Liz England
@lizardengland.bsky.social
Design Director at System Era. I post a lot of brunch photos. she/her.
spent the evening being self indulgent and organizing my game ideas I’ve spec’d out over the last 10+ years into a database
turns out I really love what I’d call ‘playful horror’, kind of dark horror-comedies with a mix of simulation and deduction gameplay
turns out I really love what I’d call ‘playful horror’, kind of dark horror-comedies with a mix of simulation and deduction gameplay
November 16, 2025 at 4:16 AM
spent the evening being self indulgent and organizing my game ideas I’ve spec’d out over the last 10+ years into a database
turns out I really love what I’d call ‘playful horror’, kind of dark horror-comedies with a mix of simulation and deduction gameplay
turns out I really love what I’d call ‘playful horror’, kind of dark horror-comedies with a mix of simulation and deduction gameplay
the gamedev timeline is getting dark, vibes are bad, we don't need to discourse like this on a friday, we're going to start getting angry about yellow paint and difficulty sliders again at this rate
November 14, 2025 at 9:53 PM
the gamedev timeline is getting dark, vibes are bad, we don't need to discourse like this on a friday, we're going to start getting angry about yellow paint and difficulty sliders again at this rate
I ordered a "large taquito" from a local place for lunch and in theory "large taquito" should just be a "taco" but instead it's giving "small boulder the size of a large boulder" energy.
November 14, 2025 at 9:00 PM
I ordered a "large taquito" from a local place for lunch and in theory "large taquito" should just be a "taco" but instead it's giving "small boulder the size of a large boulder" energy.
Last night I watched a streamer in Arc that downed other players and then had them answer trivia questions in exchange for a revive. The questions were like "who runs this whole operation" and "what's the name of the cataclysmic event that led to all this" and lol no, gamers do not pay attention.
You wanna know why we're having nag line discourse in 2025? Because developers know we're fighting an attention economy war we'll lose no matter what. Players don't read, have TikTok open next to them, god forbid we are scared you miss something and then blame us for not giving you all the info.
November 14, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Last night I watched a streamer in Arc that downed other players and then had them answer trivia questions in exchange for a revive. The questions were like "who runs this whole operation" and "what's the name of the cataclysmic event that led to all this" and lol no, gamers do not pay attention.
happy brunch day
November 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM
happy brunch day
Reposted by Liz England
Again, to every videogame writer who wrote funny emails to read in an immersive sim/etc. where I rolled my eyes and said out loud, "lol like anyone would ever email something this on the nose", again, sorry, I was wrong, life sucks, you nailed it
November 12, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Again, to every videogame writer who wrote funny emails to read in an immersive sim/etc. where I rolled my eyes and said out loud, "lol like anyone would ever email something this on the nose", again, sorry, I was wrong, life sucks, you nailed it
dnd update: we are almost at the end of the campaign and tonight I watched them have a full emotional breakdown as they finally realized they were, in fact, bad people and were heading straight into a full villain arc
November 13, 2025 at 3:53 AM
dnd update: we are almost at the end of the campaign and tonight I watched them have a full emotional breakdown as they finally realized they were, in fact, bad people and were heading straight into a full villain arc
Reposted by Liz England
"babies are born worshipping unknown gods" is one of the most incredible dwarf fortress bugs i have heard of. its poetry.
November 11, 2025 at 4:18 PM
"babies are born worshipping unknown gods" is one of the most incredible dwarf fortress bugs i have heard of. its poetry.
I continue to believe very strongly that a person's reaction to generative AI is directly correlated to whether it presents any existential risks to your craft. This is why senior engineers and CEOs are so psyched about it, and artists and writers are rallying against it.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has defended AI following Eurogamer's 2/5 Arc Raiders review, which criticised the game's use use of AI voice generation. "AI dialog generation + human personality and tuning could totally transform gaming," Sweeney said.
www.gamesindustry.biz/epics-tim-sw...
www.gamesindustry.biz/epics-tim-sw...
Epic's Tim Sweeney wades into the Arc Raiders AI row
"This technology increases human productivity in some areas by integer multiples"
www.gamesindustry.biz
November 11, 2025 at 5:01 PM
I continue to believe very strongly that a person's reaction to generative AI is directly correlated to whether it presents any existential risks to your craft. This is why senior engineers and CEOs are so psyched about it, and artists and writers are rallying against it.
Playing Arc Raiders in an attempt to understand what people like about these games.
I casually teamed up with 5 other solo players. We made our way to the top of a huge tower, defending and healing each other, sharing loot along the way.
I then watched 4 of the 5 die falling off of a ladder.
I casually teamed up with 5 other solo players. We made our way to the top of a huge tower, defending and healing each other, sharing loot along the way.
I then watched 4 of the 5 die falling off of a ladder.
November 11, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Playing Arc Raiders in an attempt to understand what people like about these games.
I casually teamed up with 5 other solo players. We made our way to the top of a huge tower, defending and healing each other, sharing loot along the way.
I then watched 4 of the 5 die falling off of a ladder.
I casually teamed up with 5 other solo players. We made our way to the top of a huge tower, defending and healing each other, sharing loot along the way.
I then watched 4 of the 5 die falling off of a ladder.
Reposted by Liz England
Two more weeks to apply to our microgrants program! We've received a few applications already (wooo!) but there is room left, so shoot your shot!
Head over to blog.iftechfoundation.org/2025-10-12-2..., and ask us any lingering questions - we want to hear from you!
Head over to blog.iftechfoundation.org/2025-10-12-2..., and ask us any lingering questions - we want to hear from you!
2026 IFTF Microgrant Applications Now Open!
You can now apply to our third grant cycle!
blog.iftechfoundation.org
November 5, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Two more weeks to apply to our microgrants program! We've received a few applications already (wooo!) but there is room left, so shoot your shot!
Head over to blog.iftechfoundation.org/2025-10-12-2..., and ask us any lingering questions - we want to hear from you!
Head over to blog.iftechfoundation.org/2025-10-12-2..., and ask us any lingering questions - we want to hear from you!
please go buy my friend's game, thanks in advance
There'll be a new pinned post this week, but for now: Ambrosia Sky: Act One is *out* now!
Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/3580160/...
EGS: store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/ambr...
Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/3580160/...
EGS: store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/ambr...
Save 15% on Ambrosia Sky on Steam
You left. Now they’re dead. Ambrosia Sky: Act One is an immersive sim about exploring an asteroid colony devastated by a mysterious contamination. Survive and harvest strains of aggressive alien fungi...
store.steampowered.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:15 PM
please go buy my friend's game, thanks in advance
I said I wish more devs would blog about their thoughts on game design and the monkey's claw curls again
November 10, 2025 at 4:19 PM
I said I wish more devs would blog about their thoughts on game design and the monkey's claw curls again
Something with a large jaw took a bite and left the rest. Based on all the available evidence I have concluded it was a giraffe.
November 9, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Something with a large jaw took a bite and left the rest. Based on all the available evidence I have concluded it was a giraffe.
on my 46th game I've judged for IGF this year, I have only just come across the first reference to cannibalism, it used to take like five tops, the state of indie games is truly dire
November 8, 2025 at 10:08 PM
on my 46th game I've judged for IGF this year, I have only just come across the first reference to cannibalism, it used to take like five tops, the state of indie games is truly dire
Reposted by Liz England
shoutouts to toby fox for just doing this when a platform tells him he HAS to add achievements to his games
November 6, 2025 at 1:09 PM
shoutouts to toby fox for just doing this when a platform tells him he HAS to add achievements to his games
A week ago a squirrel stole someone's chocolate and oat granola bar and crawled onto my second floor windowsill to enjoy it's ill-gotten loot. I accidentally scared it away and it fled, leaving behind that granola bar. It is still there.
Just sharing because it's very exciting.
Just sharing because it's very exciting.
November 6, 2025 at 11:44 PM
A week ago a squirrel stole someone's chocolate and oat granola bar and crawled onto my second floor windowsill to enjoy it's ill-gotten loot. I accidentally scared it away and it fled, leaving behind that granola bar. It is still there.
Just sharing because it's very exciting.
Just sharing because it's very exciting.
Reposted by Liz England
new GTA6 release date
In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand
I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.
I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.
October 12, 2025 at 4:47 PM
new GTA6 release date
I willed this nightmare into existence, you're welcome
new GTA6 release date
In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand
I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.
I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.
November 6, 2025 at 9:14 PM
I willed this nightmare into existence, you're welcome
man I dunno this is just off the top of my head, probably missed some things
November 5, 2025 at 4:39 PM
man I dunno this is just off the top of my head, probably missed some things
Reposted by Liz England
NEW: After my last piece about what's slowing down game development, folks wrote in to ask "why didn't you talk about bad leadership?"
It uhhhh never came up. So I returned to the well and asked devs to explain why better leadership—not AI or any other tool—is vital to efficient game development.
It uhhhh never came up. So I returned to the well and asked devs to explain why better leadership—not AI or any other tool—is vital to efficient game development.
How poor leadership slows down game development
How poor leadership slows down game development
No tool—AI or otherwise—can speed up game development if leaders don't rise to the occasion.
www.gamedeveloper.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:34 PM
NEW: After my last piece about what's slowing down game development, folks wrote in to ask "why didn't you talk about bad leadership?"
It uhhhh never came up. So I returned to the well and asked devs to explain why better leadership—not AI or any other tool—is vital to efficient game development.
It uhhhh never came up. So I returned to the well and asked devs to explain why better leadership—not AI or any other tool—is vital to efficient game development.
Reposted by Liz England
i owe so many video game designers an apology
November 3, 2025 at 6:49 PM
i owe so many video game designers an apology
It will always be funny to me that despite being the design director I cannot use my company credit card attached to the design department budget to buy steam games for research because steam does not allow a Canadian to use a US card, so I have to ask the lead designer to buy me, their boss, games.
November 3, 2025 at 7:21 PM
It will always be funny to me that despite being the design director I cannot use my company credit card attached to the design department budget to buy steam games for research because steam does not allow a Canadian to use a US card, so I have to ask the lead designer to buy me, their boss, games.
Reposted by Liz England
TFW u open BlueSky and a bunch of ppl are vaguely posting about the same shit
August 13, 2025 at 5:27 PM
TFW u open BlueSky and a bunch of ppl are vaguely posting about the same shit
I need to learn how to make these (sotteok sotteok) because they are delicious. I say that as a connoisseur of the hot dog + carb culinary tradition.
November 2, 2025 at 5:34 PM
I need to learn how to make these (sotteok sotteok) because they are delicious. I say that as a connoisseur of the hot dog + carb culinary tradition.