Tanya X. Short
@tanyaxshort.bsky.social
Captain of Kitfox Games (Streets of Fortuna, Boyfriend Dungeon, Dwarf Fortress, Caves of Qud). Co-director of Pixelles & Polaris. She/her. Be full of love. Put in the effort.
if you enjoy the playful surreal-mundane vibes of Keita Takahashi (Katamari, NobiNobi etc), you can get a bit of a fix from Henry Halfhead, a strange little experience that's genuinely joyful but also a touch philosophical, about the purpose of play and curiosity. highly recommend.
October 14, 2025 at 1:34 PM
if you enjoy the playful surreal-mundane vibes of Keita Takahashi (Katamari, NobiNobi etc), you can get a bit of a fix from Henry Halfhead, a strange little experience that's genuinely joyful but also a touch philosophical, about the purpose of play and curiosity. highly recommend.
ok so I'm going to say this is primarily Kafka-esque, to receive an apparently legitimate(?) invoice from something with no context or name attached besides Sandwich, but I'm going to play some Blue Prince tunes on top while I stare at it to make it Lynchian instead
May 17, 2025 at 12:42 AM
ok so I'm going to say this is primarily Kafka-esque, to receive an apparently legitimate(?) invoice from something with no context or name attached besides Sandwich, but I'm going to play some Blue Prince tunes on top while I stare at it to make it Lynchian instead
you know you're cooking up a good game when you gotta refresh yourself mid-production on important topics and the latest scholarship
April 30, 2025 at 2:02 PM
you know you're cooking up a good game when you gotta refresh yourself mid-production on important topics and the latest scholarship
IT'S NOT!!!! gotta hope it's fixed in a day 1 patch (photo a la @jasonschreier.bsky.social )
April 3, 2025 at 5:06 PM
IT'S NOT!!!! gotta hope it's fixed in a day 1 patch (photo a la @jasonschreier.bsky.social )
hey look, proof I was at DICE. I even have a trendy water bottle now, thanks to the roundtable-leader swag bag. extra thanks for the photo Laura Kinser Studios!
February 25, 2025 at 5:52 PM
hey look, proof I was at DICE. I even have a trendy water bottle now, thanks to the roundtable-leader swag bag. extra thanks for the photo Laura Kinser Studios!
Glad to see @pcgamer.com giving gamers good advice
January 30, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Glad to see @pcgamer.com giving gamers good advice
there are only 2 kinds of game designer. I will not explain (but feel free to ask @kchironis.bsky.social)
January 28, 2025 at 10:31 PM
there are only 2 kinds of game designer. I will not explain (but feel free to ask @kchironis.bsky.social)
aaaagh is Devilition's piece selection totally random or is it JUST COINCIDENTALLY ALWAYS way worse at higher stages? these snakes are killin' me!
November 27, 2024 at 2:12 AM
aaaagh is Devilition's piece selection totally random or is it JUST COINCIDENTALLY ALWAYS way worse at higher stages? these snakes are killin' me!
Google come on now at least get your capitalization standards correct
October 10, 2024 at 6:30 PM
Google come on now at least get your capitalization standards correct
ah. exhaling. kid's birthday party went well, the Air Canada strike is cancelled before the retreat next week, and I got my nails done. phewww maybe now my skin can stop freaking out from stress? sitting and playing video games until my demands for clear skin are met.
September 15, 2024 at 4:11 PM
ah. exhaling. kid's birthday party went well, the Air Canada strike is cancelled before the retreat next week, and I got my nails done. phewww maybe now my skin can stop freaking out from stress? sitting and playing video games until my demands for clear skin are met.
look, fraudsters, emailing random people looking for jobs telling them Kitfox is hiring them? extremely messed up.
but sending Kitfox employees this email? offensive on so many levels. you think I put my name as the title? or use Outlook or iOS??!?! get a new scam, weirdos!
but sending Kitfox employees this email? offensive on so many levels. you think I put my name as the title? or use Outlook or iOS??!?! get a new scam, weirdos!
September 5, 2024 at 1:39 PM
look, fraudsters, emailing random people looking for jobs telling them Kitfox is hiring them? extremely messed up.
but sending Kitfox employees this email? offensive on so many levels. you think I put my name as the title? or use Outlook or iOS??!?! get a new scam, weirdos!
but sending Kitfox employees this email? offensive on so many levels. you think I put my name as the title? or use Outlook or iOS??!?! get a new scam, weirdos!
me, snapping awake at 1:35 am: it's happening again, it's all happening again
August 7, 2024 at 12:32 PM
me, snapping awake at 1:35 am: it's happening again, it's all happening again
what we should mean when we say someone "made a beeline"
August 1, 2024 at 1:25 PM
what we should mean when we say someone "made a beeline"
we gotta nationalize social media, ya'll. it can't be profitable or else it is based on engagement, which was always a pointless harmful metric but is exacerbated by AI.
regard these YouTube comments on our last trailer! how much bandwidth is wasted on AI??? even 1 carbon is too much!
regard these YouTube comments on our last trailer! how much bandwidth is wasted on AI??? even 1 carbon is too much!
June 27, 2024 at 2:57 PM
we gotta nationalize social media, ya'll. it can't be profitable or else it is based on engagement, which was always a pointless harmful metric but is exacerbated by AI.
regard these YouTube comments on our last trailer! how much bandwidth is wasted on AI??? even 1 carbon is too much!
regard these YouTube comments on our last trailer! how much bandwidth is wasted on AI??? even 1 carbon is too much!
I know I'm basically a boomer for still playing Wordle but look, I can quit once my 3s overtake my 6s
April 24, 2024 at 1:59 PM
I know I'm basically a boomer for still playing Wordle but look, I can quit once my 3s overtake my 6s
Fun fact! Although you can name the actual product different things for consumers, the base name of soundtracks on Steam is always GameName+Soundtrack. Even if you have multiple. So now the only way I have to tell apart the two DF soundtracks is that one has a bigger dwarfhead on it:
April 22, 2024 at 1:49 PM
Fun fact! Although you can name the actual product different things for consumers, the base name of soundtracks on Steam is always GameName+Soundtrack. Even if you have multiple. So now the only way I have to tell apart the two DF soundtracks is that one has a bigger dwarfhead on it:
1 - when a character gets modeled more deeply over time, your interactions feel more meaningful. one-off "helping someone" doesn't feel like nurturing.
Depth = Interaction(Frequency * Meaning) * Changes-over-time
Depth = Interaction(Frequency * Meaning) * Changes-over-time
February 27, 2024 at 2:44 PM
1 - when a character gets modeled more deeply over time, your interactions feel more meaningful. one-off "helping someone" doesn't feel like nurturing.
Depth = Interaction(Frequency * Meaning) * Changes-over-time
Depth = Interaction(Frequency * Meaning) * Changes-over-time
this is why we make games. it's all for you. the gamers.
February 20, 2024 at 8:35 PM
this is why we make games. it's all for you. the gamers.
In case it helps I wrote these! Art direction and creative direction surely have something in common..
medium.com/@kitfoxgames...
medium.com/@kitfoxgames...
medium.com/@kitfoxgames...
I ended up focusing on my top 6 strengths to aim for:
medium.com/@kitfoxgames...
medium.com/@kitfoxgames...
medium.com/@kitfoxgames...
I ended up focusing on my top 6 strengths to aim for:
February 19, 2024 at 4:29 PM
In case it helps I wrote these! Art direction and creative direction surely have something in common..
medium.com/@kitfoxgames...
medium.com/@kitfoxgames...
medium.com/@kitfoxgames...
I ended up focusing on my top 6 strengths to aim for:
medium.com/@kitfoxgames...
medium.com/@kitfoxgames...
medium.com/@kitfoxgames...
I ended up focusing on my top 6 strengths to aim for:
ah yes, Mixology, that science in which a floating metal capsule will telepathically reveal the moment of your humiliating death, thank you for this advertisement Teavas
February 8, 2024 at 2:25 PM
ah yes, Mixology, that science in which a floating metal capsule will telepathically reveal the moment of your humiliating death, thank you for this advertisement Teavas
I fill out a spreadsheet like this (this is from q3 2022, for what became Loose Leaf), brainstorming any relevant tags, titles, genres, or cousin games. for each one, I ask, what is this? what did people connect with, or not?
the goal is to get a "gut feeling" for what people want rn and why
the goal is to get a "gut feeling" for what people want rn and why
January 30, 2024 at 5:50 PM
I fill out a spreadsheet like this (this is from q3 2022, for what became Loose Leaf), brainstorming any relevant tags, titles, genres, or cousin games. for each one, I ask, what is this? what did people connect with, or not?
the goal is to get a "gut feeling" for what people want rn and why
the goal is to get a "gut feeling" for what people want rn and why
I'm sure I'll be nostalgic about this in years to come. These are the good old days! Life on the Edge~
January 13, 2024 at 9:12 PM
I'm sure I'll be nostalgic about this in years to come. These are the good old days! Life on the Edge~
happy to say my solstice dreams came true. I helped make a little multiplayer ~experience~ and we had a fun time! maybe I miss jamming, actually. youtu.be/nfOHxyAGJC0
December 21, 2023 at 9:44 PM
happy to say my solstice dreams came true. I helped make a little multiplayer ~experience~ and we had a fun time! maybe I miss jamming, actually. youtu.be/nfOHxyAGJC0
hello it is me, the Gamer of the household
December 20, 2023 at 2:52 PM
hello it is me, the Gamer of the household
me, looking for reference material for 'fallen Arthurian knights': oops I remade Dark Souls I guess
December 18, 2023 at 5:14 PM
me, looking for reference material for 'fallen Arthurian knights': oops I remade Dark Souls I guess