Dan Johnson (hire me)
@coil.bsky.social
Schipperke owner @PNW
Game Systems Designer, dangerously unsupervised (prev Big Blue Sky Games, Blizzard, Bungie, Irrational, etc)
Hire me!
#GameDev
he/him
Game Systems Designer, dangerously unsupervised (prev Big Blue Sky Games, Blizzard, Bungie, Irrational, etc)
Hire me!
#GameDev
he/him
Pinned
Dan Johnson (hire me)
@coil.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Hello newskies! I'm Dan, a game designer currently hailing from the Seattle area. I have lots of schipperkes, ADHD, and many (mostly crafty) hobbies in varying states of hyperfocus or neglect.
Favorite game: Journey
Color: Aqua
Album: Paul Simon - Graceland
Cocktail: Red Hook
Dinosaur: Amargasaurus
Favorite game: Journey
Color: Aqua
Album: Paul Simon - Graceland
Cocktail: Red Hook
Dinosaur: Amargasaurus
He looks like Adam Sandler got in a fight with a stroke.
February 3, 2026 at 4:53 AM
He looks like Adam Sandler got in a fight with a stroke.
Man, this screencap makes me extremely glad I didn't click when I first heard this.
That's horrifying.
That's horrifying.
Xfinity has just released its Jurassic Park-themed Super Bowl ad that features a digitally de-aged Sam Neil, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum. https://bit.ly/4rmRhrK
February 3, 2026 at 4:43 AM
Man, this screencap makes me extremely glad I didn't click when I first heard this.
That's horrifying.
That's horrifying.
You're from the future???
February 3, 2026 at 3:05 AM
You're from the future???
Space Sweepers was a very fun movie about debris removal crews and blue collar solidarity in a Kessler syndrome future.
February 3, 2026 at 2:59 AM
Space Sweepers was a very fun movie about debris removal crews and blue collar solidarity in a Kessler syndrome future.
This is the year - THIS IS THE YEAR that he doesn't pull the football away.
February 3, 2026 at 1:25 AM
This is the year - THIS IS THE YEAR that he doesn't pull the football away.
For real. MFs like "it's freezing cold in space" no it's not, it's a *vacuum* which is an entirely different problem.
(Sometimes it's really hot! Really really hot!!)
(Sometimes it's really hot! Really really hot!!)
February 2, 2026 at 11:47 PM
For real. MFs like "it's freezing cold in space" no it's not, it's a *vacuum* which is an entirely different problem.
(Sometimes it's really hot! Really really hot!!)
(Sometimes it's really hot! Really really hot!!)
That'll definitely fix the cost issue.
SpaceX has officially acquired xAI with new focus on creating orbital AI data centers
SpaceX has officially acquired xAI with new focus on creating orbital AI data centers
SpaceX and xAI will team up on deploying orbital AI data centers.
dlvr.it
February 2, 2026 at 11:35 PM
That'll definitely fix the cost issue.
Reposted by Dan Johnson (hire me)
This talk at GDC 2013 by Ruth Tomandil is a huge part of why I became a producer. I think it’s still a great primer on what a producer is and why the role is important. gdcvault.com/play/1017680...
Producer Bootcamp: Production 101
Making games is fun, but complicated. The complexities of games increases with each new generation of gaming, and customer expectations grow. Production roles have become even more critical, whether y...
gdcvault.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:47 PM
This talk at GDC 2013 by Ruth Tomandil is a huge part of why I became a producer. I think it’s still a great primer on what a producer is and why the role is important. gdcvault.com/play/1017680...
Kitchen hack: sourdough
February 2, 2026 at 10:21 PM
Kitchen hack: sourdough
Snow pile like "see you in June, loser"
February 2, 2026 at 10:14 PM
Snow pile like "see you in June, loser"
I'm sure she has at LEAST 1000 on AO3.
If anyone says Lupita Nyong’o is miscast as the most beautiful woman in the world, you know you can safely discard any further opinions from that person
February 2, 2026 at 8:56 PM
I'm sure she has at LEAST 1000 on AO3.
Kitchen hack: Bartender's Friend
February 2, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Kitchen hack: Bartender's Friend
Reposted by Dan Johnson (hire me)
Honestly a thousand ships seems a little light for Lupita Nyong'o.
February 2, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Honestly a thousand ships seems a little light for Lupita Nyong'o.
Who up surging and yawing
Six degrees of freedom? In *this* economy?
Anyway, TIL that translational movement has specific terminology: surge (forward/back), heave (up/down), and sway (left/right).
Anyway, TIL that translational movement has specific terminology: surge (forward/back), heave (up/down), and sway (left/right).
February 2, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Who up surging and yawing
Invisible work is exactly right.
February 2, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Invisible work is exactly right.
Reposted by Dan Johnson (hire me)
there's also something to be said about how producers/community managers are seen as expendable and do way more invisible work as a games field with more women and nonbinary people in it compared to like, male dominated programming but that's a ramble for another day
February 2, 2026 at 6:18 PM
there's also something to be said about how producers/community managers are seen as expendable and do way more invisible work as a games field with more women and nonbinary people in it compared to like, male dominated programming but that's a ramble for another day
I booked my room for the week after GDC. Thankfully my wife knows how to read dates.
February 2, 2026 at 6:29 PM
I booked my room for the week after GDC. Thankfully my wife knows how to read dates.
Jokes aside, that's what bugged me about the "you can't make a game with just project managers" post: it's backwards. You can make a game without art, or audio, or even code. You can't make a game without project management. If your project has no producer, YOU are the producer. The work gets done.
The truth of video game production is that production labor is a fixed entity; the work of production *must* be done for the game to ship and it will be done. The difference between good and bad producers is that good producers do it, while bad producers have it done around them.
February 2, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Jokes aside, that's what bugged me about the "you can't make a game with just project managers" post: it's backwards. You can make a game without art, or audio, or even code. You can't make a game without project management. If your project has no producer, YOU are the producer. The work gets done.
In solo dev this is usually called caffeine
Many game studios have "shadow production", in which someone sets up a parallel (but functioning) system of organization to compensate for the inadequacies of whatever methodology the actual producer insists on employing; thus requiring an act of continuous translation between the two.
February 2, 2026 at 5:12 PM
In solo dev this is usually called caffeine
I keep trying to talk about the baked lighting on the textures but can't stop getting distracted by the fact that somebody approved that skybox.
February 2, 2026 at 5:07 PM
I keep trying to talk about the baked lighting on the textures but can't stop getting distracted by the fact that somebody approved that skybox.
Wow that's a crime
February 2, 2026 at 4:29 PM
Wow that's a crime
Reposted by Dan Johnson (hire me)
Hell yeah! No matter where I go in this industry my heart will always be with Blizz QA where I started, and those folks have long needed a union. Bursting with pride for this accomplishment.
NEW: QA workers at Blizzard Albany and Austin have ratified a union contract with Microsoft after three years of negotiations.
The contract delivers protections against generative AI tech in the workplace, wage increases, disability accommodations, crunch restrictions, and much more.
The contract delivers protections against generative AI tech in the workplace, wage increases, disability accommodations, crunch restrictions, and much more.
QA workers at Blizzard ratify union contract with Microsoft
The three-year contract delivers generative AI protections, wage increases, disability accommodations, and more.
www.gamedeveloper.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Hell yeah! No matter where I go in this industry my heart will always be with Blizz QA where I started, and those folks have long needed a union. Bursting with pride for this accomplishment.
Correct, you don't.
February 2, 2026 at 10:59 AM
Correct, you don't.
An endless scroll of this, one for every state in the country.
"We are looking for a Game Developer to join our team to train AI models. You will measure the success of these chatbots..."
"We are looking for a Game Developer to join our team to train AI models. You will measure the success of these chatbots..."
February 2, 2026 at 10:23 AM
An endless scroll of this, one for every state in the country.
"We are looking for a Game Developer to join our team to train AI models. You will measure the success of these chatbots..."
"We are looking for a Game Developer to join our team to train AI models. You will measure the success of these chatbots..."