Giada Zavarise
@cheerfulgoth.bsky.social
Gamedev, cat lover, shitposter, content designer @ Paradox (Stellaris, Cool Unannounced Game) |
http://giadazavarise.com/ | https://cheerfulgoth.itch.io/ | https://cheerfulgoth.bearblog.dev/
http://giadazavarise.com/ | https://cheerfulgoth.itch.io/ | https://cheerfulgoth.bearblog.dev/
Pinned
Giada Zavarise
@cheerfulgoth.bsky.social
· Oct 19
PINNED POST
Hello, I'm Giada!
🗞️ Former games journalist (RPS, Eurogamer, PC Gamer)
📚 Narrative Designer (Monster Loves You Too!)
🖥️ Now Content Designer at Paradox
☀️ Still trying to finish Selling Sunlight in my free time I swear
Portfolio: giadazavarise.com
More small games: bricabrac.itch.io
Hello, I'm Giada!
🗞️ Former games journalist (RPS, Eurogamer, PC Gamer)
📚 Narrative Designer (Monster Loves You Too!)
🖥️ Now Content Designer at Paradox
☀️ Still trying to finish Selling Sunlight in my free time I swear
Portfolio: giadazavarise.com
More small games: bricabrac.itch.io
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
i often think about this review
February 14, 2026 at 3:13 AM
i often think about this review
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
Please share this post with your favourite cosy, wholesome, (darkly-cozy, unwholesome) creators who might want to come to an event in the South East of England! Surely there are many!
Any creators who want to get their green thumbs on Mandrake first can apply for a creator pass to New Game Plus: festival.games.london/profile/find
New Game Plus is the public showcase part of London Games Fest. We'll be on hand in person, so come and say hi!
New Game Plus is the public showcase part of London Games Fest. We'll be on hand in person, so come and say hi!
February 13, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Please share this post with your favourite cosy, wholesome, (darkly-cozy, unwholesome) creators who might want to come to an event in the South East of England! Surely there are many!
They should make a Silent Hill set in North Italy next Silent Hill P(adania)
February 13, 2026 at 2:32 PM
They should make a Silent Hill set in North Italy next Silent Hill P(adania)
I often joke about me never reading a book published past the eighties, but this thread really hits the nail on the head on WHY I find most mainstream contemporary literature insufferable
I feel kind of alienated from modern pop book and romance culture sometimes. Like it feels like what I want and what the average Online reader wants feels really different. And also what I want from fanfic and what I want from an original work are really, truly different about 99.9% of the time.
February 13, 2026 at 1:29 PM
I often joke about me never reading a book published past the eighties, but this thread really hits the nail on the head on WHY I find most mainstream contemporary literature insufferable
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
This what a Game Narrative Kaleidoscope looks like 👀
February 13, 2026 at 10:19 AM
This what a Game Narrative Kaleidoscope looks like 👀
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
I hate Valentine's Day it's a stupid made-up holiday EXCEPTing when it gives me an excuse to post Garashir www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR1z...
February 11, 2026 at 11:43 PM
I hate Valentine's Day it's a stupid made-up holiday EXCEPTing when it gives me an excuse to post Garashir www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR1z...
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
Last year, I had the dark and haunted pleasure of making the soundtrack for Occlude by @tributarygames.bsky.social. If you would like to use it to soundtrack your next occult ritual, you can now listen to it via this bandcamp link:
vortiganking.bandcamp.com/album/occlud...
Use it responsibly.
vortiganking.bandcamp.com/album/occlud...
Use it responsibly.
Occlude OST, by Vortigan King
4 track album
vortiganking.bandcamp.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Last year, I had the dark and haunted pleasure of making the soundtrack for Occlude by @tributarygames.bsky.social. If you would like to use it to soundtrack your next occult ritual, you can now listen to it via this bandcamp link:
vortiganking.bandcamp.com/album/occlud...
Use it responsibly.
vortiganking.bandcamp.com/album/occlud...
Use it responsibly.
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
RPG Maker Fest 26 has begun! 🏰🎮
Final Profit is participating and is on sale for the event.
Fest page: store.steampowered.com/sale/rpgmake...
Final Profit: store.steampowered.com/app/1705140/...
Final Profit is participating and is on sale for the event.
Fest page: store.steampowered.com/sale/rpgmake...
Final Profit: store.steampowered.com/app/1705140/...
February 10, 2026 at 1:05 AM
RPG Maker Fest 26 has begun! 🏰🎮
Final Profit is participating and is on sale for the event.
Fest page: store.steampowered.com/sale/rpgmake...
Final Profit: store.steampowered.com/app/1705140/...
Final Profit is participating and is on sale for the event.
Fest page: store.steampowered.com/sale/rpgmake...
Final Profit: store.steampowered.com/app/1705140/...
I IMMEDIATELY guessed it was an rpg maker 2000 game because I recognised the default font. I am cursed by an incredibly useless superpower
blades of heaven, screenshot, pc (2005) www.mobygames.com/game/19103/b...
February 11, 2026 at 6:18 PM
I IMMEDIATELY guessed it was an rpg maker 2000 game because I recognised the default font. I am cursed by an incredibly useless superpower
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
February 11, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Love Windows 11 rebooting for an update during the night and losing a bunch of unsaved opened documents. Definitely the behaviour I want from my trusty OS
February 11, 2026 at 8:01 AM
Love Windows 11 rebooting for an update during the night and losing a bunch of unsaved opened documents. Definitely the behaviour I want from my trusty OS
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
I am absolutely not kidding
Discord's new age verification rules got you down? Allow me to suggest an alternative: Internet Relay Chat
Launched in 1988, IRC was created by and for computer nerds, and it won't hold your hand but it also doesn't want to see your face.
www.pcgamer.com
February 10, 2026 at 8:22 PM
I am absolutely not kidding
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
genuinely haunted by stickybear on the cd-i. this bear is so fucking ugly but he lives in heaven. everything is animated on 1s and this world knows no pain or suffering. i feel like i've seen something i shouldn't have.
November 8, 2024 at 5:08 AM
genuinely haunted by stickybear on the cd-i. this bear is so fucking ugly but he lives in heaven. everything is animated on 1s and this world knows no pain or suffering. i feel like i've seen something i shouldn't have.
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
bring them back
de-extinction them
de-extinction them
May 10, 2025 at 6:35 PM
bring them back
de-extinction them
de-extinction them
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
the god of fear and hunger acknowledges your suffering
January 7, 2025 at 3:36 PM
the god of fear and hunger acknowledges your suffering
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
I'm still looking for full-time or contract work – I'm a narrative design generalist with credits on multiple shipped titles. I focus on taming the complexity of narrative systems, writing prose, and leading narrative teams.
brunodias.dev/bio
brunodias.dev/bio
Bio
Bruno Dias is a game designer and writer. Previous credits include Where the Water Tastes Like Wine, Neo Cab, and Pathologic 2.
brunodias.dev
February 6, 2026 at 1:30 AM
I'm still looking for full-time or contract work – I'm a narrative design generalist with credits on multiple shipped titles. I focus on taming the complexity of narrative systems, writing prose, and leading narrative teams.
brunodias.dev/bio
brunodias.dev/bio
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
i know that this is an unpopular take, but everyone starting their own newsletter as a revenue stream is not a sustainable model for writing and reporting or for people who love and want to pay for media.
A lot of people cannot just start a paid newsletter or become freelancers to sustain their careers. The sports, metro, and international desks did work that requires *team* resources, like legal checks, documents, access to archives, and long-term beat experience.
February 4, 2026 at 2:50 PM
i know that this is an unpopular take, but everyone starting their own newsletter as a revenue stream is not a sustainable model for writing and reporting or for people who love and want to pay for media.
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
everybody should check out @direkris.itch.io's You Are Jeff Bezos (direkris.itch.io/you-are-jeff...), which is my favorite illustration of how obscene this amount of wealth is (and doubles as a prime example of how "games" can be more than pure entertainment)
February 4, 2026 at 7:08 PM
everybody should check out @direkris.itch.io's You Are Jeff Bezos (direkris.itch.io/you-are-jeff...), which is my favorite illustration of how obscene this amount of wealth is (and doubles as a prime example of how "games" can be more than pure entertainment)
Boktai 4
February 4, 2026 at 6:59 PM
Boktai 4
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
❄️ Update: The GAME NARRATIVE KALEIDOSCOPE ❄️ will be published soon - we just sent a proof to the authors.
400 pages - 100k+ words - 118 authors - including the writers from several well-beloved games and major franchises.
If you want to be notified when it releases, you can add your name below!
400 pages - 100k+ words - 118 authors - including the writers from several well-beloved games and major franchises.
If you want to be notified when it releases, you can add your name below!
Sign up for news about the Game Writing Kaleidoscope
In early 2026 we’ll be publishing The Game Narrative Kaleidoscope, a collection of over 100 short essays by game writers about writing.
Featuring some very famous names, some highly experienced free...
forms.gle
February 4, 2026 at 3:10 PM
❄️ Update: The GAME NARRATIVE KALEIDOSCOPE ❄️ will be published soon - we just sent a proof to the authors.
400 pages - 100k+ words - 118 authors - including the writers from several well-beloved games and major franchises.
If you want to be notified when it releases, you can add your name below!
400 pages - 100k+ words - 118 authors - including the writers from several well-beloved games and major franchises.
If you want to be notified when it releases, you can add your name below!
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
remember back when we all doodled the current thing for warmups? we could bring that back, maybe, that was fun
February 3, 2026 at 7:52 AM
remember back when we all doodled the current thing for warmups? we could bring that back, maybe, that was fun
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
I’m sure someone else has put this better but: producer is a very…female-coded profession. They do the work that needs to happen but rarely attracts any glory. They have “soft skills” that auteurs and geniuses don’t. They’re often paid less.
Just something to consider about why they’re devalued.
Just something to consider about why they’re devalued.
February 2, 2026 at 5:22 PM
I’m sure someone else has put this better but: producer is a very…female-coded profession. They do the work that needs to happen but rarely attracts any glory. They have “soft skills” that auteurs and geniuses don’t. They’re often paid less.
Just something to consider about why they’re devalued.
Just something to consider about why they’re devalued.
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
Just finished 3 micro-RPGs for this jam! These are my first attempts at tabletop games. Find them here: itch.io/c/6917091/tt...
January 31, 2026 at 10:29 PM
Just finished 3 micro-RPGs for this jam! These are my first attempts at tabletop games. Find them here: itch.io/c/6917091/tt...
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
please know when I use the ✨ emoji, I do not mean anything to do with AI. they stole my emoji from me.
January 30, 2026 at 6:17 PM
please know when I use the ✨ emoji, I do not mean anything to do with AI. they stole my emoji from me.
Reposted by Giada Zavarise
Wondering what my userpic is from? Play my game Displacer Beast (and maybe drop me a tip because things are hard out here right now) direkris.itch.io/displacer
Displacer Beast by Kris Lorischild
There's something wrong with your new cat.
direkris.itch.io
January 29, 2026 at 8:34 PM
Wondering what my userpic is from? Play my game Displacer Beast (and maybe drop me a tip because things are hard out here right now) direkris.itch.io/displacer