@adamruch.bsky.social
Lecturer and writer in games and interactive media.
Perth, WA.
Perth, WA.
The crew at Aftermath do good work. On this very technical matter, the new site is very clean and crisp. Congrats on anniversary and overhaul!
As you may have seen, we've launched a brand new website today! And while we're excited about some of the big stuff involved--like a sale and new payment methods--here are some other neat features we hope readers and newcomers will appreciate.
aftermath.site/aftermath-rela...
aftermath.site/aftermath-rela...
November 11, 2025 at 1:10 AM
The crew at Aftermath do good work. On this very technical matter, the new site is very clean and crisp. Congrats on anniversary and overhaul!
The Democrats are partnering with their friends across the aisle to build bridges to hell! It's Infrastructure Week!
In the most predictable development ever, Mike Johnson is not committing to hold a House vote on ACA subsidies
November 11, 2025 at 1:06 AM
The Democrats are partnering with their friends across the aisle to build bridges to hell! It's Infrastructure Week!
Reposted
Hey all, we are extending the deadline for our 2026 issue to December 10, 2025📅This is an excellent chance if you have a paper you're working on right now but need just a bit of extra time!
We look forward to your submissions😉
We look forward to your submissions😉
Open Call for Papers 2025🥰📢
Press Start is currently seeking full-length game studies papers from current grad students/recent grads. Submit by November 10, 2025, for a potential spot in our 2026 issue!
More details below in this thread👇
#CallForPapers #GameStudies
Press Start is currently seeking full-length game studies papers from current grad students/recent grads. Submit by November 10, 2025, for a potential spot in our 2026 issue!
More details below in this thread👇
#CallForPapers #GameStudies
November 10, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Hey all, we are extending the deadline for our 2026 issue to December 10, 2025📅This is an excellent chance if you have a paper you're working on right now but need just a bit of extra time!
We look forward to your submissions😉
We look forward to your submissions😉
Never underestimate the Democratic leadership's ability to turn any advantage into humiliating, debasing, and ultimately meaningless, capitulation.
November 10, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Never underestimate the Democratic leadership's ability to turn any advantage into humiliating, debasing, and ultimately meaningless, capitulation.
Ol' BlueSky sure is serving up some bangers for next year's readings in my social media and games-related classes today.
November 6, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Ol' BlueSky sure is serving up some bangers for next year's readings in my social media and games-related classes today.
I do definitely miss UC Berkeley's approach to 'library access to mainstream press' which was a proxy-based login that granted access to live websites for a huge range of publications. It had a browser plugin to auto-login!
Wish I could read this today! www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Wish I could read this today! www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Why Students Are Obsessed With ‘Points Taken Off’
Students and professors are in a drawn-out battle over grade inflation. It may never end.
www.theatlantic.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:20 AM
I do definitely miss UC Berkeley's approach to 'library access to mainstream press' which was a proxy-based login that granted access to live websites for a huge range of publications. It had a browser plugin to auto-login!
Wish I could read this today! www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Wish I could read this today! www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Have just learned that one of the capstone achievements in WoW Legion Remix is the title: "Chronoscholar" and so now I have a new life goal.
November 4, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Have just learned that one of the capstone achievements in WoW Legion Remix is the title: "Chronoscholar" and so now I have a new life goal.
Yep, this is it. I'm increasingly fascinated by the moralising that does, doesn't, and perhaps needs to happen, for our society to continue functioning.
Agree with this and am pretty annoyed at some media folks who are anti-blocking. As a consumer of media, I do not read or watch everything! I think there's a lot of stuff that's trash and reading it would (there is good research on this) make me less informed; I have no moral obligation to do so.
This is not a debate club. This is not an official government forum. This is not the United Nations. This is not even a college class. This is a social media website that I use to amuse myself and to talk to interesting people. And I find it much more amusing when I can block whoever I want.
November 4, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Yep, this is it. I'm increasingly fascinated by the moralising that does, doesn't, and perhaps needs to happen, for our society to continue functioning.
Ah, I see the discourse wheel has stopped spinning and picked a fresh new topic for the day.
November 3, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Ah, I see the discourse wheel has stopped spinning and picked a fresh new topic for the day.
I'm teaching my games unit in the January semester. Am I gonna have to get my head around this?!
This appropriation of gaming imagery and culture to push authoritarianism is, as @alyssamerc.bsky.social points out here, the natural extension of what Gamergate began
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/o...
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/o...
Why Trump’s White House is using video game memes to recruit for ICE
A recent spate of posts has garnered attention, but Trump and his allies have long been using gaming imagery to mobilise a toxic subculture of ‘rootless white males’
www.theguardian.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:19 PM
I'm teaching my games unit in the January semester. Am I gonna have to get my head around this?!
Reasonably sure I just bought a new version of the exact same Fantastic Furniture couch I bought in 2014.
October 29, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Reasonably sure I just bought a new version of the exact same Fantastic Furniture couch I bought in 2014.
Did something in particular trigger the flurry of discussion around "cozy games" this weekend?
October 26, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Did something in particular trigger the flurry of discussion around "cozy games" this weekend?
A nice visual metaphor for AI media in general. Any given section of a freeze frame might look good, but the gestalt is schizophrenic.
Oh my god some fucking tech dingdong posted this on Twitter with the caption "AI games are going to be amazing" totally seriously, you have to watch it. You have to. In full screen.
October 24, 2025 at 11:55 PM
A nice visual metaphor for AI media in general. Any given section of a freeze frame might look good, but the gestalt is schizophrenic.
Here it is - exactly what I was asking about a couple days ago. Something felt *off* about what's been happening at XBox.
SCOOP: For the last two years, Microsoft has pushed Xbox to hit profit margins of 30%, an ambitious target that's far higher than the industry average.
This chase for profit has led Xbox to raise prices, cut thousands of jobs, and rethink everything.
Story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
This chase for profit has led Xbox to raise prices, cut thousands of jobs, and rethink everything.
Story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Microsoft Pushes Xbox Division to Hit Higher Profit Margins
Management’s goal of 30% profit margins for gaming has led to job losses, canceled projects
www.bloomberg.com
October 23, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Here it is - exactly what I was asking about a couple days ago. Something felt *off* about what's been happening at XBox.
Reposted
Going to toot my own horn for a moment: when I was at the SAFC I worked very hard to establish a games grant program to get funding to local developers, and now it’s finally announced and applications are open www.safilm.com.au/latest-news/...
South Australia’s video game sector levels up with new $100,000 Digital Games Fund grants and the return of SAGE: SA Game Exhibition - SAFC
South Australian video game developers will get a $100,000 opportunity to level-up their businesses with the South Australian Film Corporation’s (SAFC) new Digital Games Fund now open for applications...
www.safilm.com.au
October 23, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Going to toot my own horn for a moment: when I was at the SAFC I worked very hard to establish a games grant program to get funding to local developers, and now it’s finally announced and applications are open www.safilm.com.au/latest-news/...
MIDI isn't quite for me, but I love this project. I did seriously look at re-purchasing an old Yamaha stereo I once owned because it had a minidisc built in. LOVED the minidisc format, form-factor, everything.
This thing is wild - a floppy disc boombox that ONLY plays MIDI files 💾✨
AND I LOVE IT 😍
AND I LOVE IT 😍
October 22, 2025 at 6:38 AM
MIDI isn't quite for me, but I love this project. I did seriously look at re-purchasing an old Yamaha stereo I once owned because it had a minidisc built in. LOVED the minidisc format, form-factor, everything.
Been thinking this over and I still don't have a good answer: What is the actual benefit to Trump admin to re-open the government? What downsides does the shutdown have for them?
October 22, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Been thinking this over and I still don't have a good answer: What is the actual benefit to Trump admin to re-open the government? What downsides does the shutdown have for them?
*Swirls* *Sniffs* *Sips* Hoo yeah that's some discourse right there. *Spits into rusty bucket*
October 22, 2025 at 1:17 AM
*Swirls* *Sniffs* *Sips* Hoo yeah that's some discourse right there. *Spits into rusty bucket*
If only there was some way to design the internet in a more distributed fashion so that there were few "central" nodes able to cause such widespread failure.
Half the internet seems to be down thanks to the us-aws-east-1 outage
Perplexity, Amazon .com, Signal all down (just 3 services I tried to use)
When aws-us-east-1 sneezes, the whole world feels it indeed
Perplexity, Amazon .com, Signal all down (just 3 services I tried to use)
When aws-us-east-1 sneezes, the whole world feels it indeed
October 20, 2025 at 10:05 AM
If only there was some way to design the internet in a more distributed fashion so that there were few "central" nodes able to cause such widespread failure.
I gather that XBox is some kind of dead man walking. Are retailers reacting to low cumulative sales, did Microsoft actually restructure something internally, some other factors? I know they increased (doubled?) the GamePass fee.
October 19, 2025 at 11:34 AM
I gather that XBox is some kind of dead man walking. Are retailers reacting to low cumulative sales, did Microsoft actually restructure something internally, some other factors? I know they increased (doubled?) the GamePass fee.
Just installed an 8TB drive in my computer. I distinctly remember buying a 20gb HDD for 220 AUD in approx 2001. By that rate I just installed $88,000 worth of storage in my machine. Adjusted for AUD inflation that's $163k.
October 19, 2025 at 4:49 AM
Just installed an 8TB drive in my computer. I distinctly remember buying a 20gb HDD for 220 AUD in approx 2001. By that rate I just installed $88,000 worth of storage in my machine. Adjusted for AUD inflation that's $163k.
I don't fully grasp what "government shutdown" is supposed to mean, but if we're in a situation where food programs stop but ICE raids continue, we've really wrecked our society.
October 17, 2025 at 8:32 AM
I don't fully grasp what "government shutdown" is supposed to mean, but if we're in a situation where food programs stop but ICE raids continue, we've really wrecked our society.
Writers: Do you have a favorite/useful 'structural' approach to writing feature articles?
I've had success breaking away from the basic 5-paragraph structure in essays with "They Say, I Say" as a model. Would love an equivalent for this different genre.
I've had success breaking away from the basic 5-paragraph structure in essays with "They Say, I Say" as a model. Would love an equivalent for this different genre.
October 17, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Writers: Do you have a favorite/useful 'structural' approach to writing feature articles?
I've had success breaking away from the basic 5-paragraph structure in essays with "They Say, I Say" as a model. Would love an equivalent for this different genre.
I've had success breaking away from the basic 5-paragraph structure in essays with "They Say, I Say" as a model. Would love an equivalent for this different genre.