Alan Au
@alanau.bsky.social
Trickster disciple. 🦊 Game developer. 🎲️✂ Emeritus data generalist. 📊 Delightfully imperfect. ☁️ Not that kind of doctor. 🎓 [E] Itsatrap 🎮 He/Him
Pinned
Alan Au
@alanau.bsky.social
· Nov 13
Days since uttering "what the actual fuck?": 0
Oh. Uh ... I guess I should start paying attention to the NFL for a bit? I mean, I'm not anti-football; it's just that I mostly don't care about it unless Seattle is the playoffs. 😎
January 19, 2026 at 3:27 AM
Oh. Uh ... I guess I should start paying attention to the NFL for a bit? I mean, I'm not anti-football; it's just that I mostly don't care about it unless Seattle is the playoffs. 😎
Reposted by Alan Au
I generally only try to raise funds on a new article, but I have a massive body of work just sitting there that's all worth reading.
I'm in immense pain, but because we don't have universal healthcare, I have to pay this out of pocket.
$280 by tomorrow's doctor's visit would help a lot!!
I'm in immense pain, but because we don't have universal healthcare, I have to pay this out of pocket.
$280 by tomorrow's doctor's visit would help a lot!!
I hate AI almost as much as I hate ICE. I write about stuff on my reader-supported blog, and this one's been getting shared around again lately, so I figured, hey, I've got a really big $350 doctor's visit cost coming up.
paypal.me/stompsite
new article soon
docseuss.medium.com/using-chatgp...
paypal.me/stompsite
new article soon
docseuss.medium.com/using-chatgp...
using chatgpt and other ai writing tools makes you unhireable. here’s why
AI isn’t just pie in the sky, it’s a cow pie in the sky.
docseuss.medium.com
January 18, 2026 at 6:40 PM
I generally only try to raise funds on a new article, but I have a massive body of work just sitting there that's all worth reading.
I'm in immense pain, but because we don't have universal healthcare, I have to pay this out of pocket.
$280 by tomorrow's doctor's visit would help a lot!!
I'm in immense pain, but because we don't have universal healthcare, I have to pay this out of pocket.
$280 by tomorrow's doctor's visit would help a lot!!
Thinking about a problem with my current game design: how do I get players to not always "pick their own guy"? 🎲✂️
- can't pick your own guy
- penalty for picking your own guy
- reward for picking others
- big reward/penalty for group goal
- remove the choice
- limit choice, but allow for fudging
- can't pick your own guy
- penalty for picking your own guy
- reward for picking others
- big reward/penalty for group goal
- remove the choice
- limit choice, but allow for fudging
January 18, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Thinking about a problem with my current game design: how do I get players to not always "pick their own guy"? 🎲✂️
- can't pick your own guy
- penalty for picking your own guy
- reward for picking others
- big reward/penalty for group goal
- remove the choice
- limit choice, but allow for fudging
- can't pick your own guy
- penalty for picking your own guy
- reward for picking others
- big reward/penalty for group goal
- remove the choice
- limit choice, but allow for fudging
If you have to cheat to be profitable, then the lie is the product. That is the very definition of a grift. And it sucks, because the underlying tech is amazing and powerful, but it's being propped up by plagiarism and empty promises.
Pretty much every non-hype defense of LLM products begins with "first you must already understand your work extremely well, have ironclad ethics, and also verify all of its outputs in their entirety" and these are simply not realistic conditions for a product to *require* before it can be useful.
January 18, 2026 at 6:03 PM
If you have to cheat to be profitable, then the lie is the product. That is the very definition of a grift. And it sucks, because the underlying tech is amazing and powerful, but it's being propped up by plagiarism and empty promises.
The first game I completed? I dunno; most games didn't really have an "ending" back then. But if I had to guess, it was probably "The Black Cauldron."
January 18, 2026 at 5:19 PM
The first game I completed? I dunno; most games didn't really have an "ending" back then. But if I had to guess, it was probably "The Black Cauldron."
Hoping I don't have to pull this one out again, but anyway, welcome to 2026.
It turns out that when you bomb someone without provocation, it also undercuts your calls for peace. You don't get credit for solving a problem you intentionally created.
It turns out that when you bomb someone, it undercuts the deterrent value of "leave us alone or we'll bomb you."
January 18, 2026 at 1:30 AM
Hoping I don't have to pull this one out again, but anyway, welcome to 2026.
LOL, Duck Duck Go is doing a survey thing about AI usage, and the results are hilariously lopsided. voteyesornoai.com
Are you YES AI or NO AI? Vote now.
Big Tech doesn't care if you want AI or not. They should.
VoteYesOrNoAI.com
January 17, 2026 at 10:05 PM
LOL, Duck Duck Go is doing a survey thing about AI usage, and the results are hilariously lopsided. voteyesornoai.com
Reposted by Alan Au
my husband’s latest psychic damage sortie:
“How about a TV show where two hockey players are too busy banging to notice that aliens have landed. Heated Arrivalry.”
“How about a TV show where two hockey players are too busy banging to notice that aliens have landed. Heated Arrivalry.”
January 17, 2026 at 6:20 PM
my husband’s latest psychic damage sortie:
“How about a TV show where two hockey players are too busy banging to notice that aliens have landed. Heated Arrivalry.”
“How about a TV show where two hockey players are too busy banging to notice that aliens have landed. Heated Arrivalry.”
Reposted by Alan Au
Hey Boston-area folks! If you're around, come say hi to me! I'm chatting with folks about game writing, story, and other cool stuff on February 19th
Next month, BPM will be hosting a discussion and Q&A with Anna Megill, a multi-award winning AAA game writer who has worked on games such as Fable and CONTROL, to discuss her career, writing for games, and working within the AAA space. #gamedev #writing
www.meetup.com/bostongamede...
www.meetup.com/bostongamede...
[BPM] AAA Q&A: Discussing Game Writing with Anna Megill, Thu, Feb 19, 2026, 6:00 PM | Meetup
The BPM crew sit down with Anna Megill, a multi-award winning AAA game writer, to discuss her career, writing for games, and working within the AAA space. We will also have
www.meetup.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:58 PM
Hey Boston-area folks! If you're around, come say hi to me! I'm chatting with folks about game writing, story, and other cool stuff on February 19th
Yeah ... yeah. You know what? It's fine. 😒
Every time I repost this, it's because I was gonna post something else but posted this instead. 🫠
New personal policy: no doomposting. I can get plenty of high-quality doomposts elsewhere and dont need to manufacture them in-house.
January 17, 2026 at 10:29 AM
Yeah ... yeah. You know what? It's fine. 😒
I'm reminded that, by definition, half of everybody is crueler than average. But also, half of everybody is also kinder than average. But it's tricky; nobody is one thing all the time.
Anyway, please try to spend more time being kind; maybe we can bring the average up.
Anyway, please try to spend more time being kind; maybe we can bring the average up.
January 17, 2026 at 2:44 AM
I'm reminded that, by definition, half of everybody is crueler than average. But also, half of everybody is also kinder than average. But it's tricky; nobody is one thing all the time.
Anyway, please try to spend more time being kind; maybe we can bring the average up.
Anyway, please try to spend more time being kind; maybe we can bring the average up.
I wonder if I should add the sarcastic Vulcan salute into my regular rotation. 🖖😏🖖
January 16, 2026 at 10:18 PM
I wonder if I should add the sarcastic Vulcan salute into my regular rotation. 🖖😏🖖
Reposted by Alan Au
We're in the Laughs & Smiles Steam sale! But we'd like to clarify that our games are strictly for Laughs - Smiling violates our terms of service.
Tactical Breach Wizards is 30% off: store.steampowered.com/app/1043810/...
Gunpoint is 60% off: store.steampowered.com/app/206190/G...
Tactical Breach Wizards is 30% off: store.steampowered.com/app/1043810/...
Gunpoint is 60% off: store.steampowered.com/app/206190/G...
Save 30% on Tactical Breach Wizards on Steam
In Tactical Breach Wizards, you lead a team of renegade wizards in kevlar through turn-based battles to unravel a modern conspiracy plot. Combine their unique spells in clever ways, or rewind time to ...
store.steampowered.com
January 16, 2026 at 6:45 PM
We're in the Laughs & Smiles Steam sale! But we'd like to clarify that our games are strictly for Laughs - Smiling violates our terms of service.
Tactical Breach Wizards is 30% off: store.steampowered.com/app/1043810/...
Gunpoint is 60% off: store.steampowered.com/app/206190/G...
Tactical Breach Wizards is 30% off: store.steampowered.com/app/1043810/...
Gunpoint is 60% off: store.steampowered.com/app/206190/G...
Reposted by Alan Au
IndieCade Festival sale on Steam buff.ly/vJzk0Hb
January 16, 2026 at 6:08 PM
IndieCade Festival sale on Steam buff.ly/vJzk0Hb
I know that I probably come off as overly pessimistic about gen AI. The tech is great, almost magical. But the way these models are trained is fundamentally unethical and threatens to undermine the human learning process. It is an existential complaint about tech run amok.
I know people who use gen AI for things. They're reasonable people who use LLMs to handle tedious tasks, which seems like the sort of thing automation is good for.
And yet, we keep seeing examples of the tech failing or being abused. It's not a tech problem. It is a people problem enabled by tech.
And yet, we keep seeing examples of the tech failing or being abused. It's not a tech problem. It is a people problem enabled by tech.
January 16, 2026 at 5:57 PM
I know that I probably come off as overly pessimistic about gen AI. The tech is great, almost magical. But the way these models are trained is fundamentally unethical and threatens to undermine the human learning process. It is an existential complaint about tech run amok.
Oh wow, that is quite the list of all-stars. TBH, I'm kind of surprised they haven't all been snapped up by CDPR yet.
Are you a writer or narrative designer attending GDC? For the first time, GDC is hosting a Narrative Portfolio Review Workshop! I've assembled a literal dream team of Senior/Lead narrative folks to review portfolios, so bring your materials!
Deets: schedule.gdconf.com/session/narr...
Deets: schedule.gdconf.com/session/narr...
January 16, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Oh wow, that is quite the list of all-stars. TBH, I'm kind of surprised they haven't all been snapped up by CDPR yet.
Reposted by Alan Au
Hunt Kickoff!
MIT Mystery Hunt 2026 Kickoff
YouTube video by MIT Mystery Hunt 2026
youtu.be
January 16, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Hunt Kickoff!
Reposted by Alan Au
hey washington! an Opportunity
If you haven’t already, take the AGO’s AI labor impact survey to make your voice heard.
Help us build a balanced future for our workforce: https://tinyurl.com/ysxevt8n
Help us build a balanced future for our workforce: https://tinyurl.com/ysxevt8n
January 16, 2026 at 4:25 PM
hey washington! an Opportunity
Reposted by Alan Au
Runaway Emu Leads Florida Corporal in 45-Minute Police Chase
www.nytimes.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Reposted by Alan Au
(And, of course, I know attending GDC is prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of workers in this industry, SO if you aren't going: I do digital portfolio reviews for folks all the time. Send me an email!)
January 16, 2026 at 5:06 PM
(And, of course, I know attending GDC is prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of workers in this industry, SO if you aren't going: I do digital portfolio reviews for folks all the time. Send me an email!)
What are we even doing? 😥
Number of days since the last game industry layoff: you unfortunately already know the answer to this. 🫠
January 16, 2026 at 5:10 PM
What are we even doing? 😥
Reposted by Alan Au
iam8bit x Blue Prince restocks are here. Stocks are limited so order now.
- Red Prince Children's Book
- Blue Prince Pin Set
- Blue Prince Keychain (blind bag)
- Blue Prince Basement Key Replica & Stand
- Blue Prince Hardbound Notebook
blueprince.iam8bit.com
- Red Prince Children's Book
- Blue Prince Pin Set
- Blue Prince Keychain (blind bag)
- Blue Prince Basement Key Replica & Stand
- Blue Prince Hardbound Notebook
blueprince.iam8bit.com
January 16, 2026 at 5:04 PM
iam8bit x Blue Prince restocks are here. Stocks are limited so order now.
- Red Prince Children's Book
- Blue Prince Pin Set
- Blue Prince Keychain (blind bag)
- Blue Prince Basement Key Replica & Stand
- Blue Prince Hardbound Notebook
blueprince.iam8bit.com
- Red Prince Children's Book
- Blue Prince Pin Set
- Blue Prince Keychain (blind bag)
- Blue Prince Basement Key Replica & Stand
- Blue Prince Hardbound Notebook
blueprince.iam8bit.com
Reposted by Alan Au
after flying back from Vegas last week, I was just laid off from Inverse today. I'm open to connecting over email at shannon@flashinfics.com and I'm definitely still in the writing and editing space. Expect a more in-depth explanation coming soon in my Updater newsletter. shannonliao.substack.com
Updater, Shannon Liao's gaming newsletter | Substack
Exclusive gaming and tech news, from a classically-trained journalist, delivered to your inbox. Click to read Updater, Shannon Liao's gaming newsletter, a Substack publication with thousands of subscr...
shannonliao.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:05 PM
after flying back from Vegas last week, I was just laid off from Inverse today. I'm open to connecting over email at shannon@flashinfics.com and I'm definitely still in the writing and editing space. Expect a more in-depth explanation coming soon in my Updater newsletter. shannonliao.substack.com