Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Gil Hova

@gil.hova.net

2.1K followers 1.1K following 3.4K posts

He/him. JC/NYC. Game designer rebooting, robot fight facilitator at NHRL, weird/noisy music, ferret fan. Still not a negotiable Final Fantasy currency. All my links: https://gil.hova.net

gil.hova.net

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 12d

Here it is! Ferret Frenzy, the push-your-luck card game I designed with Channing Shattuck about the best pets in the world, is live on KS (and Channing is killing it with the campaign, he's way better than I ever was): www.kickstarter.com/projects/sha...

FERRET FRENZY: A Party Game of Risk, Reward & Ridiculousness

Unleash the push-your-luck thrill of Blackjack with the grabby chaos of Spoons in this wild game of SPEED and GREED.

www.kickstarter.com

Reposted by Gil Hova

Jason Pitre @genesisoflegend.bsky.social · 16h

We are looking for panels for Metatopia Online 2025 which will be taking place on December 6 and possibly December 7, 2025. If you can't attend Metatopia in person this year for any reason, please join us at this online event and spread the word! forms.gle/aTqCs7bBJpfC...

METATOPIA ONLINE 2025 Panel Proposal Form

METATOPIA is Double Exposure, Inc.'s Game Design Festival, an event for people who are passionate about the design, publishing, selling, or playing games of all types. This year, the Double Exposure...

forms.gle

25 19

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 17h

Sorry Calvin, the ride has left the station, please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times

Ava, I’m glad it helped a bit! I’m sure you know way more than me on this subject in general

1 2

Reposted by Gil Hova

Greg Loring-Albright, PhD (he/him) @gregisonthego.bsky.social · 1d

Annoyingly put-together guy getting way too chatty with the busy baristas at the coffeeshop this morning: "Billy Joel is like the perfect music for this morning."
Barista, slammed, in the midst of making tons of drinks, incredibly flat affect: "This is Bob Dylan."

11 21 170

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 1d

(Sorry if you already get this bit, I’ve been diving into it lately, and I find it fascinating)

1 3

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 1d

If the security dropped below $50, I’m no longer involved, and the bank is now holding the bag. That’s a situation the bank wants to avoid.

So I see the margin call as a way for the bank to cover their butts on bad investments.

1 3

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 1d

Their investment is fixed to a specific value, no matter how much the currency price changes.

But if the security goes down to $90, now i only have $40 invested, while they still have $50.

1 2

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 1d

The way I try to understand it is that if I make a margin trade for a $100 security with a $50 margin (i.e. I’m borrowing $50 from the bank to make the trade), and the security goes up to $110, I’m the one who makes the $10, not the bank.

1 3

Reposted by Gil Hova

Matt Thrower @mattthr.bsky.social · 2d

There's one particular story about Hitler that stuck with me because it's so indicative of what a pathetic , irresponsible little man he was. Late in the war, he became obsessed with capturing Stalingrad mostly, it seems, for no better reason than that it bore Stalin's name

1 2 3

Reposted by Gil Hova

Marceline Leiman (High Tide, available now!!) @marcelineleiman.bsky.social · 4d

This weekend we watched @nhrl.bsky.social games on YouTube for the first time and were blown away by this whole world of robot battling.

I first learned about it from @gil.hova.net who works for the org.

We enjoyed it so much, and we are planning to go see the games IRL!

Let’s go Jelly Baby!!!!

October's Final Rounds: Prime Time | NHRL 2025 Round 6, Oct 4th from 7pm ET

YouTube video by NHRL

www.youtube.com

1 2 5

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 5d

It's fantastic! Gobbler will break your heart!

1 1

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 5d

This is like Samuel Beckett giving a young Andre the Giant rides to school in rural France

Reposted by Gil Hova

Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 6d

Want to understand why users have lost faith in Bluesky's leadership?

Or what the deal with waffles was about?

Or why users are up in arms about a beloved activist and community builder was banned for criticizing Bluesky's CEO?

Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 6d

tl;dr: Bluesky began with genuine promise: a new social media platform where users could feel safer, but inconsistent moderation quickly eroded trust.

When systemically marginalized users pushed back, Bluesky’s leadership minimized concerns and began to target them for bans.

Bluesky’s CEO meltdown: How leadership continues to fail its most marginalized users

tl;dr: Bluesky began with genuine promise: a new social media platform where systemically marginalized users could feel safer, but…

plutopsyche.medium.com

43 80

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 6d

Same. I've learned to let my brain work on anything it wants to, as long as there's no impending deadlines. If I try to force it to do something else, I get so much less done overall.

In fact, I can sometimes use the momentum gained from personal projects to slingshot to a more "practical" task.

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 6d

I wish time blocking worked for me but my brain is a temperamental toddler and as soon as I’m like “ok! 6pm! now it’s time to work on this project” it just screams and then lies down on the floor and won’t move.

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 7d

To make it clear: this piece of music has a BIG-TIME CW for cancer and death.

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 7d

I'm always happy to find music that kicks the shit out of me emotionally. This particular piece is amazing if you want a good ugly cry. 10/10 Kleenex boxes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZz0...

The Sacred Veil: I. The Veil Opens

YouTube video by Eric Whitacre - Topic

www.youtube.com

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 7d

Lyrics here if you want to point the dagger directly to your heart www.charlesanthonysilvestri.com/the-sacred-v...

Sacred Veil | Tony Silvestri

www.charlesanthonysilvestri.com

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 7d

I'm always happy to find music that kicks the shit out of me emotionally. This particular piece is amazing if you want a good ugly cry. 10/10 Kleenex boxes. www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZz0...

The Sacred Veil: I. The Veil Opens

YouTube video by Eric Whitacre - Topic

www.youtube.com

1 3

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 7d

It was fantastic, and Jake is a hero.

Now to sleep for a week.

L.C. Webs, Now With Extra Spoopy @lcwebsxoxo.bsky.social · 7d

Ngl, Jake made me cry a little there at the end. #NHRL

@gil.hova.net thanks for another fabulous show!

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 12d

Thank you for the reminder, now I have as well!

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 12d

Channing's done an amazing job with the KS!

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 12d

FERRET FRENZY: A Party Game of Risk, Reward & Ridiculousness

Unleash the push-your-luck thrill of Blackjack with the grabby chaos of Spoons in this wild game of SPEED and GREED.

www.kickstarter.com

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 13d

Thank you!

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 13d

And of course, it's about ferrets. I've always wanted to make a game about ferrets, for obvious reasons. I think the game is every bit as adorable, chaotic, loving, and messy as these critters are are.

/🧵

a snake is crawling on a wooden floor in a room .

Alt: GIF: A pregnant ferret scampers towards the camera on a wood floor, and suddenly drops to a rest on the floor. She looks like a tiny furry speed bump. (Many ferrets do this, it's usually called a "splot")

media.tenor.com

1 13

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 13d

Don't be too put off by how the game is presented as frantic and real-time. We're putting finishing touches on the non-real-time version, which my various game groups and I prefer to play. If you like push-your-luck games like Dead Man's Draw or Circus Flohcati, this is worth your attention.

2 4

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 13d

I'll start with the most important bit: I have no significant role in running the Kickstarter, production, fulfillment, or anything like that. Those days are long over for me, thank goodness.

My role here was primarily design, with the occasional piece of advice for the business end.

A portion of an email I sent to my co-designer Channing (who is handling publication of the game):

"Also, I came up with the BEST tagline for the game:

Like Wingspan, but stinkier.

(Please don't use it.)"

1 4

Gil Hova @gil.hova.net · 13d

I'm posting this too late, and it feels bizarre to be saying this, but:

I have a game going up on Kickstarter tomorrow. reserve.ferretfrenzy.com

🧵

Find out which of your friends need serious help in this wild party game of risk, reward & ridiculousness.

reserve.ferretfrenzy.com

5 8 39