jon_questmarker

now THIS is video game preservation

thats super kind of you! thank you! I'm really glad this resonated. I say that a lot, but the creative process is me in a dungeon with a bit of hope and prayer that someone somewhere will find my positions provocative - or at least, interesting

(dare I also agree with you)

YouTube video by questmarker Promise, Progress, Payoff and the Incident at White Orchard

check out my latest vid where I talk about Brandon Sanderson, plot theory, flash up some Rust Cohle, but mostly (over) indulge in what I think is marvellous writing and game design in the prologue of the Witcher 3

youtu.be/rE4257XZx3E?...

Desktop version for those who are interested 🤍

Games - Bafta Discover all of the 2025 BAFTA Games Awards' nominees.

www.bafta.org/awards/games

Day 13 celebrating #Canada #gamedev bc tariff

Happy Valentine's Day-I'd be remiss to not mention @kitfoxgames.com's Boyfriend Dungeon. Montreal #indiede /publisher with fingers in other criticallyacclaimed pies too - Dwarf Fortress, Caves of Qud, (and 6 Ages has been on my wishlist forever)

Day 12 of celebrating #Canada #gamedev bc woo 51st (not woo)

Quebec is arguably epicentre of CAD gamedev (with Montreal being supreme capital). I want to call out @eidosmontreal.com today, from #Deus Ex:HR to #TombRaider to Marvel's #GotG (which I hope to play this year!).

all bangers - all day

Day 11 of celebrating #Canada #gamedev bc of recent stuff

One game I'm aiming to finish this year is the 1970s detective thriller #Kona by #indiedev studio Parabole based out of Quebec City, QC.

Now often you get games set in rural northern Quebec - reminds me of home in northern ON!

Day 10 of celebrating #Canada #gamedev because annex

What originally made me more aware of the prolific proliferation of Canadian devs was realizing @tornbannerstudios.bsky.social is in Toronto - seeing the loading credits to Ontario institutions when playing #Chivalry2 is a treat and delight

Day9 of celebrating #Canada #gamedev bc of stuff

Still out west, one of the deckbuilding roguelites on my list this year is @kleientertainment.bsky.social's #Griftlands (are they still considered an indiedev? who knows).

based out of Vancouver, they're probably more famously known for Don't Starve

Day 8 celebrating #Canada #gamedev bc of tariff

Going from titan of yesterday, BioWare, to now the #indiedev that was titanic in 2024-

Only learned last week @playbalatro.com was made by a @localthunk.bsky.social a solo dev out of Saskatchewan.

Doing my best to not succumb to on my #steamdeck!

and so, over the past few years, I've been playing on/off the @masseffectgame.bsky.social Legendary Edition, and what an absolute treat it has been.

I hope for better times for the studio ahead, but we would all be remiss to forget.

Baldur's Gate 1
Baldur's Gate 2
Neverwinter Nights
SWKOTR
Jade Empire
Mass Effect 1
Dragon Age Origins
Mass Effect 2
Dragon Age 2
Star Wars: the Old Republic
Mass Effect 3
Dragon Age Inquisition

BioWare was -the- studio for RPGs, and for awhile, for big budget storytelling

BioWare continues to face scrutiny and hardship, from Anthem to Andromeda and now Veilguard, but I don't think we can forget - or appreciate - the mammoth success from 1998 to 2014. I mean, look at it!

Which, fyi, if you don't know Northern CAD it's the biggest city farthest from the US border-really the Great White North

BW celebrated their 30th anniversary this February as a studio, which is a huge feat and should've been celebrated, but was overshadowed by some EA earnings call or whatever.

(for the rest of Feb, I'm posting about the awesomeness of Canadian game studios, devs, publishers, etc.)

Day 7 of celebrating #Canada #gamedev because of recent times

Pivoting from recent posts, I want to talk about @bioware.bsky.social Founded in 1995 in Edmonton, Alberta.

Day 6 of celebrating #Canada #gamedevs bc of annex

Still on west coast, is #indiedev & publisher is @braceyourselfgames.com who are most famous for rhythm crawler Crypt of the NecroDancer , but I know them best for being the publisher of one of my favourite games played last year, Cobalt Core

and they used to be #indiegamedev but were acquired by Electronic Arts back in 2021! congrats for them.

(these games are also great on the deck)

(I might have to get SMB4 ahead of this year's spring training...)

Day 5 of celebrating #Canada #gamedevs bc of stuff

Staying on Vancouver Island, Metalhead Software should get more praise for its Super Mega Baseball series.

SMB3 remains one of my most played games ever. and the SMB series is your best way to play ball on PC. they even got jomboy shoutouts!

and not gonna lie my favourite thing about their reveal of their next game Blackfrost is the horse in the concept art

Day 4 celebrating #Canada #gamedev bc of stuff

We're on the West Coast, so we have to include #indiegamedev studio @hinterland.bsky.social
and their hit survival game The Long Dark. talk about exploring the Canadian wild

(whats up with BC devs and survival games. must be the mountains & oceans)

day 3 of celebrating #Canada #gamedev bc of recent stuff

Leaving Toronto, #indiegamedev Endnight Games is based out of Vancouver, BC.
They made one of my favourite multiplayer games and survival-crafts of all time - the Forest. and its sequel, Sons of the Forest, is launching later this month!

day 2 of celebrating #Canada #gamedev because of recent stuff

Today is Drinkbox Studios another #indiegamedev in Toronto, most famous for Guacamelee (which I had fun playing last year), but more recently, Nobody Saves the World, which is high on my Steam wishlist for 2025!

For the rest of February I'm going to share some of my favourite video games made by Canadian developers

Today, is Cellar Door Games, an indie studio based of Toronto (cellardoorgames.com). They're probably most popular for Rogue Legacy/Rogue Legacy 2, but I love them most for Full Metal Furies.

Realis (Ashcan Edition) by Austin Walker A TTRPG of moon-hopping adventure, arcane discovery, fatal conflict, & meditations on the changing nature of the self.

An Ashcan release of Realis, the TTRPG that I've been working on (and off and on) for the last four years is now available for preorder! thecalcutec.itch.io/realis

I am so happy you enjoy it! And I'm very thankful for your kind comment. Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season! :)

(stay tuned for more!)

YouTube video by Quest Marker A World of Distant Mountains

in time for the snowy winter, bundle up with some hot cocoa and listen/watch me talk about why I love mountains in video games, why we need the unattainable, my experiences with skyrim ER journey and more, and ofc a little bit about tolkien

(shameless promo)

youtu.be/8ZtPpV3zugk

Samarkand

Cobalt Core (Original Soundtrack) – Vinyl Campaign Hey gang, it's Aaron. I’m thrilled to share this opportunity with you to put out the Cobalt Core Original Soundtrack on vinyl. As a long-time vinyl enthusiast, I’ve always wanted to press something o...

hey if you like vinyl video game soundtracks you should check this out -- CobaltCore's OST I think is one of the best in the past year of indie games

cherof.bandcamp.com/campaign/cob...

YouTube video by Quest Marker The Triangle Button Design of The Last of Us

my first post is my first plug because I made a video talking about ladders in The Last of Us and why i think one particular ladder is super important

youtu.be/sZNFtFu_8vM