Collin Armstrong
@collinarmstrong.bsky.social
Writer living in Los Angeles. Nerd for analog tech, vintage games, and anything sci-fi and horror-related. My first novel, POLYBIUS, is available now from Gallery Books.
#booksky #horrorsky
Looking to horrify someone special this holiday season? POLYBiUS is a Booksellers' Pick for the Bookshop.org 2025 Holiday Gift Guide!
bookshop.org/info/2025-gi...
Looking to horrify someone special this holiday season? POLYBiUS is a Booksellers' Pick for the Bookshop.org 2025 Holiday Gift Guide!
bookshop.org/info/2025-gi...
November 6, 2025 at 11:59 PM
#booksky #horrorsky
Looking to horrify someone special this holiday season? POLYBiUS is a Booksellers' Pick for the Bookshop.org 2025 Holiday Gift Guide!
bookshop.org/info/2025-gi...
Looking to horrify someone special this holiday season? POLYBiUS is a Booksellers' Pick for the Bookshop.org 2025 Holiday Gift Guide!
bookshop.org/info/2025-gi...
October 14, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Pulp was the plan!!!
#Booksky Spooktacular 2025 Day 11: When I say @collinarmstrong.bsky.social’s debut novel Polybius is pulpy, I want to be clear I do NOT mean that as an insult. This urban video game legend is a great foundation for stuff I love: scares, teen drama, and those hard-to-quantify “vibes.” Tons of fun.
October 11, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Pulp was the plan!!!
#booksky #music
If you haven't read POLYBIUS yet or you want some spooky season vibes, this is a score for the book created as a fan project by the Electric Supply Station. Perfectly captures the mood & it blows my mind that the book inspired something so cool...
soundcloud.com/user-8037698...
If you haven't read POLYBIUS yet or you want some spooky season vibes, this is a score for the book created as a fan project by the Electric Supply Station. Perfectly captures the mood & it blows my mind that the book inspired something so cool...
soundcloud.com/user-8037698...
Original score inspired by the Collin Armstrong novel Polybius
Original score inspired by the Collin Armstrong novel Polybius
soundcloud.com
October 8, 2025 at 3:16 PM
#booksky #music
If you haven't read POLYBIUS yet or you want some spooky season vibes, this is a score for the book created as a fan project by the Electric Supply Station. Perfectly captures the mood & it blows my mind that the book inspired something so cool...
soundcloud.com/user-8037698...
If you haven't read POLYBIUS yet or you want some spooky season vibes, this is a score for the book created as a fan project by the Electric Supply Station. Perfectly captures the mood & it blows my mind that the book inspired something so cool...
soundcloud.com/user-8037698...
If anyone wonders what it's like to be a working writing these days... thewalrus.ca/the-publishi...
The Publishing Industry Has a Gambling Problem | The Walrus
Companies keep betting on the next bestseller. Literature is poorer for it
thewalrus.ca
September 29, 2025 at 7:40 PM
If anyone wonders what it's like to be a working writing these days... thewalrus.ca/the-publishi...
Don’t take it from me…
🕹️💀🕹️
🕹️💀🕹️
I dunno who needs it, but this book needs an info-hazard warning. It claimed every waking moment until I finished it, it’s SO GOOD! I haven’t had a book grab me like this in *forever*!
I know it's August, but it's also practically October. Start stocking up on horror media now, people!!!
September 8, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Don’t take it from me…
🕹️💀🕹️
🕹️💀🕹️
I know it's August, but it's also practically October. Start stocking up on horror media now, people!!!
Polybius by Collin Armstrong: Review by Colleen Mondor
Polybius by Collin Armstrong: Review by Colleen Mondor
Polybius, Collin Armstrong (Gallery 978-0-668-04497-1, $28.99, 352pp, hc) April 2025. In October 1982, the most popular arcade game in Tasker Bay, California is Polybius. It arrives from an auction…
locusmag.com
August 28, 2025 at 3:41 PM
I know it's August, but it's also practically October. Start stocking up on horror media now, people!!!
#glitchart #videoart #videobending
DV cam's attract screen filtered through a bent Extron video amp, then various Andrei Jay apps, into a feedback loop.
atmospheric loop #15 by BloodPixelHero -- freesound.org/s/565554/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
DV cam's attract screen filtered through a bent Extron video amp, then various Andrei Jay apps, into a feedback loop.
atmospheric loop #15 by BloodPixelHero -- freesound.org/s/565554/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
August 27, 2025 at 3:55 PM
#glitchart #videoart #videobending
DV cam's attract screen filtered through a bent Extron video amp, then various Andrei Jay apps, into a feedback loop.
atmospheric loop #15 by BloodPixelHero -- freesound.org/s/565554/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
DV cam's attract screen filtered through a bent Extron video amp, then various Andrei Jay apps, into a feedback loop.
atmospheric loop #15 by BloodPixelHero -- freesound.org/s/565554/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
#glitchart #videoart #videobending #circuitbending #analog #videosynthesis
A bunch of PXL + VSERPI + feedback + video bending experiments rolled into one clip. Excuse the aspect ratio crimes.
Bach's Prelude in C [Chiptune] by Beetlemuse -- freesound.org/s/668630/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
A bunch of PXL + VSERPI + feedback + video bending experiments rolled into one clip. Excuse the aspect ratio crimes.
Bach's Prelude in C [Chiptune] by Beetlemuse -- freesound.org/s/668630/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
August 19, 2025 at 7:54 PM
#glitchart #videoart #videobending #circuitbending #analog #videosynthesis
A bunch of PXL + VSERPI + feedback + video bending experiments rolled into one clip. Excuse the aspect ratio crimes.
Bach's Prelude in C [Chiptune] by Beetlemuse -- freesound.org/s/668630/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
A bunch of PXL + VSERPI + feedback + video bending experiments rolled into one clip. Excuse the aspect ratio crimes.
Bach's Prelude in C [Chiptune] by Beetlemuse -- freesound.org/s/668630/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
When I was writing my take on the POLYBIUS legend, the vintage photos of arcades that @catdespira.bsky.social featured on her website were hugely inspirational. Here's a review, by her, of a much earlier novel that might've contributed to the legend's rise over the years.
I just found this 10-year-old piece by @catdespira.bsky.social about the novel Arcade and how it could be the genesis of the Polybius urban legend. I'm so happy to finally have some validation for this. Thanks Cat! Love your work.
retro-bitch.com/2015/11/10/a...
retro-bitch.com/2015/11/10/a...
ARCADE: Polybius Legend’s First Appearance in Fiction?
The year was 1984 when, quietly and without too much fanfare from the media, a book appeared in shops across America that caught the eye of vidiots every where. Titled ARCADE, a novel by Robert Max…
retro-bitch.com
August 12, 2025 at 3:49 PM
When I was writing my take on the POLYBIUS legend, the vintage photos of arcades that @catdespira.bsky.social featured on her website were hugely inspirational. Here's a review, by her, of a much earlier novel that might've contributed to the legend's rise over the years.
Nice breakdown of elements that are often connected to the POLYBIUS legend, plus a comprehensive list of appearances made in different media...
August 12, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Nice breakdown of elements that are often connected to the POLYBIUS legend, plus a comprehensive list of appearances made in different media...
#glitchart #videoart #videobending
DARK GRIME 5
Footage shot at a public garden, used to create feedback loops on a Roland Edirol V4, bent with a Director's Cut analog / digital converter.
MemoryMoon_shining-organ_grab-filtha.wav by suonho -- freesound.org/s/28091/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
DARK GRIME 5
Footage shot at a public garden, used to create feedback loops on a Roland Edirol V4, bent with a Director's Cut analog / digital converter.
MemoryMoon_shining-organ_grab-filtha.wav by suonho -- freesound.org/s/28091/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
August 7, 2025 at 7:55 PM
#glitchart #videoart #videobending
DARK GRIME 5
Footage shot at a public garden, used to create feedback loops on a Roland Edirol V4, bent with a Director's Cut analog / digital converter.
MemoryMoon_shining-organ_grab-filtha.wav by suonho -- freesound.org/s/28091/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
DARK GRIME 5
Footage shot at a public garden, used to create feedback loops on a Roland Edirol V4, bent with a Director's Cut analog / digital converter.
MemoryMoon_shining-organ_grab-filtha.wav by suonho -- freesound.org/s/28091/ -- License: Attribution 4.0
#horrorsky #booksky
Christopher Lee reading M.R. James’ A Warning to the Curious is spooky + oddly soothing.
youtu.be/yUSbAWyswN0?...
Christopher Lee reading M.R. James’ A Warning to the Curious is spooky + oddly soothing.
youtu.be/yUSbAWyswN0?...
A Ghost Story for Christmas: "A Warning to the Curious", with Sir Christopher Lee
YouTube video by AntPDC
youtu.be
August 2, 2025 at 5:48 AM
#horrorsky #booksky
Christopher Lee reading M.R. James’ A Warning to the Curious is spooky + oddly soothing.
youtu.be/yUSbAWyswN0?...
Christopher Lee reading M.R. James’ A Warning to the Curious is spooky + oddly soothing.
youtu.be/yUSbAWyswN0?...
I spent last night on my favorite stretch of Santa Monica Blvd, visiting Cinefile Video (bought a bunch of kickass vintage studio wear they'd acquired in an estate sale) and seeing the rare big-screen presentation of a Kiyoshi Kurosawa film...
August 1, 2025 at 8:13 PM
I spent last night on my favorite stretch of Santa Monica Blvd, visiting Cinefile Video (bought a bunch of kickass vintage studio wear they'd acquired in an estate sale) and seeing the rare big-screen presentation of a Kiyoshi Kurosawa film...
#booksky #horror #horrorsky
What an incredible recommendation for POLYBIUS from The Pamphleteer - it not only picks up on the vibes I was aiming for, but some of the larger context as well.
pamphleteer.co/post/the-wee...
What an incredible recommendation for POLYBIUS from The Pamphleteer - it not only picks up on the vibes I was aiming for, but some of the larger context as well.
pamphleteer.co/post/the-wee...
August 1, 2025 at 4:25 PM
#booksky #horror #horrorsky
What an incredible recommendation for POLYBIUS from The Pamphleteer - it not only picks up on the vibes I was aiming for, but some of the larger context as well.
pamphleteer.co/post/the-wee...
What an incredible recommendation for POLYBIUS from The Pamphleteer - it not only picks up on the vibes I was aiming for, but some of the larger context as well.
pamphleteer.co/post/the-wee...
#videoart #glitchart #videobending #circuitbending
TEST FLIGHT
Stock footage run thru a Roland Edirol V4 and circuit bent with an unbranded video enhancer.
Audio from Freesound.org...
arp-blips.wav by earthpages -- freesound.org/s/649090/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0
TEST FLIGHT
Stock footage run thru a Roland Edirol V4 and circuit bent with an unbranded video enhancer.
Audio from Freesound.org...
arp-blips.wav by earthpages -- freesound.org/s/649090/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0
July 31, 2025 at 7:54 PM
#videoart #glitchart #videobending #circuitbending
TEST FLIGHT
Stock footage run thru a Roland Edirol V4 and circuit bent with an unbranded video enhancer.
Audio from Freesound.org...
arp-blips.wav by earthpages -- freesound.org/s/649090/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0
TEST FLIGHT
Stock footage run thru a Roland Edirol V4 and circuit bent with an unbranded video enhancer.
Audio from Freesound.org...
arp-blips.wav by earthpages -- freesound.org/s/649090/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0
Reposted by Collin Armstrong
I've been researching another game, Cube Quest by Simutrek (the first game with 3D polygons and arguably the main inspiration for the Polybius urban legend). I just looked up Simutrek's founder, Noah Anglin, and found his obituary. In an incredible coincidence, today would've been his birthday.
July 4, 2025 at 10:50 PM
I've been researching another game, Cube Quest by Simutrek (the first game with 3D polygons and arguably the main inspiration for the Polybius urban legend). I just looked up Simutrek's founder, Noah Anglin, and found his obituary. In an incredible coincidence, today would've been his birthday.
#booksky
@gamespot.com recently posted on gaming-related books, including the fascinating-sounding A BETTER PARADISE (missed the podcast, I'll wait for the book which releases in Oct), highlighting other titles in the space including POLYBIUS!
www.gamespot.com/articles/dan...
@gamespot.com recently posted on gaming-related books, including the fascinating-sounding A BETTER PARADISE (missed the podcast, I'll wait for the book which releases in Oct), highlighting other titles in the space including POLYBIUS!
www.gamespot.com/articles/dan...
Former GTA Creative Director Dan Houser Wrote A Novel About Game Development
A Better Paradise Volume One: An Aftermath releases October 14 and is available to preorder now at Amazon.
www.gamespot.com
July 4, 2025 at 9:37 PM
#booksky
@gamespot.com recently posted on gaming-related books, including the fascinating-sounding A BETTER PARADISE (missed the podcast, I'll wait for the book which releases in Oct), highlighting other titles in the space including POLYBIUS!
www.gamespot.com/articles/dan...
@gamespot.com recently posted on gaming-related books, including the fascinating-sounding A BETTER PARADISE (missed the podcast, I'll wait for the book which releases in Oct), highlighting other titles in the space including POLYBIUS!
www.gamespot.com/articles/dan...
#glitchart #videoart
What started as footage I captured of Space Harrier on the #turbografx16 is now... this, whatever it is, thanks to a circuit-bent Vidicraft Vidmate, Andrei Jay's Temporal Mesh program, and Signal Culture's WeaverMA app.
What started as footage I captured of Space Harrier on the #turbografx16 is now... this, whatever it is, thanks to a circuit-bent Vidicraft Vidmate, Andrei Jay's Temporal Mesh program, and Signal Culture's WeaverMA app.
July 2, 2025 at 12:15 AM
#glitchart #videoart
What started as footage I captured of Space Harrier on the #turbografx16 is now... this, whatever it is, thanks to a circuit-bent Vidicraft Vidmate, Andrei Jay's Temporal Mesh program, and Signal Culture's WeaverMA app.
What started as footage I captured of Space Harrier on the #turbografx16 is now... this, whatever it is, thanks to a circuit-bent Vidicraft Vidmate, Andrei Jay's Temporal Mesh program, and Signal Culture's WeaverMA app.
Reposted by Collin Armstrong
Reposted by Collin Armstrong
And they're all easily available at Target.
These New Book Releases Should Be On Your 2025 Summer Reading List
And they're all easily available at Target.
www.huffpost.com
June 26, 2025 at 11:03 AM
And they're all easily available at Target.
#booksky
Summer reads, beach reads, whatever you call them, grabbing new books on vacation has been a tradition since I was young.
POLYBIUS is an ode to the pulpy thrillers I'd pluck from spinning metal racks in random gift shops to read in the car, at the beach, in bed at night.
Summer reads, beach reads, whatever you call them, grabbing new books on vacation has been a tradition since I was young.
POLYBIUS is an ode to the pulpy thrillers I'd pluck from spinning metal racks in random gift shops to read in the car, at the beach, in bed at night.
June 24, 2025 at 9:29 PM
#booksky
Summer reads, beach reads, whatever you call them, grabbing new books on vacation has been a tradition since I was young.
POLYBIUS is an ode to the pulpy thrillers I'd pluck from spinning metal racks in random gift shops to read in the car, at the beach, in bed at night.
Summer reads, beach reads, whatever you call them, grabbing new books on vacation has been a tradition since I was young.
POLYBIUS is an ode to the pulpy thrillers I'd pluck from spinning metal racks in random gift shops to read in the car, at the beach, in bed at night.
#booksky #authorvisit #library
I'll be virtually chatting POLYBIUS at the Swarthmore Public Library next Monday, June 23rd at 7p EST. Stop by and help support their awesome Author Visit program!
You can register here:
delcolibraries.libcal.com/event/14562944
I'll be virtually chatting POLYBIUS at the Swarthmore Public Library next Monday, June 23rd at 7p EST. Stop by and help support their awesome Author Visit program!
You can register here:
delcolibraries.libcal.com/event/14562944
Zoom Author Visit with Collin Armstrong: Polybius
Stranger Things meets The Walking Dead in Collin Armstrong’s pulse-pounding new novel Polybius, a chilling reimagining of the infamous urban legend about a mysterious video game...
delcolibraries.libcal.com
June 18, 2025 at 6:02 PM
#booksky #authorvisit #library
I'll be virtually chatting POLYBIUS at the Swarthmore Public Library next Monday, June 23rd at 7p EST. Stop by and help support their awesome Author Visit program!
You can register here:
delcolibraries.libcal.com/event/14562944
I'll be virtually chatting POLYBIUS at the Swarthmore Public Library next Monday, June 23rd at 7p EST. Stop by and help support their awesome Author Visit program!
You can register here:
delcolibraries.libcal.com/event/14562944
#booksky
I didn't come home with pictures to share. For once, I put my phone & the small army of cameras I travel with away.
As someone who isn't comfortable in crowds or that motivated to socialize, StokerCon was a bit of a revelation. I met the *nicest* people, including a few personal heroes.
I didn't come home with pictures to share. For once, I put my phone & the small army of cameras I travel with away.
As someone who isn't comfortable in crowds or that motivated to socialize, StokerCon was a bit of a revelation. I met the *nicest* people, including a few personal heroes.
June 16, 2025 at 11:22 PM
#booksky
I didn't come home with pictures to share. For once, I put my phone & the small army of cameras I travel with away.
As someone who isn't comfortable in crowds or that motivated to socialize, StokerCon was a bit of a revelation. I met the *nicest* people, including a few personal heroes.
I didn't come home with pictures to share. For once, I put my phone & the small army of cameras I travel with away.
As someone who isn't comfortable in crowds or that motivated to socialize, StokerCon was a bit of a revelation. I met the *nicest* people, including a few personal heroes.
Reposted by Collin Armstrong
Given that it's based on an urban legend about a mysterious arcade game that makes people psychotic, you'd expect Collin Armstrong's novel "Polybius" to be a horror story. But as he says in this exclusive interview, it's a coming-of-age one as well.
paulsemel.com/exclusive-in...
📖🕹️🪙
paulsemel.com/exclusive-in...
📖🕹️🪙
Exclusive Interview "Polybius" Author Collin Armstrong ... .
Exclusive Interview "Polybius" Author Collin Armstrong \ In which he talks about this urban legend inspired coming-of-age horror novel.
paulsemel.com
June 6, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Given that it's based on an urban legend about a mysterious arcade game that makes people psychotic, you'd expect Collin Armstrong's novel "Polybius" to be a horror story. But as he says in this exclusive interview, it's a coming-of-age one as well.
paulsemel.com/exclusive-in...
📖🕹️🪙
paulsemel.com/exclusive-in...
📖🕹️🪙