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ginevra-m.bsky.social
ginevra-m (they/she)
@ginevra-m.bsky.social
340 followers 560 following 590 posts
Null Signal Games contributor (Narrative & Art teams); #Netrunner, #fabtcg , boardgames, #DiscoElysium & #PointAndClick game enthusiast; knitter, spinner & quilter; opinions on Australian politics, international events, law & tech. Deutsch & français=OK
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ginevra-m.bsky.social
Playing anomaly games for research purposes (*cough* we'll see if that's true *cough*).
Anyway, this game feels very comforting, having lived in Tokyo for a year. Exit 8 just feels good to me ... but I know it's classified as psychological horror...
I am on level 0 (I did play further than this, but missed an anomaly so I'm back to the beginning). The railway tunnel walls are white tile and the instructions for picking anomalies are in English and Japanese and look a lot like really railway tunnel signage
November 23, 2025 at 4:24 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
Without downloading anything, where are you mentally right now?
The main character is standing in an unused carpark overlooking a lake. There is a dam across the lake and a dimly lit control booth. Various rickety staircases are nearby. There is also a sign showing a monster with the words 'Welcome to Cristaline Lake'. The main character asks with wide eyes: "Well, where do I begin?"
October 8, 2025 at 7:34 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
#PointAndClick why does the character seem to shrink & grow as they move round a room? They look like shrinking or walking down stairs as they move towards the viewer (opposite of IRL!) Not just this game, lots of others. Is the character staying the same size but the room has perspective? #gamedev
Two screenshots from 3 Minutes to Midnight. In one, the teenage girl character is nearly as tall as a fridge, the kitchen counter is waist-height. She is standing further away from the viewer. In the other screenshot, the kitchen counter is above her head and the small 50s TV on a stand is about her height. At this stage, she is closer to the viewer.
October 6, 2025 at 9:14 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
I guess one of the joys of a #PointAndClick game is making your own map? Here's mine for the 1st chapter of #3MinutesToMidnight:
A pencil diagram showing the links between: home; kids; fire station; town hall, which branches to closed radio; Mike's Diner; mansion; barber. The sheriff; Linda and fruit are linked to the barber, then the barber links to the church and eventually, a park. The church links back to the town hall. The church is approximately opposite home.
October 5, 2025 at 10:05 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
#StardewValley cosy vibes
A night-time scene in Autumn. I racoon is standing in front of a tree-stump house, one window is lit. The played character is seen from the back, they are wearing a skeleton costume. Autumn leaves are scattered around.
October 4, 2025 at 9:15 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
Thank you for the decent headline. It's something I've believed for a long time, due to talking with young people in my family.
Climate change is the big one: it's hard to imagine a hopeful future if you understand science. Out-of-reach house prices & rental insecurity; job insecurity (+AI threat)
Headline: Youth mental heath is in crisis. What if it's not all social media's fault? Intro wording: Young people around the world are in the middle of a mental health crisis. We want to blame Facebook and TikTok. What if we're wrong?
September 27, 2025 at 9:39 PM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
A favourite sequence in #StardewValley. The year before, Linus was standing on the edge of the festival, feeling excluded, hoping to eat later. The invitation to join the mayor at his table is significant. True, parts of Linus' story/homelessness are romanticised but I like the message in this scene
A Chrismas-like scene in the central square - tables with food, presents under the tree. Linus, the homeless person says: "The mayor personally invited me to his table. i couldn't turn that down!"
September 15, 2025 at 10:41 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
I really love the way the trees are drawn in #TheBlackwellLegacy. I did have minor issues with clicking part of this #PointAndClick adventure, but got there in the end. So many point and click games are about ghosts! I wonder why ... because the player won't shoot them in this style of game, maybe?
A red-headed woman with glasses is reading the dog park sign which says "Please note! Dog walking park is closed until further notice." The trees in the park have pixels as individual leaves, with lots of subtle colour variations and blacks to indicate shadows
September 11, 2025 at 8:08 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
Far out NO! NO! NO! NO! @bsky.app This is NOT what I want. Why can't I continue to read back through my timeline? Maybe I want to check out something I read an hour ago. Or a day ago. I never EVER, EVER want to see Discover in my feed. I don't use Discover and it unfair of you to force me to use it.
(i) We ran out of posts from your follows. Here's the latest from Discover.
September 7, 2025 at 5:46 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
I know what the Australian government *did* when 88 Australians were killed in a terrorist attack in Bali. The Australian government/police worked with the Indonesian government/police to arrest & try the terrorist leaders. I'm proud: that's the right response to terrorism & what I wish Israel did
Netanyahu went on to claim Israel was “actually applying force judiciously, and they know it”. “They know what they would do if right next to Melbourne or right next to Sydney you had this horrific attacks. I think you would do it, at least what we’re doing, probably maybe not as efficiently and as precisely as we’re doing it.”
August 11, 2025 at 6:05 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
#IndieGames I finished in June. Mostly demos, due to NextFest. Very happy with my Strange Horticulture purchase. The demos in the top 2 rows I'll likely buy near release. The next row I'll probably buy at some stage (maybe a sale). The bottom 2 rows? P'raps not for me. Well made, tho!
Row 1: Strange Horticulture; The Drifter; Coffee Talk Tokyo Row 2: Paradigm Island; Rue Valley; Dispatch Row 3: The Biggle Boss Incident; Jackie Hart Headhunter; Into the Grid Row 4: Word Play; Haifa; Tiny Bookshop Row 5: Confidential Killings; Matchstone; Oddli
July 1, 2025 at 7:06 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
I know people trust #Steam 's algorithm, but it doesn't work well for me. Maybe commentators have forgotten the new user experience of Steam (I usually use GOG).

I was taking a break from playing Strange Horticulture to look at a game it obviously inspired - Do No Harm
Steam message: Is this game relevant to you? This game doesn't look like other things you've played in the past. As such we don't have much information on whether or not you might be interested in it
June 30, 2025 at 8:11 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
I've been playing #StrangeHorticulture Enjoyable! Also far less punishing than I thought (so far). It very cleverly does a lot with a little: no voice acting, other locations are only on the map. I'm keen to hear more of the story, I'm having a little trouble accessing the forest clues #IndieGame
An orchid-like plant under a microscope. You are inside a dimly-lit shop with plants arranged along the window. There is a book on the counter and a drawer open with notes and labels inside. A customer is requesting a plant called 'worryless'
June 28, 2025 at 8:23 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
Using food to show where (and when) I grew up. Last image is a dead giveaway
Pasta with cooked mince, carrots, capsicum, tomato Chicken and almond in vaguely Chinese style Lollies (milk bottles; fake teeth; freckles; chocolate) displayed in open boxes at the from of a wooden counter Vegemite toast
June 21, 2025 at 8:24 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
UK is still the predominant country of birth for immigrants. Australia doesn't keep race data. Neither of us can prove people from the UK are white or non-white, and I don't think arguing about perceptions is helpful.
Estimated resident population by country of birth. 2014 vs 2024. England was 4.3% in 2014, 3.5% in 2024. India was 1.8% in 2014, 3.4% in 2024. All other countries are lower %. Australian-born was 72% in 2014, 68.5% in 2024. The list of countries in size order in 2024 is England, India, China (not including SR; Taiwan), New Zealand, Philippines, Vietnam, South Africa, Nepal, Malaysia, Sri Lanka. Data from Australian Bureau of Statistics
June 9, 2025 at 9:58 PM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
I spent 6 or 7 days before the end of the season, tidying everything, mending fences and worrying about what crops to plant in spring. The winter imagery has certainly made me feel colder. (It's winter here in real life and rather rainy).
#GameShot
#StardewValley
The player character is standing next to a scarecrow. It is dark around the edges of the image and snowing. The blue farm landscape shows paths, 2 sprinklers ready for new crops and trees tapped for syrup. The calender in the corner shows Winter, Sun. 28 (the last day of the year) and the time is 12:50am. Strawberries, beans and cauliflower in the inventory ready to plant tomorrow.
June 9, 2025 at 9:12 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
Of course it was the goat who escaped! A hole in the fence was visually hidden. Had to mind her, chores took too long, missed Spirit's Eve.
#GameShot
#StardewValley
My player character is standing next to a white goat. The gates to the red barn area are open and I'd love to nudge the goat towards them. It's Autumn, the scene is oranges, yellows and browns. Another goat and a pig are calmly eating grass in the correct area.
June 8, 2025 at 7:59 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
Got married. Forgot people often wear something special on their wedding day. But - I don't have any other pants so Iguess I'd've pretty much worn this anyway. For my real wedding , I wore a pants & skirt combo.
#StardewValley
#GameShot
Photo of my character, wearing a red beanie, vibrant yellow shirt & jeans, getting married to Sebastian. Other villagers are gathered to witness the ceremony, and are tossing rice/white streamers in the air
June 7, 2025 at 6:40 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
Clint, you're sort of an incel, aren't you? And as a blacksmith, one who can make weapons. No, I don't think you should wish for a real natural disaster, just so you feel alive. I really don't think your energy would combine well with Emily's (Clint's hippie love interest). #GameShot #StardewValley
Clint ending his wish for a natural disaster with a dialogue box saying "Something to shake everything up you know?" The context is the day the rain turns green. It's the 4th time that's happened so villagers now know isn't dangerous.
June 5, 2025 at 9:15 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
#VideoGames I finished in April, 2025. All quite fun, but NORCO was by far the most interesting story.
I'm considering writing a review claiming Tangle Tower & Midnight Girl belong to the same low stress puzzle / #pointandclick genre/trend/style, along with Darkside Detective (not played in April)
4 cover images for video games: Tangle Tower; NORCO; Midnight Girl; Sovereign Syndicate
May 5, 2025 at 11:52 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
P.S. This is a SEWING machine, not a knitting machine. It would need to be wider or circular to be a knitting machine - width is needed to hold all the stitches & make wider pieces of fabric. Sewing machines are for attaching/edging pieces of fabric, so can be narrow/small
A set of old fashion sewing machines are labelled as knitting machines. Bolts of cloth and weaving machines can also be seen in a messy, rusty, Victorian era industrial building
April 27, 2025 at 3:42 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
I've played 10hrs of #SovereignSyndicate, so inevitable #DiscoElysium comparisons follow. Textures of snow, rain, sand are important to my experience of DE - missing from S-S. S-S's streets are wide, many NPCs I see are not interactable (vs only the scabs in DE). I thought London had narrow streets?
Clara, a player character, stands in a wide, plaza like area. 2 non-interactable NPCs are having a discussion at the bottom of wide stairs. The shadow of a monorail can be seen
April 27, 2025 at 3:36 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
Love the way #Norco unfolds. I'm not finished, but so far it's very clear & easy to follow (sometimes I'm confused or stuck in #PointAndClick games). I'm curious to analyse the UX rules of the RHS dialogue panel - it breaks long discussions up nicely. Also cool: Rose popped up from below the counter
A brown-skinned shopkeeper stands behind a green glowing crystal ball. Her curly hair is short and arranged in a style reminiscent of the 60s. The ball is on a stand and an orange cat is asleep beside her. The side panel says: Rose: Don't. Touch. The ball.
March 30, 2025 at 9:02 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
Unusually accurate headline for the SMH. Hope they don't edit it later.
Sydney Morning Herald Headline: Analysis Israeli-Palestinian conflict "Trump just dressed up ethnic cleansing as a real estate opportunity, and blew up 'America First'" Photo of trump looking sceptical. Caption: "Here's the dire place we find ourselves three weeks into the second Trump administration. Byline Matthew Knott
February 5, 2025 at 5:27 AM
ginevra-m.bsky.social
End of green rain day, my favourite day in #StardewValley Sadly no mystery seeds today
A darkly lit farmhouse in Stardew Valley, with green rain slanting across the screen. A brown-skinned man with an afro & shiny square glasses is standing on the steps
January 11, 2025 at 12:19 AM