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Daniel Vella

@danielvella

Director & Senior Lecturer at Institute of Digital Games, University of Malta // Narrative designer with Mighty Boards (Posthuman Saga, Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan) // Debut novel out 2026

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30.09.2023
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Latest posts by Daniel Vella @danielvella

"Oh, we created the Kill Chain long ago, but there were too many links between that sudden impulse to kill some people in the Middle East and actual children's blood in the dirt, so we've now shortened the Kill Chain to be 'faster than the speed of thought.' Efficiency, you know?"

03.03.2026 11:23 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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It's obvious, we're lethalitymaxxing. Get with the program!

03.03.2026 11:06 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

*taps the sign with increasing weariness*

03.03.2026 09:56 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Sure Europe might have had some reservations about the US with the whole Greenland thing, but there's nothing like some good old-fashioned imperialism in the Middle East to bring old friends together.

02.03.2026 18:28 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

To understand what's happening in Iran today, you have to know about the history of Western intervention in the country.

In the early 1900s, the British secured oil rights in the country until 1993, where they only agreed to pay Iran 16% of the total profits.

This was seen as an unfair deal. 🧡

01.03.2026 20:09 πŸ‘ 1630 πŸ” 801 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 32

A journalist asked me today if the war would make the middle east more safe, given the Iranian regime's belligerence.

I explained that until the root causes of conflict - Israeli warfare & occupation, and Arab authoritarianism - are addressed, even (unlikely) regime change in Iran won't do much.

01.03.2026 20:33 πŸ‘ 308 πŸ” 62 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 1

If the idea of pursuing a Masters in game studies in Malta, with analysis, design and tech streams, sounds good to you, join our online info session later today!

24.02.2026 10:23 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
What even is a Game Mechanic
What even is a Game Mechanic YouTube video by Fruity Pol

A simple question leads MSc student Paul down a #gamestudies rabbit hole.

✨Hunicke, LeBlanc, @rzubek.bsky.social ▢️ @miguelsicart.bsky.social ▢️ Swink ▢️Adams & @jorisdormans.bsky.social

#gamedev #gamedesign

youtu.be/MFgTpQUbHZA?...

17.02.2026 15:06 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I do! My novel is out on UK-based Praspar Press later this year. I'll share their words on it, which feels slightly less self-aggrandizing than trying to talk it up myself.

23.02.2026 23:04 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Finished @inkle.co's new TR-49 and it's predictably excellent, but I'm now fascinated by the distinct genre of scientific mysticism blended with interpersonal tragedy that characterizes so much of the British indie game writing scene (see also: Dear Esther, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture...).

20.02.2026 16:18 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The gorgeous soundstage landscapes of The Jade Raksha (Ho Meng-Hua, 1968)

11.02.2026 21:41 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #037 Last week's cliffhangers revealed - hide your wallets!! Plus a ton of great manga and magazines, and some cool indie projects hitting shelves.

Academics from around the world have come together to explore the themes and lore of classics like #Bloodborne, #DarkSouls and #EldenRing in "π’π‚π‡πŽπ‹π€π‘'𝐒 π‚πŽπƒπ„π—"

...and pre-orders are open!

ONE DAY...I will have all the @tuneandfairweather.bsky.social collection on our shelves....ONE DAY... ❀️

04.02.2026 14:03 πŸ‘ 20 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

Thank you for sharing this! We're really proud of the work that has gone into this, and can't wait for it to reach readers :-)

04.02.2026 14:12 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I don't willingly use AI for anything, but the fact that every app insists on shoving it into my face means I keep seeing things like this which remind me why I don't willingly use AI for anything.

03.02.2026 16:58 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

And our CfP is out!

History of Games 2026: The Ages of Games. Epochs and Periodisations

25-27th June, City University of Hong Kong, School of Creative

www.history-of-games.com/2026-hong-ko...

Please share and hope to see you there!

02.02.2026 17:27 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 3

The Scholar’s Codex is available for pre-purchase, published by @tuneandfairweather.bsky.social ! I’m so amazed to be part of such a well-crafted collection (the illustrations are gorgeous) edited by @domford.bsky.social, @gua-le-ni.com, @nelevdm.bsky.social and @danielvella.bsky.social.

30.01.2026 22:18 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Can finally talk about this book! @domford.bsky.social @gua-le-ni.com @nelevdm.bsky.social & I have been on this journey for a while with a great team of contributors, and it's amazing to see what T&F have done with it. Certainly the most gorgeous book I've ever been involved with.

28.01.2026 15:56 πŸ‘ 23 πŸ” 13 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Can finally talk about this book! @domford.bsky.social @gua-le-ni.com @nelevdm.bsky.social & I have been on this journey for a while with a great team of contributors, and it's amazing to see what T&F have done with it. Certainly the most gorgeous book I've ever been involved with.

28.01.2026 15:56 πŸ‘ 23 πŸ” 13 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Writing game studies papers so good they echo back into the past.

26.01.2026 19:41 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
#mystery #booksky πŸ’™πŸ“š

#mystery #booksky πŸ’™πŸ“š

Between the fog and the flame, a truth lies buried in ash.

26.01.2026 17:15 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Amazing item ahead. Watch this space!

23.01.2026 17:26 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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One of those 'no rhyme or reason' kind of weeks. #LastFourWatched #LetterboxdFriday

23.01.2026 14:48 πŸ‘ 16 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Last month The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Games, ed. by @add-hawk.bsky.social & John Richard Sageng, was also out! I've got a chapter on the idea of 'beauty' in the aesthetic philosophy of Kant & Schiller and how it applies to play & games, and it's in great company in this huge collection.

20.01.2026 09:42 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

And it's out!

Widely available in the US.
Ask your favourite bookshop if outside of the US.
Digital version open access (any minute).

Hope you all enjoy it!

21.01.2026 12:52 πŸ‘ 30 πŸ” 8 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

ah well at least we restructured the entire contemporary university, the product of many centuries of slowly accumulating human ingenuity, to boost this

20.01.2026 03:24 πŸ‘ 483 πŸ” 186 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 1

As always, the usual note applies: these texts are not open access (booo the academic publishing industry), but those who ask will not be turned away.

20.01.2026 12:05 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Last month The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Games, ed. by @add-hawk.bsky.social & John Richard Sageng, was also out! I've got a chapter on the idea of 'beauty' in the aesthetic philosophy of Kant & Schiller and how it applies to play & games, and it's in great company in this huge collection.

20.01.2026 09:42 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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It's been a great run! #LetterboxdFriday #LastFourWatched

16.01.2026 16:01 πŸ‘ 15 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I also wrote a piece in the issue about ruins in occupied Palestine - from post-1948 attempts to erase the ruins memorialising centuries of Palestinian presence, to post-2023 (ab)use of images of the ruins of Gaza to foreground, rather than obscure, the violence and cruelty of the Zionist project.

15.01.2026 18:30 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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I haven't been great at sharing my recent work on here. Time to fix that! First up: with Mathias Fuchs, I co-edited a special issue of Digital Culture & Society on Ruins and the Contemporary, exploring images and imaginaries of ruin in contemporary culture. www.degruyterbrill.com/journal/key/...

15.01.2026 18:20 πŸ‘ 22 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1