-Minute Triage Before You Buy a Replacement
A no-nonsense 30-minute Steam Deck battery triage to separate bad settings from real battery degradation before you spend money on a replacement.
Elias VanceMarch 13, 2026
The Real AI Revolution in Gaming is in QA, Not Upscaling
While The Suits push AI upscaling as a crutch for poor optimization, female-led engineering teams are quietly building the AI infrastructure that actually matters: automated bottleneck detection that catches frame-time spikes before code ever ships.
Elias VanceMarch 7, 2026
The 2026 Optimization Recession: Why Games Are Getting Slower While Hardware Gets Faster
GPU generations are barely moving the needle where it counts, yet games keep getting heavier. After a decade in QA, I can tell you exactly who killed optimization culture — and it wasn't the graphics artists.
Elias VanceMarch 6, 2026
AI Upscaling, Procedural NPCs, Shader Optimization: Why Games Are Crashing in 2026
Studios are shipping AI infrastructure without the QA frameworks to test it. A former QA lead breaks down the three systems currently breaking in shipped games—and why your team won't catch them until 200,000 players already have.
Elias VanceMarch 5, 2026
Slay the Spire 2 Early Access: A QA Lead's Cold Assessment
Mega Crit just launched Slay the Spire 2 into early access. Before you buy in, here's a former QA lead's honest audit of whether this is a proper vertical slice or another ship
Elias VanceMarch 5, 2026Shader Compilation Stutter Is Still Shipping in 2026. You're Paying for It.
A 60 FPS average means nothing when your frame-time graph spikes to 200ms in a boss fight. UE5 shader compilation stutter is still a shipping decision, not a mystery bug, and players keep eating the cost.
Elias VanceMarch 4, 2026International Women's Day: Women in Tech Driving Real Innovation
International Women’s Day 2026 technical audit: where women in tech have driven real innovation, where the pipeline still breaks, and where your budget should actually go.
Elias VanceMarch 4, 2026