Jess Haskins | The Game Editors

Edited screenshot from Disco Elysium that reads: RHETORIC [Heroic: Failure] -- Alright, here we go. We're devoting all your available brain cells to coming up with a question about video games. Scratch that, to coming up with *the* question about video games, the alpha and omega of video games questions, and that question is: 1. - (Whisper.) "Are games art?" 2. - Oh god, that's bad. Surely I can think of something better.

Every time.

In the Future All Food Will Be Cooked in a Microwave, and if You Can’t Deal With That Then You Need to Get Out of the Kitchen As a restaurant owner – I’m astounded at the rate of progress since microwaves were released a few short years ago. Today’s microwave can cook a frozen burrito. Tomorrow’s m…

This is not a metaphor for anything.

Ursula K. Le Guin on power, freedom, and how storytelling expands our scope of the possible www.themarginalian.org/2016/05/06/u...

Curate your own newspaper with RSS Escape newsletter inbox chaos and algorithmic surveillance by building your own enshittification-proof newspaper from the writers you already read

Another great nudge/guide to ditching the inbox-clogging newsletters and enshittified algo-driven platforms and moving your reading material to RSS!

Tomorrow (and every first Wednesday) is the NYC Indie Games Social. Come on out and join us! partiful.com/e/8jwMWP5uqL...

I want to quickly clarify (though this could a blog post) that Holly's historian expertise is actually to ensure that the world's mythology and lore remains accurately vague, contradictory, and incomplete.

We feel this is more realistic to history as we see it and far more interesting for the game

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.

Wow we’re having “games are art” discourse again! Just gonna leave this here.

From my dissertation:

The Analog Life: 50 Ways to Unplug and Feel Human Again A toolkit of habits, routines and products to help you live more intentionally

This is a decent list of practical suggestions for weaning off infinite scrolls and enjoying more analog pleasures—embodied, sensorial, social and connected.

Rugged individualism is really just ragged isolation.

Literacy lag: We start reading too late And neuromyths aren't helping

I learned to read at age 2, and the idea that it could be routine for kids to start learning at 7, or that any “expert” would suggest it’s “developmentally inappropriate” to even try before age 6, is boggling to me.

This is extremely cool. GOG is taking a stand against payment processors caving to fundamentalist religious groups and is offering a bunch of "banned" games for free.
freedomtobuy.games

The State of NYC Indie: Developing a Better Games Community A panel discussion between local gaming organization leaders about how we can elevate the NYC game development scene.

In October, I'll be joining this panel of fellow NYC game community leaders convened by @timrattray.bsky.social at the NYU Game Center to talk about the indie game scene here in the city, what makes it special, and how to help it thrive. Plus a peek at Tim's upcoming docuseries on the scene!

RSVP to NYC Indie Games August Social | Partiful Come find us at our home in the rooftop biergarten at Tavern 29! The NYC Indie Games social is a monthly gathering for indie game devs of all stripes to mix and mingle in a casual, relaxed setting,…

Next week (not tomorrow!) is the August NYC Indie Games Social, happening the first Wednesday of every month in the rooftop biergarten atop Tavern 29. Come on out, hang out, bring a friend. Indie game devs, fans, hobbyists, pros, students, friends—all are welcome! partiful.com/e/8jwMWP5uqL...

Thank you for bringing me on board—and congrats on your first into English translation! Great work 😁

Save 15% on One-Eyed Likho on Steam One-Eyed Likho is a grim first-person horror adventure set in a world inspired by a dark, Slavic fairy tale. Explore an unsettling and twisted land set in 19th-century Russia in your endeavor to escap...

One-Eyed Likho is OUT with my first-ever ENGLISH translation! 👁️

Huge thanks to Morteshka for having us, and Arina Bedrina and @jesshaskins.bsky.social for helping out with editing, it was a lot of work 🗒️

I hope you all enjoy this marvelous yet dreadful journey into the Slavic folklore 🪓

One-Eyed Likho on Steam One-Eyed Likho is a grim first-person horror adventure set in a world inspired by a dark, Slavic fairy tale. Explore an unsettling and twisted land set in 19th-century Russia in your endeavor to…

Today is the launch of One-Eyed Likho, a gorgeous, twisted little horror game steeped in Slavic folklore. I had the joy of working with loc collective @thewarlocs.bsky.social , especially translator @preymak.com, to edit the game's English text. What a treat!
store.steampowered.com/app/2346840/...

Does anyone know of any online gamedev hubs that have news, job posts, and community discussion all rolled together? A central place that devs actually use, I mean. (Asking for me)

So. I’ve started pre-production on my next project.

- It’s a point & click adventure (naturally)
- It’s not set in the Vespuccia universe
- It won’t have branching. I’m focusing on “multiple puzzle chains at once” design
- It’s much smaller in scope than Rosewater or Lamplight City

I self-published Without a Dawn in May. I made zero compromises, and I couldn't be happier how it turned out: store.steampowered.com/app/3145620/... 💛💚
Unfortunately, I've had very little luck with exposure, including the gaming press. 😩
#visualnovel #gamedev #steam

Enforced obsolescence is a games preservation issue

A literary history of fake texts in Apple's marketing materials A Read Max re-run: Exploring the Applecore style

I love this analysis of the stories implied in mocked-up text chats from Apple marketing presentations—the lore of Dimension Apple. Everything is worldbuilding. maxread.substack.com/p/a-literary...

The Game Editors – Professional Editing for Games Get your game edited! We offer expert editing, narrative/story consulting, and full voiceover production services for games and interactive media.

Because I keep mum too often: Hey! I'm looking for projects!

Does your game have words, stories, or voices in it? We do game editing, narrative consulting, and voiceover production!

If any of those sound useful to you or someone you know, let's chat! Boosts appreciated! 💖

thegameeditors.com

Wonderful bunch of folks to clamber up a mountain with. Raring for the next climb!

Dreamed I was back in one of my old office jobs filling out a timesheet. I hadn't had any work, so I wrote entries like "Talked with colleagues at water cooler 15m" and "Looked outside, noticed the shape of the trees 5m." Then I realized I wasn't supposed to write any of that and scribbled it out.

RSVP to NYC Indie Games July Social | Partiful Come find us at our new home in the rooftop biergarten at Tavern 29! The NYC Indie Games social is a monthly gathering for indie game devs of all stripes to mix and mingle in a casual, relaxed…

It's almost time for the July edition of the NYC Indie Games Social, happening tomorrow, 7/2 on the roof of Tavern 29 at 7pm! It's our monthly hangout for indie game devs, fans, students, and friends. All are welcome—join us! partiful.com/e/xdfa8Lptg3...

A Golden Wake 80% Lamplight City 40% Rosewater 20% Grundislav Games Steam Summer Sale

It's hot out there, but so are these discounts on adventure games!

Grab A GOLDEN WAKE for 80% off, LAMPLIGHT CITY for 40% off, and ROSEWATER for 20% off!

You can also get the World of Vespuccia Bundle and add another 20% off!

Check it out: store.steampowered.com/search/?deve...

The Game Editors – Professional Editing for Games Get your game edited! We offer expert editing, narrative/story consulting, and full voiceover production services for games and interactive media.

Anyway, here's us, we do professional editing for all kinds of games. If you're curious about working with an editor and don't know where to start, or if you just want to talk about games and storytelling and editing, I'm always happy to chat!

thegameeditors.com

I say this not just as an editor (though believe me, I do say it as an editor!), but as a player. I want to play more games with polished, edited text and dialogue! Don't you?

Most people wouldn't expect to publish an 80,000-word book without getting it edited first (by someone other than the writer). Why shouldn't it be the same for a game with that much text?