Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 17h

Jubilee Pool in Knowle, Bristol

jubileepoolbristol.co.uk

We go on at 1pm Saturday :)

Jubilee Pool & Gym in Knowle is Bristol’s first community-run swimming pool. You can swim, you can gym, you can be part of a vibrant, friendly community.

jubileepoolbristol.co.uk

1

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 21h

Big clown week coming up!

Saturday Mermaid makes her musical debut with her new sea shanties band 🧜‍♀️🎶

Sunday I'm doing my interactive Little Mermaid act at Scritch Cabaret 🐟

Wednesday is the full Pierce Brosnan show in Weston-super-Mare 💕

Friday I do my interactive ballet act in Wales! 🩰

1 6

Reposted by Alistair Aitcheson

The QGCon Collective @qgcon.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you so much for attending and for covering QGCon! 🏳️‍🌈

True Avatars - A Queer Video Game Podcast @trueavatars.bsky.social · 11d

I went to a conference in Montréal this weekend and it was ***entirely*** focused on ✨queer games✨

I played demos, got some interviews, and vibed with some very cool queer ppl!!

🤩 CHECK OUT THE VIDEO VERSION HERE (audio links in 🧵):

youtu.be/V2H2oAnrRpg

Ep. 53 - I went to the Queerness and Games Conference (QGCon) and it was INCROYABLE!

YouTube video by True Avatars - A Queer Video Game Podcast

youtu.be

1 2 4

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 1d

This Saturday my band has its debut performance at Jubilee Pool in Knowle, Bristol!

We're called MERMAID ON THE DANCE FLOOR and I'm the mermaid ✨🧜‍♀️✨

Come along to enjoy some clown-infused sea shanties, support a great local initiative and cheer on the swimmers!

We take the stage 1pm SATURDAY

A poster for Jubileethon 2025 at Knowle Jubilee Pool. 11-12 October

3

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 2d

1 week until Pierce Brosnan and I find love in Weston-super-Mare! ✨

Come see the love affair that audiences have called "the most unhinged thing I have ever seen" 💕

Type into your phones to decide what Pierce Brosnan says during our date! Will he win my heart? 💖

BOOK NOW alistair.games/tickets

Poster for My Date with Pierce Brosnan at Weston-super-Mare, 7:30pm 15 Oct 2025

2 3

Reposted by Alistair Aitcheson

Experimental Games Showcase @exgs.bsky.social · 3d

⚡In case you missed it, the newly rebranded Experimental Games Showcase (formerly the Experimental Gameplay Workshop) is now accepting submissions for next year!⚡

The deadline is October 24 and can be either in person or via video.

Get more info and submit here:
www.experimentalgamesshowcase.com

Experimental Games Showcase

SUBMIT YOUR GAME TO THE

www.experimentalgamesshowcase.com

14 18

Reposted by Alistair Aitcheson

Sickhouse @sickhouse-nl.bsky.social · 4d

💙💚💜

.zip @zipspace.bsky.social · 5d

Our dear friends at @sickhouse-nl.bsky.social need your help! They have finally gotten the keys to a permanent place and have to renovate everything 🏡

Consider donating! Here: sickhouse.creativefunding.nl/project/crow...

Sickhouse: Help ons nieuwe huis voor playful art te bouwen

Iedere euro die jij doneert draagt bij aan het openen van onze deuren zodat we exposities, films, concerten, game events, festivals, residencies, meet-ups en nog veel meer kunnen organiseren door het…

sickhouse.creativefunding.nl

2 1

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 6d

It's just a machine, but the fact that our response to it changes based on the personality we believe/imagine/pretend it to have feels ripe for creative exploration :)

1

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 6d

Like, who is this "god in the machine"? Is it some arrogant know-it-all who insists it's right and doesn't see its own flaws? Is it a pathetic creature desperate to tell us what we want to hear with only the vaguest sense of what that actually is?

1

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 6d

I find that conceptually interesting, as a creative idea to play with. The fact that these AI processes lay bare their biases is something conceptually interesting to play with on a creative level.

1

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 6d

I also think it's conceptually interesting. Earlier image generation was fascinating because you ask for a picture of "Ronald McDonald" and it gives you an interpretation of "the average Ronald McDonald according to all known data on the internet"

1 1

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 6d

So asking the LLM was a way to sense "what do I look like I do according to my internet presence?"

Helped me get a sense of "who do I look like, at a glance, to total strangers?" Which was great - my problem had been that I couldn't see the woods for the trees.

1

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 6d

Yeah, that's what I mean. Sometimes that is helpful, to have a vibe check - I asked an LLM "who is Alistair Aitcheson" recently because I'm looking for work and knew it was unclear what I actually *do*.

1

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 6d

This absolutely hits the nail on the head for me - puts into words something I've felt about LLMs but been unable to articulate :)

1 2

Reposted by Alistair Aitcheson

Jesse Vigil @jessev.bsky.social · 8d

We’re worked hard to bring you a really excellent and totally chill conference with a curated emphasis on GOOD VIBES.

IndieCade @indiecade.bsky.social · 8d

Don't forget! The 2025 IndieCade Horizons Game Educators Symposium is TOMORROW!!!

If you're a member of IndieCade, worked on a game submitted to IndieCade Festival 2025, or with part of a school participating with IndieCade Horizons, then RSVP here: form.jotform.com/252506912947...

Game Educators Symposium 2025: Attendee RSVP

Please click the link to complete this form.

form.jotform.com

2 3

Reposted by Alistair Aitcheson

IndieCade @indiecade.bsky.social · 8d

Don't forget! The 2025 IndieCade Horizons Game Educators Symposium is TOMORROW!!!

If you're a member of IndieCade, worked on a game submitted to IndieCade Festival 2025, or with part of a school participating with IndieCade Horizons, then RSVP here: form.jotform.com/252506912947...

Game Educators Symposium 2025: Attendee RSVP

Please click the link to complete this form.

form.jotform.com

1

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 8d

Another successful rehearsal being the mermaid for a sea shanties band 🧜‍♀️

It all began with a conversation about how I wanted to be Bez from the Happy Mondays. I have no musical ability but love being a hype man 😄

We have our first gig at a swimming pool, one week away! 🎶🌊😀🏊‍♂️🎶

3

Reposted by Alistair Aitcheson

Brandon Sheffield @brandon.insertcredit.com · 9d

If you make experimental or unusual games, the Out of Index festival in Seoul is still accepting submissions through the 17th! www.outofindex.org

Out Of Index 2025 - Experimental Game Festival

Out Of Index is an experimental game festival in South Korea. The goal of the festival is to inspire the game industry with new ideas and experimental energy.

www.outofindex.org

24 46

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 10d

Pierce Brosnan has been loaded onto the plane. He's still covered in cheese bits from the show so he has something to snack on during the flight.

5

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 11d

Just incredible to have been able to contribute to something like this!

Thank you so much @uksgmarathon.bsky.social for hosting this wacky idea, to everyone who donated to make the chaos happen, and to @im.going-g.host for his incredible work behind the scenes!

5

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 11d

So, while I was eating cheese off of Pierce Brosnan's chest yesterday something amazing happened ✨

@huds601.co.uk and @argick.bsky.social ran a brand new donation-powered version of the Magic Box and raised over £3000 for Crisis 🥲

www.twitch.tv/uksgmarathon...

Twitch

Twitch is the world

www.twitch.tv

1 2 14

Reposted by Alistair Aitcheson

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 11d

Just fuck off with this. How about start the conversation by highlighting how much immigrants contribute to the UK - not least by propping up the NHS and social care system!

Also - forced volunteering is not volunteering, it's unpaid labour.

250 1.4K 4.9K

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 12d

Thank you so much for having me @qgcon.bsky.social! Everyone was so up for joining in and I even got a standing ovation ✨😭✨

This weekend has been magical. A ray of hope, solidarity, courage and queer resistance at a time when it's sorely needed. Amazing and heartwarming work by everyone involved 🧡

A clown in a French maid's uniform strokes the cheek of a Pierce Brosnan dummy, on a stage in front of a big projection screen and behind a small table of plastic fruit

9

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 14d

I loved doing the show at Game Days! So much fun! 😁 I still remember riding my suitcase like it was the Egg-o-Matic - pretty sure I had you to thank for the idea 😄

1

Alistair Aitcheson @agaitcheson.bsky.social · 14d

Thank you so much! I had so much fun creating and hosting it! Thank you for giving me the opportunity - it was fantastic to get to make it for the PLAY festival stage, and to run it for such a lovely crowd 😊