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Kurtis McCathern

@kurtismcc.bsky.social

1.7K followers 730 following 3.5K posts

Husband to @othesharon.bsky.social. Dad. Christian. Engineer. Currently at Magic Soup Games, Previously at Blizzard. Owner of expressed opinions. He/him. Black lives matter. pfp by Eric Browning

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Pinned

Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · May 8

Updating my pinned post.

Hi, I'm Kurtis. Late to game dev: started at 35. Barreling towards 50. Most of my career as server engineer on World of Warcraft, but done other things - last 21 months or so at Magic Soup Games working on [redacted].

Probably a 3d printing stan account for a while.

Reposted by Kurtis McCathern

mbbendt @bendts2cents.bsky.social · 23h

Pretty sure that when you have giant frogs everywhere, God is very disappointed in how you are treating immigrants.

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 1d

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.

Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

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Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 1d

The first time I beat the big guy on wave 5 I was jumping around celebrating and fist pumping and like "holy shit - that fight totally sucked I'm glad I..." and then wave 6 drops and I was like "oh hell no."

I didn't play for a few days after that.

Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 1d

3. Have you run ALL your code through the debugger?
1. Yes, ALL of it
4. Have you checked your code for really stupid shit?
1. Infinite loops?
2. Potential division by 0?
3. Have you read EVERY LINE - SLOWLY?

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Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 1d

Alt text: A piece of paper with the following text.

Slow-the-fuck-down checklist:

1. What systems are you affecting with this change?
1. What does this fix?
2. What does it break?
2. Are there other solutions to this problem?
1. Why are they not better? /1

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Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 1d

So I’ve been taking the same folio to off sites, conventions, and talks for over 15 years. Today when cleaning it out this fell out and I have 0 memory of the context, but hey: good reminder.

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Reposted by Kurtis McCathern

Standplaats Kraków @standplaatskrk.pl · Aug 26

gymleaderoz on tumblr: "Do I want this? Yes. Do I need this? Also yes."
[image of two pill bottles, a red Tylenol and a blue Ibuprofen, both featuring Psyduck.]
sew-birb: "I love the idea that Psyduck is the only starter Pokémon in both Pokémon: Ibuprofen and Pokemon: Tylenol"

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Reposted by Kurtis McCathern

Deanna Kreisel 🌱 @doctorwaffle.substack.com · 9d

In honor of National Poetry Day, the greatest parody rewrite of all time:

Screen cap of parodic version of William Blake's "The Tyger" that begins:
Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright
(Not sure if I spelled that right)
What immortal hand or eye
Could fashion such a stripy guy?
What the hammer that hath hewn it
Into such a chonky unit?
Did who made the lamb make thee,
Or an external franchisee?

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Reposted by Kurtis McCathern

Pól Micheál O'Slatraigh @pmoslatraigh.bsky.social · 8d

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Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 9d

Agree.

And the game keeps doubling down.

Ghost of Yotei is out.

Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 9d

It's a shame because there are genuine moments of fun. I'm on the Seth fight and it seems really fun.

But there's just so much "we have to keep getting harder."

That's ultimately why I stopped HK. I enjoyed both, but I recognize when I'm no longer having fun.

Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 9d

But there's too much "your next attempt comes 5-7 minutes after your last one, and that attempt lasts less than 30 seconds because you die in two hits."

/eol

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Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 9d

It's not that they're "fundamentally unfair." They're learnable and predictable and even fun.

But they're designed to demand execution even during the learning phase, and that's just not fun for me.

I play multiple instruments. I am willing to play the same five notes 100 times.

/2

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Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 9d

Spoilers.

Almost everything.

1. very first fight (everything is new but still does two masks)
2. bell eater (everything is new but still does two masks)
3. lava platforming escape (too long and yeah - most things do two masks)

/1

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Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 9d

Might be done with Silksong now. Act 3 isn’t actually fun for me.

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Reposted by Kurtis McCathern

Sluggy 🐌 | COMMS CLOSED! @lildisgustinart.bsky.social · 10d

Resting by a friendly face 🍁

#illustration #silksong #hollowknight #fanart #artsky

A drawing of Bellbeast resting on the ground with Hornet tucked against their tail.

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Reposted by Kurtis McCathern

Cider 🔜 Furpoc @ciderhoots.bsky.social · 11d

Hornet and Bell Beast

#art #silksong

A drawing of the Bell Beast from Hollow Knight Silksong, she is surrounded by bells on the ground and hanging from above and Hornet is in front of it and is reaching to pet her

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Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 10d

Finally in Silksong Act 3 and I gotta say - Hornet needs a vacay.

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Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 11d

They can change the rules. They're changing them about everything else, they aren't here deliberately for the fight. Don't even mention that. Just say it plainly: they have majorities in both houses, a friendly SCOTUS, and the Presidency. Why can't they keep the government open?

They choose.

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Reposted by Kurtis McCathern

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 11d

"Republicans run the entire government but can't keep it open"

That's it. That's the whole story.

James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 11d

Yes. (And still getting "standoff" BS and "who will blink first" and "who will voters blame" from news.)

Trump and MAGA control the *entire* government. It's a simple fact:
- White House
- Senate
- House
- Scotus
- OMB (to the hilt)
- Every regulatory agency

They're in command. It's on them.

OBrienSci @obriensci.bsky.social · 11d

I do not understand why they cannot get the headlines right.

Just follow the gop playbook!

“Repubs control it all! The shutdown is on them!”

As nauseum.

Don’t lead with the nuance.

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Reposted by Kurtis McCathern

Count Doracula 🎃 @heyitsdora.com · 11d

Remember kids:
- Discord is not a place for storing game dev/project materials
- You (probably) don't need Jira
- Your internal deadlines should be BEFORE their final due date
- Don't put up with stuff; speak up
- If someone can't speak up, speak up for them
- Stay a little silly but take no shit

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Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 11d

Well, this is certainly a day to try to make a video game.

Hugs to everybody during the ongoing horror.

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Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 11d

Go be nice to Hazel.

dr. hazel 🐝 @hazelmonforton.com · 12d

Everyone has to be nice to me today.

Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 12d

The only parts that don't get regularly updated are things you'd need a construction crew to change - towers, laid cables, etc.

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Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 12d

You'd be surprised how often non "last mile" infrastructure gets updated. It's pretty continuous.

Kurtis McCathern @kurtismcc.bsky.social · 12d

I mean - technically ALL electronics are consumables in this same way. They aren't built to degrade - just they aren't worth much when NEWER BETTER comes out every 18 months.