Dusty Gamer: All about games since 1978

About

Dusty Gamer is a gaming blog run by Joonas Laakso. I was born in 1978. I live in Helsinki, Finland.

The site

There have been numerous incarnations of the Dusty Gamer, originally known as The Meadow. The basic format was the same until about 2013: I liked to comment on recent developments in the gaming industry and post notes of games I’ve played. Since then my career took over and I stopped writing about games. I’ve kept the site up as an archive. I’ve been online since 1996.

As of 2023, looking at the shitshow social media has become (Twitter became X this week, I haven’t used Facebook in years, and do I really need to get in on Tiktok?), I think it wise to keep the content I create in my own hands. Recently I’ve become really invested in both tabletop roleplaying and miniature wargaming, and want to write some about that. Unlikely to write about videogames, I do enough of that at work.

Write to Dusty Gamer

You can reach me at joonas dot laakso at gmail dot com.

Dusty Gamer background

I’ve been all about games all my life.

First there was make-believe, which I incorporated all sorts of rules into to make it more gamey.

Then there was roleplaying, which I came up with on my own. The Finnish edition of red box Dungeons & Dragons was my first commercial game. I’m still into roleplaying a lot, playing and running games every other week or so.

Games Workshop miniatures captured my imagination like nothing else before it ever since I first saw photographs of miniatures in a roleplaying article. I was into Rogue Trader, Space Marine (now Epic), Space Hulk and Blood Bowl. These days it’s Warhammer 40’000 Kill Team and Heavy Gear Blitz.

I was into videogames ever since I saw my first computer. I’m not sure if it was a x86 or an MSX, but my earliest gaming memories are of an MSX, I think. The Commodore 64 (or rather C=128D) was my big love. (I think this is a modestly accurate representation of my childhood.)

I really got into the console scene only circa Xbox. These days I’m into the Microsoft and Sony consoles and PC gaming, with lots of iOS.

Work

After a career in digital advertising and marketing, I’m now working in the game industry.

I switched from production to HR when the pandemic hit. First week of lockdown in Helsinki (2020), I took on the HR director duties at my studio, Next Games. We got acquired by Netflix in 2022.

I worked at Next Games in various production roles, most recently as a development director (2015-2020). I worked on The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land and Blade Runner Nexus as an executive producer.

I worked as a producer at Remedy Entertainment (2013-2014).

I worked as a producer at Bugbear Entertainment, making car games (2008-2013).

I wrote features and reviews for the Finnish blog GeekGirls.fi (2012-2020)

I reviewed videogames for the Finnish gaming TV show and website Tilt (2009-2020).

I reviewed roleplaying games for the Finnish roleplaying print magazine Roolipelaaja (2007-2009).

I wrote videogame reviews for the Finnish youth print magazine Suosikki (2007-2009).

I wrote for the Finnish roleplaying print magazine Magus (1999-2001).

PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: September 04, 2023

This Privacy Policy describes Our policies and procedures on the collection, use and disclosure of Your information when You use the Service and tells You about Your privacy rights and how the law protects You.

We use Your Personal data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, You agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy has been created with the help of the Free Privacy Policy Generator.

Interpretation and Definitions

Interpretation

The words of which the initial letter is capitalized have meanings defined under the following conditions. The following definitions shall have the same meaning regardless of whether they appear in singular or in plural.

Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy:

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Collecting and Using Your Personal Data

Types of Data Collected

Personal Data

While using Our Service, We may ask You to provide Us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify You. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:

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Usage Data

Usage Data is collected automatically when using the Service.

Usage Data may include information such as Your Device’s Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that You visit, the time and date of Your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

When You access the Service by or through a mobile device, We may collect certain information automatically, including, but not limited to, the type of mobile device You use, Your mobile device unique ID, the IP address of Your mobile device, Your mobile operating system, the type of mobile Internet browser You use, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

We may also collect information that Your browser sends whenever You visit our Service or when You access the Service by or through a mobile device.

Tracking Technologies and Cookies

We use Cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on Our Service and store certain information. Tracking technologies used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze Our Service. The technologies We use may include:

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We use both Session and Persistent Cookies for the purposes set out below:

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Use of Your Personal Data

The Company may use Personal Data for the following purposes:

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  • For business transfers: We may use Your information to evaluate or conduct a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of Our assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which Personal Data held by Us about our Service users is among the assets transferred.

  • For other purposes: We may use Your information for other purposes, such as data analysis, identifying usage trends, determining the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns and to evaluate and improve our Service, products, services, marketing and your experience.

We may share Your personal information in the following situations:

  • With Service Providers: We may share Your personal information with Service Providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service, to contact You.
  • For business transfers: We may share or transfer Your personal information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of Company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of Our business to another company.
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  • With other users: when You share personal information or otherwise interact in the public areas with other users, such information may be viewed by all users and may be publicly distributed outside.
  • With Your consent: We may disclose Your personal information for any other purpose with Your consent.

Retention of Your Personal Data

The Company will retain Your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use Your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.

The Company will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of Our Service, or We are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.

Transfer of Your Personal Data

Your information, including Personal Data, is processed at the Company’s operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. It means that this information may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of Your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from Your jurisdiction.

Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by Your submission of such information represents Your agreement to that transfer.

The Company will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that Your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of Your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of Your data and other personal information.

Delete Your Personal Data

You have the right to delete or request that We assist in deleting the Personal Data that We have collected about You.

Our Service may give You the ability to delete certain information about You from within the Service.

You may update, amend, or delete Your information at any time by signing in to Your Account, if you have one, and visiting the account settings section that allows you to manage Your personal information. You may also contact Us to request access to, correct, or delete any personal information that You have provided to Us.

Please note, however, that We may need to retain certain information when we have a legal obligation or lawful basis to do so.

Disclosure of Your Personal Data

Business Transactions

If the Company is involved in a merger, acquisition or asset sale, Your Personal Data may be transferred. We will provide notice before Your Personal Data is transferred and becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.

Law enforcement

Under certain circumstances, the Company may be required to disclose Your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).

Other legal requirements

The Company may disclose Your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

  • Comply with a legal obligation
  • Protect and defend the rights or property of the Company
  • Prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
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  • Protect against legal liability

Security of Your Personal Data

The security of Your Personal Data is important to Us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While We strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect Your Personal Data, We cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Children’s Privacy

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If You are a parent or guardian and You are aware that Your child has provided Us with Personal Data, please contact Us. If We become aware that We have collected Personal Data from anyone under the age of 13 without verification of parental consent, We take steps to remove that information from Our servers.

If We need to rely on consent as a legal basis for processing Your information and Your country requires consent from a parent, We may require Your parent’s consent before We collect and use that information.

Links to Other Websites

Our Service may contain links to other websites that are not operated by Us. If You click on a third party link, You will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise You to review the Privacy Policy of every site You visit.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third party sites or services.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update Our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify You of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

We will let You know via email and/or a prominent notice on Our Service, prior to the change becoming effective and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, You can contact us:

  • By email: joonas.laakso@gmail.com