A digital garden of my best efforts.

Email

Writing

GameDev

Other

Farouk Kannout is an Arab-American freelance writer and cultural critic based in Chicago. He loves writing about film, television, video games, and how we make meaning from culture broadly.

His work has appeared in A.V. Club, Inverse, and Unwinnable, among others. In 2025, Farouk received special recognition as a "Writer to watch" from the Chicago Film Critics Association and Rotten Tomatoes Emerging Critics Program.

In addition to being a writer, Farouk is a creative producer and award-winning game developer at the independent video game studio Play Underground Games! (PUG!), which he co-founded with a number of his closest friends. Together, they are currently developing a number of unannounced projects.

Contact:

Selected Works
Personal Substack

Field Notes
Substack

Farouk’s Field Notes is a cultural criticism Substack blog/newsletter by me, Farouk, where I write my thoughts and observations about the things I’m deeply curious about. Those things tend to be film, tv, games, literature, culture, history, politics, and a lot more probably. You can subscribe to receive bi-monthly dispatches in your email inbox.

Essays

I Miss Nintendo 3DS StreetPass, And Games As Physical Community
The A.V. Club

November 2025

How Games Turn Us Into Nature Photographers
The A.V. Club

October 2025

50 Years Later, We're Still Living Through Dog Day Afternoon
Inverse

Sept 2025

Does Taste Matter?
Unwinnable

July 2025

Reviews

Hermit And Pig
The A.V. Club

February 2026

Death Howl
The A.V. Club

December 2025

Pokémon Legends: Z-A
The A.V. Club

October 2025

Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc
The A.V. Club

October 2025