Joe Donnelly
Joe Donnelly is a sports editor from Glasgow and former features editor at 12DOVE. A mental health advocate, Joe has written about video games and mental health for The Guardian, New Statesman, VICE, PC Gamer and many more, and believes the interactive nature of video games makes them uniquely placed to educate and inform. His book Checkpoint considers the complex intersections of video games and mental health, and was shortlisted for Scotland's National Book of the Year for non-fiction in 2021. As familiar with the streets of Los Santos as he is the west of Scotland, Joe can often be found living his best and worst lives in GTA Online and its PC role-playing scene.
Latest articles by Joe Donnelly
15 games like Animal Crossing that are so wholesome it hurts
By Heather Wald last updated
Feature Games like Animal Crossing for when you're sick of Tom Nook or just love Animal Crossing so much you just want more
The Game Awards 2023 predictions – what we might (and would love to) see at the end-of-year event
By Joe Donnelly published
THE GAME AWARDS Opinion | Our thoughts (and hopeful guesses) ahead of The Game Awards 2023 event in Los Angeles
The first GTA 6 trailer stuns an already optimistic community: "Holy sh*t, that blew my expectations out of the water"
By Joe Donnelly published
GRAND THEFT ADVENT Grand Theft Advent | Some of Grand Theft Auto's most prominent community members weigh in on our first official look at Vice City
The 5 most impressive things about the GTA 6 trailer
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | The 12DOVE team takes a closer look at what makes Vice City tick
GTA 6 trailer breakdown - 12 things you might have missed
By Leon Hurley published
Feature We've watched the first GTA 6 trailer an ungodly amount of times and brought you everything we've spotted
An unfortunate road to release for the GTA 6 trailer - but ultimately one of the most exciting ever
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | After a shock drop, the GTA 6 trailer is here and it's beautiful
The leaks and rumors don't matter, the GTA 6 map will be judged on more than scale alone
By Joe Donnelly published
Grand Theft Advent Grand Theft Advent | The so-called 'Project Americas' might still exist – but I'm not convinced that's too big a deal either way
The complete GTA timeline: Every Grand Theft Auto game so far in chronological order
By Heather Wald published
GRAND THEFT ADVENT Grand Theft Advent | Now that we have concrete date for the GTA 6 trailer, let's remind ourselves where the series has been
With the GTA 6 location (surely) all but confirmed, here are the Vice City tourist traps I'd love to see return
By Joe Donnelly published
GRAND THEFT ADVENT Grand Theft Advent | From the Malibu Club to the Ocean View Hotel, we explore the hottest spots we want to return to in GTA 6 Vice City
GTA 6 trailer predictions: Everything we hope to see on December 5
By Joe Donnelly published
GRAND THEFT ADVENT Grand Theft Advent | Ahead of our first look at the next GTA, we speculate on what might feature on December 5
Exploring the legacy of my absolute favorite GTA trailer with one of its creators 15 years later: "Of course, having a dope song is always good"
By Joe Donnelly published
Feature Interview | To the tune of LCD Soundsystem's 'Get Innocuous', this trailer from 2008 was an absolute banger
The Spyro and Banjo-Kazooie successor with 'Overwhelmingly Positive' reviews is a solo project inspired by family: "My dad and sister would always sit round the N64 together"
By Joe Donnelly published
Interview Interview | In conversation with the creator of Super Rare Games and Bynine's Cavern of Dreams
Rediscovering the 33-year-old console RPG I spent a year renting from Blockbuster Video after it (optimistically) promised 300 hours of game time
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | "Your father is in his grave"... maybe some things are better left in the past
Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League gameplay looks more theme park ride than open-world spectacle – but returning Arkham tricks are cool
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | Rocksteady has kicked off a new video series, but what Kill the Justice League actually is remains unclear
10 Activision Blizzard franchises we'd love to see reborn at Xbox
By Heather Wald last updated
Feature Now that Microsoft officially owns Activision Blizzard, what could that mean for older games?
No pressure with GTA 6 Rockstar, but GTA 4 and GTA 5 had two of the best reveal trailers of all time
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | With the GTA 4 and GTA 5 reveal trailers Rockstar delivered masterpieces – can it do the same with GTA 6?
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is your Most Wanted Game at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023
By Joe Donnelly published
News Nostalgia meets nuance in this 20-game-strong category
Baldur's Gate 3 is crowned PC Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023
By Joe Donnelly published
News Choice is everything – and this one is a big one
Alan Wake 2 wins Critics' Choice Award at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023
By Joe Donnelly published
News The titular author has earned the write to celebrate
Sea of Stars triumphs in Best Indie Game category at the Golden Joystick Awards 2023
By Joe Donnelly published
News Sabotage Studio lights up one of this year's strongest categories
The GTA community reacts to the GTA 6 trailer news: "The trailer alone will keep us satisfied till next year"
By Joe Donnelly published
Feature Interview | The excitement among the Grand Theft Auto community is palpable: "We're so back"
The GTA 6 trailer reveal proves no one does hype quite like Rockstar Games
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | Whether said or unsaid, it's been a joy to watch the saga unfold
Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Venom is the best take on the symbiote since my favorite Spidey game 28 years ago
By Joe Donnelly published
Opinion Opinion | I haven't enjoyed Venom's presence this much since the symbiote's Mega Drive and Genesis days
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