my partner suggested recently that perhaps I (like most people right now) am ingesting too much irrelevant information, despite my attempts to be disciplined about intake. worse, I think he may have a point. moderation is very difficult in the firehose.

sometimes games are made with duct tape & paperclips accidentally, under poor production process. but sometimes games are made with duct tape & paperclips that a dev REALLY LOVED and MADE THEMSELVES and it would be insensitive and morally wrong to replace it with store-bought metal rods

Every waking moment has been drawing or teaching lately. Here is some inspiration: Recently acquired book—Noriyoshi Ohrai. His brushwork can be so immediate when it needs to be. He has such a range from academic realism to this adventurous sketching with paint. To be this bold and decisive digitally

it's really hard other than making games, tbh. or at least parts of games. this is the main reason why I miss doing more game jams -- the kinds of designs you can explore in a jam context are limited, but I am unlikely to exhaust that well in my lifetime.

Let's talk System Visualization! As designers, we often lean on visuals to help understand, communicate, or simply use a system. But which visuals??? This report (polarisgamedesign.com/2022/when-sp...) suggests we "PAUSE" and consider: - Purpose - Audience - Usage - Scope - Emphasis (Thread!)

the thing that scares me the most about the downward spiral of the Motherland isn't even necessarily this moment, which is nightmarish but poorly thought out, led by chaotic people going on instinct. it's the systemic vulnerabilities exposed that are open to more intentional predation in future.

Friends!! The Poly Fighter playtest is live!! Please sign up, play, and give us ALL of your feedback!! RTs are appreciated!! Thank you ❤️❤️❤️

the old myths still got it. last night my 6yo was WAILING with grief and existential sorrow at the death of Balder and filled with righteous justice towards Loki. ok so he was also extremely tired. but it was still something to see.

TAILS. TAILS. TAILS. TAILS. TAILS. HEADS. TAILS. Unfair Flips is OUT NOW! Flip the world's worst coin over and over as you try to get ten heads in a row!! store.steampowered.com/app/3925760/...

Friends, I finally am in the market for freelance work! It's a big year for things like Magic and D&D, so if you've got a hankering for some expert content get in my DMs. I'm also eager to discuss contract marketing and communications opportunities.

sometimes for game dev you google which animals have the best eyesight. then for game dev you ignore the AI summary claiming one such animal is 'goat'. then for game dev you have to read a whole-ass article to find out yes Goat is one of the best but god damnit I'm still not doing that.

got really into Beacon Patrol last night! it's a perfect mix of strategy and building cute little things. seems like it'll be a bit crunchier/more strategic than Dorfromantik. either way, enjoying myself!

my household has UNANIMOUSLY today voted in favor of today and all future Sept 19ths being international Maple Syrup Appreciation Day, which mixes well with Sept 19th being Talk Like a Pirate Day, if you believe in bourbon-maple syrup sauces

Celebrate 20 Years of Dwarf Fortress with us!🎉 We are incredibly proud to unveil the Dwarf Fortress 20th Anniversary Archival Collector’s Edition - a legendary tribute to two whole decades of fun and glory!!

I just think it's really cute that humans anthropomorphize everything and may take care of literally any given creature as a pet. like, if we came across a wild species of rat that would randomly adopt local bugs and snakes and take care of them, we'd be IN LOVE, right? that's humans! wow!

this is for science*: tell me about a time when you experienced loss in a game, and were genuinely bummed out for awhile. did you come back from it? no mockery or comparisons or arguments please, just curious the kinds of moments that folks think of. *or art, you know how game design goes

the banjo has returned

half the games in the GDoC Direct are the most stylish, gorgeous unique heartful new experience innovations, and the other half are "just" extremely good video games. incredible collection.

re-watched Aladdin this weekend for the first time in 15+ years and yes it's got some problematic junk in it, but I was also newly struck by some of the jokes. the Sultan's proud little delivery of "I'm an excellent judge of character!" just cut me to my core. it me. oh no.

The Kitfox Games weeklong Steam sale starts now! Grab our most popular titles for a discount now till September 22nd:

Playful Narrative: A Toolbox for Story-Rich Mechanics explores ways to more deeply integrate narrative into game mechanics, or, as the work group said, to enhance the experience of “playing” with story.

thanks to peer pressure at @polarisgamedesign.bsky.social this year, today I am at last playing Blood on the Clocktower. wish me luck. (luck currently being defined as NOT being the Demon, I find it so much more fun to be a too-talkative townsperson)

anyone know/remember whether the earliest first beta version of Slay the Spire had permadeath and/or metaprogression unlocks?

Kind Games: Designing for Prosocial Multiplayer is a game design report exploring "multiplayer games designed from the start with systems that deliberately promote prosocial behaviour". Come for the charts, stay for the design patterns to use in your own games: polarisgamedesign.com/2022/kind-ga...

Hi Bluesky! Polaris Game Design Retreat is an annual event where game designers tackle tough problems together, then write reports on their discoveries. If you're looking for our reports, start here: polarisgamedesign.com/reports/

japanese glorantha art whips ass

petition to add dot woke top level domain

Alright, so I've been afraid to say this out loud, but I think after today, I can say it: In the first Battle of Los Angeles, the good people of LA County have prevailed. We beat ICE back. 1/

what if instead of "AI" we threw our money into a pit that I have labelled "TIME TRAVEL MACHINE RESEARCH"? it would consume less energy to manage and hey what if my pile of money invented time travel??? what if the Scary Foreign Countries invented it first???? better get out that checkbook

New release: Moon Dragon (1997 - Win) - https://www.myabandonware.com/game/moon-dragon-y9t #abandonware

people think there's a tiiiny overlap between the Games You Want to Make and the Games The Market Wants. sometimes there is. but sometimes all the Games You Want To Make are so unwanted even you don't want to see them afterwards. they're out in orbit, untouchable by any venn.

in other news, I've started timing my rubik's cube solving and in my 3 attempts I've gone from 7' to 4'13" don't worry, I refuse to figure out a way to quantify my piano practice

some people in Montreal really are just out there playing their banjo into the sunshine on a friday morning

this Dan Wriggins poem from his book Prince of Grass rules danwriggins.bandcamp.com/merch/prince...

someone should do one of those true-crime-documentary investigations but instead of about murder it should be about whatever the heck this is. I'm guessing money laundering but the adventure to find out would be fun to see: store.steampowered.com/search/?sort...

Canadians, this is a parliamentary petition, not a random online thing. Takes a minute to sign. An easy good deed for the day.

The Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant is offering $15,000 USD to traditionally under-supported game developers working on thinky puzzle games. If this is you, we invite you to apply! Deadline: September 28th grants.draknek.org

I'm 42 as of a few months ago. So I rolled on the table of random new afflictions, as one does, and lo, for the first time in my life, I am now a sufferer of The Occasional Urge to Go Jogging.

The Play for Peace: Games for Palestine charity bundle is now live! Nearly 400 games from creators all around the world, with proceeds going directly to Gaza relief efforts. Bundle link: itch.io/b/2979/play-... We made a launch trailer to celebrate this moment👇 Please RT.

It's my absolute pleasure to present to you our labor of love: Poly Fighter! We are HeartLoop Games! ♥

as someone who was homeschooled: yes. ban every last inch of it. I don't care if you're lucky enough to have a someone with a post-doc in engineering and someone else with a master's in english teaching you. it's wrong. it's abuse. it should be illegal.

hey wonderful folks at @witchbeam.com.au! have you seen Whisper of the House? it feels like maybe finally a worthy entry to the genre Unpacking created rather than a straight clone, eh? weaker in some ways, stronger in others, obviously standing on your shoulders but doing their own thing too.

caves of qud

my kid's 1st film "Back in Time" was a hero's journey of serial adventures with uh surprising pacing. his second (an ambitious, international action movie) was stuck in development hell but I'm pleased to announce he's revived it and so far we have filmed 2 of the 7(?) levels of "Pillow Fight 1003"

Cover for 'House of Dusk' by Deva Fagan, published by DAW Books

for real though that superyeast they're feeding the bees is gonna extinct orchids or cause megabee syndrome or begin the wasp wars, mark my words

the whole internet loves Milkshake Fungus, a newly discovered species that will eat all our plastic and save the planet! *5 seconds later* We regret to inform you the fungus is also eating children

a giant chinchilla is vomiting all over my trading post

btw if you're like "aw I wasn't important enough to get the Polaris design survey", that's not true, ALL pro designers are welcome... maybe my email went into your spam, or I had the wrong email, plus my network isn't universal so... please do check your spam, and/or ping me.. I want 200 replies!

thanks to pro designers who've participated in the Polaris survey of influential games including Brenda Romero, Ken Rolston, Jay Ma, Zach Adams, Osama Dorias, Ryan Clark, Michael Brough, Daniel Cook, & 100+ more! if you've been invited but haven't participated, plz do! (need an invite? ping me!)