Mike Cook
@mtrc.bsky.social
AI, creativity and procedural generation researcher. No, not that kind of AI. I write and make games and take photographs of cities. Senior Lecturer at King's College London.
A prototype for a much larger system
http://www.possibilityspace.org | he/they
A prototype for a much larger system
http://www.possibilityspace.org | he/they
Pinned
Mike Cook
@mtrc.bsky.social
· 14d
New Post: Magpie (Part One) 🐦⬛
Magpie is my tool for livecoding visuals, made inside #picotron! This post explains what livecoding is (briefly), what Picotron is (also briefly), and shows a bit of what Magpie can do.
www.possibilityspace.org/blog/posts/m...
Magpie is my tool for livecoding visuals, made inside #picotron! This post explains what livecoding is (briefly), what Picotron is (also briefly), and shows a bit of what Magpie can do.
www.possibilityspace.org/blog/posts/m...
Reposted by Mike Cook
speed king / psx
konami computer entertainment tokyo, 1996
konami computer entertainment tokyo, 1996
December 28, 2025 at 11:09 AM
speed king / psx
konami computer entertainment tokyo, 1996
konami computer entertainment tokyo, 1996
Reposted by Mike Cook
It’s been a while but I think I’m ready to start up my blog again where I convert BASIC listings from type-in books such as the Usborne ones into fully explained Z80 assembly listings. Seems like a good New Year’s resolution :) I believe I was doing “Beat The Bug Eyes” next.
December 28, 2025 at 4:10 PM
It’s been a while but I think I’m ready to start up my blog again where I convert BASIC listings from type-in books such as the Usborne ones into fully explained Z80 assembly listings. Seems like a good New Year’s resolution :) I believe I was doing “Beat The Bug Eyes” next.
Getting ready to approach the new year with a different energy to the last one.
December 28, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Getting ready to approach the new year with a different energy to the last one.
This is all you’re going to hear some games people talk about in February. And deservedly so.
Hi new followers! If you don't already know I have a new game coming out on January 22nd! It's a narrative adventure set in the year 2003 where you are a young writer trying to make sense of the world:
store.steampowered.com/app/2088810/...
store.steampowered.com/app/2088810/...
Perfect Tides: Station to Station on Steam
A point n' click sequel to Perfect Tides about the momentum and whiplash of young adulthood. Explore the big city through 18-year-old Mara's eyes. Collect items, nurture ideas, and experience complex ...
store.steampowered.com
December 27, 2025 at 1:03 AM
This is all you’re going to hear some games people talk about in February. And deservedly so.
Reposted by Mike Cook
This is the only 500+ hours thumbs down Steam review I will allow
December 27, 2025 at 12:10 AM
This is the only 500+ hours thumbs down Steam review I will allow
Reposted by Mike Cook
Here it is folks, I really, really, really need your help, especially with boosting/spreading the word, so this can "escape" out of containment.
Please remember there is no algorithm boost here, so every repost counts
Thank you
www.paypal.com/pools/c/9kxV...
Please remember there is no algorithm boost here, so every repost counts
Thank you
www.paypal.com/pools/c/9kxV...
Help a Queer Immigrant Rebuild Her Life
I am an artist, musician, and self-taught software developer/game developer who immigrated to Germany from Turkey in January 2020 due to being a leftist and openly gay woman.
Unfortunately with covi...
www.paypal.com
December 2, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Here it is folks, I really, really, really need your help, especially with boosting/spreading the word, so this can "escape" out of containment.
Please remember there is no algorithm boost here, so every repost counts
Thank you
www.paypal.com/pools/c/9kxV...
Please remember there is no algorithm boost here, so every repost counts
Thank you
www.paypal.com/pools/c/9kxV...
Reposted by Mike Cook
SCROOGE: you there! what day is today?
BOY: today? it's Christmas Day
SCROOGE: the spirits did it all in one night!
BOY: NINETEEN SEVENTY THREE
[Life on Mars plays, a Ford Cortina suddenly crashes into Scrooge's front room]
GENE HUNT: OI, DI Scrooge, get in, we've got a nonce in Didsbury to bust
BOY: today? it's Christmas Day
SCROOGE: the spirits did it all in one night!
BOY: NINETEEN SEVENTY THREE
[Life on Mars plays, a Ford Cortina suddenly crashes into Scrooge's front room]
GENE HUNT: OI, DI Scrooge, get in, we've got a nonce in Didsbury to bust
December 25, 2025 at 10:59 AM
SCROOGE: you there! what day is today?
BOY: today? it's Christmas Day
SCROOGE: the spirits did it all in one night!
BOY: NINETEEN SEVENTY THREE
[Life on Mars plays, a Ford Cortina suddenly crashes into Scrooge's front room]
GENE HUNT: OI, DI Scrooge, get in, we've got a nonce in Didsbury to bust
BOY: today? it's Christmas Day
SCROOGE: the spirits did it all in one night!
BOY: NINETEEN SEVENTY THREE
[Life on Mars plays, a Ford Cortina suddenly crashes into Scrooge's front room]
GENE HUNT: OI, DI Scrooge, get in, we've got a nonce in Didsbury to bust
I'm doing an end-of-year posting amnesty for pics I took and never did anything with this year. Here's a few backlit figures and silhouettes, from various locations in London.
More: www.instagram.com/mikecooktook...
More: www.instagram.com/mikecooktook...
December 24, 2025 at 10:54 PM
I'm doing an end-of-year posting amnesty for pics I took and never did anything with this year. Here's a few backlit figures and silhouettes, from various locations in London.
More: www.instagram.com/mikecooktook...
More: www.instagram.com/mikecooktook...
Reposted by Mike Cook
i got to rant about LLM chatbots in games + my fears about the dead future that tech oligarchs want for all of us, alongside some very clever + thoughtful folks. thanks so much @samuelhorti.bsky.social for giving me the space & time to articulate all of this
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 4:34 PM
i got to rant about LLM chatbots in games + my fears about the dead future that tech oligarchs want for all of us, alongside some very clever + thoughtful folks. thanks so much @samuelhorti.bsky.social for giving me the space & time to articulate all of this
Reposted by Mike Cook
lol lmao this government will stop at nothing to fold for people who are never going to vote for them
Inheritance tax for farmers to kick in at £2.5m, not £1m as planned, in government U-turn to help farming community - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
December 23, 2025 at 12:07 PM
lol lmao this government will stop at nothing to fold for people who are never going to vote for them
Pretty sure this is going to be one of my top five games of 2026. The demo completely sold me on the tone and setting within minutes.
One month till we get a game for the elder Millennials who moved to New York City, read Pitchfork at night and Last Night's Party in the morning, and regularly had panic attacks on the subway because they would never make a dollar off their writing and shit shit shit what are they doing here?!
Perfect Tides: Station to Station on Steam
A point n' click sequel to Perfect Tides about the momentum and whiplash of young adulthood. Explore the big city through 18-year-old Mara's eyes. Collect items, nurture ideas, and experience complex ...
store.steampowered.com
December 22, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Pretty sure this is going to be one of my top five games of 2026. The demo completely sold me on the tone and setting within minutes.
Reposted by Mike Cook
Well that’s one way to deal with a bad review I guess
December 22, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Well that’s one way to deal with a bad review I guess
Excavation of Hobbs Barrow (2022)
December 22, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Excavation of Hobbs Barrow (2022)
Today's Scriddle is very satisfying. Exploring a space of puzzle designs in this way makes you realise why some puzzles work, others don't, what textures you like in puzzles, and how designers think. You could make a great game design course out of Scriddle I think.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=moj-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=moj-...
A Blank Puzzle With No Rules, Easy - Scriddle #14
YouTube video by Ill Omens
www.youtube.com
December 22, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Today's Scriddle is very satisfying. Exploring a space of puzzle designs in this way makes you realise why some puzzles work, others don't, what textures you like in puzzles, and how designers think. You could make a great game design course out of Scriddle I think.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=moj-...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=moj-...
Reposted by Mike Cook
We need Very Precise Time for a number of critical software tasks. I'm not an expert but in my understanding, the good news: there are other atomic clocks. The bad news: someone somewhere will today be discovering they were specifically querying these clocks
The atomic ensemble time scale at the NIST Boulder campus has failed.
December 20, 2025 at 11:37 PM
We need Very Precise Time for a number of critical software tasks. I'm not an expert but in my understanding, the good news: there are other atomic clocks. The bad news: someone somewhere will today be discovering they were specifically querying these clocks
Just when I think I’m out. (This was one of my favourite games of 2025 btw)
Announcing The Hacker Update. A brand-new hero with their own unique way of playing Q-UP. Help the Hacker escape the game before being deleted by QA! Steal skills from the other heroes!! Misspell common English words!!!
Also: Q-UP IS ON SALE FOR 25% OFF
store.steampowered.com/app/3730790/...
Also: Q-UP IS ON SALE FOR 25% OFF
store.steampowered.com/app/3730790/...
December 20, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Just when I think I’m out. (This was one of my favourite games of 2025 btw)
Reposted by Mike Cook
Hi @tidalcycles + @strudel people!
If you'd like to support + encourage software and community development of Strudel, Tidal and sibling projects, now would be great time!
https://opencollective.com/tidalcycles
This software is shared as free/open source with love, and created and supported […]
If you'd like to support + encourage software and community development of Strudel, Tidal and sibling projects, now would be great time!
https://opencollective.com/tidalcycles
This software is shared as free/open source with love, and created and supported […]
Original post on post.lurk.org
post.lurk.org
December 20, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Hi @tidalcycles + @strudel people!
If you'd like to support + encourage software and community development of Strudel, Tidal and sibling projects, now would be great time!
https://opencollective.com/tidalcycles
This software is shared as free/open source with love, and created and supported […]
If you'd like to support + encourage software and community development of Strudel, Tidal and sibling projects, now would be great time!
https://opencollective.com/tidalcycles
This software is shared as free/open source with love, and created and supported […]
Reposted by Mike Cook
Reposted by Mike Cook
you already know what's up
(steam sale rec thread is what's up)
as always, i focus primarily on older, obscure, and just plain weird games, as big name titles don't need the help.
so, onwards!
(steam sale rec thread is what's up)
as always, i focus primarily on older, obscure, and just plain weird games, as big name titles don't need the help.
so, onwards!
December 19, 2025 at 11:31 PM
you already know what's up
(steam sale rec thread is what's up)
as always, i focus primarily on older, obscure, and just plain weird games, as big name titles don't need the help.
so, onwards!
(steam sale rec thread is what's up)
as always, i focus primarily on older, obscure, and just plain weird games, as big name titles don't need the help.
so, onwards!
Finally decided to get on the hype train and see what all the fuss is about.
December 19, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Finally decided to get on the hype train and see what all the fuss is about.
Reposted by Mike Cook
I also want to say thank you to the person who introduced me to the French word 'beaucoup' this year. It means a lot.
December 19, 2025 at 1:32 PM
I also want to say thank you to the person who introduced me to the French word 'beaucoup' this year. It means a lot.
Reposted by Mike Cook
I'm leaving @tldraw.com to enter the world of contracting.
From January, I'll be prototyping contributor tools at @wikipedia.org
My next availability is June!
From January, I'll be prototyping contributor tools at @wikipedia.org
My next availability is June!
December 19, 2025 at 6:40 PM
I'm leaving @tldraw.com to enter the world of contracting.
From January, I'll be prototyping contributor tools at @wikipedia.org
My next availability is June!
From January, I'll be prototyping contributor tools at @wikipedia.org
My next availability is June!
Reposted by Mike Cook
Gift Jam is back for its 10th edition🎁
Make something small for a friend, your partner, or a relative. Thank them for their help during a hard time or just for making life a little happier. That's the theme!
More info on @itch.io Banner by @isi-cano.itch.io.
itch.io/jam/gift-jam...
Make something small for a friend, your partner, or a relative. Thank them for their help during a hard time or just for making life a little happier. That's the theme!
More info on @itch.io Banner by @isi-cano.itch.io.
itch.io/jam/gift-jam...
Gift Jam 2025
A game jam from 2025-12-21 to 2026-01-06 hosted by Ludipe. Gift Jam is back (10th edition) it's time to make games for those close to you Make something small for a friend, your partner, or a relative...
itch.io
December 19, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Gift Jam is back for its 10th edition🎁
Make something small for a friend, your partner, or a relative. Thank them for their help during a hard time or just for making life a little happier. That's the theme!
More info on @itch.io Banner by @isi-cano.itch.io.
itch.io/jam/gift-jam...
Make something small for a friend, your partner, or a relative. Thank them for their help during a hard time or just for making life a little happier. That's the theme!
More info on @itch.io Banner by @isi-cano.itch.io.
itch.io/jam/gift-jam...
Scriddle is a new game from @pyrofoux.bsky.social where you solve puzzles without knowing any of the rules... it's extremely good. Like Wordle for game design. I recorded myself doing a particularly tricky one this week (I get REALLY lost in the weeds on this one): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klf0...
Solving A Puzzle Without Knowing The Rules! Scriddle #9
YouTube video by Ill Omens
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Scriddle is a new game from @pyrofoux.bsky.social where you solve puzzles without knowing any of the rules... it's extremely good. Like Wordle for game design. I recorded myself doing a particularly tricky one this week (I get REALLY lost in the weeds on this one): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klf0...