Kevin Hovdestad
@hovdestad.ca
Director, Brand Development at CATAN Studio
smartphones and the internet, man. they might have destroyed journalism, driven people insane by the tens of millions, fueled a rise in global fascism, and literally touched off genocides, but at least they seem to have caused a global collapse in relationship formation too
One cool thing about unequivocally hating AI is that you will be proven right over and over again every single day
ICYMI, we had an LPU @catan.com fan event last month, and it was incredible. youtube.com/watch?v=ugdd...
CATAN x LINKIN PARK GAME NIGHT 2026
YouTube video by CATAN
m.youtube.com
I thought Amsterdam was finally going to be the first place we had gone for work I wouldn’t see a friend, but of course @bmkibler.bsky.social and @goberthicks.bsky.social are here. My “I see a friend everywhere we go on Earth” streak remains undefeated.
We’re hiring at @catan.com! Our studio is looking for a Senior Game Producer: careers.asmodee.com/job/Senior-G... I am not the hiring manager for this position, but I’m happy to answer any questions I can, or refer former colleagues interested in joining our team.
Senior Game Producer
Senior Game Producer
careers.asmodee.com
We’re hiring at @catan.com! Our studio is looking for a Senior Game Producer: careers.asmodee.com/job/Senior-G... I am not the hiring manager for this position, but I’m happy to answer any questions I can, or refer former colleagues interested in joining our team.
Senior Game Producer
Senior Game Producer
careers.asmodee.com
Today is officially the 30th anniversary of Steamed Hams. On April 14, 1996, "22 Short Films About Springfield" aired for the first time!
In the end, Hungarians showed us not only how to beat a thuggish nationalist, but also how to defeat our own stubborn cynicism. Set some Google news alerts. Get a little invested. The future can still be ours. Nothing is inevitable.
I don't know how to explain to the people who pop up when creatives complain about "AI" to say there are legit uses for it just how much they sound like someone saying "Well actually fire is used to make bread" when people are talking about an organized arson ring burning down their fucking houses
books: the rectangle that can’t send you push notifications. Try: books.
@shappy.bsky.social and @johnathan.bsky.social are on @theatlantic.com's Galaxy Brain with @cwarzel.bsky.social to talk about AI 🤝 management. And this part pretty much spells out one of the loudest conflicts going on at work right now:
If you're a CATAN fan, we'd love to have you in our Discord server - and this week only, joining gets you a shot at an awesome prize package! gleam.io/Z6Z8U/catan-...
CATAN Explorers & Pirates Sweepstakes! 🏴☠️
Yaaarg! I hope you are ready for some loot sailor. We are doing a sweepstakes for the CATAN - Explorers & Pirates Expansion!⛵ Join our Discord server to meet fellow CATAN enthusiasts and for your chan...
gleam.io
Too much else going on today so I forgot, but we did it! We launched this incredible thing that is going to be a ton of fun for millions of players.
Kevin Hovdestad@hovdestad.ca · 7mo agoIncredibly excited that we're announcing the first project I've been involved with end to end today - CATAN On the Road! It's a faithful reimagining of the game you know and love, now as a fast-paced card game you can enjoy anywhere and everywhere. On the Road launches April 3!
Picard humor tip: Be thankful that April Fools' Day jokes fell out of common practice hundreds of years ago.
if I were ever to write a followup or expansion to 'A Pivot To Indie Won't Save Us' it would probably center around how much midsized indies benefit from the ability to poach producers, QA and other roles from AAA, roles that indie itself makes zero room for other than preexisting domain experts
You know, I’ve said for a long time that a big problem in the entertainment industry these days is people claw their way in so young and are so afraid to take a break that they have no time to have actual life experiences, so they write about media they’ve seen instead of things they’ve lived-
Amalas@amalasrosa.bsky.social · 4mo agoNot only is ai absolute garbage but it’s also an important skill to learn where and how to get your references from, that work for you, your art and your voice I like to take random pics when I’m out This little photo gives so much! Amazing fence Solid cloud and light Random clutter
Hey @boardgamegeek.com, you know how once kids are a couple of years old, it's weird to keep referring to their age in months? 😅
For years my iOS devices have kept reminding me to set up Siri (“You haven’t finished setting up your phone!”) and I just wish there was a fucking option to stop that shit. I don’t even want a dumb smart assistant. Just let me fucking work, man.
Paris Marx@parismarx.com · 4mo agoapple planning to go big on ai right as the bubble bursts
I don't know about the rest of the millennials but I make all purchases via real computer because I don't have to Download Yet Another App to do it and the browser there is better at blocking all the stupid fucking ads and trackers. At some point you gotta take control of the hamster wheel, kids.
If you were someone pinging critics with ‘it’s just lighting cleanup’ a few days ago, I need you to use this as a jumping off point to thinking about your susceptibility to talking points and marketing rhetoric more generally. It was right there in front of all of our faces.
IGN@ign.com · 5mo agoNvidia has confirmed that the new DLSS 5 algorithm is redrawing games based on a 2D image input and motion data. https://bit.ly/4smPOCx
The DLSS 5 thing is just NFTs all over again. A bunch of people who know *literally nothing* about game development are talking up how revolutionary it is, while anyone who has ever touched gamedev is absolutely uninterested (because they know better). Tired.
Sorry to get radical but I don’t think it’s my job or yours to embrace, accept, understand - and certainly not to use - the thing being sold to us as AI. I don’t like any part of it, so I won’t. I’m missing out? Good, that’s what I want. You’re worried about me missing out? That’s fuckin weird, man.
Call for papers: for a special issue on contemporary craft work and digital economies. See below and alt text.
* Mention that X has been banned in multiple countries over this * Ask whether your emotional or legal risks from exposure to this kind of material will be covered * Confirm that they know Musk restores the accounts of, retweets & PAYS those suspended for CSAM violations www.cnbc.com/2026/01/05/i...
Elon Musk's X faces probes in Europe, India, Malaysia after Grok generated explicit images of women and children
Regulators in Europe, India and Malaysia are scrutinizing X after exploitative images created with the Grok chatbot went viral on Elon Musk's social network.
cnbc.com
If you are a person who works in social media, and your job requires you to manage an account on Twitter/X, please ask your boss, in writing, to verify that you are required as a responsibility of your position to be on a platform that knowingly creates and monetizes child sexual abuse material …
Incredibly excited that we're announcing the first project I've been involved with end to end today - CATAN On the Road! It's a faithful reimagining of the game you know and love, now as a fast-paced card game you can enjoy anywhere and everywhere. On the Road launches April 3!
