A great write-up of interesting insights into a unique system in a beautiful game. Do yourselves a favour and read this.

I wrote an article about dialogue choice as part of a narrative designer’s toolkit *aside* from branching, instead considering how choice can invite us to *perform* a character. My case study is South of Circle’s beautiful fuzzy meaning-making (using symbols instead of words). 💜 Give it a go!

It is an honor to have @hannahnicklin.bsky.social share her insights on narrative design.

"So, rather than set out to make this big, sprawling strategy game as a first time designer, the game and I sort of grew up together." @aguaspoints.bsky.social talks to Pablo Clark about creating the board game The Old King's Crown:

@stopcar.ing kicked off our last issue debut of the year with a piece on 24 Killers and what home really is. She effortlessly captures the strange, funny yet bittersweet themes of the game and its eclectic yet personal tone as well.

From a few years ago, but this is a good account of the New School's actual history and economy, up until 2021.

The award for "Most Workers Laid Off" goes to... EMBRACER GROUP For laying off roughly 7800 workers between July 2023 and July 2025

Damn... this is very upsetting.

LRT: Folks, here's your Short List for the 2025 Games Journalism Award nygamecritics.com/the-games-jo...

🎉 #NewYorkGameAward nominees for Games Journalism: Duncan Fyfe @duncanfyfe.net Felipe Pepe @felipepepe.bsky.social Jackson Tyler @abnormalmapping.bsky.social Joseph Earl Thomas Lewis Gordon @lewisgordon.bsky.social Nicanor Gordon @nicanor.bsky.social People Make Games @chrisbratt.bsky.social

An incredible 2025 list (like, seriously); an illustrious set of past winners. Humbled to get the nod from my peers, thrilled that folks are actually reading my stuff. TYSM!! ✌️✌️✌️

NEW EPISODE! Commander Keen! Game critic, researcher, editor, writer, and all-around renaissance human @aguaspoints.bsky.social lends an air of much needed professionalism to the show as we discuss the PC platformer from an obscure developer known as Ideas from the Deep: Commander Keen!

The #NewYorkGameAwards nominees for Best Mobile Game are: 🔵 Skate City: New York 🔵 What The Clash? 🔵 Umamusume: Pretty Derby 🔵 Is This Seat Taken? 🔵 Spooky Express 🔵 Chaos Zero Nightmare

The #NewYorkGameAwards nominees for Best Kids Game are: 🔵 Sunderfolk 🔵 Koira 🔵 Donkey Kong Bananza 🔵 Lego Party! 🔵Pokémon Legends: Z-A 🔵 Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds

The #NewYorkGameAwards nominees for Best Remake Game are: 🔵 The Talos Principle: Reawakened 🔵 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered 🔵 Story Of Seasons: Grand Bazaar 🔵 Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter 🔵 Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake 🔵 Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection

The #NewYorkGameAwards nominees for Best World Game are: 🔵 Split Fiction 🔵 Hollow Knight: Silksong 🔵 Hades II 🔵 Baby Steps 🔵 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond 🔵 Keeper

The #NewYorkGameAwards nominees for Best Indie Game are: 🔵 Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist 🔵 Blue Prince 🔵 Despelote 🔵 Deltarune Chapters 3+4 🔵 Consume Me 🔵 No, I’m not a Human 🔵 Tiny Bookshop 🔵 Hollow Knight: Silksong

The #NewYorkGameAwards nominees for Best Writing in a Game are: 🔵 Lost Records: Bloom & Rage 🔵 Avowed 🔵 The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- 🔵 Mafia: The Old Country 🔵 Ghost of Yōtei 🔵 Blippo+

The #NewYorkGameAwards nominees for Best New York Game are: 🔵 Despelote 🔵 Baby Steps 🔵 Consume Me 🔵 Old Skies 🔵 Ball x Pit 🔵 Skate Story

The #NewYorkGameAwards nominees for Best AR/VR Game are: 🔵 Ghost Town 🔵 V-Racer Hoverbike 🔵 The Midnight Walk 🔵 Lumines Arise 🔵 Marvel’s Deadpool VR 🔵 Arken Age

The #NewYorkGameAwards nominees for Best Acting: 🔵 Adriyan Rae - South of Midnight 🔵 Jennifer English - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 🔵 Amelia Sargisson - Lost Records: Bloom & Rage 🔵 Alex Jordani - The Alters 🔵 Judy Alice Lee - Hades II 🔵 Erika Ishii - Ghost of Yōtei

The #NewYorkGameAwards nominees for Best Music in a Game are: 🔵 Lumines Arise 🔵 South of Midnight 🔵 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 🔵 Mario Kart World 🔵 Deltarune Chapters 3+4 🔵 Sword of the Sea 🔵 Hades II 🔵 Ghost of Yōtei

The #NewYorkGameAwards nominees for Best Hidden Gem are: 🔵 Keep Driving 🔵 Nubby’s Number Factory 🔵 News Tower 🔵 Many Nights a Whisper 🔵 Xenotilt: Hostile Pinball Action 🔵 and Roger 🔵 Look Outside 🔵 Shujinkou

The #NYGameAwards nominees for DLC are: 🔵 Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker 🔵 Lies of P: Overture 🔵 Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Star-Crossed World 🔵 Sims 4 Adventure Awaits 🔵 Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune 🔵 Hello Kitty Island Adventure - Wheatflour Wonderland

The #NewYorkGameAwards nominees for Best Games Journalism are: 🔵 Duncan Fyfe 🔵 Felipe Pepe 🔵 Jackson Tyler 🔵 Joseph Earl Thomas 🔵 Lewis Gordon 🔵 Nicanor Gordon 🔵 People Make Games

The #NewYorkGameAwards nominees for Game of the Year are: 🔵 Blue Prince 🔵 Split Fiction 🔵 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 🔵 Despelote 🔵 Sword of the Sea 🔵 Silent Hill f 🔵 Hades II 🔵 Ghost of Yōtei

It was fun talking to @retrohangover.bsky.social about Commander Keen!

reposting because Luis is a superb writer and because what we crave as players is to experience a feeling of "oh I didn't know games could do that" so yeah this is still GOTY at the studio

Forever thinking of this. I can't wait to see it at SoHo Playhouse in January. Also, f*@k TGA 🤣!

Also, we're trying out the inclusion of a brief response from the piece's editor at the end; this time around, that's @aguaspoints.bsky.social: "Though Battle Suit Aces is a card game per say, it is really a novel approach at cards as pieces/characters that has a long and storied history in games."

The Game Awards

WTF is going on here‽

Always amazing working with the great @exalclaw.bsky.social!

Always amazing working with the great @exalclaw.bsky.social!

What was the last game you played that made you say, "I love this crew"? For @exalclaw.bsky.social, that game is Battle Suit Aces by @team.trinketstudios.com, showcasing "a future where people can love without being driven by fear of the known and unknown." www.gamerswithglasses.com/reviews/batt...

I just accomplished something I’ve never done before: recording an audiobook. “Eight Million Ways to Happiness” is coming out in just a few weeks, on December 30th, and I am so happy to have had this precious experience! blog.hirokoyoda.com/p/microphone...

Really surreal to see Molly House included in both The Guardian's 30 best board games to play this Christmas and NPR's 50 best board games of 2025! What a year. @wehrlegig.games @colewehrle.bsky.social

My Tokyoiter cover (depecting Ameyoko in Ueno) is now available for a limited time on their online shop. Really pleased to join their illustrious list of contributors. the-tokyoiter-shop.myshopify.com/products/jon...

Share your feedback. What do you love about Debug?

This is a really good list of amazing games that came out this year. Reminded me of a few I had been meaning to play, and introduced me to a couple more. Definitely worth a look.

It is really cool to see how diverse NPR's selection of the best games of the year is. At an age where the situation for game makers has become insanely difficult, you can't argue with the breadth, depth and quality of games delivered to players remains incredible.

Holiday gift idea! Get someone a one-year Design Room subscription. Just go here, tip $70, and put their name, email, and the date you want it to start in the notes. www.designroom.site#/portal/supp...

Another December marks another @npr.org best games of the year list. Indies ruled 2025. Our list is the most eclectic you will find on the internet. 🧵 www.npr.org/2025/12/03/n...

The homie @lewisgordon.bsky.social did the best best games list of 2025.

If even around 10% of the people who followed us kicked in just $1 a month, Skybox wouldn't really have to worry about money anymore. If you'd like us to survive, we need your help.

Another December marks another @npr.org best games of the year list. Indies ruled 2025. Our list is the most eclectic you will find on the internet. 🧵 www.npr.org/2025/12/03/n...

DOLLSWEAT, my solo ttrpg about turning into a doll, 🐾🪆, will release on january 5, 2026 ⋆｡°✩ it'll be available to download as a free PDF on itch you can keep up with the OCCULT, CURSED, DANGEROUS project here plantorbeast.itch.io/dollsweat 🎧🫀🦢

I'll boost @aguaspoints.bsky.social on Despelote any chance I can! This was magnificent.