Just posted "On Gameplay Storytelling", my contribution to @jon.inkle.co's cool new anthology "The Game Narrative Kaleidoscope", on my website:
jordanmechner.com/en/latest-ne...
The thing about writing for games is to remember that the story exists to serve the game design, not...
First devlog on Celestial Golf in awhile: youtu.be/kRpy2RYJdr8
Did some playtesting. Got a bit sad from the feedback, which helped make the YTthumbnail. But I've triaged the issues and have a plan. #gamedev #indie #space
(Also took 3 weeks off to prototype a new game, but that's another story.)
Getting low views on my videos might have many causes, but it probably doesn't help that I have 10 years of semi-popular videos about Myst. I imagine that is confusing the algorithm (probably shows my gamedev videos to Myst fans who quickly click off). So it's time for a fresh start.
I don't know if this is a good idea or not but I started a new YouTube channel for #indie #gamedev. www.youtube.com/channel/UCkB...
If you follow me for development on Celestial Golf, please consider subscribing to the new channel.
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It still blows my mind that the little domino that started the entire world being pulled into a mass surveillance apparatus was a single Australian radio presenter being asked by his daughter if she could use SnapChat and he decided to break the Internet.
This, so much. Follow who is behind these laws because they sure as hell aren't actually protecting children. #socialmediaban
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Age verification laws are nuts. Massive blow to privacy and open source.
Laws like this assume that all tech is made by a few giant corps with big legal teams. It's often impossible for open source to comply because they respect users privacy by design.
www.tomshardware.com/software/ope...
I used to love editing minutiae on Wikipedia but I haven't for literal decades because, most things are either fine or outside of my area of expertise. This was a good little research project.
It's so rare these days to go to Wikipedia and find an article entirely lacking in historical context, so you have to find clippings of 19th century newspapers to track down the source. With that, I present the brand new History section of: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forsyth...
You're welcome, Internet.
Just unregistered Celestial Golf from the Feb Steam Next Fest. Feedback suggested it isn't ready for a wider audience and I haven't had time in Dec/Jan to work on it. Doesn't feel great but June is around the corner! #gamedev #indie
You can still test it here:
store.steampowered.com/app/3965730/...
There's a nuance here which is that eSafety is powerless to negotiate with companies and must follow the law, which flat-out prohibits companies from offering child accounts. That isn't a defense. It means the law, which was rushed from first draft to final legislation in 9 days, is harmful rubbish.
Aus eSafety actively sabotaged the inclusion of child protection features in Snapchat
www.afr.com/technology/s...
Better to disallow kid accounts and force kids to make adult accounts than let the service provide a safe child experience. Great job! 👍 #SocialMediaBan
Sorry but just because something terrible happened to your kid does not mean you should rush through legislation that may or may not have helped and might be very harmful. The "evidence" always mentioned is always cherry-picked by people with an agenda.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
9 (yes that's the name of the game) is such a wild thing to exist. I feel blessed to have been gifted it at launch in 1996, probably too young, but it's both good-bizarre and a surprisingly well designed puzzle game.
If harms are socially rooted, then technical restrictions alone are unlikely to solve them. A ban treats social media as the problem, rather than asking deeper questions about why certain behaviours – harassment, shaming, misogyny, exploitation – occur in the first place.
It's too late for Australia but please, rest of the world, don't rush into this. Understand that all the "positive" outcomes of our social media ban are pushed by old media institutions that profit from locking kids out of online spaces. #socialmediaban
theconversation.com/i-research-t...
Shock finding: things which are harmful when used excessively can be beneficial in moderation, and maybe the government shouldn't implement total bans of things they don't understand. #auspol #socialmediaban
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
None of these effects would have been felt yet. They may not be felt for a generation, but they are clear risks of this law. 8/8 #auspol #socialmediaban
... and thus get it banned for U16s and require age verification for adults. This doesn't just allow for political censorship, but more subtle quid-pro-quo (e.g. maybe a certain website should be more favourable towards the government or it might get classified). 7/
6. It entrenches traditional media by knocking out their major competition.
7. It gives the government (and any future government) frightening powers to ban websites they disagree with, with little oversight. A single individual has the power to declare any website a "social media platform" ... 6/
5. It will isolate kids who need a social connection online (e.g. because they are in remote communities or are neurodivergent), creating a new mental health crisis. This is unlikely to have created a visible effect in the health system in the first month. 5/
4. Problem #3 will get worse over time. Right now, over-16s already using social media are unlikely to have to verify their age because they already have a profile. The group that will be most exposed to the coming privacy nightmare are the kids who turn 16 and sign up. That hasn't happened yet. 4/
2. It pushes kids into darker and less regulated places for social interactions.
3. It requires all Australians to give personal data to online platforms to prove their age. We won't see the downside of this until there is a major data breach at one of these providers. 3/
Here are the major long-term (generational) consequences of banning U16s from so-called "social media".
1. It robs youth of their political voice. Political activism happens on social media, which the youth are now banned from. We're teaching this generation to be apolitical. 2/
This article is based on a huge strawman premise: that the potential downsides of the social media ban would have been immediate and they weren't, so it's fine. But it's the exact opposite: the problems may not be felt for decades, and that's why it's so dangerous. 1/
www.abc.net.au/religion/aft...
It's cool that he just came out and said "we did this to get the oil". Saves us from having to point out the ulterior motive.
Can we please have fewer guns in the community not more?
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
#auspol #gunviolence
Bonus rec: Endless Dungeon (2023)
Soft remake of Dungeon of the Endless, I'm sad I slept on this because of its poor reviews.
Turn-based base building roguelike with real-time run-and-gun action. All the elements come together so well, it's a pure joy to play from start to finish.
1. The Stone of Madness
The best stealth game since Hitman. Take 3 out of 5 unique characters on short missions in a persistent world, slowly unlocking doors and laying groundwork for future forays. I love how the skills play off each other. Brilliantly designed.
2. The Alters
You're stranded alone on a desolate planet, so you clone yourself a dozen times to get help. Each clone has a different personality, so now you have a colony sim and have to keep everyone happy. Charming characters and tough moral choices. Hmm, I'm seeing a pattern.
3. Yes, Your Grace: Snowfall
The sequel to 2020's Yes, Your Grace, it's a light management sim heavy on story. Charming characters and tough moral choices. I couldn't stop playing.
