Alan
@alanteachesthings.bsky.social
Educator & Game Designer with crippling ADHD.
Follow me for insightful takes, terrible jokes and occasional rants into the aether.
Follow me for insightful takes, terrible jokes and occasional rants into the aether.
Reposted by Alan
Reposted by Alan
I just find this really sad. Imagine being so certain that you need slop machines to do your work, that you convince yourself that EVERYBODY must need them.
Epic CEO says AI disclosures like Steam's make "no sense" because AI will be involved in "nearly all" future game development
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/1p7eh60/epic_ceo_says_ai_disclosures_like_steams_make_no/
https://www.reddit.com/r/pcgaming/comments/1p7eh60/epic_ceo_says_ai_disclosures_like_steams_make_no/
Epic CEO says AI disclosures like Steam's make "no sense" because AI will be involved in "nearly all" future game development
r/pcgaming
www.reddit.com
November 27, 2025 at 9:06 AM
I just find this really sad. Imagine being so certain that you need slop machines to do your work, that you convince yourself that EVERYBODY must need them.
Reposted by Alan
Handing back student work that’s been written by ChatGPT with a 0 followed by the comment “This essay will never stand in authentic wonder before the Beauty of God’s creation.”
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
Even God Is Worried About ChatGPT
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
www.vulture.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Handing back student work that’s been written by ChatGPT with a 0 followed by the comment “This essay will never stand in authentic wonder before the Beauty of God’s creation.”
alanjack.itch.io/castle-game
Weird little prototype idea that came into my head a couple days ago, inspired by thinking about the board game "Lazer Chess".
Not really sure where it's headed. Just thought I'd make it and see.
Weird little prototype idea that came into my head a couple days ago, inspired by thinking about the board game "Lazer Chess".
Not really sure where it's headed. Just thought I'd make it and see.
Castle Game by Alan
A little prototype of a game idea
alanjack.itch.io
November 26, 2025 at 10:00 AM
alanjack.itch.io/castle-game
Weird little prototype idea that came into my head a couple days ago, inspired by thinking about the board game "Lazer Chess".
Not really sure where it's headed. Just thought I'd make it and see.
Weird little prototype idea that came into my head a couple days ago, inspired by thinking about the board game "Lazer Chess".
Not really sure where it's headed. Just thought I'd make it and see.
Reposted by Alan
![R. H. Bing (October 20, 1914 – April 28, 1986)[1] was an American mathematician who worked mainly in the areas of geometric topology and continuum theory.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cyyd366g3hrxp5rynixm2mm3/bafkreid62wy3dekb2kzbisjfdlimlb35j4rlgew5iof7vi32byfszmg26a@jpeg)
![Bing's father was named Rupert Henry, but Bing's mother thought that "Rupert Henry" was too British for Texas. Thus she compromised by abbreviating it to R. H.[5] Consequently, R. H. does not stand for a first or middle name.
When Bing was applying for a visa, he was requested not to use initials. He explained that his name was really "R-only H-only Bing", and ended up receiving a visa made out to "Ronly Honly Bing".](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cyyd366g3hrxp5rynixm2mm3/bafkreigmfj53q4uy33spga2bxdkllqm3ag5sffovg5g7ddmu3vqzkb6k24@jpeg)
Reposted by Alan
happy transgender day of remembrance
thank you for sticking around in the hardest of times. if you haven't, you are missed dearly
please live 💜
thank you for sticking around in the hardest of times. if you haven't, you are missed dearly
please live 💜
November 20, 2025 at 10:57 AM
happy transgender day of remembrance
thank you for sticking around in the hardest of times. if you haven't, you are missed dearly
please live 💜
thank you for sticking around in the hardest of times. if you haven't, you are missed dearly
please live 💜
Lewis Capaldi's new song ...
Can someone please go check on him?
It still haunts me that Scott from Frightened Rabbit basically wrote a whole album saying goodbye to the world and we all sang along and bopped to it ... I don't think I could take it happening again.
Can someone please go check on him?
It still haunts me that Scott from Frightened Rabbit basically wrote a whole album saying goodbye to the world and we all sang along and bopped to it ... I don't think I could take it happening again.
November 19, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Lewis Capaldi's new song ...
Can someone please go check on him?
It still haunts me that Scott from Frightened Rabbit basically wrote a whole album saying goodbye to the world and we all sang along and bopped to it ... I don't think I could take it happening again.
Can someone please go check on him?
It still haunts me that Scott from Frightened Rabbit basically wrote a whole album saying goodbye to the world and we all sang along and bopped to it ... I don't think I could take it happening again.
Reality is boring science fiction: authors spent years warning us that if we put AI in everything it will eventually try and eat us, but instead it just monitors our behaviour to show us ads whenever we reach for the milk.
November 19, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Reality is boring science fiction: authors spent years warning us that if we put AI in everything it will eventually try and eat us, but instead it just monitors our behaviour to show us ads whenever we reach for the milk.
Reposted by Alan
This talk by @cwpat.me really demonstrates how taking a process-oriented logical mind and applying it to an abstract problem can result in incredible, creative and artistic results.
In this lightning talk, Patrick Traynor goes over the programming of Patrick's Parabox: an award-winning recursive sokoban game!
@cwpat.me
@cwpat.me
The Programming of Patrick's Parabox - Patrick Traynor (ThinkyCon 2025)
Patrick Traynor joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "The Programming of Patrick's Parabox"
Talk description: This talk covers a few specific programming implementations from the development of Patrick's Parabox, an award-winning recursive sokoban game released in 2022. Specific topics i
www.youtube.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:15 PM
This talk by @cwpat.me really demonstrates how taking a process-oriented logical mind and applying it to an abstract problem can result in incredible, creative and artistic results.
Reposted by Alan
In this lightning talk, Patrick Traynor goes over the programming of Patrick's Parabox: an award-winning recursive sokoban game!
@cwpat.me
@cwpat.me
The Programming of Patrick's Parabox - Patrick Traynor (ThinkyCon 2025)
Patrick Traynor joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "The Programming of Patrick's Parabox"
Talk description: This talk covers a few specific programming implementations from the development of Patrick's Parabox, an award-winning recursive sokoban game released in 2022. Specific topics i
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:06 PM
In this lightning talk, Patrick Traynor goes over the programming of Patrick's Parabox: an award-winning recursive sokoban game!
@cwpat.me
@cwpat.me
Reposted by Alan
Re: that rt. the average businessy business suit type would be so much happier if they really WERE the soulless capitalist they like to posture as.
The reality is that most do what they do for the same reason creative types do: a crushing need for love, respect and community. They should paint.
The reality is that most do what they do for the same reason creative types do: a crushing need for love, respect and community. They should paint.
November 12, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Re: that rt. the average businessy business suit type would be so much happier if they really WERE the soulless capitalist they like to posture as.
The reality is that most do what they do for the same reason creative types do: a crushing need for love, respect and community. They should paint.
The reality is that most do what they do for the same reason creative types do: a crushing need for love, respect and community. They should paint.
Reflecting on media's obsession with remakes & brand cultures, could it not be argued that we're just hitting a point of post-modernism in cinema and games where we've established enough "staples" that anything new will inevitably be derivative of existing brands, so sadly it makes sense to recycle?
November 12, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Reflecting on media's obsession with remakes & brand cultures, could it not be argued that we're just hitting a point of post-modernism in cinema and games where we've established enough "staples" that anything new will inevitably be derivative of existing brands, so sadly it makes sense to recycle?
Tried to lazily image search for "Chat GPT logo" and then copy-paste it into my lecture slide, but the image was set up to protect against people doing that.
The Irony.
The Irony.
November 5, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Tried to lazily image search for "Chat GPT logo" and then copy-paste it into my lecture slide, but the image was set up to protect against people doing that.
The Irony.
The Irony.
Reposted by Alan
The han solo dance from Star Wars Kinect is the pinnacle of star wars media and I will hear no slander of it
For better or for worse, The Xbox Kinect was released 15 years ago today.
November 4, 2025 at 10:38 AM
The han solo dance from Star Wars Kinect is the pinnacle of star wars media and I will hear no slander of it
Reposted by Alan
💯
Playtesting can help you:
- Make sure people are taking away what you want them to from your story
- Balance combat encounters on a proper curve
- Ensure your UI/UX is as intuitive as it needs to be
- Find out where people are getting stuck when they shouldn't be
... and so much more!
Playtesting can help you:
- Make sure people are taking away what you want them to from your story
- Balance combat encounters on a proper curve
- Ensure your UI/UX is as intuitive as it needs to be
- Find out where people are getting stuck when they shouldn't be
... and so much more!
I’ve seen small and new devs scared to show unfinished games because they might “spoil them.” If your audience is just your friends, then that might be true. But don’t you want your player base to be somewhat larger than that?
Playtesting is the secret weapon to making a good game!
Playtesting is the secret weapon to making a good game!
Indie Dev Tip of the Day: playtesting isn't just about finding bugs. You don't know if your game is good until many people have ratified it. Until it consistently lands for large numbers of your testers - and don't forget to include new ones every time.
November 3, 2025 at 2:07 PM
💯
Playtesting can help you:
- Make sure people are taking away what you want them to from your story
- Balance combat encounters on a proper curve
- Ensure your UI/UX is as intuitive as it needs to be
- Find out where people are getting stuck when they shouldn't be
... and so much more!
Playtesting can help you:
- Make sure people are taking away what you want them to from your story
- Balance combat encounters on a proper curve
- Ensure your UI/UX is as intuitive as it needs to be
- Find out where people are getting stuck when they shouldn't be
... and so much more!
Reposted by Alan
Rockstar accused of firing over 30 union members in 'calculated attack on workers'
Rockstar accused of firing over 30 union members in 'calculated attack on workers'
UK union IWGB claims the Grand Theft Auto maker has committed the 'most blatant and ruthless act of union busting in the history of the games industry.'
www.gamedeveloper.com
November 3, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Rockstar accused of firing over 30 union members in 'calculated attack on workers'
Dutch Parliamentary Elections really help you grasp the brilliance and the horror of democratic process.
Parliamentary Electionday in the Netherlands and I can pick any one of these people
Toy banana for scale
Toy banana for scale
October 29, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Dutch Parliamentary Elections really help you grasp the brilliance and the horror of democratic process.
Reposted by Alan
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 11:40 AM
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...
Reposted by Alan
call them whatever you like, the reality is 'smart glasses' are surveillance devices designed by tech companies to violate consent and rewrite social norms. social shaming is still a more effective a deterrent than the law. @hypervisible.blacksky.app
www.theverge.com/tech/807834/...
www.theverge.com/tech/807834/...
October 28, 2025 at 3:05 PM
call them whatever you like, the reality is 'smart glasses' are surveillance devices designed by tech companies to violate consent and rewrite social norms. social shaming is still a more effective a deterrent than the law. @hypervisible.blacksky.app
www.theverge.com/tech/807834/...
www.theverge.com/tech/807834/...
I feel like Microsoft really underestimate the emotional impact of changing the default mail icon on my phone OS.
October 28, 2025 at 9:43 AM
I feel like Microsoft really underestimate the emotional impact of changing the default mail icon on my phone OS.
As a #gamedesign teacher it warms my heart when an indie team puts out a direct sequel to a game and you can see the growth in them through the work.
Power Washer Simultor 2 feels like the team have listened to advice, broken down their successes, and figured out the patterns from the first game.
Power Washer Simultor 2 feels like the team have listened to advice, broken down their successes, and figured out the patterns from the first game.
October 26, 2025 at 1:25 PM
As a #gamedesign teacher it warms my heart when an indie team puts out a direct sequel to a game and you can see the growth in them through the work.
Power Washer Simultor 2 feels like the team have listened to advice, broken down their successes, and figured out the patterns from the first game.
Power Washer Simultor 2 feels like the team have listened to advice, broken down their successes, and figured out the patterns from the first game.
In all seriousness, Power Washer Simulator 2 is a milestone in postmodernist game design.
While some games are tying themselves in knots reflecting on the meaning of challenge and interactivity, this team are just making something that *feels nice*, with no need for anything more than that.
While some games are tying themselves in knots reflecting on the meaning of challenge and interactivity, this team are just making something that *feels nice*, with no need for anything more than that.
October 26, 2025 at 1:16 PM
In all seriousness, Power Washer Simulator 2 is a milestone in postmodernist game design.
While some games are tying themselves in knots reflecting on the meaning of challenge and interactivity, this team are just making something that *feels nice*, with no need for anything more than that.
While some games are tying themselves in knots reflecting on the meaning of challenge and interactivity, this team are just making something that *feels nice*, with no need for anything more than that.
I'm obsessed with the wide range of emotions that videogames can produce in their audience.
For example, playing Power Washer Simulator 2 while knowing that I have a power washer in the garage that I haven't used in about 4 years is giving me a level of self loathing I didn't know I could feel.
For example, playing Power Washer Simulator 2 while knowing that I have a power washer in the garage that I haven't used in about 4 years is giving me a level of self loathing I didn't know I could feel.
October 26, 2025 at 11:32 AM
I'm obsessed with the wide range of emotions that videogames can produce in their audience.
For example, playing Power Washer Simulator 2 while knowing that I have a power washer in the garage that I haven't used in about 4 years is giving me a level of self loathing I didn't know I could feel.
For example, playing Power Washer Simulator 2 while knowing that I have a power washer in the garage that I haven't used in about 4 years is giving me a level of self loathing I didn't know I could feel.