Mick Cook
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mickcook.bsky.social
Mick Cook
@mickcook.bsky.social
2.5K followers 5.5K following 90 posts
Australian digital producer, #writer and PhD Candidate #GameDesign. Producer and host of The Dead Prussian #podcast, producer of Generals podcast.

All My Links: https://linktr.ee/MickCook
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Reposted by Mick Cook
courtneymilan.com
Tolkien is not perfect but he did, in fact, hate the fucking Nazis.
paleofuture.bsky.social Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 16d
DHS just posted a Lord of the Rings meme as an appeal to join ICE
DHS on Twitter: “The board is set, the pieces are moving. We come to it at last, the great battle of our time.” Image over a hobbit that reads: There won't be a shire, pippin. Join.ice.gov
October 29, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Reposted by Mick Cook
rbreich.bsky.social
The richest man on earth owns X.

The second richest man on earth is about to be a major owner of TikTok.

The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post.

See the problem here?
September 24, 2025 at 8:00 PM
mickcook.bsky.social
Attended (online) a writing session run by a local writers’ centre this morning. It was a standard pomodoro structured 2 hour session and it was productive as hell. A great reminder of how helpful it can be to attend group sessions for individual work. #writing
August 14, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Reposted by Mick Cook
rclarke.bsky.social
The UK games industry has had a huge class problem since its inception. Private school kids with generational wealth were first through the door and overwhelmingly hired people from similar backgrounds. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Does the UK video games industry have a class problem?
A non-profit organisation is trying to create more pathways into the sector for working-class people.
www.bbc.com
July 17, 2025 at 8:17 AM
mickcook.bsky.social
I’ve always been fascinated by the Plotter vs Pantser debate. I’ve never been what I would consider a super plotter but I plot out the basic structure for both fiction and non-fiction. My current #WIP is plotted fully with characters, locations, plot points etc. How do pansters do it? The vibe?
July 17, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Reposted by Mick Cook
mickcook.bsky.social
Am in a bit of a #HistoricalFiction book binge at the moment. Anyone else book binging?
June 23, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Reposted by Mick Cook
murderveggie.bsky.social
Been a while, dear #GodotEngine people 👋🏼

Just wanted to get these more somber news out of the way, lest they overshadow what comes next when it's time to talk about that ✌🏼
Getting the dry things out of the way Even though I've left the Foundation a while ago, I hadn't said my goodbyes to the community yet—for the sake of my personal peace as much as wanting to limit the impact on a project I still care about. Hopefully enough time has passed now to safely cut these last ties. Copied from my LinkedIn announcement: My departure is simply rooted in organizational strategy changes, most notably moving away from community engagement on social media. Please understand that this is all I can say on the matter at the moment; further questions won't be answered to maintain professionality. On that note, I'm not involved with nor will I attend GodotFest Munich. I'm happy to meet friendly faces elsewhere in town, including former colleagues. Moving on to the good vibes Working with a community this involved and diverse has been a blast. Beyond learning the intricacies of open-source volunteering, I got to meet so many of you contributing to the project in your own way. From making successful games and sharing the spoils to creating educational content for new users, from taking charge in fixing issues to being de-facto brand ambassadors for a cause you believe in. The community you are part of is incredibly unique and—in my opinion—undervalued by many players in this field. As a community manager, this kind of professional playground is an absolute dream to get access to; I can assure you that whatever positive impact my work had on you, you repaid it with enthusiasm and feedback tenfold. So despite my career path diverging here, I am certain that the impact of my time with you will remain visible in my future endeavors. For that I am immensely thankful, about lessons learned as well as relationships forged. I invite you to stay in touch if you like, because personally there is no way I would want to turn into a stranger again. Cheering on indie games made with underdog tools like Godot has always mattered to me, that won't suddenly change. Besides, the games industry is only that big ;)
June 24, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Reposted by Mick Cook
taw.moe
Nat has been a driving force to make the #Godot social channels (most notably the Discord and Reddit) a well moderated space where professionals and newcomers were able to discuss and collaborate equally.

I am saddened to not work alongside them anymore, but eager to see where they will end up!
murderveggie.bsky.social Nat (she/they) 🔜 Games Ground @murderveggie.bsky.social · Jun 24
Been a while, dear #GodotEngine people 👋🏼

Just wanted to get these more somber news out of the way, lest they overshadow what comes next when it's time to talk about that ✌🏼
Getting the dry things out of the way Even though I've left the Foundation a while ago, I hadn't said my goodbyes to the community yet—for the sake of my personal peace as much as wanting to limit the impact on a project I still care about. Hopefully enough time has passed now to safely cut these last ties. Copied from my LinkedIn announcement: My departure is simply rooted in organizational strategy changes, most notably moving away from community engagement on social media. Please understand that this is all I can say on the matter at the moment; further questions won't be answered to maintain professionality. On that note, I'm not involved with nor will I attend GodotFest Munich. I'm happy to meet friendly faces elsewhere in town, including former colleagues. Moving on to the good vibes Working with a community this involved and diverse has been a blast. Beyond learning the intricacies of open-source volunteering, I got to meet so many of you contributing to the project in your own way. From making successful games and sharing the spoils to creating educational content for new users, from taking charge in fixing issues to being de-facto brand ambassadors for a cause you believe in. The community you are part of is incredibly unique and—in my opinion—undervalued by many players in this field. As a community manager, this kind of professional playground is an absolute dream to get access to; I can assure you that whatever positive impact my work had on you, you repaid it with enthusiasm and feedback tenfold. So despite my career path diverging here, I am certain that the impact of my time with you will remain visible in my future endeavors. For that I am immensely thankful, about lessons learned as well as relationships forged. I invite you to stay in touch if you like, because personally there is no way I would want to turn into a stranger again. Cheering on indie games made with underdog tools like Godot has always mattered to me, that won't suddenly change. Besides, the games industry is only that big ;)
June 24, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Reposted by Mick Cook
rebeccafachner.bsky.social
I am just a simple country historian but isn’t the point of the Cuban Missile Crisis that JFK DIDN’T bomb anybody?
postopinions.bsky.social Washington Post Opinions @postopinions.bsky.social · Jun 20
"President Donald Trump is no JFK," David Ignatius writes.

"But he just did something in the Iran crisis that reminds me a bit of Kennedy’s decision to step away from the cacophony of ExComm and explore options."
Opinion | Could Trump apply JFK’s Cuban missile crisis playbook to Iran?
The president’s pause in the Iran crisis reminds me of Kennedy’s decision to pull back from hawkish advisers.
wapo.st
June 23, 2025 at 1:22 AM
mickcook.bsky.social
Am in a bit of a #HistoricalFiction book binge at the moment. Anyone else book binging?
June 23, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Reposted by Mick Cook
rikefranke.bsky.social
This is an important point in my view. From a military technology point of view*, we shouldn’t take Ukraine as “this is what the future of fighting will look like”.

*this is a *miltech* point. Obviously the war is not in the past at all.

Article:
www.forcesnews.com/ukraine/dron...
June 18, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Reposted by Mick Cook
zemki.bsky.social
The workshop provides a unique opportunity for participants to engage in discussions and debates about theoretical approaches for studying the intersection of religion, culture, and video gaming.
zemki.uni-bremen.de/en/gameviron...
June 17, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Mick Cook
jonasgjerso.bsky.social
Nicolas Sprenger delves into the structural violence of empire in this latest @jich.bsky.social Current Debates essay entitled: Imperial Violence: Thinking With and Against 'Perpetrator' and 'Victim'.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Imperial Violence: Thinking With and Against ‘Perpetrator and ‘Victim’
The categories of perpetrator and victim are hardwired into how historians have studied the violence of the British Empire. These categories, however, fail to capture the full spectrum of the viole...
www.tandfonline.com
June 1, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Reposted by Mick Cook
ravencliffgames.bsky.social
We updated our Starter Pack with even more game developers worth following💥

#gamedev #indiedev #indigames #starterpack
April 29, 2025 at 9:21 AM
mickcook.bsky.social
It’s not just the epic visuals of the remastered #TESOblivion that has me hooked. The gameplay is as good as it was 19 years ago. Oh to have been a fly on the wall during the design discussions around how to upgrade this classic & avoid “design creep” in adding new features, mechanics, etc
Screen shot from the game The Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion Remastered showing a magician dressed in green looking at a snowy mountainside Screen shot from the game The Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion Remastered showing a magician dressed in green wandering a dungeon with a torch in his hand. Screen shot from the game The Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion Remastered showing a magician dressed in green looking at an Aurora borealis in the night sky Screen shot from the game The Elder Scrolls IV : Oblivion Remastered showing the city of Anvil and the ocean beyond on a sunny day
April 27, 2025 at 5:13 AM
mickcook.bsky.social
Very glad to have stayed up to 1am to see the launch of the @bethesda.net TES Oblivion remaster. Purchase made and now time for sleep so I can take on the Daedric hordes tomorrow (today)!

www.youtube.com/live/Ed_E2cr...
All will be revealed....
Tune in on April 22, 2025, at 11am ET/8am PT.
www.youtube.com
April 22, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by Mick Cook
chrisgeidner.bsky.social
The book turns 90 this fall!
WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN AMERICA HAS A DICTATOR? IT CANT HAPPEN HERE A Novel by SINCLAIR LEWIS
March 27, 2025 at 1:13 AM
mickcook.bsky.social
Awesome
trakaan-gamedev.bsky.social Vincent L. - GameDev - Adventurers Guild Inc. @trakaan-gamedev.bsky.social · Mar 1
🚀 Live on Kickstarter NOW!🚀
⚔️Adventurers Guild Inc. is a turn-based management game where run the business behind the heroics.
🔁 Like, share, comment & spread the word!
🎁 Get the early bird rewards! (first 48hours)
🔗 Back the project now→ t.co/VrWUAnFMfh

#IndieGame #Kickstarter #Gamedev #turnbased
March 1, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Reposted by Mick Cook
deviserene.bsky.social
Toward Dawn is in #SteamNextFest! 🐺💕✨

Explore a world inspired by Welsh mythology! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
Date a werewolf (or not, but just hear his voice)! 🐺
Experience unique turn-based combat! ⚔️
Cute pixels having lots of emotions! 💕

▶️ store.steampowered.com/app/3140160/...

#gamedev | #rpg | #Godot | #indiedev
February 24, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Reposted by Mick Cook
markhamillofficial.bsky.social
After playing a fictional member of the Resistance a long time ago, I never could have imagined it ever happening in real life, but here we are.
delaneyking.bsky.social Delaney King (She/Her/Ho Ho Whomst) @delaneyking.bsky.social · Feb 24
Mark Hamill posting rebellious content in a battle against a dictator and his robotic sidekick is the most Star Wars shit ever.
February 24, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Reposted by Mick Cook
myfanwytristram.bsky.social
Pass it on.
I am an artist in the UK, calling for: control over uses of my work; fair pay if I choose to licence my work; transparency on how my work is used.
February 25, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Reposted by Mick Cook
cudey.bsky.social
Great #FREE #books to check out: storyoriginapp.com/to/3UikJNP #fantasyreads #fantasyreader #fantasyadventure #fantasylover #booklover #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookish #bookaddict #bookdragon #booknerd #dragons #dragon #yafantasy #ya #fantasy #fantasybooks #fantasybookstagram
February 4, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Reposted by Mick Cook
tolkienseminardtg.bsky.social
📢 #CfP for the 21st #Tolkien Seminar of the @germantolksoc.bsky.social in cooperation with the Department of #BookStudies of the @unimainz.bsky.social and WTP
📜Tolkien's Works on the #Book Market
🗓️ 31 Oct-02 Nov 2025
📍in-person in Mainz or online
💙📚 #fantasy #bookhistory #lit #booksky
Tolkien’s Works on the Book Market Call for Papers for the 21st DTG Tolkien Seminar (31 Oct.-02 Nov. 2025) (Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz) “It is in fact hard to think of a work […] written with less concern for commercial considerations than The Lord of the Rings. No market researcher in the 1950s could possibly have predicted its success. It was long, difficult, trailed with appendices, studded with quotations in unknown languages which the author did not always translate, and utterly strange. It had, indeed, to create its own market” (Shippey 2001: xxiv), as Tom Shippey describes the situation in J.R.R. Tolkien. Author of the Century. Nevertheless, The Lord of the Rings proved to be a million-selling bestseller, new editions have been regularly published worldwide for 70 years and the epic has repeatedly been voted the number one favourite book in surveys. The Hobbit and other works by Tolkien have also become long-sellers. Not a year goes by without new editions of Tolkien’s works, including both lavishly illustrated volumes and luxury editions. The materiality of these books also plays a role in times of social media and cross-media marketing, for example when special Tolkien editions are proudly presented on YouTube or TikTok or publishers advertise Tolkien adaptations with new book covers. Tolkien’s relationship with his publishers was not always easy, as his abortive attempt to change the publisher from Unwin to Collins or the unauthorised US editions of The Lord of the Rings in the 1960s show. This was partly due to Tolkien’s demands on himself and his texts, and partly due to the mechanisms of the book market. The fact that Tolkien’s works were nevertheless made accessible to a broad public and found a loyal readership is therefore not a matter of course. The aim of this seminar is to bring together researchers from different disciplines and subject areas to explore the various questions and problems posed by Tolkien’s works on the book market. Possible starting points for presentations would be: • Tolkien and his publishers (Tolkien’s relationships with publishers, rights and license trading, etc.) • Tolkien’s works on the German/international book market • Tolkien film adaptations and the book market (effects of the adaptations on the sale of the works etc.; significance of the films and series for the perception of the books) • The materiality of the editions and their paratexts (economic significance of the paratexts, design of the editions, etc.) • Use of the book as a motif • Cross-media marketing, book merchandise, Tolkien’s books on social media (BookTok, podcasts etc.) The 21st seminar of the German Tolkien Society is supported by Walking Tree Publishers and will take place in cooperation with the Department of Book Science in a hybrid format (mainly in presence but with online options) from 31 October to 2 November 2025 at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Interested parties are requested to send a short synopsis (no longer than one page) and a short biography as well as their preference (attendance or online presentation) to Thomas Fornet-Ponse by 31 May 2025: hither-shore@tolkiengesellschaft.de A selection of relevant publications on the topic: Bushell, Sally. 2016. “Paratext or Imagetext? Interpreting the Fictional Map.” Word & Image: A Journal of Verbal/Visual Enquiry 32 (2), 181-194. Carpenter, Humphrey. 1977. J.R.R. Tolkien. A Biography. Paperback edition 1995. London: HarperCollins. Croft, Janet Brennan. 2018. “Doors into Elf-Mounds: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Introductions, Prefaces, and Forewords.” Tolkien Studies: An Annual Scholarly Review 15, 177-195. Groom, Nick. 2023. Tolkien in the Twenty-First Century. The Meaning of Middle-earth Today. New York, London: Pegasus Books. Hammond, Wayne G., with the assistance of Douglas Anderson. 1993. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography. Winchester: St Paul’s Bibliographies. Higgins, Andrew. 2019. “More than Narrative [...]"
February 19, 2025 at 4:01 PM