Simon Roth
@simoroth.bsky.social
Indie game developer (Maia, Trash Goblin, Compound Fracture, Soccer Story, VVVVVV, Kinectimals), technical artist, photographer, and community gardener.
I've been making this hood for my NYE outfit for a couple weeks, and it's about half done and has already gotten totally out of hand.
December 30, 2025 at 9:51 PM
I've been making this hood for my NYE outfit for a couple weeks, and it's about half done and has already gotten totally out of hand.
Coming back to a messy 1000+ line refactor I started 3 months ago and have not looked at since... I am regretting this.
December 29, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Coming back to a messy 1000+ line refactor I started 3 months ago and have not looked at since... I am regretting this.
Not sure how to review my year. It flew past.
Shipped Trash Goblin to great reviews, localised it and pushed huge updates. Team won Develop, Tiga and other awards.
Picked up miniature painting for the first time in 30 years to pretty lovely results: bsky.app/profile/simo...
Shipped Trash Goblin to great reviews, localised it and pushed huge updates. Team won Develop, Tiga and other awards.
Picked up miniature painting for the first time in 30 years to pretty lovely results: bsky.app/profile/simo...
It's done.. or I'm done! My third finished mini!
ComStar Rifleman RFL-3N ready to lay down some covering fire! #Battletech #minipainting #paintingminis
ComStar Rifleman RFL-3N ready to lay down some covering fire! #Battletech #minipainting #paintingminis
December 29, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Not sure how to review my year. It flew past.
Shipped Trash Goblin to great reviews, localised it and pushed huge updates. Team won Develop, Tiga and other awards.
Picked up miniature painting for the first time in 30 years to pretty lovely results: bsky.app/profile/simo...
Shipped Trash Goblin to great reviews, localised it and pushed huge updates. Team won Develop, Tiga and other awards.
Picked up miniature painting for the first time in 30 years to pretty lovely results: bsky.app/profile/simo...
Starting to nail down my availability for contract work from March 2026 onwards if anyone is looking for a freelance #gamedev.
bsky.app/profile/simo...
bsky.app/profile/simo...
I've got some gaps coming up in my schedule for freelance work and consultancy. Things I can help you with:
C++ game and engine programming.
Unity development.
Porting and optimisation.
Vfx, shaders and tech art.
www.linkedin.com/in/simonroth
C++ game and engine programming.
Unity development.
Porting and optimisation.
Vfx, shaders and tech art.
www.linkedin.com/in/simonroth
December 28, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Starting to nail down my availability for contract work from March 2026 onwards if anyone is looking for a freelance #gamedev.
bsky.app/profile/simo...
bsky.app/profile/simo...
I've got an amazing idea for a game that will be wonderful to play and sell millions. But sadly I don't have the months I need to make it.. and also someone was rude about another game I worked on this morning and I take all criticism so personally that I am now completely frozen in self doubt.
December 27, 2025 at 9:18 PM
I've got an amazing idea for a game that will be wonderful to play and sell millions. But sadly I don't have the months I need to make it.. and also someone was rude about another game I worked on this morning and I take all criticism so personally that I am now completely frozen in self doubt.
Happy Holidays to all those who celebrate The War On Christmas.
December 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Happy Holidays to all those who celebrate The War On Christmas.
I genuinely need to start discussing with clients about the real possibility that we will be forced to switch to an entirely Linux based development pipeline within the next game development cycle.
Developers using LLMs to write a million lines of code a month? 🥲
www.thurrott.com/dev/330980/m...
Developers using LLMs to write a million lines of code a month? 🥲
www.thurrott.com/dev/330980/m...
Microsoft to Replace All C/C++ Code With Rust by 2030
Microsoft is taking an impressive step in modernizing its biggest codebases and will eliminate all C/C++ code by the end of the decade.
www.thurrott.com
December 23, 2025 at 10:15 PM
I genuinely need to start discussing with clients about the real possibility that we will be forced to switch to an entirely Linux based development pipeline within the next game development cycle.
Developers using LLMs to write a million lines of code a month? 🥲
www.thurrott.com/dev/330980/m...
Developers using LLMs to write a million lines of code a month? 🥲
www.thurrott.com/dev/330980/m...
We did a game jam last week and for one major part of the game we were given mock-up art and the other half only vague idea. Nobody wanted to make the part that already had the concept art because not being able to start from scratch was a total creativity killer... That's my input to the discourse.
December 23, 2025 at 3:00 PM
We did a game jam last week and for one major part of the game we were given mock-up art and the other half only vague idea. Nobody wanted to make the part that already had the concept art because not being able to start from scratch was a total creativity killer... That's my input to the discourse.
Reposted by Simon Roth
Vince Zampella, co-creator of Call of Duty video game series, dies aged 55
Vince Zampella, co-creator of Call of Duty video game series, dies aged 55
Game developer, who was also involved in Medal of Honor and Titanfall, reportedly killed in a car crash
Vince Zampella, the co-creator of the Call of Duty video game series, has died aged 55.
The head of the video game developer Respawn Entertainment and the co-founder of Infinity Ward, was killed in a car crash in California, NBC Los Angeles reported. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 22, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Vince Zampella, co-creator of Call of Duty video game series, dies aged 55
Reposted by Simon Roth
Interesting to see! I don't really expect major outlets to take a similarly hardline stance but I mean... y'could!
I think every possible small pushback against GenAI in games is ultimately worth doing though. Even if I also think it's gonna be harder and harder to avoid contact with *in* games.
I think every possible small pushback against GenAI in games is ultimately worth doing though. Even if I also think it's gonna be harder and harder to avoid contact with *in* games.
The IGAs Nomination Committee is officially retracting Debut Game and Game of the Year, awarding both categories to new recipients. Additionally, we are retracting one of the Indie Vanguard recipients.
Full details can be found in our FAQ under Game Eligibility: www.indiegameawards.gg/faq
Full details can be found in our FAQ under Game Eligibility: www.indiegameawards.gg/faq
December 20, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Interesting to see! I don't really expect major outlets to take a similarly hardline stance but I mean... y'could!
I think every possible small pushback against GenAI in games is ultimately worth doing though. Even if I also think it's gonna be harder and harder to avoid contact with *in* games.
I think every possible small pushback against GenAI in games is ultimately worth doing though. Even if I also think it's gonna be harder and harder to avoid contact with *in* games.
My Steam replay is depressing. 14 games. 3 of which I worked on. A handful of friend's games I played for a few hours and left reviews on and a couple ancient backlog games I played a couple hours on. The only titles I bought and properly played this year were Battletech and a couple MW5:Clans DLCs.
December 20, 2025 at 6:05 PM
My Steam replay is depressing. 14 games. 3 of which I worked on. A handful of friend's games I played for a few hours and left reviews on and a couple ancient backlog games I played a couple hours on. The only titles I bought and properly played this year were Battletech and a couple MW5:Clans DLCs.
We don't even need to placate US big tech now anyway. The government are selling out the creative sectors for absolutely nothing.
December 16, 2025 at 10:22 AM
We don't even need to placate US big tech now anyway. The government are selling out the creative sectors for absolutely nothing.
Reposted by Simon Roth
This of course does nothing to protect kids, they still have complete unfiltered access to YouTube. All this does is remove the ability for Parents to disable advertisements and see what their kids are watching online.
December 11, 2025 at 11:30 PM
This of course does nothing to protect kids, they still have complete unfiltered access to YouTube. All this does is remove the ability for Parents to disable advertisements and see what their kids are watching online.
Reposted by Simon Roth
It took an extra few days but as of this morning, all Australian YouTube accounts with a date of birth aging them under 16 have now been closed, meaning no more parental controls and mandatory ad viewing even if parents pay for YouTube Premium Family. Insane decision.
December 11, 2025 at 11:14 PM
It took an extra few days but as of this morning, all Australian YouTube accounts with a date of birth aging them under 16 have now been closed, meaning no more parental controls and mandatory ad viewing even if parents pay for YouTube Premium Family. Insane decision.
Friends working with Disney are hating this. If you are wondering why the vfx in the newer films is crap, they were forced to try and use AI despite the results being terrible. When they finally got the OK to just do it normally, they didn't have enough time (despite crunching) to do a good job.
big update for anyone who believed the mouse might be unintentionally fighting on our side
> Alongside the licensing agreement, Disney will become a major customer of OpenAI, using its APIs to build new products, tools, and experiences, including for Disney+, and deploying ChatGPT for its employees
> Alongside the licensing agreement, Disney will become a major customer of OpenAI, using its APIs to build new products, tools, and experiences, including for Disney+, and deploying ChatGPT for its employees
Absolutely no way that Disney doesn't come to regret AI user-generated content of their characters openai.com/index/disney...
December 11, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Friends working with Disney are hating this. If you are wondering why the vfx in the newer films is crap, they were forced to try and use AI despite the results being terrible. When they finally got the OK to just do it normally, they didn't have enough time (despite crunching) to do a good job.
My friend bothered me to add ESA - I Detach into a cybergoth DJ set I am working on and the EP has an absolutely comically nuts DNB remix attached.
esangp.bandcamp.com/track/i-deta...
esangp.bandcamp.com/track/i-deta...
December 11, 2025 at 11:52 AM
My friend bothered me to add ESA - I Detach into a cybergoth DJ set I am working on and the EP has an absolutely comically nuts DNB remix attached.
esangp.bandcamp.com/track/i-deta...
esangp.bandcamp.com/track/i-deta...
And they were right! I had an official guide book for the game and there was one cheat code omitted. 😂
i've read the readmes for all the Carmageddons and they are pretty cringey. but there will always be a place in my heart for making their "unlock cheats" code be "i bet you can't print cunt"
December 11, 2025 at 10:10 AM
And they were right! I had an official guide book for the game and there was one cheat code omitted. 😂
Reposted by Simon Roth
A week of 50% off our blue-skies-and-space-ruins robot ghost story:
Save 50% on The Signal From Tölva on Steam
The Signal From Tölva is an open-world first-person shooter set on a distant, haunted, future world. Unlock savage weapons and recruit robots to fight alongside you as rival factions struggle to disco...
store.steampowered.com
December 9, 2025 at 8:28 PM
A week of 50% off our blue-skies-and-space-ruins robot ghost story:
Reposted by Simon Roth
“i can’t leave twitter, i need it, it’s where my audience is”
December 9, 2025 at 11:52 AM
“i can’t leave twitter, i need it, it’s where my audience is”
Reposted by Simon Roth
Looking at a sewing machine for £100+ and thinking it's a big serious purchase... So big that I have to spend hours weighing it up, fighting guilt, umming and erring.
Crazy to think £100 video games are just around the corner.
Crazy to think £100 video games are just around the corner.
December 6, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Looking at a sewing machine for £100+ and thinking it's a big serious purchase... So big that I have to spend hours weighing it up, fighting guilt, umming and erring.
Crazy to think £100 video games are just around the corner.
Crazy to think £100 video games are just around the corner.
Do I have any fashion friends who could help me figure out a pattern for a hood I want to replicate?
December 5, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Do I have any fashion friends who could help me figure out a pattern for a hood I want to replicate?
Anyway, book your jabs and mask up people, because there won't be a space in hospital for you if you don't.
Flu cases have hit a record high. Thankfully our Health Secretary is..
*squints at sheet of paper*..
Parroting far right attack lines on neurodivergent and disabled people.
*squints at sheet of paper*..
Parroting far right attack lines on neurodivergent and disabled people.
December 5, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Anyway, book your jabs and mask up people, because there won't be a space in hospital for you if you don't.