DLSS 5 is FINALLY going to give Goldeneye 64 the recognition it deserves!!!!!!

My narrative-minigame-dad-sim, Bundle of Joy, is going to be one year old on March 25th! I blogged about things I've learned in the past year and some "advice" for solodevs and indies releasing their first commercial product. www.essay-games.com/blog/a-year-... Hope folks find it useful ^__^

Now that IGF and GDC is over I finally got around to writing up my postscript on IGF submissions and some of the issues we ran into in 2025. If you plan to submit your game in 2026 I recommend reading this, tbh. auratriolo.com/blog/2026/03... Here's a little spoiler:

GDC…..more like Great Dads (parents in general) Consider playing this game

Usually "hidden" elements can bother me in games, but in this case it elevates the freedom and fun I find in every run and allows me to just playyyyy w/o overthinking. Nice work Tom!

(pun intended) bee is on 🔥 with this one

for a lot of reasons it’s gonna be hard to top this movie for me in the near future

Here is an excerpt from my conversation with @perfecthatgames.com about PONYO for The Complete Catalog: Studio Ghibli. Links in quoted post!

so @ettletodd.bsky.social is one of my fav people to talk to about literally anything—-such a kind hearted, funny and brilliant mind. Check this episode out and follow for more lovely content! 🙌🙌

cant wait for the full release but dang this will do 😍

We just released the 2025 Impact Report for Game Devs of Color. It's 39 pages of what we accomplished in 2025, since founding, and priorities for 2026 and beyond. Grateful to work with such a brilliant team. The 2026 GDoCExpo is Sep 22 - 25, with speaker & game applications opening late Feb!

This is from the NYT masthead editorial about the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The highlighted line invalidates not just the editorial, but the very idea of newspaper editorials crafted by the consensus of a board. Better to publish nothing at all than to publish a line like this.

Video games wield such a weird position culturally, because they can have the capacity to be just a fidget toy for the most childish people on the planet, and also have the capacity to be the most peak form of art to ever exist, if done well.

not my house, but i know my way around @hinterland.bsky.social

Over the last few years, I’ve been cooking up custom arcade games for brands all over the country. (one collab w/the super rad @kleeb.bsky.social) I’m ready to hit “Start” on a few new games. 👉 Tag someone that neeeeds their own custom arcade and let’s make something awesome!

🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷 MOLAR👅MAYHEM 🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷🦷

Perfect day for leftovers and some High Tide 🦃🐚🌊 such a good game by @marcelineleiman.bsky.social

never been more offended

made a little #pico8 game for a halloween project today! 🎃 PUMPKICK 🎃 get candy, kick pumpkins. 8 breezy puzzles. 🍬 beepyeah.itch.io/pumpkick

Jen has been in the hospital most of October. These hospital stays and the recovery are the most challenging her Myasthenia Gravis has ever been. If you’re able to share this post / donate we would be forever grateful. Thank you again for all of your help ❤️ gofund.me/f6a578450

👀 look at our 14th annual lineup for Nov. 22, making some new games JUST FOR YOU (if you come here) Jana Romanova @nicole.pizza (Crush House, etc) & @okremiok.bsky.social (Pikuniku, etc) @alt254.bsky.social & @chouxsalad.bsky.social (Metagaming, Triforce, etc) Julián Cordero (despelote, etc)

chillin' by the thermal vent #gamedev

@artbutmakeitsports.bsky.social gotta be something here right??

Unfortunately it’s actually really good. Judging a game solely on lootboxes when you paid zero dollars for the game is comical to me. At one point ANY sort of paid DLC sure was tough to swallow but like, it’s optional, it’s how the gamesworld has evolved.

Baby Steps is out! store.steampowered.com/app/1281040/...

perhaps the most important piece of journalism i've ever written.

IMO allowing players freedom does not coincide with making things difficult, skillwalls are an instant turn off for me in games—-let me choose to make the game more difficult if i want to challenge myself but making it mandatory is lazy and a cheap way to pad average playtime

We simply cannot live in a country where the death of hate mongers is a tragedy and the death of everyone else only warrants a shrug.

i get it, but people moving a release dates for a game because of another game is depressing af to me—the industry (not just games) is so bleak.

Pikmin 3 The Long Dark Wingspan NFL Blitz Spelunky 2

Just got the same warning from the Google Play store this week for my games that are perfectly up to date for all current OS’ and potentially being removed for no reason 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏼

My latest Paper Apps™ game is up on Kickstarter! LABYRINTH is a CYOA type game with a randomized maze and encounters, based on retro DOS dungeon-crawlers. www.kickstarter.com/projects/bri...

Had a really nice time talking with Andrew Pappas as part of his ongoing #indiegames podcast: www.rengenmarketing.com/podcast/emot... I discuss design strategies for creating emotionally charged games and how to leave space for players to explore their feelings.

look what i found ☔️☔️ @marcelineleiman.bsky.social

Bundle of Joy is participating in the #SteamSummerSale at its lowest discount to date! store.steampowered.com/app/3138370/... If you know any new or expectant dads who might want to preview what's in store, or find a bit of catharsis for all of their new feels, gift this game to them! <3z

LFZOOOOOOO NYC 🎉👏

In the words of Nelson Mandela: it always seems impossible until it’s done. My friends, it is done. And you are the ones who did it. I am honored to be your Democratic nominee for the Mayor of New York City.

i've been working on a puzzle game for #playdate the last few days. basically a sokoban-like but you can use portal blocks to invert the level. i'm trying to come up with a name still.

today is the best day to play this one!

floaty controls, but on purpose beepyeah.itch.io/inky

💐🌹🌺☘️🌸💐

so many rad games from so many rad pratt students 🙌

new blog post: turned my gdc 2025 level design theory talk into a blog post www.blog.radiator.debacle.us/2025/05/spac...

wow. new entry in my top 10 best box art of all time 😻😻

the @wonderville.nyc new arcade showcase tonight was so so good

🦵 #screenshotsaturday

video games aren't political! *your switch 2 costs a suspicious amount of money due to recent bizarre developments in international politics*

Bro who is mourning the metro card. The only thing it was good for was stunting on tourists by nailing it on the first swipe.