Alexander Had
@alexanderhad1.bsky.social
I wrote From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror - out now @bitmapbooks.com 🐜 🧟♂️.
Bylines at The AV Club, PC Gamer, Edge, RPS, The Verge, The Washington Post, Slant Magazine, Wireframe, others.
Bylines at The AV Club, PC Gamer, Edge, RPS, The Verge, The Washington Post, Slant Magazine, Wireframe, others.
Pinned
Alexander Had
@alexanderhad1.bsky.social
· Oct 18
Since the list is already available online (www.bitmapbooks.com/products/fro...), I'll be making a daily(-ish) thread covering every main entry in From Ants to Zombies with some of my unused screencaps.
1) The Wreck of the BSM Pandora: a 1981 Apple II boardgame adaptation inspired by you-know-what
1) The Wreck of the BSM Pandora: a 1981 Apple II boardgame adaptation inspired by you-know-what
I mean, I can see the argument in burying a game because of its AI use but let's just say I'll be really, really curious to see how you handle your next review of something published by rabid union busters or unrepentant genocide enablers...
November 11, 2025 at 9:42 PM
I mean, I can see the argument in burying a game because of its AI use but let's just say I'll be really, really curious to see how you handle your next review of something published by rabid union busters or unrepentant genocide enablers...
Reposted by Alexander Had
Yesterday we had a small issue with the site link, so... new pinned post 📌
The Steam page for The Many Sins of House Ocampo is now LIVE!
🔥 store.steampowered.com/app/4102890/... 🔥
Wishlist now, repost, spread the word! Support the independent game-making underground ✊🏻
The Steam page for The Many Sins of House Ocampo is now LIVE!
🔥 store.steampowered.com/app/4102890/... 🔥
Wishlist now, repost, spread the word! Support the independent game-making underground ✊🏻
November 4, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Yesterday we had a small issue with the site link, so... new pinned post 📌
The Steam page for The Many Sins of House Ocampo is now LIVE!
🔥 store.steampowered.com/app/4102890/... 🔥
Wishlist now, repost, spread the word! Support the independent game-making underground ✊🏻
The Steam page for The Many Sins of House Ocampo is now LIVE!
🔥 store.steampowered.com/app/4102890/... 🔥
Wishlist now, repost, spread the word! Support the independent game-making underground ✊🏻
Always an honour to get praise from colleagues, but especially so from someone like Mike - can't wait for the Aliens book!
This C64 beauty gets a mention in my book of next year, too (cos it sure wears that Alien influence), albeit not to the detail of Alexander's excellent coverage in this terrific book.
October 28, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Always an honour to get praise from colleagues, but especially so from someone like Mike - can't wait for the Aliens book!
Discover Project Firestart & more than 130 other horror gems across 60+ gaming platforms -from the TRS-80 to the PlayStation 5- in From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror.
Sign up to be notified when reprints are available: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/... @bitmapbooks.com
Sign up to be notified when reprints are available: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/... @bitmapbooks.com
October 28, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Discover Project Firestart & more than 130 other horror gems across 60+ gaming platforms -from the TRS-80 to the PlayStation 5- in From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror.
Sign up to be notified when reprints are available: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/... @bitmapbooks.com
Sign up to be notified when reprints are available: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/... @bitmapbooks.com
Reposted by Alexander Had
From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror
Coming soon if there is enough demand, sign up here: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #gaming #horror #fromantstozombies @alexanderhad1.bsky.social #booksky
Coming soon if there is enough demand, sign up here: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #gaming #horror #fromantstozombies @alexanderhad1.bsky.social #booksky
October 26, 2025 at 7:48 AM
From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror
Coming soon if there is enough demand, sign up here: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #gaming #horror #fromantstozombies @alexanderhad1.bsky.social #booksky
Coming soon if there is enough demand, sign up here: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #gaming #horror #fromantstozombies @alexanderhad1.bsky.social #booksky
Reposted by Alexander Had
Discover the Cities of 8-bit Video Gaming this Wednesday (Oct. 15) in a live, *free* @d6learning.bsky.social lecture with yours truly!
We'll discuss tech limitations, game design, systems, worldbuilding, and more in the virtual cityscapes of the '80s.
🎓 Enroll → www.d6learning.com/course/8bitc...
We'll discuss tech limitations, game design, systems, worldbuilding, and more in the virtual cityscapes of the '80s.
🎓 Enroll → www.d6learning.com/course/8bitc...
October 13, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Discover the Cities of 8-bit Video Gaming this Wednesday (Oct. 15) in a live, *free* @d6learning.bsky.social lecture with yours truly!
We'll discuss tech limitations, game design, systems, worldbuilding, and more in the virtual cityscapes of the '80s.
🎓 Enroll → www.d6learning.com/course/8bitc...
We'll discuss tech limitations, game design, systems, worldbuilding, and more in the virtual cityscapes of the '80s.
🎓 Enroll → www.d6learning.com/course/8bitc...
frothing fascists fighting slimy neoliberals on who gets to unlock the world's most spurious achievement first, what timeline is this even?
October 10, 2025 at 12:39 PM
frothing fascists fighting slimy neoliberals on who gets to unlock the world's most spurious achievement first, what timeline is this even?
A rainy day and some spare time so fuck me if I'm not having my first serious go at one of the greatest CRPGs ever made
October 6, 2025 at 10:02 AM
A rainy day and some spare time so fuck me if I'm not having my first serious go at one of the greatest CRPGs ever made
Essential thread to understanding what's happening in the US (and, surely, a blueprint for the rest of the West to follow) as not simply the machinations of an unhinged would-be dictator but as the culmination of decades of across-the-spectrum systemic manouevring to bring us exactly to this point.
THREAD. In Trump's speech to an unprecedented gathering of generals, he announced that he was preparing to order them to use American "cities as training grounds for our military." I want to highlight a few other statements that are bone chilling and put them into context that U.S media obscures.
October 2, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Essential thread to understanding what's happening in the US (and, surely, a blueprint for the rest of the West to follow) as not simply the machinations of an unhinged would-be dictator but as the culmination of decades of across-the-spectrum systemic manouevring to bring us exactly to this point.
Spooky season is here so sign up to be notified when From Ants to Zombies -covering 130+ horror games on over 60 platforms from the 1970s to the 2020s- becomes available.
www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
@bitmapbooks.com
www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
@bitmapbooks.com
October 2, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Spooky season is here so sign up to be notified when From Ants to Zombies -covering 130+ horror games on over 60 platforms from the 1970s to the 2020s- becomes available.
www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
@bitmapbooks.com
www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
@bitmapbooks.com
not sure what the odds are of me playing this scene from Soul Blazer for the 1st time & watching that Jon Stewart bit in the same day, but there certainly seems to be a theme emerging from my Saturday entertainment picks
September 20, 2025 at 10:18 AM
not sure what the odds are of me playing this scene from Soul Blazer for the 1st time & watching that Jon Stewart bit in the same day, but there certainly seems to be a theme emerging from my Saturday entertainment picks
Watched the 1985 NZ sci-fi The Quiet Earth for the 1st time yesterday for some light research on post-apocalyptic worlds.
Moving & uncomfortable, it paints a more convincing picture of life in an empty world than most examples of the genre & deserves a place alongside classics like Miracle Mile.
Moving & uncomfortable, it paints a more convincing picture of life in an empty world than most examples of the genre & deserves a place alongside classics like Miracle Mile.
September 12, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Watched the 1985 NZ sci-fi The Quiet Earth for the 1st time yesterday for some light research on post-apocalyptic worlds.
Moving & uncomfortable, it paints a more convincing picture of life in an empty world than most examples of the genre & deserves a place alongside classics like Miracle Mile.
Moving & uncomfortable, it paints a more convincing picture of life in an empty world than most examples of the genre & deserves a place alongside classics like Miracle Mile.
Mostly away from social media these days so a belated post about the latest Edge, featuring my Time Extend on a game I will never shut up about: Cinemaware's It Came from the Desert, a bolder, more adventurous approach to the interactive movie than anything that has followed in the 35+ years since.
Also inside: Game censorship in 2025, the making of Expelled, Strange Scaffold profiled, a return to It Came From The Desert, and reviews including Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and Shinobi: Art Of Vengeance. Edge 415 is available now from UK stores and online: bit.ly/buy-edge
September 10, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Mostly away from social media these days so a belated post about the latest Edge, featuring my Time Extend on a game I will never shut up about: Cinemaware's It Came from the Desert, a bolder, more adventurous approach to the interactive movie than anything that has followed in the 35+ years since.
Reposted by Alexander Had
From Ants To Zombies 🐜🧟♂️
A showcase of horror gaming across six decades, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Coming soon if there is enough demand, sign up here: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #gaming #horror #fromantstozombies #booksky @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
A showcase of horror gaming across six decades, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Coming soon if there is enough demand, sign up here: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #gaming #horror #fromantstozombies #booksky @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
September 9, 2025 at 1:51 PM
From Ants To Zombies 🐜🧟♂️
A showcase of horror gaming across six decades, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Coming soon if there is enough demand, sign up here: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #gaming #horror #fromantstozombies #booksky @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
A showcase of horror gaming across six decades, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Coming soon if there is enough demand, sign up here: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #gaming #horror #fromantstozombies #booksky @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
Reposted by Alexander Had
From Ants To Zombies 🐜🧟♂️
13 thematically-divided chapters, such as Space Horror, Rail Shooters, Dark Forests and Haunted Mansions.
Available soon, get a stock alert here: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #gaming #horror @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
13 thematically-divided chapters, such as Space Horror, Rail Shooters, Dark Forests and Haunted Mansions.
Available soon, get a stock alert here: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #gaming #horror @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
September 9, 2025 at 6:57 AM
From Ants To Zombies 🐜🧟♂️
13 thematically-divided chapters, such as Space Horror, Rail Shooters, Dark Forests and Haunted Mansions.
Available soon, get a stock alert here: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #gaming #horror @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
13 thematically-divided chapters, such as Space Horror, Rail Shooters, Dark Forests and Haunted Mansions.
Available soon, get a stock alert here: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #gaming #horror @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
tbf, I don't follow the gaming press very closely these days but I can't imagine another industry-beholden outlet covering the ongoing atrocity & the West's complicity in it more honestly than RPS - grateful for the work of Edwin, Nic & co.
August 28, 2025 at 5:08 PM
tbf, I don't follow the gaming press very closely these days but I can't imagine another industry-beholden outlet covering the ongoing atrocity & the West's complicity in it more honestly than RPS - grateful for the work of Edwin, Nic & co.
Reposted by Alexander Had
From Ants To Zombies 🐜🧟♂️
Comes as a hardback, with a unique glow-in-the-dark logo and text.
Out now: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #horror #fromantstozombies #booksky @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
Comes as a hardback, with a unique glow-in-the-dark logo and text.
Out now: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #horror #fromantstozombies #booksky @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
July 29, 2025 at 6:54 AM
From Ants To Zombies 🐜🧟♂️
Comes as a hardback, with a unique glow-in-the-dark logo and text.
Out now: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #horror #fromantstozombies #booksky @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
Comes as a hardback, with a unique glow-in-the-dark logo and text.
Out now: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #horror #fromantstozombies #booksky @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
Still remember that bozo who heads a major indie publisher proclaiming, a couple of years ago, that Game Pass is great for indies & if you disagree you don't know what you're talking about because you haven't published on the platform like he has...
July 9, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Still remember that bozo who heads a major indie publisher proclaiming, a couple of years ago, that Game Pass is great for indies & if you disagree you don't know what you're talking about because you haven't published on the platform like he has...
"If Lord British can do so much with 64K, what is the potential with 256 or 512 or more?", asks Scorpia -citing one of her favourites, Ultima IV- for the June-July 1987 issue of Computer Gaming World.
Judging by what I've played since then, nothing to write home about (Disco Elysium aside, obvs).
Judging by what I've played since then, nothing to write home about (Disco Elysium aside, obvs).
July 3, 2025 at 10:00 AM
"If Lord British can do so much with 64K, what is the potential with 256 or 512 or more?", asks Scorpia -citing one of her favourites, Ultima IV- for the June-July 1987 issue of Computer Gaming World.
Judging by what I've played since then, nothing to write home about (Disco Elysium aside, obvs).
Judging by what I've played since then, nothing to write home about (Disco Elysium aside, obvs).
"...a single market for space that works for all."
What does this absolute drivel even mean? Seems that, unless it's for the purposes of cheerleading a genocide, these bozos can barely put a coherent sentence together.
What does this absolute drivel even mean? Seems that, unless it's for the purposes of cheerleading a genocide, these bozos can barely put a coherent sentence together.
Space is booming, with satellites multiplying.
It’s Europe’s moment to create a single market for space that works for all.
Safer space. Stronger Europe. Shared future.
24 June: the countdown begins ↓
It’s Europe’s moment to create a single market for space that works for all.
Safer space. Stronger Europe. Shared future.
24 June: the countdown begins ↓
June 24, 2025 at 11:57 AM
"...a single market for space that works for all."
What does this absolute drivel even mean? Seems that, unless it's for the purposes of cheerleading a genocide, these bozos can barely put a coherent sentence together.
What does this absolute drivel even mean? Seems that, unless it's for the purposes of cheerleading a genocide, these bozos can barely put a coherent sentence together.
Finally got around to watching the entire series & it's a treasure trove of insight on the abiding appeal of horror games. Especially appreciated how it homes in on specific aspects of the genre such as the importance of audio design & the legacy of flash games.
Great work @mossrc.bsky.social & co!
Great work @mossrc.bsky.social & co!
We can finally share what we've been putting together over the past year! From the team that brought you In Search of Darkness, Aliens Expanded and First Person Shooter comes TERRORBYTES! The newest documentary from CREATORVC. Available NOW at terrorbytesdoc.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=64dm...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=64dm...
TerrorBytes: The Evolution of Horror Gaming - Official Trailer (2025) John Carpenter, Akira Yamaoka
YouTube video by IGN
www.youtube.com
June 13, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Finally got around to watching the entire series & it's a treasure trove of insight on the abiding appeal of horror games. Especially appreciated how it homes in on specific aspects of the genre such as the importance of audio design & the legacy of flash games.
Great work @mossrc.bsky.social & co!
Great work @mossrc.bsky.social & co!
Reposted by Alexander Had
The Drifter is part of #SteamNextFest right now!
Go play the demo and see why Vice said "In just 30 minutes, ‘The Drifter’ showed me that it has what it takes to be among the best in the point-and-click genre." :D
store.steampowered.com/app/1170570/...
Go play the demo and see why Vice said "In just 30 minutes, ‘The Drifter’ showed me that it has what it takes to be among the best in the point-and-click genre." :D
store.steampowered.com/app/1170570/...
The Drifter on Steam
A Pulp Adventure Thriller - A murdered drifter awakens. Alive again, seconds before his death. Hunted and haunted, help him untangle a mad web of conspiracy in this fast-paced point 'n click thrill-ri...
store.steampowered.com
June 9, 2025 at 11:46 PM
The Drifter is part of #SteamNextFest right now!
Go play the demo and see why Vice said "In just 30 minutes, ‘The Drifter’ showed me that it has what it takes to be among the best in the point-and-click genre." :D
store.steampowered.com/app/1170570/...
Go play the demo and see why Vice said "In just 30 minutes, ‘The Drifter’ showed me that it has what it takes to be among the best in the point-and-click genre." :D
store.steampowered.com/app/1170570/...
Reposted by Alexander Had
From Ants To Zombies 🐜🧟♂️
Comes as a hardback, with a unique glow-in-the-dark logo and text.
Reprints coming soon, get a stock alert: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #horror #fromantstozombies #booksky @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
Comes as a hardback, with a unique glow-in-the-dark logo and text.
Reprints coming soon, get a stock alert: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #horror #fromantstozombies #booksky @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
June 8, 2025 at 2:07 PM
From Ants To Zombies 🐜🧟♂️
Comes as a hardback, with a unique glow-in-the-dark logo and text.
Reprints coming soon, get a stock alert: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #horror #fromantstozombies #booksky @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
Comes as a hardback, with a unique glow-in-the-dark logo and text.
Reprints coming soon, get a stock alert: www.bitmapbooks.com/collections/...
#bitmapbooks #book #retrogaming #horror #fromantstozombies #booksky @alexanderhad1.bsky.social
Nic (unsurprisingly) killing it for RPS
May 30, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Nic (unsurprisingly) killing it for RPS
Reposted by Alexander Had
ALL EPISODES OF TERRORBYTES ARE OUT NOW!
Thank you so much to everyone who made this incredible series possible! Backers - check your emails for access to your digital copies and make sure to check your spam folders!
Thank you so much to everyone who made this incredible series possible! Backers - check your emails for access to your digital copies and make sure to check your spam folders!
May 20, 2025 at 10:31 PM
ALL EPISODES OF TERRORBYTES ARE OUT NOW!
Thank you so much to everyone who made this incredible series possible! Backers - check your emails for access to your digital copies and make sure to check your spam folders!
Thank you so much to everyone who made this incredible series possible! Backers - check your emails for access to your digital copies and make sure to check your spam folders!