What is the “Stop Killing Games” initiative, and will it hold sway with regulators? @northeasternu.bsky.social game designer @bobdeschutter.be weighs in on the movement.

So far 2025 hasn't disappointed for horror movies. Sinners, 28 Years Later, Companion, Final Destination and Ugly Stepsister would make for a fine top 5 at the end of any year and we're just halfway there.

The Accessibility Wizard from @steampowered.com is a serious step forward, even if there's still room for refinement. What stands out most is how genuinely satisfying it feels to progress through the checklist. Hoping motivates devs to include more game accessibility features.

Even from my perch inside gamedev, I had no idea it was already this bad. The rot is spreading. A necessary, sobering read. (gift link)

I have shared this story, this thread, before - but I think given the state of the world, it's worth telling once again. Maybe it can help, especially if like me, you make art, and you wonder what the use of all of it is right now.

Was on a video call when my screen froze for a bit. For some reason it left a gaping hole in my face creepy enough for folks to take a screenshot. Maybe this is all a simulation after all?

Pretty stoked about this #SXSW panel on how 50+ year old gamers are a massive and underserved opportunity for the game industry.

I'll be at SXSW from 3/9 through 3/12 and at GDC from 3/18 through 3/22. Drop me a message if you'd like to meet up to talk age-friendly game design or anything else. :-)

this haptic display absolutely rocks. basketball is for everyone.

A timely arrival amidst the apologist media responses we are currently seeing in relation to the inauguration.

Forgot to mention that we were in the New York Times![*] . . . . . [*] kids supplement

Remember when the pandemic began and everyone started accommodating remote work? Everyone began showing brand new movies and live concerts streaming? Disabled people had been fighting for this for decades. Now it’s all taken away. It’s not that they can’t accommodate us, they just don’t want to.

Ooh, we got 5 excellent papers from this year's Polaris game design conference. A good crop. Looking forward to getting them up on the website for everyone. If you want to check out previous year's papers, check out: polarisgamedesign.com/reports/

The next edition of GAconf will be at the Pullman St Pancras Hotel, London, on April 14th & 15th. And hybrid, also free to attend online. Two days of talks and networking on accessibility for disabled players. Registration now open at GAconf.com! #accessibility #gamedev

"Games are ridiculously profitable. The same 2024 that saw record layoffs also saw record profits for nearly every publisher in the industry."

Curious to see where this will go. Living in the US Midwest for a while, it was shocking how average Americans have no idea about the quality of life abroad. Sounds like some are finding out now.

I don't teach a class that could directly implement the rubric but there are some great ideas in here that are useful for other classes and contexts as well. For example, I love the "that can be proudly shared outside the classroom" requirement.

For some reason I cannot help but think of Jim Henson seeing this.

I’m not looking forward to another wave of: “This virus novel to humans is okay because *only* people with chronic illness/disability and those over 60 die from it.” I don’t want to go through the state and the media telling me that I, and so many I love are disposable YET AGAIN.

Firaxis—the studio behind the Civilization series—is hiring a historian. An *actual* historian. And note, when they ask for "4+ years as a Writer, Narrative Designer, or other position with commensurate duties," that includes teaching, writing, and research—i.e. your Ph.D. in History.

I’ve been loving my quiet feeds on Bsky. They boost the voices of people you follow or are following you who post less frequently.

Oh, and my favorite concerts this year were: 1. Have Heart/Gel (Boston) 2. Brutus (San Francisco) 3. The Hives (Boston)

So here is my year recap for video games. Games of 2024: 1. Satisfactory 2. Arcs 3. Balatro 4. UFO 50 5. Pax Penning Pre-2024 I finally got to play in 2024 1. The Mortuary Assistant 2. Red Dead Redemption II 3. Midnight Suns 4. Dave the Diver 5. Dune: Spice Wars

Love how Alan Wake II is packed with incredible details that bring the world to live. Just noticed the janitor has a unique idle animation when you're in the room—he occasionally glances at you, adding a subtle tension, but he never does it when you're out of sight.

i went without heating for the last 2 years of kitsune tails production. we have enough to run the heating now, but if you want to play gay fox girl SMB3 and help ensure the heating stays on, you can get it on sale now: store.steampowered.com/app/1325260/... itch: eniko.itch.io/kitsunetails

It's incredible what people create in their spare time for fun. Just ran into a website of someone who just casually threw together fully playable web-based single player digital versions of some excellent board games (such as Cthulhu Wars, Arcs, Vast and Discworld).

I have no idea what I just watched but all I know is that they're "a science team and they make methamphetamine."

“You’re getting worse at [your art], but you’re becoming a great marketer for a product which is less and less good.”

One underlooked thing that makes Baldur's Gate 3 infinitely replayable is how "Jaquaysed" every single part of its level design is. "Jaquaysing" is a term named for Jennell Jaquays, whose dungeons were beloved for their non-linearity. To "Jaquays" something is (reductively) to make it less linear.

"So what’s the perfect 2024 holiday gift, Dr. Bob?" Easy: Balatro and booze. Thank me later.

Talked with PEGI and they do not see anything wrong Balatro being rated 18+, nor with EA sports FC (and similar games) having a 3+ rating Blaming EU laws, blaming storefronts, waiting for the future. Sitting on their hands I thought some good might come of this, this sucks

Seeing ads for AI grading applications everywhere. So let's get this straight? The AI that is writing my students' papers is now offering to grade them?

Ah, winter break. My favorite time of year when I replace my professional deadlines with self-imposed 4am coding marathons.

All those sports titles from EA and 2K that are digital slot machines first and sports games second are rated suitable for all ages, yet Balatro gets an 18+ rating just because it depicts poker hand. Get it together, PEGI.

Sharing this list again as we are not even 1/3 of the way through. 😭 Will update the desc for clarity but Bluesky's having issues at the moment. Here's what we're looking for :-) (in the thread) #gamedev #indiedev #BIPOCdev #gamedesign

The Oscar/Best of the Year model is not a great for games as development often doesn't end with release. I spent most of the year playing/buying games that have been out for a while, and many of the best new games of 2024 were updates to older titles. #gameawards

Belgian game dev Swen Vincke casually dropped the greatest speech on game design I've ever heard at the Game Awards: Don't make games to increase market shares, don't treat players as users to exploit. Create a game because you want to play it and it hasn't been made yet.

Oh wow, those are a lot of excellent ideas for post-ChatGPT education! Thanks, @molleindustria.org!

I love how little ads I get on Bsky, so sorry to you all for me doing this post but I'm 6'8"/2m03 and I only just now discovered americantall.com: For the first time in my life I can just buy a sweater and it actually fits me properly.

Definitely my favorite reveal from the past few days. This multiplayer Thief-like with apparently a Jane's Addiction soundtrack really hits all the right notes for my old gamer heart.

Screentop.gg is quickly making its way into my heart. It's so nice to be able to make your paper prototype and play it on pretty much anything. Or just to play the excellent Pax Penning or Turncoats anywhere. #gamedesign

Give me a single screenshot from a video game that immediately makes you hear the soundtrack in your head. (I thank the loh-oh-hawd each day, for the apocalypse.)

I'm not really into Scrabble but I am fascinated by Nigel Richards. He just won the Spanish world championship without speaking Spanish, similar to how he won the French one without speaking French some years ago. Check out the video if you want to get an idea of how unbelievably good he really is.

The little things that make me happy: The custom set of Blackadder-themed cards that I made for @wehrlegig.bsky.social's excellent Pax Pamir: 2nd Edition arrived. Now my favorite historical boardgame blends nicely my favorite historical comedy. #blackadder #paxpamir

Spent 5 hours on a Sunday hunting down where a key piece of info is stored in an open-source project I'm modding. Let me just say: to anyone who takes the time to document their code properly, you're a hero and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise.

Say what you will, but the nostalgic value of Indiana Jones is really hard to beat. As a kid, it tied to my fascination with horror fiction, my dad and I bonded over Last Crusade, and then there were the video game tie-ins - some of which were truly great. #movies #games

O2 is running an ad about a "granny" bot that they designed to waste scammers' time. Hilarious.

Happy to announce that I'll be talking about age-friendly gaming at SXSW this year alongside Jim Barnett (AARP), Brittne Kakulla (AARP) and @superjoost.bsky.social. Hope to see you there! #gamedesign #gaming

So cool to see #razer promote age representation among their content creators. Way to go!

I haven't played NBA 2K since 2012 as I felt that the game became too much about monetization, gambling and basketball lifestyle rather than actual basketball, but I do think that this has potential. TNT Sports is going to put the same overlays you see in the video game on the game and players.