Alex Epstein
@alexmakesstuffup.bsky.social
Writer, narrative director, author, screenwriter. He/him. Fragpunk, South of Midnight, We Happy Few, Contrast, Biomorph, Crafty Screenwriting, Crafty TV Writing, Naked Josh, Bon Cop/Bad Cop.
Stories are a lever to move the world
Stories are a lever to move the world
Did y'all know I Wanna Be Sedated is a Christmas Song? Yep, that's why they had nothing to and nowhere to go.
December 25, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Did y'all know I Wanna Be Sedated is a Christmas Song? Yep, that's why they had nothing to and nowhere to go.
Reposted by Alex Epstein
Essentially, I think that LLM-generated dialogue only makes sense if you believe that the product of writing is words.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
I had five fascinating conversations for this RPS piece, gathering perspectives on genAI chatbots in games, as seen in Where Winds Meet. Thanks to @meghna.bsky.social, @pyrofoux.bsky.social, @maxkreminski.bsky.social, and @chrisgardiner.bsky.social www.rockpapershotgun.com/horrible-bor...
"Horrible", "boring", and "cheap": Experts pan new chatbot NPCs, but some leave room for optimism
We speak to a collection of developers and AI experts about the potential impact of LLM-powered NPCs in videogames.
www.rockpapershotgun.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Essentially, I think that LLM-generated dialogue only makes sense if you believe that the product of writing is words.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
Having dealt with the US and NYC gummints, I am regularly pleasantly surprised by the Canadian feds. They're not hard to get hold of, and they are so helpful. And their policies are generally humane and sensible. Sorry for the boring post, but boring is nice, sometimes.
December 23, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Having dealt with the US and NYC gummints, I am regularly pleasantly surprised by the Canadian feds. They're not hard to get hold of, and they are so helpful. And their policies are generally humane and sensible. Sorry for the boring post, but boring is nice, sometimes.
Anyone know how I can watch the Czech comedy series Dubbing Street?
December 22, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Anyone know how I can watch the Czech comedy series Dubbing Street?
AAA designers: wouldja please keep your main story lean, so I can finish it in less than, say, (checks Steam) 73 hours? It's lovely to have all these missions, but it would be even lovelier if they were optional and player-pulled.
December 22, 2025 at 5:57 PM
AAA designers: wouldja please keep your main story lean, so I can finish it in less than, say, (checks Steam) 73 hours? It's lovely to have all these missions, but it would be even lovelier if they were optional and player-pulled.
If you just tell the truth in your fictional universe, it will keep being alarmingly relevant in the real one.
December 20, 2025 at 10:24 PM
If you just tell the truth in your fictional universe, it will keep being alarmingly relevant in the real one.
Hamnet is superb. Superbly written, acted and directed, and had me in tears at the end. And as a writer, a bit of "Why We Fight."
December 20, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Hamnet is superb. Superbly written, acted and directed, and had me in tears at the end. And as a writer, a bit of "Why We Fight."
Here's hoping we've reached our "at long last, sir, have you no decency?" moment.
December 16, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Here's hoping we've reached our "at long last, sir, have you no decency?" moment.
In which I blog about conversational combat: complicationsensue.blogspot.com/2025/12/conv...
Conversational Combat?
complicationsensue.blogspot.com
December 15, 2025 at 8:16 PM
In which I blog about conversational combat: complicationsensue.blogspot.com/2025/12/conv...
Reposted by Alex Epstein
Every year, UK journalist/instrument maker Tom Whitwell posts a list: 52 interesting things he learned that year. Past installments were amusing and instructive, and this year's is no exception. /v @kevinkelly.bsky.social, who told me about this 2-3 yrs ago (I think) and just talked about it again.
52 things I learned in 2025
This year I stopped being a consultant, started a tiny company, sold hundreds of little modular synths, hosted two incredible events, and…
medium.com
December 15, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Every year, UK journalist/instrument maker Tom Whitwell posts a list: 52 interesting things he learned that year. Past installments were amusing and instructive, and this year's is no exception. /v @kevinkelly.bsky.social, who told me about this 2-3 yrs ago (I think) and just talked about it again.
Gall's Law: "A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked."
AAA co's have 100s of devs on payroll. They can't afford to develop a barebones version of a game, but if you develop a game in all its glorious complexity from the get-go,
AAA co's have 100s of devs on payroll. They can't afford to develop a barebones version of a game, but if you develop a game in all its glorious complexity from the get-go,
December 15, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Gall's Law: "A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked."
AAA co's have 100s of devs on payroll. They can't afford to develop a barebones version of a game, but if you develop a game in all its glorious complexity from the get-go,
AAA co's have 100s of devs on payroll. They can't afford to develop a barebones version of a game, but if you develop a game in all its glorious complexity from the get-go,
I guess some folks are salty about KCD2 losing to Expedition 33 at The Game Awards. But, yeah, KCD2 takes big swings and often connects. But its world and characters tend to be more on the "plausible" side than the "memorable." E33 has a shocking world and characters with multiple layers.
December 13, 2025 at 3:03 AM
I guess some folks are salty about KCD2 losing to Expedition 33 at The Game Awards. But, yeah, KCD2 takes big swings and often connects. But its world and characters tend to be more on the "plausible" side than the "memorable." E33 has a shocking world and characters with multiple layers.
How you know you're at your agent's holiday party...
December 13, 2025 at 12:08 AM
How you know you're at your agent's holiday party...
Caught Stealing is the perfect 1980s New York period thriller, even if it is set in 1998. Nice to see Carol Kane as the two gun-toting Hasids' bubbe.
December 12, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Caught Stealing is the perfect 1980s New York period thriller, even if it is set in 1998. Nice to see Carol Kane as the two gun-toting Hasids' bubbe.
The good news is Montreal clears snow really fast. Bad news is they put no-parking signs up after you're in bed and tow before you wake up. Good news is they have a site to tell you where they towed your car to. The bad news is the site says it was towed to Medellín. #YouCantBeatCityHall
December 12, 2025 at 4:35 PM
The good news is Montreal clears snow really fast. Bad news is they put no-parking signs up after you're in bed and tow before you wake up. Good news is they have a site to tell you where they towed your car to. The bad news is the site says it was towed to Medellín. #YouCantBeatCityHall
If you want to stop drugs coming into the US, help Americans stop taking drugs. So long as Americans want to buy drugs, the world will find a way to sell to them. Everything else is brutality theater.
December 6, 2025 at 3:48 PM
If you want to stop drugs coming into the US, help Americans stop taking drugs. So long as Americans want to buy drugs, the world will find a way to sell to them. Everything else is brutality theater.
English has some fun "fossilized causative" verb pairs where a vowel change makes an intransitive verb transitive:
sit/set (to cause to sit)
lie/lay (to cause to lie)
fall/fell
rise/raise
see/show
drink/drench
sit/set (to cause to sit)
lie/lay (to cause to lie)
fall/fell
rise/raise
see/show
drink/drench
December 3, 2025 at 11:47 PM
English has some fun "fossilized causative" verb pairs where a vowel change makes an intransitive verb transitive:
sit/set (to cause to sit)
lie/lay (to cause to lie)
fall/fell
rise/raise
see/show
drink/drench
sit/set (to cause to sit)
lie/lay (to cause to lie)
fall/fell
rise/raise
see/show
drink/drench
There is an exactly zero percent chance that a US Navy admiral issued a "kill the survivors" order on his own.
December 2, 2025 at 5:09 PM
There is an exactly zero percent chance that a US Navy admiral issued a "kill the survivors" order on his own.
Here's some places to find images that are less likely to be AI: doodlemancy.dreamwidth.org/20757.html
December 2, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Here's some places to find images that are less likely to be AI: doodlemancy.dreamwidth.org/20757.html
[Makes gesture] "Oscar Piastri at Qatar."
Tamarian, nodding. "Charles Leclerc at Monaco."
Tamarian, nodding. "Charles Leclerc at Monaco."
November 30, 2025 at 10:59 PM
[Makes gesture] "Oscar Piastri at Qatar."
Tamarian, nodding. "Charles Leclerc at Monaco."
Tamarian, nodding. "Charles Leclerc at Monaco."
If this writing thing doesn't end up working out, I'm thinking of starting a company called Edibles Arrangements. It delivers baskets of... oh, never mind.
November 29, 2025 at 2:15 AM
If this writing thing doesn't end up working out, I'm thinking of starting a company called Edibles Arrangements. It delivers baskets of... oh, never mind.
“I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land.” -- Jon Stewart
November 27, 2025 at 4:21 PM
“I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land.” -- Jon Stewart
The missus read that mice try to avoid the smell of cinnamon and peppermint, which are the traditional smells of the winter season, when the mice like to come inside.
November 26, 2025 at 11:48 PM
The missus read that mice try to avoid the smell of cinnamon and peppermint, which are the traditional smells of the winter season, when the mice like to come inside.
Been having a lot of interesting discussions in the indie world. Blood is running in the streets right now, yeah, but I think in a year or two the indies who survive are going to find a lot of publishers knocking on their doors when they realize they've run out of games to publish.
November 25, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Been having a lot of interesting discussions in the indie world. Blood is running in the streets right now, yeah, but I think in a year or two the indies who survive are going to find a lot of publishers knocking on their doors when they realize they've run out of games to publish.
It's remarkable how little cultural impact Harry Potter has had compared to other billion-dollar franchises (LotR, Star Wars, Star Trek). I can't remember ever hearing it referenced in story discussions. Maybe because it's so derivative of English boarding school tropes?
November 25, 2025 at 4:53 PM
It's remarkable how little cultural impact Harry Potter has had compared to other billion-dollar franchises (LotR, Star Wars, Star Trek). I can't remember ever hearing it referenced in story discussions. Maybe because it's so derivative of English boarding school tropes?