About The Punished Backlog
The Punished Backlog is an independent video games web publication. Founded in 2017, our outlet publishes reviews, op-eds, interviews, lists, and guides, as well as The Punished Podcast, a monthly audio release. We cover everything from indies to AAA, decades-old to brand new, niche to mainstream. We love it all, almost as much as we love to write.
The Punished Backlog averages 120,000 unique monthly views. As of 2026, we’ve published over 1,000 pieces by over 40 writers. Each piece published here is edited, proofed, and fact-checked aligning to our editorial ethics and policies to meet the high bar that our writers and our community deserve.
Although The Punished Backlog covers all forms of entertainment, our team’s passion lies most strongly with video games — and the inability to play them all. After all, it’s right there in the name. The “Backlog” refers to all the games, movies, books, television shows, and podcasts we keep meaning to explore. “Punished” is a reference to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, in which the series’ protagonist, Snake, adopts the Punished namesake to reflect his hardships. We are all struggling with our backlogs, but we are having a bit more fun on the journey than poor Snake.
Who We Are
In 2017, David Silbert founded The Punished Backlog after being inspired by a weekend at PAX East in Boston. He wanted to create a platform so that he and like-minded gamers could write and publish their thoughts without fear of a site suddenly collapsing and deleting its editorial history, as sadly can be common practice.
In Fall 2021, contributors Amanda Tien and Sam Martinelli joined David as Editors. Almost 10 years after its founding, The Punished Backlog is still owned and operated by its editorial team. Together, we edit pieces and manage an active content calendar, handle site finances, host an active Discord community, create visuals and multimedia content such as our The Punished Podcast, attend industry events, onboard new contributors, and, of course, write.
We are proud that our site’s leadership and writers feature voices historically underrepresented in mainstream media, including people of color, women, neurodivergent writers, and other intersectionalities.
What We Stand For
Our Mission: The Punished Backlog aims to provide eloquent, engaging video game and media criticism that advocates for diversity and guides the industry forward.
Our Vision: Foster a gaming community that celebrates progress, challenges the status quo, and is inclusive to all.
Our Values: Joy, Inclusivity, Passion, Respect, Community
