It's 2026 and websites are so back. Or at least, that's what we're proclaiming, along with a bunch of other independent media sites that have launched in the last few months. To me, visiting a good website has always felt like opening the pages of a good magazine — you're hoping to be surprised, but you're also excited to find that one section or column or writer you always read.
On a call over the summer, Maddy and I were squealing excitedly over all the possibilities for Mothership columns that would evoke that feeling, that blend of excitement to flip through our pages and comfort in knowing you'll always find something great to read here. And everyone, including us, loves an advice column.
They're a mainstay of women's magazines — one of my early memories of them is reading about "creative" ways to perform oral in Cosmo — and they're an art that's struggled a bit in the digital age. I've noticed an understandable tendency for advice-givers to use the space to call out problematic individuals who ask questions r/AITA-style, or publications using it to give airtime to whataboutisms. That's not what we intend to do here.
The spirit of the thing is to ask a question to someone who, in theory, should know how to answer it. That's why in Dear Mother, our weekly advice column where subscribers can submit their queries, we're going to find the folks who can do just that.
You can ask us anything about gaming, or anything else, really, and we'll answer a few questions in the following Friday's post. You might get an answer from myself (Zoë), Maddy, or one of our contributors. Curious about how to get your partner into games you love? Looking for ways to meet new gamer friends? Hoping to find a new genre that's within your budget? We can help!
Like the advice columns of yore, we'd love for you to sign your questions with a cheeky nickname. Otherwise, your questions will remain anonymous if published.
Managing editor Zoë Hannah has a decade of experience writing, reporting, and editing. She's previously served as games editor at Vox Media's Polygon.com and deputy editor of reviews at Hearst Magazines.
