Hoping to wrap up the book cover today and I am staging the scene in Blender. Ortographic or vanishing point perspective? What do you all think? (I am aware that the shadows would not really cast like that, but that is okay—it's conceptual. 😁)

57 million Americans over 50 play video games, more than those under 18, but 69% say that games aren't designed with them in mind. news.northeastern.edu/2026/06/02/o... @nuglobalnews.bsky.social @northeasternu.bsky.social @gamegrrrl.bsky.social #games #oldergamer #gamesandaging #lifelonggamer

Why older gamers could be the key to saving the games industry

At a time when the video game industry is looking for areas of growth, an initiative called Games for Life has the answer: older gamers.

news.northeastern.edu

Indie Hive launched in 2019. Here are some games we played back then that we think are still deserving of a spot on your Steam wishlist (if you don't own them already!. #IndieGames #WishlistWednesday @bobdeschutter.be @iceberg-int.bsky.social @terrycavanaghgames.com

Proud of Games at Northeastern GSND alumni Nabil Oueida, Srinivas Teja Bhattar and Kito They now go by Ludocratic Games as they've been pouring what they learned into their indie game "The Box is Alive" and a Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/lud...

The Box is Alive: A Physics Based Platformer

Deliver yourself! Roll, jump & glide as a box on a goofy quest of self-delivery!

kickstarter.com

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.

Game designer talks ‘Stop Killing Games’ initiative. Can it make a difference in Europe?

The 'Stop Killing Games' petition responds to a growing concern among gamers over the future playability of server-based games.

bit.ly

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)

‘An Overwhelmingly Negative And Demoralizing Force’: What It’s Like Working For A Company That’s Forcing AI On Its Developers - Aftermath

'I have had conversations about AI in a professional context that make me want to walk into the sea'

aftermath.site

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.

Basketball Jones❤️🖤🤍🏀@shawnjohn.bsky.social · 2y ago

This is super cool. The Blazers are the first professional sports team to provide OneCourt's haptic display at every home game! This cutting-edge technology enables fans who are Blind or Low Vision to experience live basketball action in real-time, at no additional cost. #RipCity #Blazers

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

Jan. 6 and QAnon have their roots in gaming, Northeastern professor concludes in new book

In “Playframes,” Celia Pearce examines what happens when the boundary between play and real life gets blurry –– and hazardous.

news.northeastern.edu

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/

Reports

Reports produced by Polaris Game Design Retreat attendees.

polarisgamedesign.com

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."

Aura/Moom@moomanibe.bsky.social · 2y ago

I wrote this post about the illusion that indie is a 'superior development style' about a week ago and waffled on whether or not it was still relevant enough to post. Aftermath putting up a podcast on the same topic today convinced me to finally shove it out the door. auratriolo.com/blog/2025/01...

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.

Erica Wilkinson@everywhereerica.bsky.social · 2y ago

I don't know how many of y'all are watching the migration of American TikTokers to RedNote, but it's the most fascinating thing I've EVER SEEN HAPPEN ONLINE. 🧵

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.

Jeremiah McCall (he/him)@gamingthepast.bsky.social · 2y ago

Here's the Hist Boardgame design rubric I currently use. 1. Please ask if I can help you implement before book comes out (i.e. in the next 1.5 years) 2. Please credit my years of work reflected in doing these so that others can find me and I can help them too. 2/

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

Coolioart - 3D Commissions Open! @coolioart.bsky.social · 2y ago

I did it again! Jurassic Park with accurate raptors, a short part 2 #jurassicpark #blender3d

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.

Historian

Sparks Glencoe, Maryland, United States

boards.greenhouse.io

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).