Hooray! The first of the Thanksgaming 2025 posts is up on Kotaku, with an epic TWENTY unknown indies to check out! I'm going to put up another 20 tomorrow. Spread it far and wide! kotaku.com/indie-games-...

When I see the Steam AI disclosure for "placeholder art", what I read is "We thought we could get away with it, but someone found out so now we're pretending it was meant to be replaced"

Indie game developers have a new sales pitch: being ‘AI free’

As much as I love cute harmless fantasy, I also love #indiegames that aren't "just a game"

Is there a word for the new form of passive aggression where they just make genAI spit out a "diplomatic" wall of nonsense to waste your time?

the heart that comes with people giving art their best shot is ALWAYS more impactful than generative AI. the moment you can tell a voice is fake, it loses character in more than just a literal sense

Another inspiration for our sideways speculative version of reality in Kerala is the 'Seeds of Good Anthropocenes' project that tries to find initatives and projects that already exist everywhere around the world - and that could inspire a better future. goodanthropocenes.net

I'm so confused. I thought early reviews for games on Steam were super important? Why would experienced indie devs publish a game without making sure they have some fans posting reviews ASAP? The game looks promising, but several hours after release just *crickets*... IT BOTHERS ME #gamedev

Made a starter pack based on cool responses to earlier thread (see below) about games that fearlessly work toward a better future and find the fun in the political struggle. Starter packs = a bit over but still. Ping us if you know more folks: go.bsky.app/Fhw51ip #gamedev #indiedev #indiegames

I want to explore fantastical worlds with the content of a tool shed, a stack of 20 soups, a bunch of random stuff I found, and a burning torch in my invisible backpack.

I want to explore fantastical worlds with the content of a tool shed, a stack of 20 soups, a bunch of random stuff I found, and a burning torch in my invisible backpack.

Up for a free spooky game? Always wondered what my userpic is from? Look no further! direkris.itch.io/displacer

Calling all game developers working on making the future a better place, or addressing the bullshit of our current time in some creative way! Where are you? Let's connect and team up.

Me 1 year ago: I wish I could make a game and do everything myself Me now: I wish I could pay @hannahnicklin.bsky.social as a game designer, @direkris.itch.io and @onbearfeet.bsky.social for the writing, @naladraws.com for the art, ... #gamedev

Me 1 year ago: I wish I could make a game and do everything myself Me now: I wish I could pay @hannahnicklin.bsky.social as a game designer, @direkris.itch.io and @onbearfeet.bsky.social for the writing, @naladraws.com for the art, ... #gamedev

Instead of paying out the nose to play generative AI slop, what about a free game where you ARE the generative AI slop? direkris.itch.io/genai

Look, I know I wrote a game called COZY Grove, but I'm starting to think coziness has reached its moral limit blog.giovanh.com/blog/2025/10...

I see a lot of people comment on their "backlog" of video games as a problem to feel bad about. Honestly? I love looking at mine. All the potential experiences! The anticipation! The out-of-my-usual-niche games waiting there just in case the right mood hits me! I want to swim in unplayed games.

I see a lot of people comment on their "backlog" of video games as a problem to feel bad about. Honestly? I love looking at mine. All the potential experiences! The anticipation! The out-of-my-usual-niche games waiting there just in case the right mood hits me! I want to swim in unplayed games.

As a Linux user, I nearly choked on my food 😂 (Apple also seems to hate people who don't want or can't afford to buy 100% of their stuff from Apple though?)

I'll give credit where it's due: a majority of the @vangamegarden.bsky.social volunteers were masking. Also shoutouts to the single masked dev whose gaze I met over our respective respirators. He was tabling for Generation Exile so give it a wishlist store.steampowered.com/app/2963240/...

I'VE DONE IT, I'VE FINALLY RELEASED A WRITING PROJECT I SAID I WOULD RELEASE. TAKE THAT PROCRASTINATION DEMONS! Anyways, as the horrors keep coming and they don't stop coming, I've compiled the above into an article that'll be poked at as time goes on! And can be linked in relevant places!

1 day 10 hrs left for the Queer bundle, 2 weeks for the Palestine one

Me: I should really use itch.io more and check out some of all those bundle games I bought Also me: *buys 3 more itch.io bundles to support good causes and goes back to the site run by the guy with the superyacht fleet*

There are so many skilled, brilliant writers out of work right now. If you have any budget at all, now's your chance to hire the best writing talent the games industry has ever seen ✨️

So anyone who wants to ask me, "Why are you so obsessed with vidyagames when humanity itself is in crisis," I would reply that video games represent, to me, one of the most valuable things there is to preserve about humanity: the ability to invent, imagine, enjoy, empathize, and create.

Just a reminder LibreWolf does this (and other privacy options) automatically. I would suggest using it instead of Firefox.

Trying to imagine if I talked about gardening or anything else I love the way folks talk about alcohol. 😂 THERE ARE NO SEED PACKETS IN HERE. YOU DON'T GARDEN??? MAYBE YOU JUST HAVEN'T GARDENED THE RIGHT THINGS??? HERE, PLANT THIS. I SWEAR YOU WILL LOVE IT.

This might be interesting for my writer and gamedev contacts, or anyone else really.

Adding a link with alternatives to Google Docs...

I feel like a part of me is stubbornly holding on to peaceful, idyllic games for escapism, while a different part is emerging like "Fuck that, it's time for horror and apocalypse, I get it now".

All of this 🧵

Make your case and win the battle for your future. It's in your hands. Wishlist All Will Rise on Kickstarter now: www.kickstarter.com/projects/spe...

This might be interesting for my writer and gamedev contacts, or anyone else really.

Adding a link with alternatives to Google Docs...

I was impressed with the demo (which is still up btw)! Looks like it's going to be a good and important #indiegame

It's been a while, but I had some lovely stays in the fairy cabin last year ✨ (What I described there turned out to be symptoms of a new chronic illness btw, poor little sprout lol) #indiegame #cozygaming

Just a reminder that I am open for work: 1. Game writing and narrative design 2. Copyediting/subediting 3. Copywriting and marketing 4. Ghost writing I have >20 shipped game credits to my name including Cozy Grove and You Are Jeff Bezos, and I've worked on properties including League of Legends

I got to play @springfoxgames.bsky.social's Nif Nif for my curator and had so much fun! Most adorable game I've seen in quite a while 💚 100% recommended even if you aren't that into deckbuilders - check out the demo at #NextFest! #indiegame #cozygaming

Accessibility is important, so I made a disclaimer to add to your games if need be.

I sometimes (often?) like playing relatively optimised, especially in new playthroughs. But I want it to feel like a true *choice*. And sometimes going for aesthetics over efficiency is optimal for me 🙃

Atuel, our award-winning surrealist documentary game about climate change, is coming to Steam & Google Play later this year! 🙌🎉✨ 🌏 Localized to 7 new languages! 🎮 Full controller support! 💸 All for free! Wishlist it now and help us with a RT!🙏 store.steampowered.com/app/2794330/...

löyly-coded characters

I had a lovely time with @speldosa.bsky.social's little Project Shoreline. It has some quirks and doesn't always save progress, but it's free! Looking forward to Muri: WIldwoods 💚 Slightly longer review: steamcommunity.com/id/loyly/rec... #cozygaming #indiegame

I'm a low-key romance grinch (and yes, I hate half of my feed today), but this one is cool

Does anyone know the devs of Oceanarium? Are they aware that what they released on Steam in December is literally just the demo that's also still up for free? Weird and trippy in a good way but 👀 store.steampowered.com/app/1479080/... #indiegame #cozygaming

Now would be the perfect time for a solar punk game.

Apropos of all the genAI talk. The thing that's really tempting me is having humming or singing transformed into "instruments", maybe for use in silly little game projects. I've seen apps for that. But is that Bad AI too? Anything I should know? #musiciansky