Stacey Mason
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stcymsn.bsky.social
Stacey Mason
@stcymsn.bsky.social
5.5K followers 860 following 1.4K posts
❧ Interactive narrative innovation & research
❧ Senior Quest Designer: Cyberpunk 2
❧ Prev R&D: procedural narrative, hypertext lit
❧ PhD: Responsive Narrative Systems
❧ Narr design analysis: twitch.tv/CerebralArcade
❧ Opinions mine
❧ More: staceymason.info
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stcymsn.bsky.social
When I first got a puppy (years ago) they said that if you want to wear out all that puppy energy, the best thing is to give them brain puzzles.

Today, I’m the puppy—learning a ton at once, but totally exhausted by end of day.

(Here’s puppy tax from when Pharah was about 10 mo and mentally done)
An adolescent German Shepherd can’t keep her eyes open long enough to play with her favorite toy rope.
October 22, 2025 at 11:38 PM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Good news: it just keeps getting better. I didn’t notice any real aging until 37 & it coincided w my confidence skyrocketing to the point I don’t care. Pretty sure age fears are just marketing ploys & patriarchy bc I’m feeling myself more at 39 than I ever did in my 20s (My most recent pic—I’m left)
Pic by Professor Clare of two women smiling at the camera. The author (left) is a little tipsy at her going away party. The photographer (right) is an excellent human you should follow on Twitch @professorclare. She’s wearing glasses.
September 8, 2025 at 12:10 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Wow we’re having “games are art” discourse again! Just gonna leave this here.

From my dissertation:
2.1 Lenses, Not Boxes I wondered whether this section was necessary, but games discourse seems to repeatedly find itself adrift in questions of whether _ counts as a _. We have seen the question repeatedly: Do games count as art? Do games without goals count as games? Is The Sims a game? Are hypertexts interactive fiction? Are Twine pieces literature? In fairness to the researchers cited here, all of whom I respect immensely, many of these sources pose or imply the question rhetorically. Still, the necessity of such a framing frustrates me. "Is _ a _?" is, in my opinion, a fruitless question. The question can never be answered to anyone's satisfaction, and it often serves as either a provocation to espouse politics or as a cover to institute gatekeeping. Its agenda is usually opaque to onlookers and bewildering to those trying to advance the field from across disciplines. We should be thinking in lenses, not boxes. It is always more interesting to ask "If we think of _ through the lens of _, what do we learn?" We know it is more interesting to ask "What do we learn by considering Tom Stoppard through the lens of poststructuralism?" than to ask "Is Stoppard's work poststructuralist?" And while some works may be more or less fruitful when examined through different lenses, sometimes the most unlikely pairings of lenses and objects are the most rewarding. Certainly any of the questions above would be much better served by reframing them in this way.
August 4, 2025 at 12:17 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Well, chat, I was too tired to post about it yesterday but

I RAN THE SAN FRANCISCO MARATHON!

It was my first marathon, and whew! it was dramatic! 🧵
Image of foolish runners out way too early on a Sunday running the San Francisco marathon. The Golden Gate Bridge is peeking out of the fog in the distance Image of some more foolish runners running on the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s foggy and rainy and hauntingly beautiful but still way too early for any sane person to be doing this. Image of the author, a flushed, exhausted, Caucasian woman in a white hat and sunglasses with a finisher’s medal around her neck. The sunglasses are mostly hiding how much pain she’s in. The SF Ferry Building and a crowd of people are visible in the background.
July 29, 2025 at 3:22 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
A huge thanks to all the folks who sent words of encouragement. Unclear if I’ll be able to walk tomorrow (good sore, not injured), but we got the 18 done today—a lovely run from Oakland across the Bay Bridge to Treasure Island and back 💪

Y’all are absolutely amazing. 💖

4 more workouts until taper
A shot of the San Francisco skyline from the Bay Bridge as the fog rolled in. This was around mile 6 and was totally not just an excuse to rest from the fact that the Bay Bridge is a 3-mile hill. A shot of the Bay Bridge from Treasure Island that was totally not just an excuse to gather some gumption for the second half of the run. Flowers in the foreground and the bridge in the background. Picture of flags flying among palm trees. The American flag, the California flag, and the Pride flag wave against a blue sky.
June 29, 2025 at 5:54 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Well, chat, we complained, we procrastinated…and then we did the thing.

Now to rest and fuel for the morning. 😅
Image of a golden sunset sinking behind a distant skyline. Water sparkles in the mid-ground, and some pretty plants are almost in silhouette in the foreground. Bottom text reads “Didn’t want to but we did it. Run 4.1 mi Pace 10:24/mi Time 42m 46s”. Top text is the logo from the Strava app. Image of the author, a white woman wearing a faded orange Florida Gators cap (go gators!), a grey tank top, and a resigned slight-smile, right before she did this run.
June 28, 2025 at 3:24 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Absolutely delighted to share that I’ve started a new position as a Senior Quest Designer at CD PROJEKT RED working on the next Cyberpunk game!

I'm SO excited about this team and this project. I can't wait to share more when the time comes!
Wallpaper key art from Cyberpunk 2077.
May 2, 2025 at 12:05 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Today’s long run was a half, and from here on out we start getting into distances that are very intimidating to me!

But between the moody weather and some very motivating sidewalk chalk, the vibes on today’s run were excellent.
Some sidewalk chalk graffiti that reads “embarrassment is confidence waiting 2 bloom” Sidewalk chalk graffiti that reads “(you deserve joy)” with a smiley face A moody picture of a lake with grey skies and dark tress almost in silhouette. A white egret is visible in the foreground and some sleeping ducks dot the water further out.
April 27, 2025 at 11:40 PM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Not me fighting the ADHD urge to type out a novel of explanation and caveats only to realize I don't want to put all of that out on Al Gore's Internet, so I'll just respond with this:

But um... yeah.
Nervous laughter meme
April 4, 2025 at 10:16 PM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Yesssss
Sickos meme
February 2, 2025 at 12:19 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
I read this as "Reboot: Noone Lives Forever" and was momentarily like "I mean, he's not wrong" before I realized
Characters from the Reboot cartoon (1994-2001)
February 1, 2025 at 7:12 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Stacey-coded characters
Katniss Everdeen of the Hunger Games wishing she could do normal girl things but needing to raise her sister, take down an empire, and lead a revolution instead. Buffy Summers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer wishing she could do normal girl things, but needing to be the chosen Slayer and save the world from all the creatures of Hell instead. Blossom from the Power Puff Girls wishing she could just play on the playground, but she's always gotta rush off and save the world instead. Kim Possible wishing she could just hang out and be a cheerleader, but she's always gotta save the world with her lovably dorky friends instead.
February 1, 2025 at 5:40 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Images of the Sickos meme -- a guy looking in a window with a shirt that reads "sickos". He's saying "yes...ha ha ha... YES!". It's generally used to express an inordinate amount of enthusiasm for something others might not understand or be as excited about.
January 25, 2025 at 9:02 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Me facing 2025
Animated gif of a scene from 1996 cult film The Craft. 4 women, seated cross-legged in nature, hold hands and chant.
December 21, 2024 at 7:19 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
The monopoly references are getting them worked up!
Pepe Silvia conspiracy guy meme
December 11, 2024 at 6:59 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Impulse bought these stackable Yoshis at Super Nintendo World and I’ve gotten way more fun and play out of them this weekend than I expected. Very cute!
A pyramid of various-colored plastic Yoshis stacked on top of each other on a marble table. A white pine-scented Xmas candle from Epic games and a stack of Switch games accidentally frame the shot.
December 1, 2024 at 11:24 PM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Goofs 🥰
Two nerds in sunglasses wearing silly plush hats at Super Nintendo World. The woman on the left (author) is in a red plush Mario hat and the person on the right is in a green plush Luigi hat. In the background some question blocks can be seen.
November 15, 2024 at 10:43 PM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Today I ran a half marathon. This is the first I’ve run in over 15 yrs—since back in my personal training days before my first surgery for CECS. It is the 7th one I’ve attempted to train for since my CECS diagnosis but I always got injured.

Trying to be chill but I’m, uh, really proud of this one
Image of the author, very tired and a little sunburnt, sitting on grass, wearing a racing bib and a finisher’s medal.
November 4, 2024 at 12:41 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Here’s two goofs. He’s covering her face because her face is always silly with these eyebrow-looking markings.
Two cats that are way too big for a cat tower laying on top of each other. One has his paw over the other’s eyes. Two goofy cats laying on a white sheet. The boy has brown markings and the girl is white with marks on her head that look like worried eyebrows, but her actual eyes look grumpy and tired.
September 7, 2024 at 3:11 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Sleeping cat curled up in a perfect little ball with his perfect little face snuggled into his tail. He’s grabbing his big ole rabbit feet with his silly little hands.
July 14, 2024 at 7:03 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Nobody tells you how much time you can spend putting household good in aesthetic jars and keeping the labels up to date if you let yourself fall down this rabbit hole.
An assortment of jars holding various grains, beans, flours and nuts. It’s weirdly beautiful if your mind works a particular way. More jars holding teas, both loose leaf and bagged. Someone is probably unnecessarily proud of this.
April 3, 2024 at 3:09 AM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Excited for Day of the Devs! This is what I look like today!
Self-portrait of Stacey! She’s an awesome 30-something gamedev with long galaxy-colored hair and she’s smiling at you :)
March 17, 2024 at 9:23 PM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Reskeet with a quote from a show/movie that’s actually good advice
Angelica Houston from the movie Ever After with the caption “Darling, nothing is final until you are dead. Even then, I’m sure God negotiates.”
October 19, 2023 at 11:20 PM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Reskeet with a photo of you that could be an album cover
Picture of the artist looking very seriously at something behind the camera, sitting on a red couch in an oversized sweater holding a plush Yoshi. The photo has the hazy look of a mid-00s indie rock album cover
September 23, 2023 at 8:25 PM
stcymsn.bsky.social
Looking fabulous, watching esports at PAX
September 4, 2023 at 3:37 AM