merry qudsmas!

one of video games' most important annual events approaches

ATTENTION BSKY: in celebration of Cinco Paus Day's Eve, please message me if you'd like a free copy of the best game ever made. :) smestorp.itch.io/cinco-paus Also TSLOG are doing an amazing series of podcasts on Michael's games: eggplant.show PLEASE REPOST! OR RE-SKEET! WHATEVER IT'S CALLED!! :)

If you like crosswords at all, or are even interested in beginning to solve them more regularly, and especially if you think crosswords are too hard or contain too many cultural references that feel alienating, you need to try a few of these small puzzles.

i did a couple of tracks of this joke compilation my friends put together and both were ranked as the worst tracks on this collection by some person on twitter. i will consider that a win

Jodie Foster: They should have sent a poet Poet: Aliens ahoy! A galactic sight. When you’re in space all day is night

there are now entire light years between all previously existing christmas music and the new champion of the form, COOKIE, the full green day parody xmas album. frankly i won't stand for any outcome but a grammy redandgreenday.bandcamp.com/album/cookie

❄️ UFO 50 Winter Sale is on! ❄️ 🍒 20% off on Nintendo Switch! www.nintendo.com/us/store/pro... (Discount available in NA, EU, AU, and NZ!) 🍒 25% off on Steam! store.steampowered.com/app/1147860/...

In case you missed this on Friday, at @unbreaking.org we updated our trans healthcare explainer with a timeline (100+ events) and a totally rewritten explainer (20k words, 150+ footnotes) to help people understand the many diverse attacks on gender affirming care, and where they currently stand:

roses were red violets have paled

feels like i caught this spindrift ingredients list in a lie and now it’s scrambling to double down

Great guest lineup here! One (of many) highlights for me was hearing Cole talk about how he thinks about audience "address" when making games. The reflection on Root may or may not surprise you. bsky.app/profile/secr...

a yuletide miracle!!! 🪙🆙

Announcing The Hacker Update. A brand-new hero with their own unique way of playing Q-UP. Help the Hacker escape the game before being deleted by QA! Steal skills from the other heroes!! Misspell common English words!!! Also: Q-UP IS ON SALE FOR 25% OFF store.steampowered.com/app/3730790/...

We Are OFK is WILDLY on sale to celebrate the holidays + our song! ofk.cool/steam

feels like i caught this spindrift ingredients list in a lie and now it’s scrambling to double down

send me your 868 stories and you better believe i will boost them

fuck yeah, it’s up: the first deep-dive episode of our yearlong All Systems Brough series, on the trippy, seminal, inside-the-mainframe puzzlebox that is 868-HACK. a lively convo featuring @shawndoublea.bsky.social @colewehrle.bsky.social and @drewwehrle.bsky.social secretlives.games/all-systems-...

so happy to have been a part of puzzmo's crossword roster this year (with more to come in 2026!!) and extra thrilled to be included on this year-end roundup list for a clue i thought wayyyy too much about 💾

we 💛 our amazingly talented crossword constructors: here's 50 of our crossword editor @xws.bsky.social's favorite puzzmo midis from 2026, all of which are now free to play 💝 blog.puzzmo.com/posts/2025/1...

reshare if you agree wall adapters with a single USB C port have a surface area differential ratio that looks weird

well MY media company is merging with an antimatter particle at a valuation of annihilating reality

"And so, having long debated what to do about this situation, I dug a fire pit in my backyard and burned my complete set of hardcover Harry Potters." I have a lengthy and long in the works piece live this morning, from @literaryhub.bsky.social Hope you all enjoy ... lithub.com/burn-harry-b...

everyone's goal for 2026 should be getting into using RSS feeds & readers for updates on everyone's projects rather than relying on social media alone. I don't think "big, badly moderated forums where everyone hangs out and gets cranky" are working great for that.

Current and future fans of Sektori: The Secret Lives of Games invited me to co-interview the game‘s creator, Kimmo Lahtinen!

Ep. 150: Making It Great w/ Kimmo Lahtinen Nick is joined by guest co-host @plante.bsky.social for a chat w/ @gimblll.com about his dynamite twin-stick shooter Sektori. We discuss pursuing excellence in an oversaturated genre, and how limitations shape solo dev. secretlives.games/150-making-i...

new game release: Rainbows Are Carnivores is an experimental gay fishing romance / aquaculture management sim. Free, 10-20 min, play in mobile or desktop browser radiatoryang.itch.io/rainbows

despelote 35% off right now. that's less than $10 in the US, less than $5 in latam! i know a bunch of u wishlisted the game after @thegameawards.com nominations, now is ur time to buy it! store.steampowered.com/app/2367820/...

you'll spend your entire life thinking "that's not her, not really" and pushing the thought away. you'll never truly grieve. you'll become attached to a simulacrum, something that isn't your grandmother & never was; it will eventually replace her in your memory. you will live in hell before you die

holy moly, ok! we did it?? we made a collection??? it's the first 13 games, bundled up with unlockable dev notes, updated audio, some sneaky bug fixes, cloud saves, and Steam Deck support!! store.steampowered.com/app/4044300/...

🕹️ YOU ARE NOW ENTERING CORGISPACE 🕹️ CorgiSpace is a new collection of 8-bit games with short legs on purpose! This collection by Adam 'Atomic' Saltsman includes more than a dozen action, adventure, arcade, and puzzle games, and it's OUT NOW! Get it today on Steam and itch.io!

posting the new despelote trailer again. i didn't even know i had a personal "Best Video Essays of 2025" list until this leapt to the top of it

you ;)

DESPELOTE: FIFTH TRAILER youtu.be/_MXKlgMZ3Jc?...

it’s no coincidence this incredible video of @minakimes.bsky.social playing starfriends with @pablo.show and @katienolan.bsky.social has the running time of a prestige drama, because there is a final twist that deserves its own for-your-consideration emmy billboard campaign youtu.be/EegAM-LuIFM?...

it’s no coincidence this incredible video of @minakimes.bsky.social playing starfriends with @pablo.show and @katienolan.bsky.social has the running time of a prestige drama, because there is a final twist that deserves its own for-your-consideration emmy billboard campaign youtu.be/EegAM-LuIFM?...

can confirm: playtopia rips

Here’s the truth: arts-focused games events obviously do still exist, but imo are way less common than ~12 years ago. Huge props to Playtopia for carrying the torch - genuinely as good as (or better than) any similar event in the Northern Hemisphere metropole. Super enjoying my time here.

all this PLUS you can solve crosswords constructed by ME

If you're trying to ditch NYT Games, which you should be since their games singlehandedly prop up the entire dogshit rag financially, you should switch to Puzzmo. An annual sub is 50% off today for a crazy $19 and as a bonus doesn't enable the genocides of Palestinians and trans people

evangelicals have historically not been down with catholics of any stripe and will 100% be modding the choir music out

thrilled to announce: the increasingly extensive TIDE BREAKERS WORLD TOUR continues next week at @playtopia.bsky.social in cape town! come on out for our southern hemisphere debut. the festival is easily accessible by airplane or any sea voyage rounding the cape of good hope: playtopiafestival.co.za

oscar the couch

thrilled to announce: the increasingly extensive TIDE BREAKERS WORLD TOUR continues next week at @playtopia.bsky.social in cape town! come on out for our southern hemisphere debut. the festival is easily accessible by airplane or any sea voyage rounding the cape of good hope: playtopiafestival.co.za

Dustbiters: Pocket Edition is out now! High-octane 18 card car mayhem to take with you on the road. buttonshygames.com/products/dus... with @buttonshy.bsky.social @terriv.bsky.social @squidcor.bsky.social

Check out the spoiler-laden conclusion, where we ask the devs all the deep questions about the ending of this truly epic game. A huge thank you to everyone present for this chat. <3 Join us for this (nearly) 4 hour hour long finale episode!

Here's a long Thanksgiving listen if you wanna go ultra deep on the Caves of Qud endgame. The hosts & Brian/Caelyn are so insightful as always, but I'm also thankful they let me rattle on re: the teeming melange that went into the ending. This was the post-release exhale I needed. Hope you enjoy!

rebranded as the slog

Into the Depths: Caves of Qud Finale We're joined by @ectafoole.bsky.social, @unormal.bsky.social, and @jfg.land, with special guest host @thisisstar.bsky.social, to discuss the challenge of finishing a game you've been making for 18 years... and what comes next. secretlives.games/into-the-dep...

One of my fav podcast episodes we’ve ever done. I believe this is the first time the team has publicly spoken in such depth about the Qud ending. Big thanks to @ectafoole.bsky.social @jfg.land @unormal.bsky.social for their time, and for making one of my fav games ever. bsky.app/profile/robd...