Buying Steam games and playing Steam games really are 2 different hobbies

After our June Frosty showcase, it's looking like I may have some more freelance hours available. If you're looking for contract marketing help, let me know! 🐝💥 www.buzzbang.co

Wellington’s newest cycleway is an absolute banger youtu.be/ORK9-FLmfaw?...

I have updated my Ban List Importer for Twitch to V2! It now supports private/public terms and all tech upgrades. Chrome store: chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ban-l... Blog post: samjarman.co.nz/blog/ban-lis... Go make your twitch chat a happier place 💜 Created w/ @hellomisspotter.com

Gosh darn who is that handsome guy in the speakers list

Backed! Looking forward to it, Richard!

Here are four screenshots of early dev builds for Age of Empires 1. The graphics, UI, and gameplay all went through huge amounts of iteration over 2+ years of development, and my new book recounts the journey: www.kickstarter.com/projects/gab...

I know I’ve been playing too much Pokopia but, that’s Gloom

My husband, watching me play Pokopia: I thought it was ‘gotta catch em all’ not ‘gotta convince them all to move in with me and be my friend’ 😂

Using LLMs well feels less like typing faster and more like managing a junior engineer. Code generation got cheap. Judgment did not. New blog post: www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/ai-team...

I turned a dead set of solar Christmas lights into USB-powered lights. What I thought was a quick hack turned into a nice refresher on NiMH battery voltages, keeping the original controller board, and how rusty I’ve become at soldering. www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/usb-chr...

Just a reminder I am speaking at Code Camp Wellington this weekend. It's a free event, I'd love to see you there! www.codecampwellington.nz

I’m starting a support group for men who have lost their wives to pokopia, DM for details of our first meeting. Coffee and donuts on me.

Are you a game developer based in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand with an exciting announcement to share with the world in early June? Frosty Games Fest 2026 applications are OPEN NOW! 🍦

Hey if you’re worried you’re not doing great at your job today, know I just got a reply to a support ticket I opened in 2022

Exciting news… The Frosty Games team is officially up and running for 2026! ❄️ This year we're working with two wonderful partners who share our passion for ANZ-made indie games, @nz-code.nz and @strangescaffold.bsky.social! 🎉

everyone say happy birthday to Loki 💚

In this month's newsletter I'm sharing a game by @yarnspinner.dev, a homage to the ‘hint line’ phone numbers you could call in the time before the internet. Plus the usual 'game of the month' and 'recent release radar' updates 📣 Read here: pixelexplorersclub.substack.com/p/its-1993-l...

Hi AU-based marketing and biz dev friends! I'm still looking for $5k AUD to help make @frostygamesfest.com events happen again this year. We have some sponsorship locked, but need to make up a shortfall 🍦💰 If you'd like to chat pls email or DM me! amy at hellomisspotter dot com

Innovation needs a home. A Learning Backlog gives it one, without turning it into an obligation. A new blog post: www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/learnin...

New blog post: Relaxation isn’t indulgence. It’s maintenance. (For tired people, basically.) www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/relax

New blog post: How To Run A Good Chapter Meeting After many companies and many chapter meetings, dropping my acrued wisdom. Hopefully it helps you. www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/chapters

So, do I know anyone who knows someone at Valve / Steam who could help with an expedited game listing review due to extenuating circumstances? Many thank yous in advance 🙏🏼

Developers obsess over DRY, but the real question is simpler: does this happen to be the same, or does it have to be the same? Duplication isn’t the enemy. Incorrect truth is. New post: Beyond DRY and WET: How to Actually Think About Duplication www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/spot

That Woolies Cinnabon mud cake though… goodness. 😋

Stop Avoiding Politics terriblesoftware.org/2025/10/01/s...

Bambu is having a sale until December 5. au.store.bambulab.com/pages/black-...

We received 100+ applications for Frosty Mini, which is fantastic, but it also means that lots of games get left out of our event. It's always incredibly tough. We want to thank every single dev who applied! You should all now have an email update from us (pls check spam) 💌

The unifi marketing videos have no reason to go so hard. Absolutely love them. Who gets this excited about networking equipment? Me.

Hacktoberfest is bringing back t-shirts this year prepare your repos

Frosty is back to celebrate the coolest upcoming and recently released games made in Australia & Aotearoa, this December 🍦🥳 We’ll be featuring exclusive reveals, announcements, and updates. Developers can submit their games now until Sep 30! ⤵️ forms.gle/tt8y9N1dPweS...

Now That’s What I Call Summer Game Fest 2025

Quick reshare for the Monday crowd Re: @frostygamesfest.com, looking to get an indication from devs with key news (game announcement, surprise release, or a first demo launch) that would be aligned to a DECEMBER timeframe. If you can pls DM me, that would be very helpful! TY!

Kia Ora, ap-southeast-6! This warms my Kiwi heart 🇳🇿💙 aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/no...

last two days for tickets! devworld.au

AI is in the IDE everywhere, but productivity hasn’t moved. We hyped hard, saw a GPT-4 bump, then a stall. And now it's weird. So... Structure > vibes. New blog post: www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/ai-augu...

You don’t “learn TypeScript” once, you climb it. The 5 curves I coach teams through... and why most should stop at Curve 4. Where are you on the climb? Read: www.samjarman.co.nz/blog/learnin... #TypeScript #EngineeringManagement #DevEx #frontend

Baby steps into #HomeAssistant tonight. Set up on my RPi, and now have an automation when my TV turns on to set my soundbar to my preferred source. One annoyance fixed. Onwards!

If anyone is doing a game jam or small game project and wants a person to collab on: concept, marketing, branding, production or UI pls think of me! I want to learn more about the end-to-end game dev process. This is for free btw to be clear not a call for paid work lol.

Weekend in da mountains was very good! ⛰️☀️💞

Oooof I felt this one. The Curse of Knowing How, or; Fixing Everything notashelf.dev/posts/curse-...

Gorgeous! Love your work @usetrmnl.com I recently 3D printed a holder for ours and glued magnets onto it to mount to our fridge, showing our shared calendar. Works well! www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0wQ...

A good rant on speed of software: www.catherinejue.com/fast

hello creators 👋 do you enjoy indie games? ✨ if you do, please consider joining our creator mailing list so we can email you about very fun things like early access, game codes and more! no spam, we promise. ✍🏼 forms.gle/yB9t8BZqGGN1...

📣 The incredible @kimchica.bsky.social and I are hosting a roundtable at @gcapconf.bsky.social to give folks a better understanding of pitching and succeeding with showcases and festivals! Hope to see some of you there 🙌🏼

early bird for one more week

The rumours are true! (Emphasis on the money part, though)

Hey if anyone has 💰 spare money 🤑 (in this economy) and they've been waiting for an opportunity to potentially throw it at something like @frostygamesfest.com, please know my virtual door is always open for a chat!

I’m speaking at DevWorld 2025 in Melbourne! My talk: The Habits of Fast Developers — how to stay calm, move quick, and ship better code under pressure. Habits, tools, and mindsets I wish I learned sooner. 🛠️ devworld.au/index.php See you there??

When my husband can’t remember a game publisher’s name (understandable) he just adlibs, and it’s a great mechanism for coming up with very good new game publisher or studio names. His latest: vertical biscuit