Raph Koster
@raphkoster.bsky.social
Videogames: ULTIMA ONLINE, STAR WARS GALAXIES, METAPLACE, STARS REACH (coming soon!), among others. Tabletop: WADDLE. Books: THEORY OF FUN, POSTMORTEMS, SUNDAY POEMS. Music: AFTER THE FLOOD. Also at @raphkoster@mastodon.gamedev.place
Reposted by Raph Koster
Time for the annual rewatch of the @raphkoster.bsky.social gdc talk on creativity
🎲✂️
🎲✂️
November 10, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Time for the annual rewatch of the @raphkoster.bsky.social gdc talk on creativity
🎲✂️
🎲✂️
This is unexpected. Not one, but three versions, and of course I am far from the only author whose quotes are for sale on canvas prints. Looks like three different manufacturers, and no, I do not get a cut. Fair use, I assume :D
November 10, 2025 at 5:12 AM
This is unexpected. Not one, but three versions, and of course I am far from the only author whose quotes are for sale on canvas prints. Looks like three different manufacturers, and no, I do not get a cut. Fair use, I assume :D
Haha, playing Geoguessr in UO. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG1I...
🌎I PLAYED GEOGUESSR... BUT IT'S IN ULTIMA ONLINE!!! #nostalgia #mmorpg
YouTube video by Blade Spirit
www.youtube.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Haha, playing Geoguessr in UO. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG1I...
Well, this landed on the front page of Hacker News! news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4584...
November 7, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Well, this landed on the front page of Hacker News! news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4584...
Reposted by Raph Koster
We are happy to announce a new Stars Reach Video Series that we are going to name Community Power. This first episode will feature the GUNC guild and what they've built on Akacala... but what is GUNC, who are they, when did everything start?
youtu.be/nzIhxevUwAU
youtu.be/nzIhxevUwAU
GUNC Guild on Akacala - ✨ Stars Reach Community Power #001
YouTube video by Stars Reach
youtu.be
November 5, 2025 at 6:11 PM
We are happy to announce a new Stars Reach Video Series that we are going to name Community Power. This first episode will feature the GUNC guild and what they've built on Akacala... but what is GUNC, who are they, when did everything start?
youtu.be/nzIhxevUwAU
youtu.be/nzIhxevUwAU
Game design is simple, actually. Except when it isn't. Here are the 12 things you need to know.
Game design is simple, actually
So, let’s just walk through the whole thing, end to end. Here’s a twelve-step program for understanding game design. One: Fun There are a lot of things people call “fun.” But most of them are not useful for getting better at making games, which is usually why people read articles like this. The fun of a bit of confetti exploding in front of you, and the fun of excruciating pain and risk to life and limb as you free climb a cliff are just not usefully paired together.
www.raphkoster.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Game design is simple, actually. Except when it isn't. Here are the 12 things you need to know.
Reposted by Raph Koster
Stars Reach’s visual upgrades ensure it barely looks like the same game introduced last year
Stars Reach’s visual upgrades ensure it barely looks like the same game introduced last year
massivelyop.com
October 30, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Stars Reach’s visual upgrades ensure it barely looks like the same game introduced last year
We've been working on overhauling the visuals in STARS REACH for a while. Here's a look at what's coming up!
Stars Reach visual upgrades
For months now, we have been working on a big overhaul to the visuals in Stars Reach. This has involved redoing most of the shaders in the entire game, and going back and retouching every asset. We started by redoing all the plant life and flora, and we have hundreds of those assets that had to be redone. Further, they all need to grow, change in response to seasons, be able to catch fire and burn, freeze, shed leaves and die, and so on.
www.raphkoster.com
October 29, 2025 at 7:49 PM
We've been working on overhauling the visuals in STARS REACH for a while. Here's a look at what's coming up!
Heh, I just got this reply on a Reddit thread about MMO design. :)
October 26, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Heh, I just got this reply on a Reddit thread about MMO design. :)
I've been bad about blogging when stuff got added to my site. So here's a catalog of the last couple of years including a bunch of podcasts and talks!
New stuff on the site
I really have been neglecting the blog lately. But that doesn't mean I haven't been adding content to the site all along. I figured it might not hurt to do a little summary of items that have been added over the last year and a half or more. The last talk I posted up was my GDC talk from 2024…
www.raphkoster.com
October 25, 2025 at 11:03 PM
I've been bad about blogging when stuff got added to my site. So here's a catalog of the last couple of years including a bunch of podcasts and talks!
We have been working for a while on visual upgrades for STARS REACH, and are releasing our first video of those enhancements today! More to come! :)
The Visual Upgrade: Jungle Biome - 🧪 Stars Reach Laboratory #002
Welcome back Reachers!
Today we want to showcase some new plants and vegetation, while also demonstrating how seasons, light, initial player interactions affect the living world.
youtu.be/tZ40i-xLDEY
Welcome back Reachers!
Today we want to showcase some new plants and vegetation, while also demonstrating how seasons, light, initial player interactions affect the living world.
youtu.be/tZ40i-xLDEY
The Visual Upgrade: Jungle Biome - 🧪 Stars Reach Laboratory #002
YouTube video by Stars Reach
youtu.be
October 21, 2025 at 6:49 PM
We have been working for a while on visual upgrades for STARS REACH, and are releasing our first video of those enhancements today! More to come! :)
Reposted by Raph Koster
Take that game idea in the back of your head -- how could it communicate its core idea through mechanics and systems, before aesthetics and narrative?
@raphkoster.bsky.social on the difference between thematic experimentation vs mechanical experimentation.
@raphkoster.bsky.social on the difference between thematic experimentation vs mechanical experimentation.
October 17, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Take that game idea in the back of your head -- how could it communicate its core idea through mechanics and systems, before aesthetics and narrative?
@raphkoster.bsky.social on the difference between thematic experimentation vs mechanical experimentation.
@raphkoster.bsky.social on the difference between thematic experimentation vs mechanical experimentation.
Reposted by Raph Koster
I greatly enjoyed this chat with @raphkoster.bsky.social about fun, cognitive theory, and the massive 3D cellular automata powering the @playstarsreach.bsky.social galaxy.
Broad simulation, player control, and emergent behaviour ➡️ the best stories in games.
Broad simulation, player control, and emergent behaviour ➡️ the best stories in games.
Playing God with Galactic Cellular Automata in Stars Reach - Raph Koster | grokludo 11
YouTube video by The Junglist
www.youtube.com
October 13, 2025 at 6:25 AM
I greatly enjoyed this chat with @raphkoster.bsky.social about fun, cognitive theory, and the massive 3D cellular automata powering the @playstarsreach.bsky.social galaxy.
Broad simulation, player control, and emergent behaviour ➡️ the best stories in games.
Broad simulation, player control, and emergent behaviour ➡️ the best stories in games.
Site updates
It's been quite a while since the site was refreshed. I was forced into it by a PHP upgrade that rendered the old customizable theme I was using obsolete. We're now running a new theme that has been styled to match the old one pretty closely, but I did go ahead and do some…
It's been quite a while since the site was refreshed. I was forced into it by a PHP upgrade that rendered the old customizable theme I was using obsolete. We're now running a new theme that has been styled to match the old one pretty closely, but I did go ahead and do some…
Site updates
It's been quite a while since the site was refreshed. I was forced into it by a PHP upgrade that rendered the old customizable theme I was using obsolete. We're now running a new theme that has been styled to match the old one pretty closely, but I did go ahead and do some streamlining: way less plugins (especially ancient ones), simpler layout in several places, much better handling of responsive layouts for mobile, down to a single sidebar, and so on.
www.raphkoster.com
October 12, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Site updates
It's been quite a while since the site was refreshed. I was forced into it by a PHP upgrade that rendered the old customizable theme I was using obsolete. We're now running a new theme that has been styled to match the old one pretty closely, but I did go ahead and do some…
It's been quite a while since the site was refreshed. I was forced into it by a PHP upgrade that rendered the old customizable theme I was using obsolete. We're now running a new theme that has been styled to match the old one pretty closely, but I did go ahead and do some…
We recently showed off STARS REACH at a local IGDA meetup, and I also got to do an hour long talk about the history of online worlds, from PLATO to looter-shooters and beyond!
A tour de force presentation on The Evolution of Online Worlds by Raph Koster ( @raphkoster.bsky.social ) at IGDA
The intertwined history of gaming and social interaction.
Slightly older than Raph, this is my lived history from the 70s onwards.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=USeg...
The intertwined history of gaming and social interaction.
Slightly older than Raph, this is my lived history from the 70s onwards.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=USeg...
Raph Koster at the IGDA - The Evolution of Online Worlds
YouTube video by Stars Reach
www.youtube.com
October 8, 2025 at 7:23 PM
We recently showed off STARS REACH at a local IGDA meetup, and I also got to do an hour long talk about the history of online worlds, from PLATO to looter-shooters and beyond!
They also talk about Theory of Fun. :)
This week on Get Played Heather, Nick and Matt look back at 40 years of Super Mario Bros! They talk about some of their favorite entries in the series, what makes Mario endure, their first Mario experiences and more! Listen wherever you get tour podcasts headgum.com/get-played
September 15, 2025 at 10:59 PM
They also talk about Theory of Fun. :)
A giant build done by players in Stars Reach. It’s showing us what we need to optimize!
youtu.be/rhvm3enxWkU
youtu.be/rhvm3enxWkU
This player made freighter in Stars Reach is INSANE!
YouTube video by Controlled Chaos Gaming
youtu.be
August 23, 2025 at 3:46 AM
A giant build done by players in Stars Reach. It’s showing us what we need to optimize!
youtu.be/rhvm3enxWkU
youtu.be/rhvm3enxWkU
Stars Reach doesn’t look like you remember
I've been remiss in posting updates on Stars Reach here. I mean, the Kickstarter finished back in March (late pledges still accepted)! Today, though, I want to brag about our awesome AI and proc gen driven worlds. Over the last few releases, we have been…
I've been remiss in posting updates on Stars Reach here. I mean, the Kickstarter finished back in March (late pledges still accepted)! Today, though, I want to brag about our awesome AI and proc gen driven worlds. Over the last few releases, we have been…
Stars Reach doesn’t look like you remember
I've been remiss in posting updates on Stars Reach here. I mean, the Kickstarter finished back in March (late pledges still accepted)! Today, though, I want to brag about our awesome AI and proc gen driven worlds. Over the last few releases, we have been rolling out yet another series of improvements to the look of the worlds. And we're getting to the point where I think the alien worlds are starting to look like the covers of sci-fi novels (especially with some player help building weird structures):
www.raphkoster.com
June 20, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Stars Reach doesn’t look like you remember
I've been remiss in posting updates on Stars Reach here. I mean, the Kickstarter finished back in March (late pledges still accepted)! Today, though, I want to brag about our awesome AI and proc gen driven worlds. Over the last few releases, we have been…
I've been remiss in posting updates on Stars Reach here. I mean, the Kickstarter finished back in March (late pledges still accepted)! Today, though, I want to brag about our awesome AI and proc gen driven worlds. Over the last few releases, we have been…
If you haven't seen Stars Reach in a while, you might be surprised. :)
June 18, 2025 at 8:27 PM
If you haven't seen Stars Reach in a while, you might be surprised. :)
From our daily standup today:
Major issues to help track and resolve before playtest:
Season Curve causing flora to burst into flames
Major issues to help track and resolve before playtest:
Season Curve causing flora to burst into flames
June 6, 2025 at 5:12 PM
From our daily standup today:
Major issues to help track and resolve before playtest:
Season Curve causing flora to burst into flames
Major issues to help track and resolve before playtest:
Season Curve causing flora to burst into flames
Reposted by Raph Koster
Want to help build magical new worlds? 🌍✨ Playable Worlds is hiring! Remote roles in Engineering & Design, with full-time and contract options. Great perks, stock options, and a passionate team behind it all.
Apply now or send an open app: www.playableworlds.com/careers/
Apply now or send an open app: www.playableworlds.com/careers/
May 8, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Want to help build magical new worlds? 🌍✨ Playable Worlds is hiring! Remote roles in Engineering & Design, with full-time and contract options. Great perks, stock options, and a passionate team behind it all.
Apply now or send an open app: www.playableworlds.com/careers/
Apply now or send an open app: www.playableworlds.com/careers/
Reposted by Raph Koster
GUNC Mycityum after 14 hours. Got lots of materials last 3 hours to make Saturday easier so builders can start building their houses at the top!! Can’t wait to see what y’all build, maybe we will see a dev build up there!
@playstarsreach.bsky.social #PlayStarsReach #StarsReach #MMORPG
@playstarsreach.bsky.social #PlayStarsReach #StarsReach #MMORPG
May 9, 2025 at 3:53 AM
GUNC Mycityum after 14 hours. Got lots of materials last 3 hours to make Saturday easier so builders can start building their houses at the top!! Can’t wait to see what y’all build, maybe we will see a dev build up there!
@playstarsreach.bsky.social #PlayStarsReach #StarsReach #MMORPG
@playstarsreach.bsky.social #PlayStarsReach #StarsReach #MMORPG
Reposted by Raph Koster
Former EverQuest Next boss Dave Georgeson is one of the key devs working on Raph Koster's Stars Reach MMORPG - hear him talk about progress in the pre-alpha:
Stars Reach game director Dave Georgeson talks material density, XP rates, and skill trees
massivelyop.com
May 8, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Former EverQuest Next boss Dave Georgeson is one of the key devs working on Raph Koster's Stars Reach MMORPG - hear him talk about progress in the pre-alpha: