one Nice thing about getting older is being able to say that moves like Jagger is a terrible song instead of trying hard for a taste of it and understand nobody cares
losing myself in the service of listening to bad music because I can fix it has become me
This style of light doesn't really appear in animation anymore. You know it when you see it -- it's bright, hot and almost dangerous.
Our new issue explores the tricks behind it, and how one artist has revived the look for the digital age: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/dangerous-...
Absolum review: feels like a labor of love! i Donβt know enough about this genre to overthink itβs goodness, but I was a sucker for the fake beating the game (and finding the real end boss). Itβs like if someone pulled a curtain and yelled, βheβs the real Hootie!β (at a Hootie and the blowfish show)
Would you rather take care of a horse or really slimy cat?
new definition: it's a roguelike if there's a floor
Anytime I ask myself a question like this I usually end up finding that things like rope making, cooking, boat building were invented by Proto human species, not humans themselves. Makes it a little bit harder to track then since the assumption could be that humans just lifted it
itβs wonderful to be where Iβve always wanted to be (listening to harry nilsson)
My 2025 talk 'Gyms, Zoos, and Museums: Your documentation should be in-game' is now also available in text format, for those who like to read instead of watch: rystorm.com/blog/gyms-zo...
And if you haven't seen it yet, there is an all new video too, with bonus material on the history of Zoos!
worth it ngl
After hating game jams forever, I like them. Iβm Stravinsky in my 12-tone era.
will always like this image
wandering in search of the trashcan that wasnβt there and finally resigned to swallow your chewing gum
when people ask me what designers actually do, i always lie hehehe
A timeline visually representing the advice from my post, emphasising how dramatically and reliably having more time, with a testable build, converts to your game being better and your studio being safer.
I've been running an indie games studio for 15 years now, and it felt like a good time to boil down what I've learned into 4 pieces of advice:
www.pentadact.com/2026-01-08-1...
I hope it's of use, not least because goddamn I forgot how long blog posts take to write.
Still from The Werckmeister Harmonies: a young man walks down a street at night
Still from The Werckmeister Harmonies: piles of books illuminated by a window
Still from The Werckmeister Harmonies: a crowd of men marching at night
Still from The Werckmeister Harmonies: an old man gazes at an artificial whale in an empty town square
RIP BΓ©la Tarr. I first saw The Werckmeister Harmonies in downtown Manhattan, a month or so after 9/11. A strange, slow, melancholy film that's haunted and inspired me ever since.
glitch art poster with the text: boshi's lecture series presents...liz ryerson. february 19th 2026. doors at 7, talk at 7:30, listening party at 9:30. $5 - 15 suggested donation. at boshi's place
join us 2/19 for our first ever lecture series event, featuring @ellaguro.bsky.social: "What Doth Videogame? A personal history of art and life in the age of collapse."
following the talk will be a listening party for liz's new album, Saint Elizabeth!
rsvp here: www.eventbrite.com/e/boshis-lec...
hope you make it to book 14, "Glinda of Oz"
I feel like every pitchfork review starts after the reviewer has had one drink and concludes after about 6 more
Could be a fun thing to subvert! Peopleβs expectation is that the lock and key have no grander meaning so itβs rich for presenting it in a stock way and then revealing a grander design behind it. E.g. you find out that keys are also persistent currency that & donβt need to use them (shouldnβt use?)
Four panel Lindsey and Tobias from arrested development. I have advised a number of soldiers to fire small arms at Demogorgons. Did it work for those people? No, it never does. β¦ but it might work for us.
every military commander on stranger things
RIP to Jerry Kasenetz, who if I'm being honest had just as much influence on my musical taste in college as Brian Eno
my daughter is excited about sleeping in the taxi to the airport tomorrow. back in the u.s.[awkward pause].a.
Alright gang, there's a Senior Level Designer opening on my team.
You know the drill. π Please pass this along and AMA*
jobs.zenimax.com/requisitions...
playing strife for the first time (havenβt had a chance to play with audio-enabled because kids were asleep). i am in love with these super simple abstract hub worlds (chapter 1 of Hexen 2 being another favorite, and half-life 2 roleplaying server maps).
Ghost of YΕtei
My son accidentally bought it when he picked up the controller and mashed buttons. Didn't play and refunded it.
Donkey Kong Bananza
I didn't like it. Sorry! I can't play for more than 30 minutes before being kind of unhappy and stressed. The controls, the camera, the climbing, just never really clicked. :/
Arc Raiders
Love the level design! An old co-worker from Avalanche was the design director, and it's funny how much I assume he made EVERY choice. I love how much I hate the robots and that they are super hard to read whether they noticed you or not. I love the local voice chat with randos.
Witchfire
I wish I could quit my life and play this game non-stop for 2 months. Stopped playing because waiting for 1.0
